80's sports cars

[Tinton]

Anyone else here own them or is a fan?

BTW, what cars really defined the decade? Sportscar-wise, not for reliability problems or anything.

[Kamikaze]

I'd love to have the Ferrari that Axel Foley drove in Beverly Hills Cop.

[RandomGuy]

Pontiac Fiero defined the era
Also IROC daytonas and 1st gen prelude 2.0Si's

[Ran]

Pontiac Fiero defined the era

Too bad the AW11 MR-2 was a better car in practically every performance category. Cheaper too. I think Car & Driver's only negative comment was that it had more road noise.

I was always a fan of the Mk.III Supra and the Turbo-II RX-7.

[Tinton]

Too bad the AW11 MR-2 was a better car in practically every performance category. Cheaper too. I think Car & Driver's only negative comment was that it had more road noise.

I was always a fan of the Mk.III Supra and the Turbo-II RX-7.

Too bad the AW11 MR2 was boxy as hell :








The Fiero came out a little bit before the MR2 and it was never designed to compete with it. Other than drivetrain layout they're completely different cars, the MR2 was much lighter and smaller. In terms of weight and power the Fiero was supposed to compete with the RX7 FC.

I personally just don't like the AW11 MR2's. If I wanted a light-weight MR2 I'd just buy a MR-S. Or I'd buy a 2nd gen for the power and better looks.

Cars I think about when it comes to the 80's are the 1989 Trans Am turbo, Buick Grand National, Fiero, IROC-Z, C4 Corvette, RX7 FC, AW11 MR2, Ferrari Testarossa, and the Porsche 911.

[RandomGuy]

Too bad the AW11 MR-2 was a better car in practically every performance category. Cheaper too. I think Car & Driver's only negative comment was that it had more road noise.

I was always a fan of the Mk.III Supra and the Turbo-II RX-7.

lolol guess you didn't sense the sarcasm

i agree with the fourth post minus the last three


now if we're talking imports, i'd say the Z cars, the starion, mk2 celica-supra and the mk3-T, the rotaries, etc the RWD import beasts of the 80s,

[hXc007]

the cars that defined 80s sports cars to me are the ferrari testarossa, lamborghini countach, any porsche, mr2, and the fc rx7

[OneSlow5pt0]

MK1 MR2 are the shit dizzle......MK2 was to heavy for my taste,also IROC-Z of course

[DinanM3atl]

e30....

End of the story

[Sport1.3]

e30....

End of the story

cant argue that....still an amazing car today

[DinanM3atl]

cant argue that....still an amazing car today

1 person knows what is up!!!!

Don't forget

e28 M5!!!! Fastest Sports Saloon of the time!!! And can still take 1/2 the cars on this board

[Tinton]

1 person knows what is up!!!!

Don't forget

e28 M5!!!! Fastest Sports Saloon of the time!!! And can still take 1/2 the cars on this board

SWEET car! I didn't even know they made a M5 back then. Any other specs on it?

BTW to the MR2 dude I looked at a couple articles and back in the 80's the Fieros tended to slalom at about the same speed as the MR2s. The handling isn't that bad.... still double wishbone front and multilink rear. I crave a 90's MR2 like nothing else though...but that's not an 80's car . BTW the MR2 had nothing to do with the cancellation of the Fiero, for every year the Fiero was sold it consistently sold around 3x more cars. It was GM's (I really do hate GM...) decision to kill it because they didn't see a good market for the car going into the 90's. 1984-1988 about 450,000 Fieros were produced. Has the MR2 even sold that much, even though its been around about 15 years longer?

[VooDooXII]

e30....

End of the story

[DinanM3atl]

Ok 2 people know what is up

[SLOWR/T]

FC TII FTMFW!!

[OneSlow5pt0]

FC TII FTMFW!!

not feeling any of those.

[Glides]

The cars the defined the are for me came towards the end of the 80s when the AWD and Turbocharged deals came into play.

The Celica All-Trac
The Mazda 323-GTX
The Dodge Omni Turbo
Mitsubishi Mirage turbo.

that is when the imports really started to shine, when the homologation rules called for so many units to be sold. That is the entire reason those cars came into existance and still to this day are amazing cars to play with.

[OneSlow5pt0]

porsche 944

[Kamikaze]

Ferrari 328 GTS.

[Sport1.3]

I own one lol. Car and Driver top 20, 80's sports cars.

AW11 MR2 T-Bar. it, like everything else in the 80's was designed using a straight edge lololol. But seriously folks its old, underpowered, and takes a stubborn kinda person to keep one around....they need alot of attention

Kyle, the Vw is not a "sports car," also the first GTI was made in 1976....thats not 80's..granted we didnt get them till 1983.

The first thing that comes to my mind when i think 80's sports cars, though bad, is Trans Am's/corvettes/DSM's/ and 5.0 fox body mustangs lolol

[Kyle]

Kyle, the Vw is not a "sports car," also the first GTI was made in 1976....thats not 80's..granted we didnt get them till 1983.

Yeah after I posted it I remembered we are talking about sports cars and a GTI is def. not one. As for the years, yes I know the deal with when they made it and when we got it.

[Sport1.3]

Yeah after I posted it I remembered we are talking about sports cars and a GTI is def. not one. As for the years, yes I know the deal with when they made it and when we got it.

yeah its cool i figured you did. I was actually ab to mention the Audi Quattro as one of the most influential 80's car's but remembered it wasnt a "sports car"

[OneSlow5pt0]

yeah its cool i figured you did. I was actually ab to mention the Audi Quattro as one of the most influential 80's car's but remembered it wasnt a "sports car"

what cha know bout this AWD

[Sport1.3]

what cha know bout this AWD

LOL that car wasnt influentail at all. Stupid non-intercooled 1.8 turbo's

this is what i was refering to

[Kyle]

yeah its cool i figured you did. I was actually ab to mention the Audi Quattro as one of the most influential 80's car's but remembered it wasnt a "sports car"

The Audi quattro was an all around amazing car. No one can deny it. It was used for rally and other types of racing. I think you could make an argument that the Audi Sport Quattro is a sports car.

[Sport1.3]

The Audi quattro was an all around amazing car. No one can deny it. It was used for rally and other types of racing. I think you could make an argument that the Audi Sport Quattro is a sports car.

its still one of my fav cars of all time!!

[OneSlow5pt0]

lol...damn is that Mr. Plow

[OneSlow5pt0]

also the Miata came out in 89,so that was big hit for the american roadster market...led the way for S2k,Sky,Soltice,Demon,Z3 and MR2-S

[Sport1.3]

also the Miata came out in 89,so that was big hit for the american roadster market...led the way for S2k,Sky,Soltice,Demon,Z3 and MR2-S

um no, the AW11 MR2 led the way for the MRS. Infact there was a very rare edition of the MKI MR2 called the Spider and came convertable. Toyota engineers also made it a point to add in alot of the original features offered in the MKI (light weight, small displacement, manual steering, etc). They changed their whole thought process after the MKII to make the MKIII more like the original

also, the miata didnt come here till 1990. That and the fact the miata was nothing more then a copy of MG's successful design formula

[OneSlow5pt0]

um no, the AW11 MR2 led the way for the MRS. Infact there was a very rare edition of the MKI MR2 called the Spider and came convertable. Toyota engineers also made it a point to add in alot of the original features offered in the MKI (light weight, small displacement, manual steering, etc). They changed their whole thought process after the MKII to make the MKIII more like the original

also, the miata didnt come here till 1990. That and the fact the miata was nothing more then a copy of MG's successful design formula

yea i know the first one was gonna be designed as a vert only too..i just said the MR2-S cause,they put it in the same class as the other cars i listed...and yes i know Miata were big copy of the midget,but Miata brought that to america and sold it well....Miata is the #1 two seater in the world in sells

[Ran]

The AW11 looks good with the top up, but looks kinda goofy with it down.

That and the fact the miata was an improvement over MG's successful design formula

Fixed

Miata is technically an 80's car since there was an 89 model. Whether or not it was stateside is beside the point. Also, there wouldn't hardly any roadster market if not for the original Miata.

[/dicussion]

How about them Datsun's?

[Sport1.3]

Miata is technically a 90's car with 1970's-1980's technology/design

Fixed

[Tinton]

Fixed

Yeah, anyone else notice that? Think about it, 80's cars were probably designed in the 70's with 70's technology. I know that the Fiero and MR2 were both in development from like 1976 until their release in 1984. So does that mean 90's cars were actually designed and developed in the 80's?

[OneSlow5pt0]

that MK1 spider is bad....how much do they run for,lol

[Sport1.3]

that MK1 spider is bad....how much do they run for,lol

well there were 3 made in 1985, 15 made in 1986, and 12 in 1987 in the US lol. They are VERY RARE!! i know of 2 total, both 86's. They are also both red and show quality. If you do ever find one, it wont be cheap if the seller knows what he/she has. If not, BUY IT!

[OneSlow5pt0]

well there were 3 made in 1985, 15 made in 1986, and 12 in 1987 in the US lol. They are VERY RARE!! i know of 2 total, both 86's. They are also both red and show quality. If you do ever find one, it wont be cheap if the seller knows what he/she has. If not, BUY IT!

yea, i really like that...are they S/C?

man,cant wait to get my MR2-S and join the MR2 Family

[Sport1.3]

yea, i really like that...are they S/C?

man,cant wait to get my MR2-S and join the MR2 Family

No, they didnt produce an S/C model MKI until the end of production for the Spider, which ended in 1987. 1988 was the first production year for the S/C. The Spider did however come with a few options not available on any other MKI. they had the Monza Quad tip exhaust, standered power options, standered 14" mesh alloys (rare by themselves/port option), Auto climate control, premium sound system, standered rear sway bar, and typically came with a higher grade of interior (though car pictured has cloth seats).

You will love the MRS, they are awesome cars. They guy that sold me my MKI now has an MRS that has a full koni suspension, full exhaust and aftermarket wheels..that car is a BEAST in the twisties. He is planning a 2ZZ swap from a Celica GTS soon.....that will probably make me sell my MKI lol

[Tinton]

well there were 3 made in 1985, 15 made in 1986, and 12 in 1987 in the US lol. They are VERY RARE!! i know of 2 total, both 86's. They are also both red and show quality. If you do ever find one, it wont be cheap if the seller knows what he/she has. If not, BUY IT!

That doesn't count, lol. Like 30 total Mk.I MR2 convertibles wouldn't affect the market enough for other companies to copy off it. Hell, there were about 10-20 Fiero convertible prototypes made, with several still running around. The Miata definitely spawned the MR-S, Pontiac Solstice, etc, and it copied off of older British roadsters.

[Sport1.3]

Too bad the AW11 MR2 was boxy as hell :


The Fiero came out a little bit before the MR2 and it was never designed to compete with it. Other than drive train layout they're completely different cars, the MR2 was much lighter and smaller. In terms of weight and power the Fiero was supposed to compete with the RX7 FC.
.

Bitch Please, both cars look like door wedges

Actually, if you look back at a lot of the car and driver articles/vids the 2 cars were direct market competition. From 85-88 they were constantly tested against one another. 1988 being the defining year when the S/C version of the MR2 came out and suddenly the Fiero Disappeared lol. Though i will agree it had alot to do with the unfair "bad reputation" the Fiero had gotten for being unreliable

That doesn't count, lol. Like 30 total Mk.I MR2 convertibles wouldn't affect the market enough for other companies to copy off it. Hell, there were about 10-20 Fiero convertible prototypes made, with several still running around. The Miata definitely spawned the MR-S, Pontiac Solstice, etc, and it copied off of older British roadsters.

They weren’t Prototypes though; they were a limited run specialty car. There were plenty in Japan and Europe as well. We just didn’t get as many. They were also called a "spider” before the Miata was even a pipe dream. Spider referencing Italian sports car convertibles. The MKII also came in Convertible under the "spider" designation. Are you telling me the Miata had a hand in that one as well? lolol. The miata had nothing to do with the MR2 or MRS. The cars have retained almost the same identical design/layout since its inception. I mean they still are MR set ups aren’t they? Also we may have only gotten the MRS here in the states, but over seas there are plenty of FACTORY hardtop MKIII's. Convertibles have and always will be popular here in the US. Are you saying the Miata was responsible for that? Get the fuck out of here If the MR2 were to base any of its European styling que's off of another car/manufacturer it would be Lotus and Fiat....not Mazda lol.

[OneSlow5pt0]

Bitch Please, both cars look like door wedges

Actually, if you look back at a lot of the car and driver articles/vids the 2 cars were direct market competition. From 85-88 they were constantly tested against one another. 1988 being the defining year when the S/C version of the MR2 came out and suddenly the Fiero Disappeared lol. Though i will agree it had alot to do with the unfair "bad reputation" the Fiero had gotten for being unreliable







They weren’t Prototypes though; they were a limited run specialty car. There were plenty in Japan and Europe as well. We just didn’t get as many. They were also called a "spider” before the Miata was even a pipe dream. Spider referencing Italian sports car convertibles. The MKII also came in Convertible under the "spider" designation. Are you telling me the Miata had a hand in that one as well? lolol. The miata had nothing to do with the MR2 or MRS. The cars have retained almost the same identical design/layout since its inception. I mean they still are MR set ups aren’t they? Also we may have only gotten the MRS here in the states, but over seas there are plenty of FACTORY hardtop MKIII's. Convertibles have and always will be popular here in the US. Are you saying the Miata was responsible for that? Get the fuck out of here If the MR2 were to base any of its European styling que's off of another car/manufacturer it would be Lotus and Fiat....not Mazda lol.

MK1 MR2 was built with the help of lotus...and lotus uses toyota engines..and the MR2-S rated the best thing under the lotus elise for the $$