American Cars of the 80's | FerrariChat

American Cars of the 80's

Discussion in 'American Muscle' started by jvmax, May 4, 2017.

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  1. jvmax

    jvmax Formula Junior
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    #1 jvmax, May 4, 2017
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    Graduating high school in 88, the hot Domestic cars were Buick Grand National/GNX, Monte Carlo SS, OLds Cutlass 442 and Hurst Olds. Pontiac Firebird, Trans AM, Chevy Camaro, IROC Z28. Any others I am missing? The import scene wasnt here yet, so it was just domestic's living in NE Ohio. I am currently lusting after a 1983-4 Hurst Olds, very similar to my 1982 Buick Regal I had in High School.
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  2. buddyg

    buddyg F1 Veteran
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    Loved my IROC-Z bought it new!
     
  3. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 Wade, May 5, 2017
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  4. jvmax

    jvmax Formula Junior
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    yes, I loved the Fiero GT's too
     
  5. Eric R

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    I am a GM guy but the Mustang GT and LX with 5.0L were bringing it at that time. Dodge had their weak attempt with the Daytona and the Shelby whatever it was. I loved the Pontiac Trans Am GTA. And don't forget the Grad Prix.
     
  6. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    #6 jm2, May 5, 2017
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    you mean this GP?
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  7. It's Ross

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    The fox body Mustang was the best performance those years. The Trans Am GTA was quite the looker then but the styling hasn't aged well.
    Those little turbocharged Shelby k-cars were fast too but wrong wheel drive. Same motor in the original minivans too.
    http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/dodges-turbocharged-caravan-the-worlds-coolest-minivan.html/?a=viewall
     
  8. It's Ross

    It's Ross Formula 3

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    They were the darlings of all the car rags back then.
    Wish I had a nickel for every turd the writers waxed poetic about.
    Bought a new Fiero for the wife back then. It was a backwards Chevy Cavalier with Chevette up front and a cheesy interior.
    It's only redeeming quality was that it was unstoppable in snow.
     
  9. Wade

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    #10 Wade, May 5, 2017
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    Then it's no wonder that we're driving the 348 now. :)

    Loved my '87 GT! Such a fun daily driver for north Florida. Bought it used in 1989 with only 12,000 miles on it. Sold it sometime in 2005. Here are the last two photos as it heads off to Texas.
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  10. Eric R

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    And to think we were all dreaming about the wonders of a 383ci stroker. My how things have changed. I do think the 80's had iconic style if only it had the performance we have today. Since retro is kind of in still I would love another IROC. I had a 5.7L back in the day. That TPI setup was one sexy looking thing but dead after 4.5k rpm.
     
  11. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    I don't remember the year, but I once flew into DFW and went to Thrifty to get a rental car (I was on my own nickle.) The counter guy said, "Hey, wanna try one of our new Shelbys?" Huh? It was a Shelby Omni. What a hoot. Catching rubber shifting into third. It brought back memories of over powered American cars with evil handling. It didn't last long at Thrifty, but it was fun for a while.
     
  12. henryr

    henryr Two Time F1 World Champ
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    SVO mustang
     
  13. Tenney

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    #14 Tenney, May 6, 2017
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  14. RHS

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    Hi,

    I still remember when the Pontiac 6000 STE came out and the period mags wrote effusively about its "European Handling". I also have fond memories of testing a Dodge Omni GLH at a dealer and feeling like I was shifting gears in an ice bucket. Things have sure come a long way.

    Regards,

    Ramin
     
  15. jvmax

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    I also liked the 1990 thru 1995 Toyota Mr2, thus I have a 348 now. GM sold a ton of G body's in the 70's and 80's. Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Regal, Grand Prix.
     
  16. lashss

    lashss F1 Rookie

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    I love the Fox bodies and had one myself.

    The Camaro/Firebird of the 80s was on a different planet with regards to handling and braking. The Mustang was fast but also scary stopping or turning. The GM cars were much better all around.

    They even gave the imports a run in the handling department when optioned *and* driven correctly.

    LSJ
     
  17. Wade

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    Visually, one could say that the handling advantage for the Camaro/Firebird over the Mustang is the longer wheelbase of the former. But it's only .5" longer.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Camaro_(third_generation)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(third_generation)
     
  18. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

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    Biggest problem with the Fox body was the weight distribution. I have had them and liked them but to get the packaging Ford wanted the motor was way to far forward. It also sat high because the steering rack ran right under the oil pan.
     
  19. Ak Jim

    Ak Jim F1 Veteran
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    Exactly. There were books out on how to take the the K frame out of the car and cut it and re-weld it to fix some of these issues. I had a 92 with a trunk. Good car but it just needed so much to make it great. When the first gen CTSV came out I sold it and got one of those.
     
  20. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
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    Worth a bit of money now, if you can find one that hasent been into a tree, or the front window of some bodies house! ( guilty)
     
  21. solofast

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    True, the only decent handling Fox Mustangs were the V6 cars... The GM B bodies had the same problem as the Mustang, front wheels too far back, and that is one reason they will never be thought of as great cars.. Made for a nice ride but way to much weight up front.

    Overall, the 80's weren't a particularly good time for cars..

    The C4 Corvettes (and in particular the ZR-1's) were decent cars. The Camaros were better than the Mustangs if only because they were lower and handled better. None of them were very good from a quality and durability standpoint, the 80's cars were the low point of Detroit and there was a lot of improvement needed.

    What happened in the 80's was really the progression of tire technology. GM was serious about changing the paradigm in handling and pushed the tire manufacturers to develop a tire for the then new C4 Corvette. Funny story about that, GM sent all their specs out to the tire makers, and only Goodyear responded with a credible approach, the then outlandish approach of going to a new size wheel (16") to get the performance GM was looking for. All the rest of tire companies didn't think GM was that serious and didn't propose anything close to meeting the numbers GM was looking for, and the Gatorback was born. "Breaking the mold" and going to bigger wheels was ground breaking at the time and it totally changed the paradigm for tire performance.

    You had to have been there at the time, but driving an 84 Vette with the Z51 suspension and the faster steering box was like driving a go-kart compared to the rubbery handling that virtually every other car, even very sporting cars like the RX-7.. I was very actively autocrossing stock RX-7's then and was handed the keys to the then just announced Vette and it was like night and day compared to other cars primarily because of the advancement in tires.
     
  22. lashss

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    I like the Fox but there was a long list of problems. The rear suspension was the worst of them but the front wasn't much better. Both easily fixable with some minor aftermarket tweaks.

    The F Body had better lateral rear axle control stock which made for a big difference over the Mustang.

    C4 Vettes are underrated. Yes, they could be creaky but they can also fly like an eagle when needed.

    Their wheel/tire package was definitely innovative. They also had a bunch of nice updates such as the use of Aluminum and Magnesium.

    The optional sport seats had to be some of the best ever in a regular production car?

    It would be fun to drive an '82 Corvette and then an '84 Z51 to see the difference.

    LSJ
     
  23. henryr

    henryr Two Time F1 World Champ
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    i have a c4 zr1.....

    nothing intriguing to report back but "in the day" it must have been an all out monster.
     
  24. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    I loved the look of the H/O and 442, but they were anemic compared to the Monte Carlo SS and the Regal GN!!
     

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