We’ve looked at the most “jaw dropping” cars of the ’60s, then moved on to the ‘70s – now let’s turn to the ‘80s. For me, this decade was much more of a challenge……….
I have to agree with a comment Dave B made on our ‘60s post; “The sixties were a jaw dropping decade. Where do you start? It would be easier to list the few duds.” Absolutely true. The ‘70s post was a little more difficult, but I still was able to narrow a Top 5 down in fairly little time. The ‘80’s? This one took some thought…….
The same thing can be said in describing the decade – not a lot there. There were certainly some momentous events; the assassination of John Lennon, the “Challenger” disaster, the fall of the Soviet Union, but compared to the previous two decades, it lacked some of the same verve and energy. It was the “buttoned down” decade.
Fortunately, from an automotive perspective, it marked a reversal from the low-point in the 70s – manufacturers were figuring out how to meet government emissions standards and add horsepower. In turn, there were some real high-points – production cars with levels of performance that had never been achieved before. Using the same “Rules of Engagement” (ROE) – cars that impacted you favorably (not negatively) – and focusing on production vehicles from US, European and Japanese manufacturers, here’s one take on the Top 5 Jaw Droppers of the ‘80s;
1980 Renault 5 Turbo
Other than the beautiful and innovative Citroens, French cars didn’t interest me much. Wasn’t a fan nor paid any attention to the Renault 5 or “Le Car” in the US. But then I saw this version – fat-fenders, angry, snarling – talk about two ends of a continuum. Given the AMC-Renault connection that started this year, it makes me wonder if some enterprising Renault executive wasn’t wandering through the AMC historical collection and ran across the ’69 AMC Hurst/SC Rambler (“Scrambler”) and said; “we can do that.” Outrageous (in a good way).
1983 Ford Thunderbird
I was torn between including one of three ground-breaking Ford designs here; the Taurus, the Mustang SVO or the T-Bird. I went with the T-Bird since it was the car that spearheaded the design renaissance at Ford, and the brand as a whole. If you can recollect the prior 80-82 model (Jason Shafer did a great piece on that version here), then you know why the ‘83 T-Bird dropped so many jaws. It heralded Ford’s aero design philosophy that went on to achieve great success in cars like the Taurus, Sable, and Lincoln Mark VII. And the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was a particularly gutsy and innovative step for a major US manufacturer with its 4 cylinder turbo power-plant and 5 speed manual transmission (see Paul’s superb post here – his first new car). A home run by Donald Petersen and Jack Telnack.
1984 Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
Is it a car? A truck? A SUV? I guess it’s all three, but what it really is, is “Just Right”. Maybe the most perfectly designed vehicle of the ‘80s (again, see a great post by Paul here). The original XJ Cherokee is an icon – and another styling triumph for the late Dick Teague, AMC Vice President of Design. Call me old school, but put any year XJ Cherokee alongside a 2002 KK Liberty and a new 2016 KL Cherokee, and I’ll take the original every time.
1986 Porsche 959
This car wasn’t a “looker” like some of the others models listed here – in fact it appears rather cartoonish – though the aerodynamic additions to the front and rear make it interesting visually. No, this car stuns with pure objective performance. Here is Porsche’s penultimate performance street product of the ‘80s, and the most potent production automobile of the decade. The first street-legal production car to achieve almost 200 mph, with a 3.6 second 0-60 time and the quarter-mile in 11.6 – and this was in 1987. Listed at $225K, it was said Porsche lost an equal amount on each one sold. As quoted in Road and Track; “The supercar that redefines what it is to be a supercar.” Phenomenal.
1989 Nissan 300ZX (Z32)
Every Corvette owner enjoying their C5, C6 or C7 should write a thank you note to Nissan. The Corvette was “treading water” throughout most of the ‘80s – with an L98 350 engine that made 245 hp. Frankly, there wasn’t much competition, and GM, in their typical penny-pinching ways, didn’t spend any money to make it better. Then in 1989, the 300ZX bowed with a twin-turbo 300 hp engine, HICAS 4-wheel steering, and crisp, modern, concept car styling. GM was so embarrassed they rushed to bring out the ZR-1 in 1990. This generation 300 ZX still looks great today – much more attractive in my view than the current 370Z.
Honorable Mention
1983 Toyota Sprinter/Corolla (AE86)
1983 BMW 635 M6 (E24)
1986 Ford Taurus
1987 Ferrari F40
1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)
AMC Eagle…supposedly it dropped the jaws of AMC execs too.
Years ago on Bring a Trailer I saw a convertible version of the Eagle coupe!
Yup, Ive seen one of those before. It was an aftermarket conversion if I remember right.
I have to say that particular 300zx looks exceptionally attractive. I’ve always loved the design of this vehicle and have to agree that it looks just as striking today, if not more so, than when I had Hot Wheels models of this car when I was a kid. I also agree that I prefer these to the modern Nissan and Infiniti iterations. To me the new models look like carnival airbrush caricatures of actual vehicles, with the upswept headlights and all. Just one man’s opinion. These were hard to come by in their heyday, I can’t remember the last time I saw one on the streets of Chicago – usually a CC unicorn paradise. I suspect many have been “damaged” by teenagers modifying them with cheap aftermarket eBay parts during the Giant-Wing-Fast&Furious fad the US sadly had to endure. I’ve also always loved the design of the A60 Toyota Supra. Sadly I’ve never had the privilege of driving either.
This post does an excellent job of covering some of the better ones from the era.
Some I would add………
While introduced as a ’79 model, the Buick Riviera through 1985 was one of the most coveted cars of the first half of the 1980s.
The ’80 – ’84 Olds Ninety-Eight may have been the best characterization of the old school American car.
The new for 1989 Thunderbird had a lot going for it.
The Mustang as it evolved became one of the more compelling cars.
I was going to say 80-84 Riv, until I remembered it’s ’79 MY release. So, I’ll go with 1980-1989 Cadillac RWD C bodies. (Too many picayune name changes to list). While the sheetmetal remained same untill 92 (1990 updates did no favors) and It’s actually a reskinned 77-79, I must have a thing for them as I had 3! (82,86 &;89). I’ll take any of the other two 80-84 C bodies too.
We had a 1979 Riviera that my Dad ordered right from the factory. I don’t recall them being a mid-year release though.
Sorry for any confusion, my use of “MY” is for “model year” it came out in late ’78 with the Eldo and Toro.
No problem James! That car was so unique and new we had people stop us to ask us what it was all the time! As a 12 year old kid I was very impressed!
+1 on the ’89 T-bird. It was much more subtle and sophisticated than the first aero-bird. A very underrated design.
+2
mFred’s factory photo may well depict a later MN-12 T-Bird in Sedona, Arizona.
Sedona tends to inspire photography. This is my wife’s very well equipped 1989 Thunderbird LX in Sedona. Yes, my nomination for Jaw Dropping was decidedly biased (and we drove an ’80s Mustang 5.0 LX Notch as an alternative choice so two are biased – the Olds to an extent as well former ’82 Delta 88 RB Coupe owner)………..
I believe I missed a shot at a semicolon (the Olds to an extent as well; former ’82 Delta 88 RB Coupe owner)………..
+1 for the T-Bird
Three of my four nominees have gained some support. The Ninety-Eight, not so much. To give it a little boost, the 1980-1984 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham (this depiction in dark blue metallic sold a LOT of cars) for 1981……………
The depiction sold enough cars in very terrible 1981 to deserve a reprise in 1982 (by ’84 they were pumping these out as fast as possible, as if it were the end of the line. Which it was.)……….
I’d do about anything for a nice low mileage early 80’s 98
Our first car when we moved to the States in the early 90s was a 1980 Olds Delta 88 Royale. Though I love the 98, due to experience, I still hope to find a nice example factory 88 of that vintage to take to local car shows. I’ve always loved the front end on both models.
Both the 88 and 98 have become a bit of an obsession of mine lately. If my wife wouldn’t kill me I’d do something stupid like take out money from my 401k and buy this car. It’s about 45 minutes from my house and I’ve driven out to see it twice! http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5468337310.html
You missed one.
The 1987-1995 Chrysler LeBaron.
One of the best designs, in my humble opinion.
I agree and have to also add the 85 Honda Accord and Prelude.I loved the hideaway headlights.
The 1986 Honda Accord made a huge impact when it arrived. The 2nd generation car was admired for its refinement and quality, but the 3rd generation Accord made competitors’ vehicles look archaic.
The 3rd generation Civic was pretty out of this world with its wedge-meets-box shape and four original body styles. Tall cars like the Civic Wagon weren’t common in 1984, and the CRX looked like a spaceship compared to the ’70s style of a Scirocco or EXP. The 4th generation Civic-based CRX also looked exotic in a traffic consisting of GM A-cars and Ford Fox-bodies.
The 2nd and 3rd generation Preludes were at once conservatively styled and radically packaged. The cowls were so low and mechanicals packed so tightly that they seemed far more advanced than their peers whether one was looking at them in a parking lot or driving one down a winding road.
As it pertains to the coupe, couldn’t agree more. The ‘vert came off as a ladies car which is all well and good but just not for me. Chrysler of Mexico did a better job of marketing the car though. They called it the Phantom which is a name Id love to see on a Chrysler 300 coupe right now. I remember reading that when the Phantom was equipped with the intercooled turbo II and manual, you couldn’t buy a faster car in Mexico.
When brand new, the ’82 F bodies turned head of everyone, even non-car fans. Still remember a new Firebird parked in front of college dorm and all the kids who ignored average cars were going nuts over it.
While I prefer the 2nd gen F bodies, The third gen looked futuristic in 82, I liked them a lot!
Agree with the futuristic look of the new ’82s – they were stunning; however once you opened the door the interior was incredibly cheap with flexible plastic.
I totally agree, design wise those cars were home runs, and while like James I do prefer the second gens, I think it’s pretty amazing how the design remained tied with them but managed to be a clean break. The Trans Am in particular given how impactful the decal laden success they were towards the end of that run bore almost zero of it’s defining traits for 82, yet it was unmistakable. THAT is how to redesign a model.
The less remembered about their quality, fit and finish the better though.
I remember one of the more respectable Car and Driver writers(maybe Bedard) saying that if GM made a couple thousand of the ’82 F-bodies a year instead of a couple hundred thousand, they’d be just as admired and sought after as any Italian exotic. Italian exotics had execrable quality and performance at the time too, but I’m pretty sure his point was that they were beautiful.
I can comment on that point 😀
My brother owns a 1981 Ferrari Mondial 8 with a 3.2L engine that has been used and modified a bit, and I’ve restored a 1984 Trans Am HO. They share a lot of similarities in terms of exterior design despite having a completely different architecture.
Honestly, the interior of the Mondial is more refined, but it’s only because it’s all covered in leather (the dash and upper door panels are covered in vinyl though). The uncovered plastic parts are made of hard rattling plastic. The ergonomics are laughable and it’s not really comfortable.
On the other hand, the Trans Am does have hard ABS plastics all around, and the dreadful dry rotting vinyl parts, but at least it’s comfortable, it’s easy to get in and out, and it’s rather roomy for its kind. With a few simple tweaks, most rattles are gone.
T-Bird and 300ZX are nice, but jaw dropping, uh no. By the 80’s my jaw hadn’t dropped in a while.
Not exactly jaw-dropping, but the first generation Fiat Uno was a crisp, coherent design with straight, uncluttered lines. It still looks modern to me even after more than 30 years.
Good call. If i’m not mistaken, it’s taller than regular stance allowed great space efficiency, and could be considered a pioneer in this regard. A supermini that wasn’t exactly, so to speak.
They are supremely comfy.
The Panda is not far behind
Yes; major issue was corrosion
The 1981 – 1987 Buick Regal was a beautiful car.
And its G-Body stablemate the Pontiac Grand Prix.
Perhaps but definitely not jaw dropping in the way the Aerobird was.
Agreed
I am going to go with the 1984 Audi 5000. To this day, the shape keeps getting rehashed. Also prefigured AWD as a band aid to up power a FWD platform.
Now that’s a good suggestion. Not just “a car I liked” or “a car that sold well” but one that was a complete break from the norm, and probably the first “full aero” sedan.
This definitely belongs on any list of jaw-droppers in the ’80s. I don’t think many US-centric autowriters even appreciate that the Taurus wasn’t that exciting on the coasts, since it was perceived as a brand-x regurgitation of the most popular near-luxury car of the previous two years.
Didn’t Audi copy the Taurus? I’m kidding….
High school memories. Getting a ride from the official hottest-girl-at-school in her dad’s Audi 5000, parking on the lawn somewhere, talking shit for a bit. The Smiths on the stereo. That was a really fabulous car.
The Mustang SVO was an attempt by Ford to raise the bar, the latter higher horsepower version is best.
It would be a tie between the 1982 GM F-bodies and the 1983 Ford Thunderbird. Both stopped plenty of people in their tracks at the time, including me.
Unfortunately, poor F-body quality control also stopped a lot of owners in their tracks. Didn’t stop my dad from owning two of them.
I’m glad someone else brought that up. They looked great until you got in one and saw the cheap platicky interior.
I’ve got to go with the T-Bird here, but my opinion may be a bit biased as I had an ’83 Thunderbird. Many of my coworkers at the time just couldn’t get behind the new design, but came around eventually as most cars became aerodynamic after this car’s debut. The car pictured above is an ’85 or ’86 Turbo-Coupe however, as the grille changed to that look for the 1985 model year. Also changed for that year were the T-Bird emblems above the grille. When my grille got damaged on my ’83, I tried in vain to replace it with an ’85 grille, only to find out that the holes didn’t line up, so back to the parts department I went to get the correct replacement. ;o)
I’d have to add the 1983 Monte Carlo SS. It signaled a return to the rear drive, V8 mid size muscle cars from the 60’s, in an age where everything was becoming a four cylinder, front wheel drive, ugly sedan. When these first came out, I wanted a blue one, but going to college part time, and working part time meant that I couldn’t afford one. Three years later, they were still a bit out of reach so, I bought the closest thing brand new, to one, an 86 El Camino with the SS Sport Decor option and v8. I still own it today.
For sure it was the Mercedes 190E for me. It was a real shock when I first saw it. The 190 gave us a preview of what Mercedes’ 5-series slayer would look like and was the inspiration for the BMW E36, as much a copy of Mercedes as BMW ever did. It ran 11 models years with nary a sheetmetal change because it was timeless.
How can any list not include the Testarossa? There are so many others what a great decade.
I believe the first model year for the Nissan Z32 was 1990 which would make it eligible for the next installment.
This.
The Testarossa — visual impact is a large part of jaw-dropping, and it certainly had that.
Porsche 959 was certainly a technical achievement, but loses points for being a limited production run — the chances of seeing one on the street were next to nil. Same for the F40.
If we have to pick a more everyday car — the Miata, introduced in 1989. Brought the roadster market back from near death, made a huge splash of excitement. The basic design is still in production today.
W124 + AMG = Der Hammer.
My top 3 off the top of my head for varied reasons:
Audi 5000 (100 elsewhere). It clearly influenced the lead picture and was such a visually stunning departure from the norm at its introduction.
Audi Quattro Turbo Coupe – turned rallying completely on its head with full time awd technology.
Porsche 959 – a technological tour-de-force.
3 good calls Jim!
I have to agree on the Audi Quattro turbo coupe. I remember seeing a video in auto class where they gave a new 1986, I think, GTI in rally spec a minute head start on a rally stage and it overtook the GTI in short order. Most of us in the class were impressed, not so much the kid with the 1974 Dodge Charger…
1984 Corvette – design wise anyway. Kept the continuity of theme to be instantly recognizable but also was radical enough to get attention.
Too bad it had to wait a few years for engines and transmissions that were worthy of the shape.
The C4 Corvette was one of my first thoughts for 1980s cars. The 1984 ‘Vette was such an advancement it was hard to comprehend. The Corvette went from competing with Trans-ams (I seem to recall them being called Trans-ams much more than Firebirds during the later years of the C3) to competing with Porsches. Those steamroller 255/50/16 tires were mind-blowing in themselves.
+1 The 84 Corvette was perhaps the only domestic who wore her design “heritage” proudly. Sexy, modern, and clearly a Corvette.
And I think the next two generations were more evolvements of the C4 than actual rethinks. So this design deserves a lot of credit for bringing the Corvette back to a new generation.
1 – 1985 Mercury Sable – The Taurus/Sable twins were breakthroughs for Ford and for auto designs, and the best of the two was the Sable. In the front was a light bar integrating the aero head lamps, the monochromatic color schemes presented the new shape at its best, and the blacked out C pillars showed a roofline as delicate as the famed bubble tops of the early 1960 GM sedans and coupes.
2 – 1984 Toyota MR2 – A bold two seat affordable mid-engine sports car with perfect handling and balance. An exterior that was based on a Japanese ceremonial knife. A car that clearly showed that Toyota knew how to make a great commuter car.
3 – 1988 Pontiac Fiero – The other bold two seat affordable mid-engine sports car that showed that GM would do anything to save a nickel. Fantastic Nintendo-style interior IP in a plastic un-dent-able exterior. All riding on GM parts from cheap cars with an engine crammed sideways that leaked fuel onto hot manifolds. Fiero owners ended up receiving a fire warning sticker to put on that slick dashboard for future owners. A bold ride that looked like a mini-Ferari, with the reliability of a Chevrolet Citation.
4. – 1984 Renault Espace – What minivans should have looked like from the very beginning, and ended up looking like by the end of the 1980s.
I always liked the 1989 Maxima, the original “4DSC”. It along with the 300z mentioned above in this era was when Nissan was on a roll design wise and had cars with more soul! Both still look pretty good to this day 25+ years from their introductions!
Damnit I always forget about these! This makes my list as well. Only 4 doors I ever really liked.
I agree!
These were great cars!
Great choice…and great design. The only downfall was those damn motorized seatbelts!
Funny how perceptions change with time. I remember when these were new and thinking “Wow! That Maxima looks like a four door muscle car!”
But now I no longer can see the muscle-carness in the design. Still a nice-looking automobile with that big beautiful 1980s greenhouse. But with all the roided-out Mustangs and Camaros now, I’ve lost the ability to put my finger on the subtleness of the Maxima which originally made me swoon.
Along with the usual Mustangs and Camaro’s, I really liked the Toyota Supra of the eighties, I remember wanting that car bad…in silver.
Most jaw dropping to me in the 1980s? The Cadillac Eldorado in 1986, and To a lesser extent, The Buick Riviera, as well as the Oldsmobile Toronado.
To Me they looked like the previous years Grand Am coupe in a tuxedo. Yet they easily cost twice as much. To this day I remember looking over the velcro glove box on a Biarritz that would not close tightly enough to shut off the glove box light whilst said car was new in the showroom. I remember it being jaw-dropping.
Agree with you 100% lax. They were, in my opinion, the most shocking and horrible downsizing GM ever did. Too bad because they weren’t bad cars at all. In fact I had driven several of them and they were very responsive, roomy and comfortable. Maybe today they would be more accepted, but back then the shock factor was far too great for anyone to take them seriously. Plus the people that bought E-bodies wanted both style, luxury and a car that stood out from the crowd on their purchase checklist, something the little 86’s didn’t seem to have at all. Jaw dropper? Most definitely yes. But for the wrong reasons. The downsized ’86 E-bodies were simply the wrong cars at the wrong time.
MN12 Thunderbird /Cougar
Buick Grand National/GNX
1987 Mustang – 70s body yes, but that was such a substantial update everywhere else it was pure 80s.
Ferrari Testarossa
I remember everyone in middle school wanted an 87 Mustang GT when they grew up, that change made it much better looking even to kids back then!
Also I hate the 959. It forshadowed car design we are all too familiar with today, including 911s since the 996. Yuck. This Aero 911 OTOH… LOVED slope noses!(these weren’t factory made by Porsche until the 80s IIRC, I know it’s derived from the 935 racers in the 70s)
Ive always loved those. And Fuchs mags would make ANY car look cool. Why Porsche doesn’t have an updated design now is baffling.
They do, but not for “common” production. This is the 2010 911 Sport Classic, an extremely limited edition (250 units, not sold in the USA) that wore 19″ black Fuchs-style mags as standard equipment:
Seconding the Grand National and GNX.
Personally, the ’85 Riviera is my favorite car of the 80s, even if it’s cheating by way of its’ ’79 introduction.
The ’86 Zimmer Quicksilver- so. much. 80s.
Just a few off the top of my head:
Ford Sierra (God, that got the UK press in a tizzy)
Ferrari F40
Ford Escort XR3i
Nissan’s Pike cars (especially, as the owner of one, the Pao).
+1 on the Sierra, a mighty brave way for Ford to follow the Cortina. So brave, in fact, that it gave Vauxhall’s Cavalier a huge boost. Ford’s UK pre-eminence (to all intents and purposes they defined the UK market throughout the 70s) started to slip.
Also, Can I nominate Rover’s R8, the best everyday car BLARG ever built, and their finest collaboration with Honda.
The R129 Mercedes SL makes the top of my list. Yes, it debuted in the middle of 1989, but for me, the fact it was able to be essentially unchanged aesthetically all the way thru the new millenium is a testament to me of how well the design works.
Interesting. I didn’t really think much of them at the time, but the shape has grown on me.
The 1982-87 Audi 5000 was a game changer for sure. I think that design made the world start to rethink the sedan.
That shape actually ran until 1991 as the Audi 100/200, though the 5000 name was abandoned in 1989 after bad publicity from the spurious “unintended acceleration” fiasco. The heavily related V8 Quattro ran until 1993. It had enviable longevity to go along with its groundbreaking design.
Come to think of it, if I had to pinpoint the vehicle from the 80’s that changed the face of the automotive landscape the most it might be a toss-up between the Cherokee and the original Chrysler minivans. Both of these platforms were new and exciting in the 80’s, and they are essentially the vehicles that every (American, anyway) household has aspired to own since. The compact SUV and the minivan have pretty much morphed into the same basic category beginning in the mid-to-late 90’s, to the point where just about anything that isn’t a sedan or a coupe can loosely trace its DNA back to them.
Good point; these two (+ the Espace in Europe) definitely shifted the family car paradigm away from sedans & station wagons, & furthermore, both went on to have worldwide appeal, thanks to the “French Connection” in the Cherokee’s case, which kept its design from being too N. American, while retaining Jeep virtues.
So while not “jaw-dropping” like other specific models mentioned above, they had a huge market impact over time.
The 1983 Ford Thunderbird.
Ford hit the ball out of the park with this one!!
Took my drivers test in one of these…
+1
They downsized it right, although it lost the presence of the big 70s yachts it still had the grace and posh look.
The generation after, not so much…
+2
I really like this picture. It really shows the resemblance to the classic 67. Never noticed the downsized 79 kept so many details.
I always thought the last Eldorado also did well calling back design elements from the 67.
I’ve always liked the 79-85, most notably since my grandfather had one when I was growing up, but even now I really like the design, specially compared to the one that followed it up. The interior is nice and the Biarritz model with the stainless roof is classic.
1987 Beretta, anyone?
How about 1985 Pontiac Grand Am coupe?
The Beretta and Corsica were IMO perhaps GM design at it’s worse. I would use the silhouette whenever a generic car jpg would be needed.
The Dustbuster minivan on the other hand – their poor quality plastastic interiors were hideous, but there’s no denying the slap in the face exterior design. Oddly from a side view it’s almost like the driver is sitting mid-car….
I like all the cars on this list, but I can’t help but think there should be at least one Mercedes or BMW represented. I can’t think of an unattractive Benz or Bimmer from the 80s… although maybe I’ll be proven wrong!
1989 was Year One — eligible for classic plates
And another great call. Brilliant fun, and dependable.
As a young boy in the Eighties, there were quite a few automotive highlights, in no particular order:
– original jellymould Ford Sierra (from a Cortina to this?!)
– Audi 100/200 (set the aero agenda)
– Porsche 959 (the largest poster on my bedroom wall)
– Lancia Delta S4 (turbocharged and supercharged!)
– Vauxhall Astra GTE 16v (so clean, like an updated Citroen GS)
– Renault 5 GT Turbo (under 7 seconds to 60, crazy)
– Citroen XM (unorthodox but beautiful)
– Lancia Thema 8.32 (not particularly fast, but mad to put a Ferrari V8 driving the front wheels)
– Subaru XT Turbo (mad, and we didn’t even get the XT6 in the UK!)
Many great ones noted already. My vote would be for the ’82 Pontiac Firebird. It’s steeply raked windshield, expansive hatch glass, pop up headlights, and sleek, somewhat exotic car looks at a more affordable price, dropped many jaws at the time. The DeLorean DMC-12 and Ferrari Testarossa would be my import choices.
The Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was my high school dream car, hands down. The design has held up for over 30+ years, IMHO, even if the cars themselves didn’t. Eventually I lived the Aerobird dream two years after high school in the form of a nicely loaded ex-rental ’88 base model. Despite the 3.8 head gaskets it was still the best car I’ve ever owned.
Given its deserved reputation as one of GM’s deadliest sins of all, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that the ’86 Toronado was another one that I initially fell in love with when it came out. When I finally saw one in person, I realized why the lighting in the brochure was so dark. It also didn’t help that the one I saw was a base model with skinny 14″ whitewalls, plain wheel covers, a split bench seat and a column shift. Disappointing to say the least.
Honorable mention – Audi Coupe GT. A rare sight even in Houston, which at the time was the main US port of entry for Audis and German-built VWs. I fell in love with it after seeing one in an ad for (IIRC) an insurance company in a copy of Der Spiegel that was laying around in my German teacher’s classroom. Years later I learned just how slow (but fun) and rust-prone they were. Still a decent looker all these years later.
Both generations of the Coupe still look good today. The first is more iconic, whereas the second (introduced in ’89 as a ’90) looks ahead of its time.
A friend in college had a ’91 Coupe Quattro. It was scrapped in 2004 after he was involved in a minor rear-end accident and insurance deemed it totaled due to the high cost of replacement parts.
I had a hard time getting past that–if it had been mine I would have bought it back from the insurance company, salvage title and replacement parts cost be damned. A car like that shouldn’t be scrapped when still mechanically perfect like his was.
Good catches above with the Chrysler minivan and the Miata.
I would add (in no particular order)
1982 LeBaron convertible – the convertible was supposed to be dead
1983 VW GTI – the original pocket rocket
1975 Golf GTi was the original GTi, the original pocket rocket was the Mini Cooper 😉
I have a different list.
I think imperial coupe was beautiful as was the dodge Miranda with convertible faux top. I also love the mark vi sedan. Seville fast back was iconic was the Riviera convertible. The cougar with formal roof on aero body was gorgeous as was the 85 Fleetwood coupe on the big chassis. I think mustang 5.0 deserves a place for reviving domestic muscle and the aftermarket. and the grand national. 80Bonneville coupe,
Jaw dropping in a more negative way for me anyway was the Taurus. I think that car spawned many hideous cars. Not an aero fan for most part but I like road master and 90 town car. The mini van. I hate them personally but it was a defining vehicle. The 85 gm full sized fwd cars. I would also say the explorer was as significant as the jeep. Also would say the Camry is significant for its being the perfect car for non car people. The civic was the first Japanese hot rod.
How did I not mention the 80-85 Seville??? I lnow they’re polarizing (I dig them). And It was the most discussed Caddy rear since ’59! Some say Imperial pulled off the “Bustle Butt” Better, IDK, I’d take the Imperial coupés too! (If you leave out the flaky electronics)!
The Seville was jaw-dropping for the wrong reasons, as in “Who backed the prototype into a wall?”
The Isuzu Piazza always stopped me dead in my tracks.
More amazing when considering it’s Chevette DNA! (For real, I can’t make that up!)
The Piazza/Impulse was a visually striking car, in the first generation. I remember poring over the car-mag articles and being fascinated (I was not yet old enough to drive). I also remember a co-worker in the early ’90s going to the trouble to seek one out and buy it used, because he thought it was so cool. (This was in Wisconsin, where we used a lot of road salt; it may not have lasted more than a couple of years after he bought it.)
The second generation was much less memorable, especially as a Geo Storm.
The Pizza!
Beautiful Giugiaro design, unfortunately paired with dismal mechanicals. Though I heard the later Lotus-tuned version was a nice piece.
Imagine if it had come with Accord mechanicals, it would have dominated the market.
I was actually going to mention this one. Glad someone else did as well.
Its a classic design. The interior is like a jet cockpit.
All the electronics and the turbo are why he decided to get the next gen one.
He still has the 1990 Impulse.
The thing I remember most about the cars of the eighties is how my desires turned from domestic to foreign. One of these was a sure way to garner attention.
The Ultimate (Yuppie) Driving Machine: The 1983-1988 BMW 3-Series
A Buick Grand National is the only car from the 80s I would ever want to own. That’s the era where I pretty much grew up and even back then I hated most of those cars.
That definitely was jaw dropping…not in style, but as a rather large American V6 muscle car outgunning the V8s of the day.
You can see the same reaction in a lot of people today with Ford’s F-150 Ecoboost V6s.
I disagree, I think the GN looked mean and muscular in an era where traditional American car styling somehow was consolidated into plastichrome, stand up hood ornaments, rub strips and awful wire wheels. The 81 Regal was easily the best looking of the Gs, but it was always speced in that geriatric trim and elderly colors. The GN/GNX exploited those good bones, deleting the ugly trim deleted and adding cool looking wheels. It looked like a Muscle car, in the same way a 70 GSX looks like a Muscle car and a Skylark doesn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the looks. But it was just minor trim changes on an older platform. It wasn’t trendsetting, it followed the tried and true musclecar formula from the prior two decades…it was the powertrain that broke the mold and which was the biggest risk at the time. Musclecars just didn’t have V6s as their top option.
One of the biggest “jawdropping” aspects of this car was that it was a Buick. As a Pontiac it would have been more in keeping up the performance image that they once had. It would have been a sort of a logical next move from the company that gave us the Turbo Trans Am.
But it was just minor trim changes on an older platform
Same could said about the Porsche 911, 928, 944, BMW M3/5/6, Mercedes W126 and W108, Ferari 308/328 etc. These were all Icons of the 80s with different trim from their 70s origins.
The Grand National was trendsetting when you consider that other Muscle cars in the 80s(if you can realistically call any such) were clinging to tired small V8s with carburetors, decorated with as much cheesy decals as the regular models wore in the aforementioned plastichrome tinsel. The Grand National had neither of that, and it didn’t try looking European like many others(including GM stablemates) went for with sporty packages. The GN really brought the Muscle car into the modern era, it looked all American, but modern, and provided the first American performance car alternative that wasn’t easily written off as old hat by an ever more Euro minded car buying public. I’d even go so far to say that the Grand National is part responsible for keeping interest alive in the traditional American performance car, including the survival of RWD in Mustangs and Camaros, and even, ironically, the V8 – The Grand National was one of the early cars that proved computerized port Fuel Injection doesn’t mean ‘no more mods’, as many carburetor V8 guys assumed – it allowed acceptance for that system with subsequent V8s, which ushered in a whole new era of American muscle we’re still enjoying today.
I’d even say it was trend setting in the late model/custom car community. If you consider that bodyshell as an older car, clean it up, throw on nicer modern wheels and a modern engine, what do you get? …A Restomod!
Matt, I agree with much of what you are saying. I just don’t feel the looks, while quite nice, were really all that special. We’ll have to agree to disagree there.
PBR, that’s true, but at the time Buick’s performance heritage was still fresh in many people’s minds. Still, you are right, it was something Pontiac should have done.
The GNX really did drop jaws with its performance…even outgunning the almighty Vette. NO way the General was gonna let that fly!
G bodies could look absolutely feeble and geriatric, or they could be mean and muscular…the devil was in the details. To this day, the more performance positioned ones look pretty good to my eye. A perfect example of how a formal roofline and opera windows can dust a little class onto a muscular coupe.
Don’t forget the Dodge Dakota Convertible.
For me, it would be the Taurus/Sable. You expect Porsches and Corvettes to be eye-catching, but the Taurus was an ordinary Ford sedan futuristic enough to be a prop in a science fiction movie. (Talkin’ ’bout Robocop.) The first time I saw a Taurus, my reaction was “That’s a Ford? Are you kidding me?” The people who previously touted ad nauseam the virtues of “road hugging weight” really came up with something completely different that time.
The Fords on Robocop while different to you looked to me like OMG the yanks have finally learned how to build a modern car the similarly styled Sierra had been on the market for some time, and the Aussie Falcon would soon follow the styling or lack of it.
Chrysler Fifth Avenue. I liked old man cars when I was young. Now that I’m old(er) they don’t really make proper old man cars anymore.
+1 on the Chrysler Fifth Avenues. Over the years, managed to own 6 of them. Darn fine automobile.
Totally agree. I liked old man cars back then in my teens; now that I am an old guy of 51 still really like these cars.
With the road plastered with sedans Id say take your pick. That bodystyle sends a few canned messages from my perspective: Cheapskate, middle management, non car person, police officer, or old person.
The Charger is an anomaly, as is the Chrysler 300. I do have a strange soft spot for the 300 and for M body Diplomats and Gran Furies though.
Miata, absolutely. I also admire the Dodge Mirada as an especially clean and handsome design. But the real revelation, in my opinion, was the new-for-1984 Corvette.
My list is as followed:
1. Delorean DMC-12
2. 1982 Firebird (looked nothing like the 1981 model)
3. Mazda Miata (mimicked the classic British roadster without all the Lucas crap and unreliability)
4. 1984 Ford Tempo (yes a lot of folks here think the car is low budget rubbish, but this little car was very important and Ford had a lot riding on it. It’s failure would have doomed the Taurus project. Luckily it was a big success selling over 400,000 cars its first year)
5. 1986 Ford Taurus
6. 1983 Ford T-Bird
7. Lincoln Mark VI (it was mean looking in LSC guise)
8. 1985 Cadillac DeVille (this car was so jaw dropping to Cadillac clientele, they walked over to Lincoln)
9. 1980 Chevy Citation (released in mid 1979 as a early 1980 model, the Citation sold very well its first extended year)
The Citation may have been a lemon–OK, was a lemon–but it pointed the way for the 80’s: FWD was the future and GM had lost its way.
The Chevy Citation and its X-car relatives were laid out exactly as most modern cars are, but where GM really dropped the ball was on quality control; as well these cars had some serious design flaws. But front-drive transverse 4 and 6 cyl engines with more compact dimensions really was the wave of the future and has generally become the norm.
The X-Cars unfortunately led the way for what GM as a company would do over and over again — a good concept let down by cynical, half-assed execution and corner-cutting, putting vast energy into marketing but not enough into quality control.
Saab 900 convertible!
Special mention to the Saab 9000. Saab tried to make the car more mainstream by moving the ignition key back to the steering column. At least in the U.S., though, a 4-cylinder hatchback that cost as much as a Mercedes didn’t go over all that well.
The 9000 wasn’t that expensive. $22K for a 9000 Turbo in 1986 means it was priced like a BMW 325e, below anything with a Mercedes-Benz star. They sold well initially in the college town I lived in. By ’89 though, they were obsolete and the Saab dealer I worked at was selling about two a month, and those were the 9000CD sedan models. The hatches only sold when first released. Fiat did a pretty good job designing the 9000, making for a car that was vastly larger inside than a 99/900 while being shorter overall than the 900, thanks to the transverse engine and lack of design gimmicks like the Saab-designed car’s wrap-around windshield. The Saab 900 did have a remarkably large cargo area, but the Fiat design did a better job of providing space and comfort for people. I’m not sure that the 9000 represented Saab’s desire to go mainstream. They just wound up mainstream because they couldn’t afford to develop their own products. The 9000 couldn’t be as strange as the 99 when it also had to be sold as an Alfa-Romeo, a Fiat, and a Lancia. At least it had some Saab trim details, unlike the Saab 600, which was pretty much a Lancia Delta with a different badge. The similarity to the Fiat Croma is still pretty shocking.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SCAN0105.jpg
Heyyyyyyyyyyyy! The two cars that made me fall in love with SAAB!
Well, I don’t know how they did it, perhaps after firing Lee Iacocca? Whatever the reason, the first aerobird Thunderbird – what a radical departure from what came previously!
Second, of course, the Taurus/Sable twins – or was it cousins? I liked the Sable for it styling cues, and both of them were game-changers for sure!
GM stumbled pretty badly by comparison, and the Beretta/Corsica did nothing for me, for I hated GM in those days – I wanted to like them, but they offered nothing that attracted me.
Yep, totally agree with you. To me, jaw dropping is- you see it out of the corner of your eye, time stops for a moment. “What is that?” you murmur to yourself.
’83 thunderbird and ’86 Sable did that for me. The first Sable I saw was in that weird taupe color, sort of floating by like some sci-fi spacecraft. Cool.
Ahh, the eighties. The decade when I got married, started a family, went back to college and started a new career. And I was supposed to notice cars?
Of course I did! Just not as much as I’d noticed them before; I had more distractions now.
Okay. Definitely the Renault 5 Turbo. That was just so outrageous.
And also the Z32 Nissan 300ZX. Nissan made a car that looks this good?
But beyond these, I’ll diverge a little.
Audi 100/5000. Okay, so I wasn’t in the market for one, and maybe it was just a major tidying-up of the NSU Ro80 design themes, but what a harmonious design. Sheer stylistic genius.
Subaru XT. Could almost have been made by Citroen. You want different – here’s different! And yet, somehow it all works.
And for my fifth? The 1988 Nissan Silvia S13. Not for its impact on the tuner crowd. Just look at the purity of the design. First time I saw one I tracked it down – had to see who made this. Quintessential coupe.
Great call on the Nissan Silvia. Loved them! But they all disappeared so quickly.
Subaru XT! What a FUNKY design! Interior was funky as well, much like the vibe coming from Mitsubishi Cordia and the Nissan Pulsar…..
My jaw droppers for beauty and style from the era are:
1.81 Imperial
2.81 GM G bodies, Cutlass Supreme, Grand Prix, Regal, and Monte Carlo, Fixed what was lost in the 77-80 downsize.
3. 87 Chrysler LeBaron, how could something that beautiful be built off the K-Car
4. 80 Cadillac Seville, Unique and Different yet still a Cadillac.
5 Lincoln Mark VII. A real stunner!
6 85 Honda Accord: Style at an affordable price
7 86 Taurus and Sable Wagons: Came off better to me than the Sedans.
Don’t forget the Daytona/Laser. The 4 eyed versions made from ’84-’86 are by far the best looking to my eye. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on one in the right color with T tops and a manual…then stuff it with the guts out of an SRT-4….
I like these, but style wise they aren’t a whole lot different than the Mustangs or Camaros that came before.
Agree on the 81 Imperial. Execution might have been lacking but the design and ambition makes it quite interesting in my mind.
Love the second Seville as well. So nice inside and outside. I would love one.
There are only 2 cars I can recall as jaw dropping from the 1980s.
The first and still a favourite is the Mercedes Benz W126 coupe. I had just changed schools then and remember passing an consistently illegally parked (as in on a footpath) bright red 380 SEC almost every day for years. I remember it was the first one I’d seen. Never got bored with that shape.
At the other end of the decade the Citroen XM appeared looking just like something from another world. A justifiably famous architect, Harry Seidler, had one of these below his Glen St office when I visited as a student. So cool then, not so sure about now.
I agree on the Buick GN and GNX…..mean looking and performing car……it probably helped inspire GM to produce the GMC Syclone S15 pickup and S15 Typhoon Jimmy in the early 1990’s
Taurus I and Kadett
One journalist wrote of his experience driving Opel Kadett GSi on the Autobahn. Opel was one of the first “pocket rocket” compact cars to hit more than 220 km/h in 1984.
He chased a Mercedes-Benz S-Class for a bit until the Mercedes pulled over to the right lane. Opel surged forward at 220 km/h and overtook Mercedes. The journalist glanced at the Mercedes driver who actually dropped his jaw in confusion…
That’s interesting! I just can’t understand what GM did in the US market with the Kadett, the GSi would be the right choice for a Pontiac Lemans instead of the wimp Daewoo Racer 1.5…
The trouble was, they didn’t have us enthusiast-types in control.
I noticed that the red Kadett in the photo has a Chevrolet badge – could it be a South American (Brazil or Argentina) model?
Hi Yoshi! This is a Brazilian one, however the local GSi had only a 4 cilinder 2.0l with 121 hp (ethanol). For a short time the station wagon also received the same GSi treatment as “Chevrolet Flair”. Brazilians only could enjoy that Opel engine 16V in early 90’s in the GSi versions of the Chevrolet Calibra and Vectra A.
80s was a big expansion of limos into the mainstream with the town car and big Cadillac superstreatch.
Equally jaw dropping but kinda cool k car limos and the grotesque 85 Fleetwood 75 fwd. The Chrysler was just off and the Cadillac looked less impressive than a std town car or brougham.
As we get closer to the current decade, and the cars are more personally familiar to a larger number of readers, the preferences seem to be getting more polarized. I guess that diversity is what makes the CC community so great. Some of these cars would be so far down my list I doubt I’d ever get to them. Riviera? Toronado? Umm, OK. I guess one’s jaw does drop when yawning. Or gagging. But the 959, ’83 T-Bird, 3rd gen F Body, the Audi 100/5000 AND the Taurus certainly belong on the list. And I do love the Grand National and GNX as the epitome of G Body performance design. But I think the original Audi Quattro (Ur Quattro) would drop my jaw in the best way.
I think that’s a very good point – these later decades probably do resonate with a wider audience who experienced them when they were young.
When I started this series it was always to promote discussion and sharing of ideas – there was no right or wrong list. It was more of a conversation on cars that touched you emotionally when you first saw them (positively in this case). Jim.
Vector W8/W2 is the one that comes to mind after ruling out a couple of other supercars that I associate with the late-80s excesses but which were actually introduced in the 1990s.
The 300ZX is a great example of a lot of cars of the era when styling moved beyond boxy and aero-blob, and became more expressive.
I swear I read somewhere that the W8 was originally designed to be the Diablo, but I can’t seem to find it now.
I’ll nominate the Mitsubishi Starion
One other car to add to the list: the Peugeot 205.
I’ve deliberately chosen a non-GTi/-CTi version to show what a regular runabout model looked like, complete with plastic wheel covers and no bodykit. At the time, its looks stood out well in a sea of otherwise bland hatchbacks and very quickly redefined what a car in that segment could be like to drive and live with. Even base models weren’t penalty boxes by the standards of the day (if basic in terms of equipment), and all models generally had very good road manners.
The GTi typically gets all the attention (and not without good reason), but these were a car that really got it right across the range and forced much of the competition to rethink their approaches to what a small hatchback could be. It’s a shame that subsequent generations moved progressively further away from what the 205 achieved.
It still looks like a modern compact hatchback, more than 30 years after its introduction.
In my opinion both 205 and 405 were the apogee of Peugeot, ever since 306 the Company couldn’t make anything as long lasting, reliable and fun to drive as them any more.
My shout for the most influential car of the 80s
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/peugeot-205-the-most-significant-car-of-the-1980s/
One more for the pile: the Citroën BX, one of the final it-could-only-have-come-from-planet-Citroën Citroëns.
An upper-end-of-compact (by North American standards) car available as either a 5-door hatchback or wagon, it had all of the proper Citroën features: hydropneumatic suspension, polarising styling, switchgear unlike anyone else’s, and a range of engines from 1.4 to 1.9 litres (latterly available with the 16V 1.9 also used in the Peugeot 405 Mi16, which derived its basic platform from the BX), diesels, and – on certain GTi models – all-wheel drive. There was also the 4TC Group B rally car, which, while not particularly successful itself, set the stage for later successes with models such as the ZX Rallye Raid.
Very underappreciated cars, IMHO, and very much a typical Citroën in the marketplace: bought by those who understood the madness, and completely ignored by those who didn’t.
Interesting. I never really liked the ‘angular’ Citroens as much as the earlier curvy ones – probably because they looked more ‘normal’ and less like my mental picture of a Citroen.
And yet, with the passing of time, I’ve come to appreciate or understand it more. One of those cars that’s maybe better in hindsight?
Another good call. Love these!
Has no one mentioned the ’89 Infiniti Q45 yet? While Toyota went in an ultra-conservative direction with the first Lexus, Nissan launched an adventuresome missile directly at the BMW/Jaguar luxo-sport market. It’s too bad that the initial advertising campaign for the brand was so completely bizarre, and Gen 1 Q45’s have not had the long term reliability that people expect from Japan.
My other four would be the ’83 T-Bird, the Lincoln Mark VII, the ’86 Sable and the Chrysler minivans.
Not to mention the full active suspension fitted to Q45a. That was one of the technological tour de force, which spread to other competitors in the 1990s.
I drove Q45a for three days and came away awestruck by its suspension. Not even Citroën’s hydropneumatic system came close to predicting the next movement and reacting accordingly.
In Texas, it was (and still is) popular to “jump the track”. The vehicles with stock suspension would bounce and hop wildly and erratically after jumping the track. With Q45a, the sensation was very eerie with no bouncing or hopping. Just neat ninja landing.
Oh yes, the Mark VII. Still love that design and would love to find one in decent shape (and NOT an LSC).
Forgot about those – such a rare sight in my country. Nissan styling seemed to reach a peak toward the end of the eighties.
Agree with so many suggestions here, but the BMW 8 Series is IT
Jaw-dropping, period.
+1…one of the best looking cars to come out of Europe.
More jaw dropping came later, when the V-12 motor blew and you got the repair bill…
Although previewed by the 190E, the W124 series of 1986 really blew me away. Such a radical generational change from its W123 predecessor, so very modern. Truly a design masterpiece IMO. I remember being obsessed with the details of the design.
Audi 100 (5000) – very much like the W124, but with very different looks.
Volvo 480.
You can see the clear link to the past (P1800ES) and the ideas of what was to come (C30). We never got the 480 here in Australia, which is a shame.
I’m surprised that the Lexus LS400 hasn’t been mentioned (although a MY1990, it was released for sale in late 1989).
A new benchmark set for luxury sedans, that took some years for other manufacturers to match, and that 1UZFE… so silky smooth..
It changed my definition of what a sports car was
True.
1980-82 Ford Thunderbird
1980-83 Lincoln Mark VI
1982-83 Chevrolet Cavalier (the single headlight version)
Gen three widebody Camry a 140+mph sedan from Toyota only available as a 3litre V6 and only available like that in one market.
Didn’t the Gen 3 production start in late ’91 though? I a;ways wanted a widebody V6 wagon…
A few markets had widebody V6s, but only the NA markets had the 1MZ-FE. Other markets like the UK/EUR, NZ and AUS markets made do with the 3VZ-FE
For me it was the 959 Porsche
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the 1984 Corvette or the 1984 Ferarri Testarossa!
Testarossa
for regular cars for regular people I have a few others to mention
Renault Fuego turbo
another one
subaru xt turbo
Isuzu Impulse turbo
Pontiac Fiero
That’s freaky – look at the next car down and compare posting times.
great minds…
The original-shape snubnosed 1984 Pontiac Fiero. Always preferred these to the beaknose models that followed it, though the 1988 Fiero GT was a good-looking car. IMHO, even though these had the same basic silhouette as the Toyota MR2 of the time, the Fiero was the better-looking of the two.
Triumph TR8
Mercedes W124.
We are all accustomed to it’s handsome and clean looks now, but it was positively alien in 1980’s Merc showrooms. Even though the W201 introduced the design language (as well as did the W126, to a lesser extent) the W124 was Mercedes’ core product. It’s release made all previous Benzes look completely outdated and obsolete (let alone the competition over at Munich). Such a radical departure from the blocky, fortress-like, chrome-clad W123 to a sleek, modern shape with plastic (OMG!) wheelcovers and hardly any (!) chrome at all. They really bet the farm here and hit a well-deserved home-run.
Runners-up:
– W201 and W126 (obviously)
– Porsche 959
– Ferrari Testarossa (THE 1980’s poster car of every little car-nerd on the planet, no?)
– Audi 100/5000 C3
– Ford Sierra
honorable mention (in a “They can’t be serious!” way): Morris Ital
–
Agree with you on the 124. Still have my 87 300TD. money pit? Uh huh. Slow? Uh huh. Scary to most mechanics? Yup again. But still handles great, is relatively quiet and, on boost, will push you back in the seat while ascending mountains. But awe inspiring? I’m not sure I agree on that point.
I remember going to a regional new car show when the W124 came out. I thought the 190E pretty much predicted everything about it except the flush headlights, but there were a few W123 or W116 owners there that expressed their displeasure at the styling direction of Mercedes-Benz. In my opinion, the 1979 introduction of the W126 was a bigger deal from a styling departure perspective.
I’d have to say the Merkur XR4Ti.
It looked so foreign, so different. You could tell it was from Europe. The lack of a grille, composite headlights – still a rare sight with the law recently changed to allow them, plus that rear spoiler. To a lesser extent the Scorpio.
To me, it was the Volvo 780 Bertone. That was a fabulous design.
Egads…that mirrored lower-body trim does *not* belong on that car.
The bright red is interesting though. I don’t think that was a factory color (could be wrong), but it works.
Putting aside cars that specifically impressed me for a variety of reasons and going for jaw-dropping in terms of cars that were ahead of their time, groundbreaking, significant, or just a major departure for their brands, my five would be:
1982 Ford Sierra
1983 Audi 100 (5000)
1983 Ford Thunderbird
1984 Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager
1986 Ford Taurus/Plymouth Sable
The 1982 F-bodies should be on this list. The Fiero is a good honorable mention along with the Subaru XT turbo.
Jaw dropping
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Honda NSX
Citroen XM
Citroen BX
Rover Vitesse (SD1)
Renault Espace
Mercedes-Benz 500SEL (W126)
and what were they thinking?
Talbot Samba
I agree the W126 is jaw dropping. Sort of the blueprint for the big executive sedan.
Most Citroens are jaw dropping as well. Always love their uniqueness.
I really like that the 959 was included in the list. It’s always that or the F40, but I feel that just for sheer technological ambition, the Porsche wins as the jaw dropper.
Other jaw droppers I would include are:
DMC-12- stainless steel body alone is pretty crazy, regardless of the mechanicals. Plus the design has aged well.
Many of the Chrysler pocket rockets, like the GLHS, etc. As well CRX and other similar fast small cars.
Aston Martin Lagonda- surprised it wasn’t in the comments. Love the angularity of the design and the cathode ray display and interior as whole is pretty ambitious.
Buick GNX- the performance and turbo technology in a Buick, pretty crazy
The Chrysler mini vans that created that whole market. Must have been a revelation when they were released.
The Aston Martin Lagonda wasn’t nominated because it reached production in 1976! I’m certain it was jaw-dropping then, and considering how scarce they were, it was almost certainly still jaw dropping in the ’80s. I never saw one though, so I don’t know.
I have, and it is!
Truly jaw-dropping cars were hard to come by in the 1980s, so we tend to pick those that were merely handsome.
I trolled until I found one: The Sbarro Challenge.
Like lying in a tanning booth.
That was the cover car for a “coffee table” book on exotic cars that I bought in the 80’s. Still have it. Franco Sbarro was responsible for some crazy creations, including if I remember correctly a first-gen VW Golf with 911 Turbo running gear.
Check out the 89 Bonneville styled wheels on that Sbarro…
(wait, isn’t Sbarro a pizza place?)