[Closed] 1980s supercars

Loved it.

The Lamborghini has to be one of the most iconic cars ever.

There’s a dealer in Sydney with a Countach and a Testarosss.
One is worth 3 times the other.

One is worth 3 times the other.

So which one is worth more?

I'm not a huge car nut but I rediscovered this the other week and the skillz are amazing.

There’s a dealer in Sydney with a Countach and a Testarosss.
One is worth 3 times the other.

I would guess it’s the Ferrari, just because it’s a Ferrari.

However the Countach is still the best design. Even now it has the ability to stop people, even non car people, in their tracks and stare at it. Utterly bonkers and still looks futuristic even 40 years on from when it first came out. Imagine what people thought in the 70’s when it first came out when you think of all the other cars that were on the road back then.

If I won the Euromillions I’d still buy one, I don’t think you’d ever get bored just even looking at one.

Not the Ferrari.
[img] [/img]
It was nice though.
[img] [/img]
They also had a Daytona for $1.2m
& this...
[img] [/img]
If you had to ask...

I like the blue one.

And the yellow one.

That's a good cast list on the first vid:
Valentino Balboni - Lamborghini test driver
Stefan Roser - the nutter in the Yellowbird in the second vid... 🙂

(needs sound)

but then I have to listen to that ****ing awful peice of shit music... 😆

And the yellow one.

Not really a fan of yellow cars. Would probably get it resprayed a nice matt black

newrobdob - Member

There’s a dealer in Sydney with a Countach and a Testarosss.
One is worth 3 times the other.

I would guess it’s the Ferrari, just because it’s a Ferrari.

Anyone who knew anything about cars would know it was the Countach 😳

Best thread title ever!

Remember that 'Riddle of the Sands' photo from Car Magazine? I got a poster of that with my subscription, and I CANNOT BELIEVE that I let it get tatty and eventually lost/thrown away. 😕

Thanks for the video share, I will enjoy later.

In the 80s I had a Saturday job fitting double glazing with my older brother. All the salesman owned supercars, some more than one. Mainly Porsche and Aston’s , a couple of testorossas and lotus.

Even the guy who made the sealed units had an old 308 (Ferrari not Peugeot)

And they used to drive these to prospective customers to sell them windows. They were a flash cocky bunch.

I was round my first girlfriend's house, at an age where I might have still had a Countach poster on the wall in my bedroom. There was an almighty rumble and a red car trundled past the window....
My girlfriend's mate ran to the window and exclaimed that 'something like a Ferrari' had just gone past.

At this, my girlfriend uttered in a completely normal conversational tone 'Oh, I think that's my uncle. He's got a red Lamborghini.....'
Cue me legging it outside to see this bright red Lamborghini Countach with white leather interior pull up.

I remember being completely agog.

I think I'd have been less impressed had Cindy Crawford & Claudia Schiffer knocked on the door with an invite to a hot tub party & a 6 pack of K Cider!!

There is only one car thats ever been blue tacked to my bedroom wall..

[img] [/img]

Nice white car.

Did any you guys get to own the car you had blu tacked to your bedroom wall. I was a rallying nut when I was young and about 10 years ago I bought an Audi Quattro Turbo. Flared wheel arches, massive turbo and 4wd. Fast as f~@k but parts were nearly impossible to get. Nearly bought a Lancia Delta Integrale but was a bit too expensive. Neither were 'supercars' but in my mind they were both very special.

This thread had me thinking back to my 80's childhood in Dubai (when it was mostly still desert), marvelling at the bonkers versions of already bonkers cars that were on the roads. There was a Pink Panther pink Lamborghini Countach that was a real favourite! Memorising top trumps stats and reading the Collins gem guides to cars like it was the bible! Happy days indeed. If money was no object it would be a Countach, or maybe a Pontiac Firebird, or a De Tomaso Pantera, or perhaps a 328 GTO or........

Nearly bought a Lancia Delta Integrale but was a bit too expensive.

You dodged a bullet there. If you thought it was expensive to buy, try running one. A mate had one. The phrase 'money-pit' doesn't even begin to describe it. Think of the Dandy Warhols lyric "you got a nice car, yeah, what's wrong with it today?"

Anyway, I'll see your Countach and raise you a De Tomaso Pantera 😀

[img] [/img]

Why pay through the nose for Italian style when you could spend the same amount of cash on something that was knocked up on an industrial estate in Dumfries out of the parts bins of Rover, Triumph and Morris.......

[img] [/img]

I'll concede you could probably get done bikes stored in that Galloway mutant but otherwise NO!

The Porsche 959 in Paris-Dakar format was also on the list

[img] [/img]

teamslug - Member
Did any you guys get to own the car you had blu tacked to your bedroom wall

Good question.

No. 😆

I did get the chance to own an last gen air-cooled 993 with 46k on it in Black, bloody lovely but he wanted a measly £16k for it as he was emigrating.. sadly I was about 5th in line for it and some other chap bought it and pinned him down to £11k in the end.. Couldn't believe it.. They're worth massive money now and I reckon still one of the best 911's out there.
Sadly I'm still hooked on mid 70's 911's.. I'll never own one now..

perchypanther - Member

Why pay through the nose for Italian style when you could spend the same amount of cash on something that was knocked up on an industrial estate in Dumfries out of the parts bins of Rover, Triumph and Morris.......

Was it not in Lochgilphead?

Bodyshell was made by Solway Marine in Dumfries as far as I recall.
The few cars actually constructed were, as you say , assembled in Lochgilphead.

I actually saw one (an Argyll, that is) in Bob Henderson's workshop in Lochgilphead. I was there while he tried to set up a Minnow Fish carburettor on my modified Morris Minor!

Liked that video, that was good fun

Not really a fan of yellow cars. Would probably get it resprayed a nice matt black

Unless you’re joking...

That’s the Ruf yellow bird, you’d have to do it yourself, I doubt you’d find a paint shop willing to risk the ensuing maelstrom should they perform such a task. 😆

Great video, nice to see some proper cars being driven properly.

You dodged a bullet there. If you thought it was expensive to buy, try running one. A mate had one. The phrase 'money-pit' doesn't even begin to describe it.

Your mate was either unlucky or bought a dog. No more expensive to run than other similar cars of the time (admittedly parts aren't cheap and they're a bastard to work on) but certainly cheaper to run than every other car mentioned in this thread. Plus, if teamslug had have bought a good Evo ten or so years ago it'd have doubled in value by now.

Almost thirty years ago, my dad took me to Lancaster's in Colchester to see the supercars there.

I remember being hugely impressed with not one but two Porsche 959s, in silver and metallic red respectively. I was disappointed with the F40, it had no carpets for crying out loud! It was a good few years before I finally understood why.

Oh and they had a black Countach. It looked tiny, with panel gaps that you could almost see through, but very dramatic to look at. It's one of those cars that seems to travel at 150mph standing still.

That yellow Miura on this page is a thing of beauty. If I had the means, etc.

Anyway, I'll see your Countach and raise you a De Tomaso Pantera

Now Binners, you should know you can’t “raise” on a Countach. Simply not possible.

Anyone who knew anything about cars would know it was the Countach

I thought I’d would the Ferrari to be honest but I’ve just checked and am glad to see the Lambo beats it hands down on value. I’m a car guy but I don’t keep abreast of classic aupercar prices!!

That’s the Ruf yellow bird, you’d have to do it yourself, I doubt you’d find a paint shop willing to risk the ensuing maelstrom should they perform such a task

This x1000. Legendary car which nearly no one has heard of. I love the fact it was based on a Carrera not the Turbo of the day as the Carrera was more aerodynamic. I have always preferred the looks of the standard Carreras over the years.

Fair point rob

admittedly parts aren't cheap and they're a bastard to work on

It was always in the bloody garage! The servicing costs were astronomical. £250 for a set of spark plugs, if I remember rightly.

'Cheaper to run than a Countach' isn't really much of a benchmark for the cost of ownership, is it?

As a second car - which was basically a first car, as the Lancia always had something up with it - he had a one of these

[img] [/img]

A Dimma Uno Turbo. I have never been in a car that felt so dangerous. Made out of fag packets with a ridiculous amount of power. It was bloody great fun!!! 😀

Legendary car which nearly no one has heard of

Unless they ever owned a Playstation and a copy of Gran Turismo.

Porsche refused to licence their cars to the game makers but Ruf didn't.

Unless they ever owned a Playstation and a copy of Gran Turismo.

I have never had those things so I had no idea! Glad the legend lives on.

Now Binners, you should know you can’t “raise” on a Countach. Simply not possible.

Exactly: there may be objectively better cars out there, but the Countach is [b]the[/b] 80s supercar.

Your mate was either unlucky or bought a dog. No more expensive to run than other similar cars of the time (admittedly parts aren't cheap and they're a bastard to work on) but certainly cheaper to run than every other car mentioned in this thread. Plus, if teamslug had have bought a good Evo ten or so years ago it'd have doubled in value by now.

He he he, yeah nice one.

I like the part when you said they were the same as other cars, apart from the fact they were unreliable, had expensive parts and really hard to work on.

My mate had one, it was a lovely thing, but it was thirsty, broken more often that it worked and there was only one place, near FOD as I recall that would work on it.

It was always in the bloody garage! The servicing costs were astronomical. £250 for a set of spark plugs, if I remember rightly.

Plugs for the Grale are the same price as they are for my Skoda and one of the few jobs that is easy to do - try changing a turbo on one 😯

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying they're Honda Jazz costs to run, but they're certainly not expensive for what they are plus they're appreciating in value all the time.

100% agree with you on the Uno turbo, hands down one of the scariest cars I've ever been!

you should know you can’t “raise” on a Countach. Simply not possible.

[img] [/img]

Porsche refused to licence their cars to the game makers but Ruf didn't.

Not anymore, Porsche is in GT sport.

PC and console gaming fans should rush out and get Assetto Corsa for 1980s supercar jollies.

Binners.

I had a white Integrale Evo 1, which a mate and I went halves on. We imported it from a Japanese auction site and it cost us £16k, with all taxes, transportation costs and a full service, including 4 new tyres, when we got it into the country - about three years ago now. Neither of us could really afford it and we told our wives that we were only planning to keep it for a year. We sold it to Walkers at a profit and they've sold it at a much bigger one. I've not stopped crying ever since. But, over the year that we owned it, other than the initial service, we simply put petrol in it, no faults at all.

A Dimma Uno Turbo.

It was metallic purple and most of the others in the club used to refer to it as a throbbing bell end.

And i only know of one Integrale owner, he had 3 on the trot. Sold the first once he got a bill for more than he'd paid for it to do repairs (i suspect his driving "style" helped with the huge bill).

Then bought a second, which he then kept when buying the 3rd so he had a ready supply of spare parts.

He wasn't particularly smart, just wanted a fast car.

What about the Jag XJ220?
[img] [/img]

That was on my wall as kid.

^^1992^^

Ah, the Jag show car was unveiled in 1988, so it's technically an 80s supercar.

What were AM thinking of with this Zagato?

It looks like a Datsun Sunny.

[img] [/img]

Loved and still do love all the classics. I'm a Porsche man and the 993 has always been my ultimate - shape, engine, everything. I'm lucky enough to have had 3 - a targa, a wide body 4s and a Turbo.

I thought I’d would the Ferrari to be honest but I’ve just checked and am glad to see the Lambo beats it hands down on value. I’m a car guy but I don’t keep abreast of classic aupercar prices!!

Fair enough. We all have different areas of expertise. Taking photos of 3 vans in a row in a car park for instance. 8)

I had a Fiat Uno Turbo.....

Remember reading about a journalist ragging a 959 around a track and caused £20k of damage to engine slamming it into 3rd at sommat like 120mph!

I had a Fiat Uno Turbo.....

LIAR! You're clearly still alive! 😉

An old mate of mine had a Nova GTE (like this)
[img] http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/27141/CarpoolNovaGSI_03-L.jp g" target="_blank">http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/27141/CarpoolNovaGSI_03-L.jp g"/> &key=cd1073a5b139d0061e7e3f9975e1772a0962ba502bb930ae54ca0240c22bdaea[/img]

(we nicknamed it Nova STD because it stank) and he wrapped it around a tree near Much Wenlock, how we laughed when he said " I was driving carefully " anyway towed him out of the farmers field with my S2 landie and managed to just get it onto a flat bed where it sat for 5 months whilst he argued the toss with the insurance company..

Oh, those were the days. We were idiots.

My boss had one of these:
[img] [/img]

And he called in the office one day and asked if he could be picked up (a 30mile round trip) Someone had nicked the two offside wheels and put it on bricks, he got out of his house and started it and attempted to move off and it slipped of the brick stacks and onto the floor.. he wasn't really that happy a chap, this just made my life much worse..

mogrim - Member

Now Binners, you should know you can’t “raise” on a Countach. Simply not possible.

Exactly: there may be objectively better cars out there, but the Countach is the 80s supercar.

[img] ?width=960[/img]

[i]THE[/i] Supercar.

A Lancia Stratos but its more of a 70's supercar but a road going 6r4 Metro how good would it be to have an un rallied never been on its roof example what would that be worth ?

THE Supercar.

Jimjam talks sense.

Go home Countach, past your bed time.

An old mate of mine had a Nova GTE ....and he wrapped it around a tree

Another LIAR!

Nova's didn't have the structural integrity to 'wrap' around anything, they exploded into a million tiny pieces anytime they collided with something sturdier than a traffic cone...

PJM1974 - Member
Ah, the Jag show car was unveiled in 1988, so it's technically an 80s supercar.

Would that be the V12 4WD Car they showed with the same name? Not the V6 RWD one they tried to sell in the 90s? 😉

Anyway, as someone else posted - we've reached our Apex Predator in the 80s Super Car field, the F40 has arrived.

I had one of these. The ugliest car I've ever owned but one of the most fun.

It met with an unfortunate demise.

My neck still hurts 25 years later.

[img] [/img]

Does this count? If ever I have a classic car, it would be a Saab. I think this is quick enough to count...
(edit - doh!)
[img] [/img]

Failing that, one of these.
[img] [/img]

I've driven a Countach. Horrid horrid thing to manoeuvre at slow speed, and so loud in the cabin that you have to wear earplugs at all times.

Still an absolutely bonkers brilliant car. Modern day manufacturers must wish they could have half an iota of the Countach impact when they release their new designs.

I'm sorry, you've what now??

Ooooh SWB Quattro, lovely and super, super expensive now.

I saw one do 0-60 in about 2 seconds once, monster thing - it was actually a normal quattro that had been shortened.

I've found a vid of it.

OP enjoyed that thanks 🙂

Would that be the V12 4WD Car they showed with the same name? Not the V6 RWD one they tried to sell in the 90s?

Not the V6 RWD one they tried to sell in the 90s

I worked in the next unit along from the workshop that used to do the pre delivery work on them, they came off the production line in a terrible state and each one needed a couple of weeks of paint finish and re-assembly. AND they sounded like a bag of bolts at anything other than full chat. Horrid, has no place here.

Would that be the V12 4WD Car they showed with the same name? Not the V6 RWD one they tried to sell in the 90s?

Quite!

I remember furore over the legal battles over the deposits put down by potential customers who felt that they had been badly misled by Jaguar and the angry speculators who felt that the residuals would be mauled as a result of dropping the 4WD and V12.

Hang on, did someone say they'd driven a Countach?

😯

Wasn't there some anger about the XJR 15 being an all round better car? Just loosing the top speed and the price tag?

THE Supercar.

It might be the ultimate Ferrari, amazing handling and power etc etc. It might be an amazing car I would agree, but at being a [b]supercar[/b], vehicles which shock and amaze and are coveted by all, the Countach will remain king forever.

slimjim78 - Member
I've driven a Countach

It might be the ultimate Ferrari, amazing handling and power etc etc. It might be an amazing car I would agree, but at being a supercar, vehicles which shock and amaze and are coveted by all, the Countach will remain king forever.

It never was king, just a bonkers looking thing that wasn't particularly quick or nice to drive. F40 is better in every way including looks imo.

Wasn't there some anger about the XJR 15 being an all round better car? Just loosing the top speed and the price tag?

I seem to remember the XJR 15 was better looking, but scary for mere mortals to drive.

Nah, cutting through the 'nonsense' with my super sharp cynicism would say that in 1988, at the hight of the Yuppie boom a load of cocky city boys put down big deposits on them and 4 years later when they were ready the world had changed and they would have rather had their £50k Deposits back than the Car.

Anyway, even if you hadn't seen your fortune wiped out by Black Tuesday, Black Wednesday and the early 90s recession - imagine waiting 4 years for your Jag to turn up, and just when they're ready to make them... this turns up...

[img] [/img]

And makes everything else look slow, old fashioned and a bit boring.

Oh, BTW - I've only even seen a Countach through a window, but I've driven a Murcielago, and a Porsche Carrera GT, and a Ferrari 430, and a DB9*

*usually in a straight line, slowly, but still I have.

I've been a passenger in a Countach, and that was "an experience" loud, really low, smelt of petrol, loud, and hot. Did I mention that it was Loud? It was loud.

Hold this thread.

I give you the Cizeta Moroder V16T.

A supercar with a transverse, V16 engine styled by the bloke who would quickly go on to sketch the Lamborghini Diablo.

[img] [/img]

A supercar with a transverse, V16 engine styled by the bloke who would quickly go on to sketch the Lamborghini Diablo.

By taking a rubber to the 'Testarossa' style side-gills ha ha.

That was the Top Trump in my set as a kid.