Porsche 924

The 924 helped bring back an affordable Porsche model into the garages of many enthusiasts of the brand. Porsche was seeking a proper replacement for the entry level 914 and 912 models. The design was originally sold to Volkswagen but when they decided on not using it, Porsche bought back the design and used it to create the 924. The 924 proved to be a successful car for Porsche. The profits from this model helped the company to continually develop the 911. The 924 was produced from 1976 to 1988.

In the video below you can see some television advertisements for the Porsche 924.

Ferrari 288 GTO

The Ferrari 288 GTO was built from 1984 to 1985 as a homologation model built to compete in Group B rally racing. This model’s design features were first displayed as a design study called the 308 GTB that was shown at the 1977 Geneva Auto Salon. This car was powered by a 2.8L twin-turbocharged V8 that was able to put 400 horsepower and 366 lb-ft of torque down to the ground. Top speed was 189 mph. Due to Group B rally racing being abolished, the 288 GTO never saw competition  The 288 GTO would pave the way for a future Ferrari super car called the F40.

1989 Porsche 964

The Porsche 964 was a sort of milestone for the 911 that introduced power steering, anti-lock brakes, automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. The Carrera 4 (all-wheel-drive) and the Carrera 2 (rear-wheel-drive) would be the first models available in 1989. These cars were powered by a 3.6L flat six-cylinder engine that produces 247 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. These engines were mated to either the five-speed manual gearbox or the four-speed automatic. Many special variants including a Turbo and RS models would be built.

This 911 would be produced from 1989 to 1994 with a total of 62,172 cars being produced. This car would be replaced by the 993, which would be the last of the air-cooled Porsches.

Lamborghini Countach

The Lamborghini Countach was one of the first cars to be dubbed a “super car”. The Countach was built from 1974 to 1990. The Countach started out with sleek and sexy style of the LP400 but by the time the LP5000QV was released in 1985, the Countach looked like an aggressive rocket ship. This 455 horsepower monster had a top speed of 183 mph. The Countach was on posters and was on the cover of every car magazine.  Only 2,042 of these cars were built. The Diablo would replace the Countach.

DOME Zero

The DOME Zero never made it into production but it made a mark on the Japanese sports car world. The Zero was powered by the Nissan L28 inline six-cylinder engine. The engine was mounted behind the driver in a mid engine layout. This engine was mated to a 5-speed manual trans-axle. DOME ended up abandoning the process to make the Zero a legal road car to pursue motor sports but it will always be remembered for its futuristic angular lines. The Dome Zero was built from 1978 to 1986.

Mazda RX-7 FC

The Mazda RX-7 FC was a rotary engine powered affordable sports car built from 1986 to 1991 and was available with a normally aspirated or turbocharged 1.3L rotary engine (only turbocharged model was available in Japan. The cars design was inspired by the Porsche 924 and 944. The Mazda RX-7 offered similar performance of other more expensive sports cars. The FC RX-7 was heavier than the previous RX-7 model and was more of a sport touring car than a all out pure sports car. The FC was replaced by the Mazda RX-7 FD. The FC was fairy popular with the media as it won several awards from major articles.

The Video below shows a nice comparison between the Porsche 924 and the Mazda RX-7 FC.

BMW Z1

The BMW Z1 is a two-seater roadster that was built from 1989 to 1991.  A total of 8,000 Z1s were produced. The first example of the Z1 was officially presented at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show. This car featured some interesting ideas such as doors that retracted down into the body of the car, and the use of plasitic interchangeable body work. The engine used was sourced from the BMW 325i which was a 2.5L inline six cylinder mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This is an example of a quite rare and innovative sports car in the 1980s.

Below is a nice video all about the BMW Z1

Vector W8

The Vector W8 was produced from 1989 to 1993 with a total of 22 cars built. This car was produced in the United States by Vector Aeromotive and originally sold for $455,000. These cars are powered by a 6.0L twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 625 brake horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque. These cars were tested at Bonneville to have a top speed of 242 miles per hour. Production of the Vector W8 ended in 1993 when the company was subject to a hostile takeover. These was a pretty wild super car from the late 1980s that a lot of people don’t know about. Its rare to see an American super car like these.

Aston Martin V8 Zagato

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato is a limited production grand touring sports car that was first shown at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show. This car featured a powerful 430 horsepower V8 engine and beautiful styling courtesy of the Zagato coach builder from Italy. The coupes are extremely rare and even more so the convertible models. This car is a very rare Aston Martin and probably one of the coolest Astons from the 1980s era. This car has a top speed of 186 miles per hour.

Toyota Supra MK III

The Toyota Supra MK III was launched in 1986 and is a good example of what a Japanese grand touring car was like in the 1980s. The Supra was separated from the Celica name, and Toyota used the Supra to show case its technological advancements. This sports car would become Toyota’s flag ship model. The Supra would be powered by various inline six cylinder engines with the most powerful being the 2.5L twin-turbo. In North america the top level model was the 3.0L single turbo. The Supra Mark III would be later replaced by the legendary Mark IV but the former still has an enthusiast following. While the styling didn’t age well the Mark III still has some rare models like the Turbo R and Turbo A that were only sold in the Japanese market.