First things first – I’m a huge nerd. Therefore, coming up with titles for these features on is kind of a weird guilty pleasure of mine. So with that said (stay with me here), Sonic the Hedgehog is after chaos emeralds in the video game. Emeralds are green. And Randy’s car – a Chevy Sonic RS – is Synergy Green & makes a bunch of power. Thus making it – chaotic. There it is folks. So with that out of the way (lol)… let’s introduce this thing.
Randy O’Brien grew up in a circle track family…
So for as long as he can remember, cars have been the backdrop of his life. From late nights in the garage helping his dad & uncle wrench on race cars, to time spent at the track, to watching all the hard work pay off & hoisting up the trophies… cars are just in his blood. And as they say, the apple doesn’t fall farm from the tree. So when Randy came of age & got his own car, the wheels started spinning (both figuratively and literally).
But Randy had pretty humble beginnings…
In the form of a 2009 Chevy Cobalt sedan. An automatic, non-SS, naturally aspirated 2.2L model to be exact. Funnily enough, that humble sedan is how I actually first met Randy though… having a 2007 Chevy Cobalt SS coupe myself back in the day. Our friendship gradually transitioned from the forums to the social media. And I watched him transform that rental-car spec Cobalt into a slammed, boosted, attention-grabbing showstopper. But alas, we aren’t here to talk about that car. As unique as it was, it was only the beginning of Randy’s lifelong affinity towards the GM Ecotec platform.
This green Chevy Sonic isn’t Randy’s first…
He originally owned a 2013 Carbon Flash Metallic Sonic RS. It was a car that ultimately met its demise courtesy of a distracted driver (probably looking at the free S3 Magazine app while driving). Now many of us would simply brush ourselves off and move on to the next platform we had queued up in our imagination… but not Randy. Being that he’s an employee at ZZ Performance (ZZP) – a company synonymous with building some of the wildest Ecotec platforms out there – Randy decided to double-down and crank the dial full tilt with this second Sonic RS.
Starting on the outside of this Chevy Sonic RS…
The first thing you’ll probably notice (other than the color) is the car’s ‘down to earth’ stance. It’s hunkered-down on a bag-over-coil setup, utilizing BC Racing coilovers paired with Airlift 3P management fed by a 3-gallon tank. The wheels are Rotiform RSE’s, complete with the Rotiform Aerodiscs. It’s a modern throwback to the hot-hatch racers of yesteryear. Randy also keeps a set of rareboi OZ Racing Formula HLT’s on deck, should he feel like changing things up.
Exterior (Cont’d)…
Moving to the front of the car, a carbon fiber hood & front fenders were added to take some weight off the nose of the already lightweight hatchback. And – they were paint-matched to keep things clean. There’s also a set of Morimoto Mini H1 retrofits (that Randy built himself) featuring demon eyes and a Morimoto Bluetooth controller. Rounding out the exterior of this little Chevy Sonic RS is a carbon fiber rear hatch (also paint matched), blacked-out trim, and Korean-spec taillights/rear wing.
The interior of the Sonic RS…
Contains a pair of Recaro Sportster CS seats. And complementing those seats is a Camaro ZL1 suede steering wheel, a custom alcantara headliner, an Android-based radio, ZZP short-shifter, and a plethora of gauges from the likes of Aeroforce & AEM. Randy also added sound deadening throughout the car, making the econobox interior feel a bit more refined & comfortable. Now for the good part…
Whats under the hood of this Chevy Sonic RS…
“Fast” and “Sonic” are a pretty common pairing of words when it comes to little blue cartoon hedgehogs. But not so much when it comes to GM-based economy cars. To be quite frank, I didn’t even realize these little 1.4L engines could be built so spicy! Inside the 83 cubic inch engine (yes, you read that correctly… itty-bitty!) Randy installed ZZP forged pistons & rods, ZZP 72# valve springs, titanium retainers, and a stage-1 camshaft package to make sure this little guy could handle mo’ powa babeh! Fueling comes from a set of Injector Dynamics 1050cc port injectors, a gen-5 Camaro ZL1 in-tank fuel pump, and a ZZP ethanol content sensor.
Engine (Cont’d)…
On the outside of the engine, there’s a bunch more ZZP goodies – including their air intake, billet water pump pulley, billet/poly engine mounts, and an aluminum radiator. RacerX provided the all-metal coolant neck & their sheet metal intake manifold. Long gone is the tiny anemic little stock turbo. And in its place sits a Garrett G25-550 turbocharger featuring a .72 AR exhaust housing and a 38mm wastegate. The intercooler piping was all custom fabbed by Randy’s buddy, Ross. And the exhaust is a custom 3” turbo-back featuring a ZZP high-flow catalytic converter and a Varex valvetronic muffler – than can be remotely adjusted both inside & out of the car. All this is all good for a staggering 356whp and 297tq at 20psi. Randy says these figures were at 6,700RPM, but the car is capable of revving out to 7,800-8,000RPM, so there is still some more power to be found. Putting all the power to the pavement is an MZO transmission, which has slightly longer 1st-5th gears than the original MR5 transmission. It’s got a Clutch Masters FX500 clutch, lightweight steel flywheel, carbon 1-2 syncro, and an MFactory LSD.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” –Uncle Ben.
Upgraded brakes…
A light/little hatchback making almost 400hp definitely needs some additional footwork to help keep the Sonic RS straight when it’s blasting through the Green Zone in pursuit of Dr. Robotnik (huh?). So to address this, Randy added a ZZP rear sway bar to help the Sonic rotate a little more & understeer a little less. He also added a set of Brembo brakes featuring 12.6” rotors.
Hot-Hatches like this really push the envelope on the “what if” agenda…
I would’ve never thought a Chevy Sonic could look so cool…..or that its little 1.4L 4-banger could be so stout! Frankly – I don’t think Chevy marketed this car properly. Yeah ok – they made a commercial of Rob Dyrdek doing a kick-flip in a Sonic. But the true message got lost in entertainment & celebrity. And the same can be said for Ford and the Fiesta ST. Fellow DC Shoe celeb, Ken Block, did his deal with a wild AWD factory-backed unobtanium race car. But as awesome as that was – it didn’t connect with the Fiesta ST’s real hot-hatch energy at the street level.
It got views; it didn’t sell cars…
There was too much disconnect between the hero car, and the cars available at dealerships. You had to be a pretty savvy car-lover who did your own research, and young buyers didn’t make the connection. Perhaps Ford relied too much on the niche aftermarket media they WERE NOT SUPPORTING (cough cough) to take up all that slack. Neither GM nor Ford properly marketed the idea that you don’t have to have 500+ horsepower be radically quick, stylish, and V8-upsetting. True hot-hatches have an innate, defiant, cool-factor that’s just waiting to be untapped. Rowdy > perfect. Scrappy > pricey. 356whp in a car like this – is an absolute riot. It’s awesome to see someone bring out the full potential of an otherwise overlooked car. Randy’s Sonic is a truly a diamond… errrr… emerald in the rough. Stay weird my friends!
Feature by Josh Guillot
Photos by Tyler Vogt & Brandon Richardson
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