Well here’s a surprise, folks.  One day after I lamented the lack of GSi for sale, this super rare ’91 hatchback pops up on Craigslist out of Salt Lake City.

If you’re looking for a restoration candidate, this is the one to have.  The rarest of all GSi model year and body type combos, the 1991 hatchback was the final year for the body style and a rather slow seller, with only 237 moving through Chevy-Geo dealerships.

I don’t believe it would be too much of a stretch to suggest that perhaps one-in-ten of those produced are still on the road 26 years later. Let’s face it, they were $11 – 13,000 cars when new and existed in a time before the 4A-GE engine gained its cult status in the States.

As a side note, yes this is the same car posted on these pages a while back for sale in Boise, Idaho – it was incorrectly labeled a 1990 when listed in December.

The photos show that it’ll need a paint job and a fair amount of interior freshening to get back to factory spec. But, it’s a runner and most of the pieces appear to be there. Those that are missing – such as the GSi-specific wheel center caps – are either fairly easy to source on eBay, or are shared with lesser Prizm models – such as the dash pad.

This particular example is equipped just the way it should be – manual transmission with a modicum of convenience features such as power windows and locks, cruise control (unfortunately inoperable now) and rear wiper and defroster.

The “Toyota” branded valve cover appears to not be a factory item. Perhaps this is a swapped newer engine?

The ad is very comprehensive regarding the condition of the car – its weaknesses and needless are listed clearly. All this car needs is someone to appreciate its quirks and bask in the glory of owning a nearly one-of-a-kind car.

The original listing for the car from back in December 2016 showed it as a 1990 model. Several distinguishing characteristics indicate a 1991 build, including the full velour covering on the seats and the all caps exterior badging.