The 1980s was a very unique decade in the automotive world. While the time was mired by cars that felt underpowered and less capable than ever before because of the massive emissions regulations put on the industry there was also a great deal of awesome vehicles that become the bedrock for the vehicles we see today. The Volkswagen GTI was begun in the 80s as was the BMW 3-Series. This decade also featured such high end exotics as the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferrari Testarossa both of which adorned the walls of many a teenage boy during this decade. With the good in mind from the decade that wasn’t for the auto industry here are some of the coolest cars of the 1980s.
Acura Integra – This was the time of the first generation of this car which brought in plenty of fun and a great price. The Integra was just getting its feet wet in the 80s and even made many car critics take a second look at this beauty. Offered in either three or five-door styles the Integra was a great drive even if it didn’t carry a lot of horsepower, making it a lightweight performer that many loved to tune.
AMG Hammer – The 1980s saw AMG as still its own company and not part of Mercedes at the time. The AMG Hammer offered a massive 5.5-liter V8 engine that when paired with the DOHC brought the horsepower up to 355 which was 125 more than the Corvette of the time. This car could really go and was a great small sedan that had a top speed of 178 mph, more than enough to make anyone at that time take notice.
BMW M3 – For some cars you wonder where they got started, especially when they give what seems to be unending performance for year after year. For the M3 the start was in the 1980s and was originally built to be a racing car that had to be built in a mass quantity in order to qualify for racing. This M3 was powered by a 2.3-liter engine that offered up 192 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque. This was one of the quickest cars built at the time with a 6.9 second time for the run to sixty mph and a 15.2 second quarter mile time.
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z – This third generation car was seen nearly everywhere you turned. The IROC-Z was the car so many wanted as it came with the same engine as the Corvette, a 5.7-liter V8 that made 220 horsepower and was made simply to kick the Mustang to the curb. The IROC-Z was features everywhere from music videos to drag races and beyond, this car found a special place in our hearts and minds.
Ferrari Testarossa – During its run in the 1980s the Testarossa was lauded and laughed at. Those in the collector car world thought it was too much with is cheese grater raked sides, but so many loved it that this car certainly was one of the most popular and famous cars of the time. In the middle of the decade the Testarossa was simply the fastest car you could buy at 180 mph top speed coming from a 380 horsepower engine.
Ford Mustang GT 5.0 – Although the build did not inspire any love from the body structure the actual power under the hood was amazing in this often lauded engine. The 5.0 might have been hard to spot since it looked a lot like other coupes and sedans of the time but the 225 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque garnered a lot of attention when you could see it run to sixty mph in only 6.3 seconds as it sped past many others on the dragstrip.
Lamborghini Countach – This was truly the coolest car of the era. This car was the feature of a poster on nearly every teenage boy’s wall because it was what cool is. With the scissor doors and the massive V12 engine that pushed out huge amounts of power the Countach was what we wanted to drive. Low to the ground and full of aerodynamics and downforce, this car was everything you thought of during the 1980s when you thought of your dream car.
Mazda RX-7 Turbo II – When you didn’t have the cache to purchase a Porsche, Mazda found you the answer with this sports car that certainly gave you the power and performance that you would enjoy while driving. Even though the “zoom zoom” mantra would still be several years down the road this car offered amazing handling, 182 horsepower and a style that was easy to love and a lot of fun to drive.
Porsche 959 – This was one of the first ever cars built with nerds in mind. The 959 offered a ton of amazing features that brought this to the forefront. The sequential turbos, Kevlar reinforced body panels, adjustable ride height and six-speed manual along with the massive 444 horsepower add made the 959 the coolest car of the 1980s because it had more thought put into it than any other car on the road.
Toyota Celica Supra – We still see some Supras on the road but mostly as tuner cars that have been souped up in one way or another to be some of the highest performing racing cars. The Supra was a car that offered a reasonable amount of sportiness without breaking your bank account in the 1980s. The A60 model was a lot of fun to drive while not overly powerful this car could take many others on a turn and come out ahead.
Just a look back at a decade that is often black-labeled as being the worst for the car world, what the 1980s taught us was how to make a car perform better from a handling standpoint and still come out on top. Which 1980s car is your favorite? No matter which one you love the most, these cars certainly let you see that even though this decade was wrong in most automotive eyes, these cars certainly weren’t wrong.
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