Which car best sums up the 1980s?

[soad]

RobinBanks said:

soad said:

RobinBanks said:

Didn't the Jaguar XJ220 actually come out in about 1992 though?

Yes, I got ahead of myself there.
In 1988 Jaguar showed the shape of things to come - concept car was unveiled to the public.

With a V12 and four wheel drive?

Aye. 6.2-litre 500bhp V12 with 4wd.

[RobinBanks]

soad said:

RobinBanks said:

soad said:

RobinBanks said:

Didn't the Jaguar XJ220 actually come out in about 1992 though?

Yes, I got ahead of myself there.
In 1988 Jaguar showed the shape of things to come - concept car was unveiled to the public.

With a V12 and four wheel drive?

Aye. 6.2-litre 500bhp V12 with 4wd.

I've always loved the 220. Beautiful car.
But I think of them as a '90s car. A generation on from the F40 and 959 etc.

[haddock82]

V88Dicky said:

I actually had one of these!

I've still got one!! ;-)



But 80's for me was mainly being ferried around in one of these by my dad:

[CO2000]

s m said:

CO2000 said:

Dave G fsi said:

XR3i

Who's in the boot!?

......and some RGA rear window louvres with a Trailblazer!

Nice My mate had a cats tail sticking out of his Mk1 XR2 for a while in the late 80's

[161BMW]

Porsche 930 Turbo LE in Guards Red
Lamborghini Countach LP500
BMW E30 325i Sport
Ferrari Testorossa
KITT

[Pit Pony]

RobinBanks said:

soad said:

RobinBanks said:

Didn't the Jaguar XJ220 actually come out in about 1992 though?

Yes, I got ahead of myself there.
In 1988 Jaguar showed the shape of things to come - concept car was unveiled to the public.

With a V12 and four wheel drive?

The way I understand it from Jim Randle's son in law, the XJ220 was a school boy's dream, put into reality, once he managed to get to be Chief Engineer at Jaguar.

That pretty much sums up the 80's. People making massive business decisions based on gut feel.

Unfortunately it also sums up our politicians, who fked the country, based on their own beliefs and prejudices.

[white_goodman]

Huff said:

(Never did like Wham!, so I'm going for iconic cars of the 80s...)

Spandau Ballet man then?

[Mr GrimNasty]

white_goodman said:

Spandau Ballet man then?

Get back to your Howard Jones and Soft Cell tapes.

[blearyeyedboy]

In 1982, John Gardner was asked to write updated 1980's James Bond novels. While a far cry from Bentleys and Astons of yore, the end result was very 80's:

http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/literature...



Not classical James Bond, but I think that's a very nice 80's set of wheels.

Of course, in 1988 I was lusting after another set of James Bond wheels (though they date from 80-81):

[Coatesy351]

soad said:

Testarossa with the 4.9-litre 390bhp flat-12.

512TR In above pic so 1992.....

Edited by Coatesy351 on Thursday 23 October 03:02

[cologne2792]

oldnbold said:

cologne2792 said:

oldnbold said:

Here's two of mine from the early 80's. Suprised one hasn't popped up already.

Capri 1.6GL with expensive wheels that my Dad disaproved of


Capri 3.0S great car and very "interesting exiting roundabouts in the wet.

No sorry.

I'm a Capri nut - currently on my sixth - 84 2.8i

The Capri is of the sixties and seventies - the very nice mk2 in your picture is a mid 70's and the gorgeous 3.0S, still my all time favourite Capri, was born in 78 and onward.
That they carried on into the eighties was down to the 2.8i reinventing the brand but the 2.8i just isn't Capri enough when compared to the 3.0S.

I guess that your right in that the 1.6 Mk2 was actually a late 70's model but the 3.0S was a late 80 or early 81 car from memory, it was certainly only a few months old when I purchased it.

Anyway what ever the year of manafacture they represent my memory of 80's cars because along with a 2.0S they were the cars that I owned and drove in the early 80's.

Yep - I get it exactly. I always associate the MK3 3.0S with March 1978 when it first appeared. I had my first 3.0S in the late eighties and my second in 1990. Still my favourite car of all time and much more endearing and soulful than the 2.8i. My daily driver from 86 was a MK2 2.0 Ghia. All very much missed !

[ThreesixtyM]

Opal Monza GSE in white, it came with a digital dash and recaro seats. I wish I could find one now.
-sorry, I don't know how to post photos!

[white_goodman]

So let me get this right. This seems to be the general consensus. Like the Capri before it in the 1970s, this seems to be the car for the everyman/woman:



Did the XR3i outsell the XR2? We remember the 205 GTi/Golf GTi/5 GT Turbo more fondly now from that time for being better driver's cars but back in the day, these were much more popular yet you rarely see one now. I actually wouldn't mind one for the nostalgia in Mercury Grey please!

For the yuppy/city trader, a Guards Red Porsche:

944 Turbo?



or 911?



and for the seriously monied individual:

this?



or this?



I wonder which car will best sum up this decade?

This?



Diesel obviously. How depressing. Give me an XR3i and a pair of Aviators any day!

Edited by white_goodman on Thursday 23 October 17:27

[Blown2CV]

[RobinBanks]

Vauxhall Belmont? Excellent choice sir.

Those early Rover 800s were good looking cars.
I wonder when the Vauxhall Senators all disappeared? They were pretty good.

[central]

Another vote for -

[Zad]

It has to be a 3 door Cosworth in white. Always white in the 1980s. Loud, brash, inyerface, bold, confident and with traces of white powder that the owner seems incredibly eager to remove. Here is one in it's natural suburban habitat, complete with removed registration plate, about to have its identity changed and shipped off to the Middle East.



Of course we didn't actually see that many of them, XR3is were much more common, in several senses of the word.

[sjabrown]

LotusOmega375D said:

deltashad said:

LotusOmega375D said:

Not the best shot of an S4

Take yer pick then...

I'm a bit damp now.

[white_goodman]

Mr GrimNasty said:

Get back to your Howard Jones and Soft Cell tapes.

More of a Dire Straits man actually!

[soad]

Coatesy351 said:

512TR In above pic so 1992.....

Cheers for the correction, chap.