5. Porsche 959
The Porsche 959 is one of the fastest, most advanced and technologically complex supercars of the 1980’s. The 959 was a super Porsche in every way, not only by design but also by performance and price. Since Porsche has always been popular in America, it is easy to think every model is sure to be homologated for the U.S. market. However, the 959 was an exception to that rule.
The car was so advanced and expensive for Porsche to build, so the factory decided to not market it in the U.S. Also, the process of obtaining a permit from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was too complicated, even for Porsche. The 1980’s were funny times for Porsche. Despite the popularity of their models, Porsche was in a dilemma as to what path to choose. They had to decide whether to go with the rear engine classic 911 or with the more modern and better balanced 928, 924 or 944?
The odds were against the 911, but it kept selling and winning races, so Porsche decided to introduce one model. It would be a rolling compilation of every technology compatible with the 911. They would build it using their perfect blend of experience from racing and the latest technology, along with turbocharging. They put everything they had into one car, naming it the 959.
Porsche introduced the 959 in 1987. It had a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine with 450 HP that transferred to all four wheels over an intelligent AWD system. It was the first of its kind. They also equipped the car with traction control, ABS and a host of electronic systems to help drivers.
Although all this is standard in most new cars today, in the 80’s, it was space age technology. The performance of this technological tour de force was astonishing. A 0 to 60 mph sprint was possible in just 3.7 seconds.