[Closed] 1980s supercars

Beauty is always in the eye of Beer-holder of course, but to my eye.

Just look at that, a thing of beauty from any angle

It's looks massive, far bigger than it actually is, even though it's actually pretty big.

The overhangs are massive, the wheels don't fill the arches either in hight or width. The panel gaps are big enough to wonder "how big are those panel gaps?!" from that photo never mind in the flesh.

The design lacks any real detail, supposedly to keep it smooth and aerodynamic, but to cut costs they left the wipers well above the bonnet line and fitted £2 black ugly plastic door locks from a 90s Ford Escort

and most importantly instantly recognisable as a Jag.

Apart from the oval grill, I don't think it looks much like a Jag at all, in fact a lot of its shapes are very Ford Probe.

It's no wonder that Sergio "designer of the F40" Pininfarina's favourite car was a Jaguar.

But not that one.

sbob - Member

6 homologation 959's

They made almost 300?

300 production cars. 337 mechanically identical road cars for sale. They also made a variety of homologation specials and prototypes for group b rally and experimental class circuit racing.

Not a production car.
[img] [/img]

...not a production car
[img] [/img]

..not a production car
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also not a production car
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Exhibit C everytime*!

the original 70s Countachs always looked a bit unfinished and like somone had plopped a big body on a small chassis.

The later and last versions had too many skirts and wings and bumpers and were into the realm of 90s plastic tat.

Round bellied, but with proper sized wheels and flared arches it's where it's at 🙂

XJ220 was awesome in a lot of of ways and I had a massive little-boy-car-crush on it at the time, F40 was always impressive but a bit dull to me, yes it was good, yes it was fast, and whatnot but it's *just* another Ferrari...Countach on the other hand? Bonkers and at the time Lambo hadn't made that many well known cars and it was just outrageously 'Supercar!!!!!!!' to look at.

Porsches always ace, and if I had to actually own one and use it that's the way I'd go, but although they are supercars, they just don't look bonkers enough. Refined and improved, polished to excellence yes, but bonkers? not really, even with a whale-tail bolted on the back doesn't look [i]bonkers[/i], it just looks like you've stuck a massive wing on a 911, oh, because that's exactly what it is...

*Well, unless a Pantera is an option, but then they both have similar overall shape and stance.

Was it Coogan, Elton or Mr Bean that interfaced one with a tree?

Atkinson wrapped his McLaren F1 round a couple of trees. Aviva insured it, they tried to write it off but he wouldn't let them. It cost £600k to repair IIRC, it was (and might still be) the most expensive own damage insurance claim in the UK ever.

Good effort sucking the fun out of the thread folks!

Is this silly and 80s enough?

[img] [/img]

Is this silly and 80s enough?

Nice from that angle. This is a bit classier though...
[img] [/img]

Exhibit A...

obvs, look at it...It looks like a blinking spaceship!!

Exhibit C for me .... but with farah fawcett climbing out of it ... wearing a shinny jump suit with its front zip at half mast.

Exhibit C for me .... but with farah fawcett climbing out of it ... wearing a shinny jump suit with its front zip at half mast.

Adrienne Barbeau. Not Farah.

[img] [/img]

P-Jay - Member

It's looks massive, far bigger than it actually is, even though it's actually pretty big.

The overhangs are massive

It is a big car but then the size and shape gives it stability at high speeds.
Remember that it is a true 200mph+ supercar, not some ropey 199mph pretender.

the wheels don't fill the arches either in height or width

We must be looking at different cars.

The panel gaps are big enough to wonder "how big are those panel gaps?!" from that photo never mind in the flesh.

They're massive, like this woman's carrier bag:
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But not that one.

Sshhhh!!! 😆

C is very nice, but could almost be a modern car. I honestly prefer the more vintage look of A.

with farah fawcett climbing out of it ... wearing a shinny jump suit with its front zip at half mast.

😆
Close enough?
[img] [/img]

Nah ... the cars a heap ... 🙂

Which bring us to ...

[img] [/img]

No not a supercar ... but still up there for an 8 year old, who didnt know better, in the early 80s

I do love how an 1980s supercar thread has a bunch of adults arguing like the big kids that we all are. Superb!

If I had to pick a Lamborghini, then it would be C. I'm not a fan of the wing, even though it was a prerequisite, but the understated black works well with gold wheels (I'm guessing that was a circa 1980 car?). I'm also pretty sure that the white Lambo with a spoiler is a QV (four valves per cylinder and fuel injection, circa 1985?). The final Lambo is of course a 25th Anniversary, with unique skirts and no spoiler. It also has the US specific rear lights in place of the trapezoidal lights that we all know and love. Also, the fit of the skirts and bumper isn't the greatest.

[edit] A is an LP400 with a slow cut out of the roof so that you could see something in the rear view mirror, referred to a "periscope" I believe. It's a clean looking car, but those tall 1970s tyres on 14" wheels don't quite work for me.

It also has the US specific rear lights in place of the trapezoidal lights that we all know and love.

Rear lights can make a car, like the iconic twin rounds of the *Corvette, the three vertical lights of the Mustang, or the Rover 200 lights found on the XJ220.

*gets 'em wet, so I am reliably informed.

As mentioned above a few times, for me it has to be

[img] [/img]

Ghah! How did Faguar make it onto a page about "supercars"? Driven and owned by Fogies in M&S check shirts and green corduroys and 44yr old second hand brogues. Complete with dribble stains adorning mohair cardigans.. Christ on a Bike, they've no place being anywhere in a thread about supercars. 🙄

Some of the choices here have been well considered, a few would probably make a hit list top ten on a kids bedroom wall.. but for the most part anything with the word Ferrari on it would win, certainly if it was red.

I'm a 70's US Muscle Car fanbouy, MOPARs FTW in my world (except the Porker I posted earlier) so I'm about to post a Dodge Charger form that era, it has been revamped and semi customised but to me back in the 70's in the US it was the car to own if you were just entering puberty.. or maybe looked like this..
[img] [/img]

[img] http://images.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0707_mopp_01_z+1970_dodge_charger+rear_view.jp g" target="_blank">http://images.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0707_mopp_01_z+1970_dodge_charger+rear_view.jp g"/> [/img]

The overhangs are massive

Is that what they're called these days?

Its cars like these that were responsible for my first car, I was torn between a choice of 2, and it came down to whether I most wanted Gull-wing doors, or a T-bar roof...

While I opted for a car with a t-bar roof it's fair to say that my Nissan 100nx didn't quite have the glamour of the Firebird... Again, the gull-wing doors weren't on a supercar, but on a Toyota Sera instead...

Ho-hum...

if you were just entering pubity

Old enough to go to the pub?

I am off to the Pub tonight yes, a well deserved Guinness.

bikebouy - Member

Ghah! How did Faguar make it onto a page about "supercars"?

Probably because they made the fastest car in the world, at a guess.

Originally penned in 75, but spanned into the 80s, I can’t think of anything more 80s...

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bikebouy - Member
Ghah! How did [b]Faguar[/b] make it onto a page about "supercars"?

You stay classy.

Besides, XJ220, XJR15 in the era, and earlier XK120/140/150, E and even the SS100. All supercars of their day. America has yet to make anything that comes close.

Guinness, the drink of hip young cats, obviously. 😆

Jaguar's sports cars have all been a bit bland-looking since the E-type, IMO. Love the XJ saloons though.

I can’t think of anything more 80s...

Looks very, very '70s to me, but I guess these things are subjective.

Ghah! How did Faguar make it onto a page about "supercars"?

Probably because Jaguar made [i]the[/i] original post war supercar, followed by the E-Type in the 60s - a supercar that one could (almost) afford.

The XJS may have been a bit paunchy-middle-aged-TV-detective by the 1980s, but the XJR-S was a pretty handy GT car capable of almost 160mph. Even though I am probably the biggest sceptic of the XJ220 on this thread, there's no denying that it was an actual, bona-fide supercar.

The people at Ferrari have a history of liking jags,
Enzo Ferrari said the e type was the most beautiful car ever made, and he made some crackers.

Thanks @chip.

Not forgetting the wonderful Pinninfarina Jaguar Kensington of 1990, which was hugely influential, just look at a Lexus GS300...

Great thread this. Am I the only one who never really got Porsches? I mean, they're very nice and all, but they just didn't do it for me.

No not a supercar ... but still up there for an 8 year old, who didnt know better, in the early 80s

See, I'd have preferred the third gen:

[img] [/img]

Ah a Corvette. Didn't they have a fibreglass-balsa wood composite floor?

And a live rear axle?

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Probably because Jaguar made the original post war supercar, followed by the E-Type in the 60s - a supercar that one could (almost) afford.

Jag made the 300SL ? 😉

PJM1974 - Member

I do love how an 1980s supercar thread has a bunch of adults arguing like the big kids that we all are. Superb!

Well he started it.

Cougar - Moderator

Great thread this. Am I the only one who never really got Porsches? I mean, they're very nice and all, but they just didn't do it for me.

Never was a fan, but as old age looms I find myself more and more attracted to the idea of them.

See, I'd have preferred the third gen:

If it could speak and had a "Turbo Boost" button then maybe ... 🙂

CaptainFlashheart - Member
You stay classy

Clearly hit a nerve there eh CFH.

Don’t tell me how to behave, thanks.

I don't doubt that that may have been influential when I was 10, aye.

😆

chip - Member
The people at Ferrari have a history of liking jags,
Enzo Ferrari said the e type was the most beautiful car ever made, and he made some crackers

Yerbutt, that was a myth. The sarcasm was lost in translation. 😆

Don’t tell me how to behave, thanks.

If it's casual homophobic comments like that, I will.

Genuine lol at P-Jay!

If we’re talking Porsche, then surely the 959 is very high in everyone’s wish list? Paris-Dakar pedigree, climate control, 4wd, ABS, TCS and 197mph (in Sport trim).

Asides from the horrendous maintenance costs associated with suspension hydraulics (they need frequent running apparently and don’t take well to being left as garage ornaments), it’s a super car that you could live with.

Also, I watched the Evo vid featuring the McLaren F1 XP5 prototype. At time of filming (2013), it had a staggering 98k on the odometer. Seriously. That’s twice as many miles as my diesel Alfa 159!

I'd argue that the MR2 is a kind of supercar, in-that it brought technology, fun and real mid engine driving skill/reward* to the masses.

[img] [/img]

Here's a MK1.b

*The reward[I] may [/I] be the casual thrill of exiting through a hedge backwards.

You know what? I agree re the MR2.

Sublime chassis, superbly built.

I'd argue that the MR2 is a kind of supercar, in that it brought technology, fun and real driving skill/reward to the masses

Valid points, but did anyone ever had one on their bedroom wall as a child? Surely that's a key criteria for inclusion in the super car category.

Ah, but quite a few people had posters featuring that god-awful 1930s reproduction monstrosity.

Genuine question: Ducktail Sierra Cosworth; supercar or uncouth upstart?

gofasterstripes - Member

I'd argue that the MR2 is a kind of supercar

PJM1974 - Member

You know what? I agree re the MR2.

No need to argue that it's a supercar, sports car is what it is.

Genuine question: Ducktail Sierra Cosworth; supercar or uncouth upstart?

I always liked the Sierra. I remember when it came out, it looked like it'd just landed from the future.

Would I have had a photo of it on my bedroom wall though? I somewhat doubt it.