Page 2 of 11 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 157

Thread: Which 1980s cars can be regarded as classics?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    boostone mass
    Posts
    498
    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows
    AE86 it's more what the car created than the actual car.


    Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder, so is Classic Status.

    well said...i think that sums up what i meant to say...
    And Iraaaaaaaaaaaan

    Iran's so far awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...

    ROR

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by fpv_gtho
    not only was the XE ESP the last V8 ford for a decade, but it was also the last model to take the locally built 351 which is prefered by drag racers over the cleveland engine. my additions would have to be the HDT Calais Director and the HSV Walkinshaw

    I included every Brock Commodore and the HSV Walkinshaw (also know as the 1988 Commodore VL Group A TWR).

    I don't think there are any others from Australia for the 80s.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows
    evidently Motorsportnerd has thought about this way too long and hard to have come up with his list, because you can't just have a reason-based system for classics, it's often down to personal preference. I often consider old PanelVans to be crass, while the owner considers them to be utterly classic. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder, so is Classic Status.


    Just wanted to get people thinking.... Most of the cars on my list are too common, but they either have signifacant enthusiast following (clubs, popular culture, etc) or were groundbreaking in some way (Audi 100-aerodynamics). Age will eventually make them rare. "Classics" are personal preference. Thats why I decided that for "my" list the cars should fit one of the four catagories I mentioned. Perhaps that explains why some misguided people believe that Hillman Avengers, Ford Cortina Mk3s, Morris Marinas, Vauxhall Vivas and other ordinary 1970s cars are now "classics".

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    In no way is a camaro or corvette rare enough to be considered a classic. In addition, they are poor excuses for their older brothers from the 60s and even the 70s. In 10 or 15 more years when a good example is indeed rare, then maybe I would reconsider your comment. .
    I think many enthusiasts of those cars would disagree with you. But you're right - they are common. They don't fit the rarity or age catagories. The 83 Corvette did introduce a lot of plastic to the body - so it may be possible to argue that they are "significant" for that reason. But as I said, there are plenty of enthusiast clubs out there for these cars.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    I disagree with your comment of every exotic. There are plenty of ferrari 308's and 328's that don't impress me much. I wouldn't kick one out of bed, but it doesn't thrill me the way some other cars do for a quarter of the price..
    They're relatively rare. Not necessarily good. The Ferrari Mondial doesn't impress me, for example. But since all exotics are relative rare they meet the criteria I set down.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    I also disagree with some of the choices you made. You said cars from the 80's....I'm thinking early, MAYBE mid-eighties, but you're bringing up the skyline. Perhaps in 20 years, yes, but right now that car is still modern. Miatas-same thing...
    The 80s ran from 1980 to 1989. Both cars were introduced in 1989. They are marginal, but both are significant and definitely future classics. I belive I said "which cars from the 80s can be considered classics, either now or in the future.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    In addition, don't throw crap on all American automobiles. I agree they made some crap, but so did Japan. I would offer up the AMC Spirit AMX, the Buick Grand National, the Chrysler GLHS and Daytona GLHS. I fail to see how an underpowered yet big engined rustbox would appeal to any bean counter (mind defining what a bean-counter is?)....
    I knew I'd upset people with that comment about American cars. Bean-counter equals accountants. And if the underpower yet big engined rustbox sold well, the accountants would have been happy. Not all American cars from that era were bad. I agree with you re the Buick Grand National and Daytona GLHS. I'm sure there are Cadillac fans out there that would nominate some Cadillacs as well.

    All comes down to personal preference. As pointed out many times "classic" is a wide term. Thats why I defined my idea of a classic with catagories into which they could fit.
    Last edited by motorsportnerd; 04-03-2004 at 04:03 AM.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    For Tax Purposes, Cayman Islands
    Posts
    14,579
    Every Car manufacturer has duds and gods, Sandwich. The 80's was a decade of extremes in this sense, with, as you said, the Buick Grand National GNX, coming from a rather boring, staid line-up. it actually happens that every continent had duds during the decade, the Citroen BX and Toyota Cressida come to mind as majors, but all in all it was a decade of advancement.

    you seem to be showing a blind patriotism to your preferred country during this discussion and it may be time to rethink your view. Granted, there were some american stunners, but there was also some American Shockers, stuff like the Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Mark 9 come to mind. you need to learn that these things are not meant personally, or in a racist light, but are meant to be frank and honest, i for one agree with Motorsportnerd on most of his choices, and his thoughts that time will make the boring of yesteryear become classics.
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows
    it actually happens that every continent had duds during the decade, the Citroen BX and Toyota Cressida come to mind as majors, but all in all it was a decade of advancement..
    Uh... which model Cressida do you mean? I can think of four models - can't remember all the dates of production. However, from memory - the 1st generation was from about 77-81. The 2nd generation was from 81-84. The 3rd generation was from 84-88. The 4th generation was from 88-92. The first two generations were pretty ordinary cars. The third gen was reasonable. However the fourth gen car was an excellent car. Shared Toyota's straight 6, 3.0 litre 24 valve engine producing 140 kW with the Supra. That engine was probably one of the better engines from the 80s. Wheels magazine did numerous comparisons involving this car and rated it very highly against both European and Japanese opposition. In fact, it won all comparisons Wheels put it in. In 1989, the car sold for A$37,500, which was good value even at the time for a car that was of a similar concept and size to the BMW 535i. I'm not suggesting that its a classic, but I'm sure you don't mean the 4th gen car with your statement about the Cressida been a dud.

    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows
    i for one agree with Motorsportnerd on most of his choices, and his thoughts that time will make the boring of yesteryear become classics.

    Thanks for the support..

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    boostone mass
    Posts
    498

    what the hell

    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows

    you seem to be showing a blind patriotism to your preferred country during this discussion and it may be time to rethink your view. Granted, there were some american stunners, but there was also some American Shockers, stuff like the Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Mark 9 come to mind. you need to learn that these things are not meant personally, or in a racist light, but are meant to be frank and honest, i for one agree with Motorsportnerd on most of his choices, and his thoughts that time will make the boring of yesteryear become classics.

    whoa...you're putting this on me? I'm not the one who said all american cars from the 80's were crap; I said that they had some good ones if you dig deep enough, just like any other country.

    don't spin this around on me, i was DEFENDING american cars against a general statement from somebody who was lumping an entire country into the "junk" bin.

    Quote Originally Posted by motorsportnerd
    However, I consider most US cars of the 1970s and 80s to be ugly, overweight, low tech machines designed to appeal more to bean counters than enthusiasts. The exceptions I've listed above. Sorry if that offends any fans of 80s US cars.
    Believe me, my favoritism does NOT lie with America, I would much (MUCH) rather drive an italian car (eg Lancia) than an American automobile, I just wanted to say that not all US cars were junk...is that wrong?
    And Iraaaaaaaaaaaan

    Iran's so far awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...

    ROR

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    whoa...you're putting this on me? I'm not the one who said all american cars from the 80's were crap; I said that they had some good ones if you dig deep enough, just like any other country.

    don't spin this around on me, i was DEFENDING american cars against a general statement from somebody who was lumping an entire country into the "junk" bin.



    Believe me, my favoritism does NOT lie with America, I would much (MUCH) rather drive an italian car (eg Lancia) than an American automobile, I just wanted to say that not all US cars were junk...is that wrong?

    No, its not wrong for you say that. However, read my earlier reply to you. I DIDN'T say ALL American cars were crap. I actually like the 80s American muscle cars and consider the Taurus SHO to be one of the better cars of the period. I was thinking of the (generallising here) overweight, overstyled Lincolns, Cadillacs, Fords, Chryslers, etc of the time.
    The Americans led the auto industry up until about 1970. Events of the 1970s such as the two oil crisis of the 73 and 77, the emergence of a strong Japanese auto industry, the lowering of tarriff barriers around the world and a lack of enertia by Ford, Chrysler and GM to radically change the designs of their cars to meet these challenges resulted in the US losing its industry leading tag. Chrysler nearly went bankrupt in the late 1970s. Ford and GM lost a lot of money. Solutions such as switching from rear drive to front drive but not improving interior space or fuel efficency didn't help. The British industy collapsed under the weight of the challenges in the 1970s that I just mentioned. The very fact the US manufacturers survived is to their credit. But the fact that times were tough meant that they produced conservative designs throughout the period. There wasn't the money to produce the radical designs, so half hearted measures like switching to front drive were made. However, by the middle of the 1980s, more fuel efficient, modern designs from Japan in particular started to outsell the local American cars. The Ford Taurus is evidence the US manufacturers were able to get their act together to meet this challenge. And by the 1990s the Americans were again leading the industry in many areas. They had reinvented the muscle car (Dodge Viper) and produced many excellent, efficient designs which could be compared favourably to the best of Europe or Japan (ie: Dodge Stratus, Chevrolet Lumina, etc).
    I've read a few issues of Road & Track and C&D from the 80s. One gets the feeling that the US auto mags were dispairing a little for the future of their industry during the 80s. They seemed to favour the imports over the locals, thats for sure. In recent years, they seem much more favourably disposed towards US cars.
    The Euro mags have even started to grudgingly admit that the US is producing good designs again. The Corvette C5 got some praise. Mainstream Chryslers, Fords and GM vehicles were given much better reviews.

    The US auto industry has clearly refound its feet. The Cadallic STS/CTS and Chrysler 300C are fantastic cars that deserve every success.
    I'm sorry if it offends you that I believe that the 1970s and 80s were not great decades for US auto design. That's just my opinion. Hopefully the above explanation clarifies my position about.
    Anyway, the US wasn't alone. The 80s were not the best decade for Australian auto manufacturers...especially for Australian muscle cars. Holden nearly went bankrupt. Ford produced vehicles the public were happy to buy. But Ford's best selling car, the Falcon used 1960s underpinnings and their best designs, the Laser and Telstar, were badge engineered Mazda's. The local Mitsubishi Magna was a notable attempt to turn a medium size Japanese Sigma into a decent competitor to the big Aussie cars, but it suffered badly from quality woes. The best engineered "Aussie" car from the time - the Nissan Skyline suffered from terribly conservative body design.
    And the British didn't produce any notable designs during the 80s. Only forgettable vehicles like the Austin Montego, Austin Metro and Rover 800 (which was really a Honda Legend anyway). The Jaguar XJ40 was let down badly by quality woes. The Rover SDI Vitesse was a great car, but it was designed in the 70s... The Vitesse was probably the last really good British car in my opinion.
    The Europeans and the Japanese produced the best, most significant designs of the 1980s, but even they had their dross. Some Japanese cars were dreadful. And anyone remember the Lanica Y10??
    Last edited by motorsportnerd; 04-03-2004 at 07:59 PM.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    For Tax Purposes, Cayman Islands
    Posts
    14,579
    Sandwich, i am not trying to pin this on anyone, calm down. I'm just saying from what i saw that you seemed to have a bit of blind patriotism going on. obviously i was wrong, heaven forbid me to offend anyone.....

    Let's face it. this thread was always going to inflame people and there preferences. I myself am quite partial to saying that the Audi 80 (I do like my audis) is a classic of design. but i know most other people think it looks horrifically boring.

    i was also talking about the 1988 or so Cressida, Motorsportnerd. A friend of mine has one and it rolls like no ones business, is falling apart and never seems to run smoothly, in my eyes it is a dud.

    The car industry thrives on Adversity, just look at the turmoil Japan went through in the early 90's to come out smelling like roses now, with Nissan (I think) almost having the same return per car as Porsche, which does about 10.2%. So did the american market, it responded to the Fuel Crisis by making smaller cars, then the industry downturn by restructuring into the business it is today. Every car has a place, simple.
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    boostone mass
    Posts
    498
    I agree...the point i was trying to make wasn't that the US was faultless in the 80s....that's not true at all, not even close; but rather that some good cars did make it out, and they are not to be overlooked. My comments werent to offend or religiously support the us, they were just to say that not all was lost (most was, however).

    If the US didn't suck so bad in the 70s and 80s, japanese cars would not nearly have the market they do today. Everything you said was true, but broad statements like "the us is teh sux0rz" don't say much of anything, so I wanted to make sure you knew what you were talking about.
    And Iraaaaaaaaaaaan

    Iran's so far awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...

    ROR

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    For Tax Purposes, Cayman Islands
    Posts
    14,579
    I can assure you that i do not have the foggiest idea what the hell i am talking about

    glad to see we are on the same page, sandwich, i knew you weren't a US fanboy, but you had the makings of one, judging by that post alone. Thank god everything worked out ok!
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by sandwich
    Everything you said was true, but broad statements like "the us is teh sux0rz" don't say much of anything, so I wanted to make sure you knew what you were talking about.
    Whats "suxOrz"?? I'm not sure if you were responding to IBrake4Rainbows or myself. I'll generalise, but I'll back it up if someone disagrees and then challenges me.

    Pity the thread was about the 80s. I'd have an easier time identifying great US cars if we were talking about the 50s, 60s, 90s or even the 00s...

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows
    i was also talking about the 1988 or so Cressida, Motorsportnerd. A friend of mine has one and it rolls like no ones business, is falling apart and never seems to run smoothly, in my eyes it is a dud.

    Could be a 3rd gen rather than 4th gen. What engine does it have? The 2.8 litre or the 3.0litre? Either way, its an old car now. Maybe he's unlucky. Could be his car is a dud rather than the range in general. People who have problems with their cars never say they're great cars.. I've never known anyone who owns a Toyota to have problems with them.
    Wheels has got plenty of things wrong over the years, but they usually admit it (ie: Leyland P76, Holden Camira). Never read Wheels admitting that they were praising a dud in regard to the 4th gen Cressida... Thats experts for you. Never know who to trust...

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    For Tax Purposes, Cayman Islands
    Posts
    14,579
    Methinks it might be a dud because it's a 4th gen and it's really screwed up.

    Might be because of it's hard life.....
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Posts
    1
    Metro 6R4.

    Lancia Stratos.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. German cars VS American cars
    By Swissbeatz in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 284
    Last Post: 10-03-2009, 08:43 AM
  2. Sultan of Brunei!!
    By lfb666 in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 131
    Last Post: 12-11-2006, 05:58 AM
  3. would german or american cars ever replace italian cars?
    By silverhawk in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 93
    Last Post: 10-06-2005, 09:06 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •