14 replies to this topic

[rendlesham]

What do members think we're the great innovative spirited and bold cars of the 80's

Renault 5 gordini / turbo 1
lancia intergrale 8v
Porsche speedster

?
would love to know

[john aston]

Err..on this forum I think most would say Porsche 956, Brabham BT 52, Williams FW10 and McLaren MP4/4.Not too many takers for Renault 5s , even turbo ones I suspect.

[arttidesco]

The single most innovative racing car of the 1980's was possibly the banned Lotus 88.

Second would be John Barnards influential MP/4 series with the MP4/1 introducing the full carbon fibre chassis, and MP4/2 introducing the coke bottle rear end.

Much as i like the 956/962 series especially in LH form apart from the PDK gearbox which eventually got abandoned and was never used in their first string entries (correct me if I am wrong) I do not believe they were particularly innovative, merely supremely successful evolutions of what had gone before starting with the 906/908/910/917/936 vehicles. By comparison I'd say the Lola T600 was far more radical if not out right innovative with respect to it's aerodynamics than the Porsche Group C cars which were aerodynamically hampered by their flat 6 engines.

Of the rally cars the Audi Quattro series was particularly innovative successfully introducing 4wd and turbo technology making hitherto successful Talbots, Ascona's and Fiat 131's look very pedestrian and ultimately obsolete in comparison.

Of the lot the Audi Quattro had the furthest reaching innovations, successfully extending to not just rallying but to Trans Am where its technology got banned, IMSA, DTM and even the BTCC before also getting banned, the Quattro led to a substantial technological revolution in road car technology impacting vehicles far beyond Audi's own Quattro ranges like the Subaru Impreza, Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO series, Escort Cosworth and any number of turbo charged 4WD pocket rockets.

Edited by arttidesco, 10 June 2010 - 20:40.

[elansprint72]

I bought a brand new Renault 5 (my first real car, i.e. not built by me, in 1973) presumably someone started designing this about 1965?

The MG Maestro always looked good (on someone else's driveway).

Not sure why this thread exists here, btw.

[Dan333SP]

Why would this thread not be appropriate for this forum? It's about people's sentimental favorite cars from 20+ years ago. If that doesn't count as nostalgia, I don't know what does... As for me, the Sauber C9, Jag XJR9LM, and Shell Porsche 962 were my favorites when I was a kid and they still are. I'd also include the Audi Pikes Peak car and the awesome IMSA GTO quattro machine with its scary exhaust note and spitting flames. Incredible car.

[Ralf Pickel]

I hav to admit that I actually (still) like the Renault 5 turbo.
I had a new turbo 2 from 1985 on for 9 years, only road car I had which spitted out 2 feet long flames - if you had the Devil Cup exhaust.
Wish I still had that little toy....

[Hamish Robson]

As far as ROAD cars go:

A great spirited car, within the reach of ordinary mortals, was the original Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. Ran one of these as a road car for 5 years in the 90s - fantastic.

Rally cars - certainly the Audi quattro, formed the shape of rallying for the next 30 years.

Race cars - Porsche 956, McLaren MP4, Ferrari 640/F189 with the paddle shift and that (over-used plaudit) glorious V12

[stuartbrs]

Hmmm..
Audi Quattro definately, I still want one.
Ford RS500.. also, I still want one..
BMW M3... it just looks like so much fun, and tough..I still want one.
BMW M6.. still beautiful
Ferrari 288 GTO.. had one on my wall.. wish it was still there
Porsche 928.. ok, it came out in the 70`s, but I have one, an S and it was built in 1982.

Race cars..
Lotus 97T.. gorgeous
Porsche 956, looks better than a 962
McLaren MP4/2, I like it a lot better now than I did then!
Dick Johnson`s Mustang.. had one on my wall..obviously no where near as nice as a 70`s one but I still liked it.
JPS BMW M3.. perfect.

[RobertE]

I'd agree re. Quattro, Integrale and even the M3, but my favourite is the Mecedes 190 valver in all or any of its forms. A staggeringly competent car in all ways and streets head of the BMW in road form, although the M3 Evo might just edge it on a circuit. But it's a close call. I've been recommissioning a 190 Evo2 and took it out the other week for the first time. Blimey; it's lighter than a Renault Clio, I discovered. The best car I shall probably ever own.

Also, the Porsche 3.2 Carrera is damned good, too, as is the VW Golf Mark 2 16 valve. Still a great car. So, all bar one of mine are German.

Edited by RobertE, 11 June 2010 - 09:39.

[Isetta]

My 1984 Toyota Corolla Gti 1.6 Coupe. RWD and only made for 1 year. It had two twitchy rear ends - its and mine!

[Dan333SP]

Porsche 956, looks better than a 962

You can tell the difference?? I know what the changes were mechanically and physically, but it's very hard to tell them apart in Le Mans trim at least...
956

962

[arttidesco]

The cross section profile of the raised nose section was not so blunt on the 962 as on the 956 the cockpit was set slightly back on the 962 but the 956 paint job around the cockpit looked much better than that of the 962.

[Mansell4PM]

The original post seems to concentrate exclusively on road cars. Surely the greatest '80s car (certainly of those available in Europe) was the Peugeot 205 GTi? - run a close second by the Golf GTis of the period. An interesting topic for debate but, as originally framed, perhaps one for a classic car magazine's forums?

Throwing in a curveball, could I suggest a somewhat unfancied car as the greatest British car of the '80s? - The Triumph Acclaim. This car proved, at last, that the largest British car maker could build a product that satisfied the needs of its market, albeit with the enormous help of a Japanese manufacturer - Honda. This car arguably set the behemoth of BMC/BL/Austin-Rover on something like the right path, and bought them another twenty odd years as a volume car manufacturer. For that alone, the Acclaim gets my vote. Supercars are all well and good, but cars like the Acclaim are the sort that most people drove and that many thousands were employed to build, sell and repair. All hail the Acclaim.

Anyway, enough of that. In terms of racing cars, my vote would go to:

Formula One: McLaren's MP4 series - in the hunt for titles consistently throughout most of the decade. Though probably not one 'model' of car - more of a related series.

Endurance: Porsche 956/962 - more or less the same model, and surely THE endurance racer of the decade.

Rallying: Audi Quattro - as others have said, this car moved the goalposts. Arguably the most accomplished rally cars of the decade were Group B machines that emerged later, such as the Delta S4, 205 T16, RS200, etc., but as Group B was outlawed soon after their arrival I would argue that they didn't demonstrate their 'greatness' over their contemporary rivals to the same extent as the Quattro (or is it quattro?).

Touring Cars: Sierra RS Cosworth - not shabby in late '80s rallying either, the Cossie is surely the image that comes to mind when you think of '80s tin-top racing. Run a close second by BMW's M3 though.

[D-Type]

If we're talking road cars, surely the Mazda MX-5 deserves a mention. It just scrapes into the eighties having been announced in 1989. Its significance is that the MX-5 re-introduced the open two seater or roadster to the market. If the MX-5 hadn't happened the concept would have faded away completely.

[BrendanMcF]

A couple of the Gordon Murray Brabhams would certainly qualify for being bold and innovative, BT52 and BT55

Edited by BrendanMcF, 13 June 2010 - 21:23.