Forgotten 80s cars

[JTurbo]

Great topic with a lot of neat cars that bring back some memories. This one is on my bucket list (Porsche 944):



To me, this car just has some really nice lines and the I find the 4cyl/turbo variant very appealing. Somewhat similar to the 928 (think Risky Business), but with styling that is more timeless that then 928's....

[jessew]

I present to you the Lada Niva.




Not enough? Here's the military spec version. The Marsh.

[richstang]

My former boss / friend (RIP) had a Callaway Shirrocco. He had it tuned really well with lots of boost on the turbo and it wore some bad azz wide custom wheels. It was car #10 of about the same number built. He always could give me a good run against my LX 5.0 vert. I though I had a picture of it somewhere. I'll keep digging and post when I find it. It was black on black with silver side stripes.

[forsvt8]

Great topic with a lot of neat cars that bring back some memories. This one is on my bucket list (Porsche 944):



To me, this car just has some really nice lines and the I find the 4cyl/turbo variant very appealing. Somewhat similar to the 928 (think Risky Business), but with styling that is more timeless that then 928's....

Mine too.

[forsvt8]

since i have one its not too forgotten but how about the berlinettas?

with their horrible (thank god 82-83 didnt have)em Digital dash

I had one. Digital dash, radio on a stalk. I think 165 hp wow good times.

[xctasy]

That's wild! Any more info about this engine?

The flop of the Lincoln-BMW Diesel and the SX4 AMC Cross over were basically similar to the 80 LTD and Fatstang era sales flops. If the public have it in there mind that the concept is a social turkey rather than a focal swann, it'll take years to pare back ground. Of course, the Fox Mustang started off much like the 80 Panther Fords...seen as a cost expedient throw away stop gap car like an early Falcon, but soon, the Fox and Panther both just grew in public image, but it took a long time. The SX4 was messed up by the Applicance Motor Companies poor waranty claims. In a time when Chrysler Corp was bankrupt and got all the Federal funds, AMC was a lepper. It was propably in worse shape than Mopar, but didn't get the help the product deserved. AMC had in basic design and architecture, great product with awfull annual styling changes, very poor detail execution, and it was seen, from the account of most of my American friends, as being a novel idea with too much to go wrong. Sad, cause a T5 speed 258 Jeep engined SX4 was a very cool car. But the swann genes of the AMX chassis it was based on could just as soon produce revert to a Gremlin, rather the "The Machine esque" SX4.

Info?

See this article from a June 79 Australian Wheels magazine. Its metric, tho:













In the case of the BMW Diesel, it was around five years before in 1979, and in 10 psi boost turbo form, powered the worlds quickest and fastest diesel, the pre production 115 hp 324td. Maximum torque was 237 Nm, 175 lb-ft, good for 109 mph, 18 second 1/4 mile, 0-60 mph in under 11.5 seconds and a 5200 rpm rev range better than the 4700 rpm for the later gasoline 525e! It was later down rated to 165 lb-ft, or 220Nm. Both it and the 325e/527e concept engines were based on the same siamesed 323i European market BMW block. But the water in fuel, high sulphur diesel and the Olds 350 diesel inoculated anyone from ever buying diesels again. The Cummings Dodges have sort of brought acceptabilty back, but even in the 80's a 300TD Benz were hard to shift after the GM diesel. Ford picked up a really great diesel, which should have been a front line engine for other Fox bodies, but like the Mazda 626 2 liter diesel option in the Tempo, it just fizzed out

So these great little engines with excellent 4 speed over drive ZF gearboxes and reliable BMW engine were just EPA/CAFE conscience cars, gap fillers which in which diesel ment DIE, Sell and Exchange..

Along with the LSC and all 108.4" wheelbase Foxes, it was the FoMoCo car I'd love to own the most.

[dburdyshaw]

Is that a Choo Choo conversion? A buddy of mine's dad has one that he bought new. I got to drive it once ---- and believe it or not, but it rode comfortably ---- kinda like a car.

Escort GT

I saw one of these today. It was across from me at a red light ---- and I was STARING at it ---- and the people were staring back ---- kinda with that, "Who's the stalker kid staring at us?" look in their eyes.

[dburdyshaw]

Along with the LSC and all 108.4" wheelbase Foxes, it was the FoMoCo car I'd love to own the most.

Well, since you've brought the Lincoln Continental up, it's also one of my faves ---- and on my current "thrill of the hunt" list. The one that you pictured (above) is the one with the lay down grille -- which was a slight change after the original (below). Lee Iacocca said that the original was a blatant copy of the Rolls Royce grille and that Ford didn't even deny copying it.





This was one of the last "elegant" cars, IMHO.


AND, while we're on the topic of Lincolns, how about the Town COUPE ---- the 1980-1981 TWO-DOOR version of the Town CAR.









I'm on the hunt for one of these, as well ---- but you knew that already.

[79mustangcobra]

1983 Dodge Charger and Charger 2.2

When I was a kid I had a poster of the Charger 2.2 on my bedroom wall. I loved the look and two-tone

[86GT5spdEVERETT]

Great topic with a lot of neat cars that bring back some memories. This one is on my bucket list (Porsche 944):



To me, this car just has some really nice lines and the I find the 4cyl/turbo variant very appealing. Somewhat similar to the 928 (think Risky Business), but with styling that is more timeless that then 928's....

i had one of these about 2 years ago, i was depressed how slow it was, theres 3 levels, base, s and turbo. I traded a grand cherokee for mine and got it running and man it was cool looking but not so impressive. my 88 honda prelude 4ws was much faster and handled better. now the turbo 944 is a sweet car!!

[86GTcoupe]

Chrysler Laser turbo. Back when I was in 9th grade, my neighbor had one just like the silver one, he drove me to and from school, he was a jerk but it was a free ride in a pretty cool car back then.

Click on the link and read about which car had the fastest 0-60 time.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...%3Divns&itbs=1

[80Notch]

how about preludes?

85 Prelude 2.0 SI

factory with dual side draft carbs??



even the early 1st gen preludes are kinda cool....they came with the same CVCC engine my 78 accord had

[82 fairmont guy]

dayne i had a 'lude just like the silver one but with the mirrors on the doors. fun little car.

[ZephyrEFI]

The Charger/Omni/Horizon/Turismo was another car whose look was greatly improved with the deletion of the bug-eye treatment.

And I think I liked the Daytona/Lazer even more than the Mustang at the time. It seemed to have a more modern look than the Mustang had.

[9DBlackMagic]

here is one i like to get.

[Capriman86]

here is one i like to get.

A Shogun would definitely be a cool toy to own!

[jessew]

how about preludes?

85 Prelude 2.0 SI

factory with dual side draft carbs??



even the early 1st gen preludes are kinda cool....they came with the same CVCC engine my 78 accord had

Didn't the prelude Si have 4 wheel steering as an option?

[80Notch]

Didn't the prelude Si have 4 wheel steering as an option?

yeah they did

[jessew]

yeah they did

Handling would be interesting, getting it aligned would be a nightmare

[bull-vette]

What a great thread! Thanks everyone for posting. Brings back a lot of memories. It seems the older cars were different, and had character. You could actually look at a car and know what it was. It seems now when you look at a car you can figure it's one of about three, because they all look the same. Boxes on wheels.

I want some character! (Danny, that's not the same thing as, "you are a character").

[Casper83RS]

I had one of these for about a year.
It was surprisingly fun to drive. Kind of sad to see that the Daytona became this but regardless... it was still fun to drive.

[jessew]

I don't have any pictures of it, but I have to mention the Cadillac V8-6-4 engines. The idea was to deactivate two or four cylinders depending on the load on the engine. It was never popular because the computer used in I
t was never able to reliably switch back and forth.

[dburdyshaw]

I don't have any pictures of it, but I have to mention the Cadillac V8-6-4 engines. The idea was to deactivate two or four cylinders depending on the load on the engine. It was never popular because the computer used in I
t was never able to reliably switch back and forth.

I remember hearing Barry Meguiar talking about having one of those 8-6-4 Cadillacs back in the day. His comment was, "Mine worked." Apparently that was the exception.

What a great thread! Thanks everyone for posting. Brings back a lot of memories. It seems the older cars were different, and had character. You could actually look at a car and know what it was. It seems now when you look at a car you can figure it's one of about three, because they all look the same. Boxes on wheels.

I want some character! (Danny, that's not the same thing as, "you are a character").

This is a great thread ---- and I agree with your thoughts on:
** older cars were different;
** now they all look the same;
** you are a character

(I started to write, "two outta three ain't bad" -- but when you're right, you're right)

[dburdyshaw]

And speaking of 80s Cadillacs, how 'bout an '88 Cimarron. Are those Marchals on it?



As all Cimarrons were four-door cars, I think that it would be fun to find a two-door Cavalier of this era ---- and put a Cimarron fascia on it. Nahhh, who'd ever change out the fascia of one car with that of another one?

[jessew]

I remember hearing Barry Meguiar talking about having one of those 8-6-4 Cadillacs back in the day. His comment was, "Mine worked." Apparently that was the exception.




This is a great thread ---- and I agree with your thoughts on:
** older cars were different;
** now they all look the same;
** you are a character

(I started to write, "two outta three ain't bad" -- but when you're right, you're right)

I'm pretty sure Chrysler uses some form of this in their Hemi's, cool idea, just took 25 years to get it right.