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40 American Cars From The 1980s That People Forgot

Vukasin Herbez June 2, 2019

11. Ford Mustang McLaren M81

Ford constructed this interesting car with the help of the well-known McLaren racing team at their American operation office in Michigan. The whole idea behind the project was to take a 2.3-liter turbo engine from a regular Mustang and transform it into a street racing beast. And they did just that by adding a race-tuned suspension, lightweight body, and a host of other modifications.

But best of all, McLaren and Ford added a tuned turbo engine that delivered 190 HP. And that was a big number for the day, especially coming from 2.3-liters. With all that, they totally changed the looks of the Fox Mustang.

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10. Shelby Dakota

The Dakota was a compact pickup truck from Dodge they sold between 1987 and 1996. It was dependable and tough-looking and came with a wide arrange of engines and trim levels. But Dodge wanted more and in the late ’80s, so the company envisioned a performance version. They enlisted the legendary Carroll Shelby to help since he was working with Chrysler Corporation at the moment.

Shelby took a regular production Dakota and installed a 5.2-liter V8 engine with 175 HP. But even though the power output was relatively small, the Dakota was light and had lots of torque. And that meant this compact truck delivered a convincing performance. Better yet, Shelby dressed up the Dakota with a special paint job, trim, roll bar and wheels, which made this little truck stand out on the street.

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9. Chrysler Le Baron Town and Country Convertible

The venerable K-Car platform saved Chrysler from bankruptcy in the early ’80s so the company used it for most models in its lineup. They even built minivans and compact sedans on it since it was inexpensive and easy to produce. However, in 1986 Chrysler decided to introduce a luxury convertible they named the Le Baron.

Unfortunately, the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine wasn’t the best choice for this car. On top of that, the Chrysler stylist gave the Le Baron faux wood panels on the sides to mimic those classic ’50s and ’60s station wagons. Sadly, many buyers were turned off by the crazy and ludicrous mix of styles they featured on this car. As a result, Chrysler sold less than 2,000 of them.

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8. Ford Mustang SVO

The third-generation Ford Mustang appeared as a 1979 model. It brought necessary modernization to the Mustang. The so-called ‘Fox-body’ Mustang was sleeker, more modern and aerodynamic. It was also somewhat lighter and more nimble, which reflected in the performance.

However, the biggest news was the introduction of the turbo engine, a state-of-the-art device at the time. Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) department introduced a special Mustang SVO for 1984. It featured a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 175 HP, a lot of power for a small engine. This engine in a light car made the 1984 Mustang SVO highly popular. The package included four-wheel disc brakes, a stiffer suspension, and sharper steering, transforming the little Mustang into a capable sports car. For 1985, SVO upped the power to an impressive 205 HP, attracting the motoring public to the third-generation Mustang.

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7. 1983-84 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds

After taking a few years off, Oldsmobile introduced a new limited-edition Hurst/Olds model for the 1983 model year. The Cutlass was the only mid-size rear-wheel-drive platform that could serve as the basis for a muscle car after Oldsmobile’s smaller offerings switched to front-wheel drive.

Under the hood was a 307 V8 with 180 HP that delivered a relatively swift performance and 0 to 60 mph times of under eight seconds. The secret was the famous Oldsmobile Lightning Rod shifter. It was an automatic with three levers, one main and two separate sticks for manual shifting of the first and second gears. The 1983 Hurst/Olds proved to be a popular car and Oldsmobile sold 3001 examples. They didn’t change the car for the 1984 model year and production rose to 3,500 units. Today, both model years are highly-prized collector cars.

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6. Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe

Despite being in production for just two short years, the Aerocoupe is one of the most interesting 1980s muscle cars. Basically, it was a regular Monte Carlo SS with a few design tweaks. Chevy introduced the Aerocoupe in 1986 and even homologated it for NASCAR races. The GNX featured a panorama-style back window with a back spoiler.

The new rear glass provided a slight fastback profile, improving the aerodynamics on NASCAR superspeedway tracks. Mechanically speaking, the Aerocoupe had the same 180 HP 305 V8 engine as the regular SS. The production for the 1986 model year was just 200 examples. This was enough to homologate the car, but for 1987, Chevrolet produced an additional 5,852 cars.

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5. Dodge Shelby Charger

Dodge combined two of the greatest names in the American performance portfolio in the 1980s – Shelby and Charger. With front-wheel drive, a Dodge Omni platform, and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Shelby Charger wasn’t your typical muscle car. However, it provided strong performance as well as decent power and acceleration times.

Based on the Dodge Omni GHL, the Shelby Charger shared the drivetrain and 2.2-liter turbo engine which pumped 175 HP. For such a small, light car this was loads of power. The Shelby Charger could accelerate to 60 mph in just 7.5 seconds, making it one of the fastest accelerating American production cars for 1987. Despite the famous name and good performance, this edition of Chargers aren’t that collectible, but they deserve recognition and respect. After all, they are a part of the American performance portfolio from the ’80s as well as a budget-friendly way to obtain a genuine Shelby car.

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4. Lincoln Town Car

The early ’80s brought some much-needed downsizing to American sedans. Those enormous cars with monster engines were a thing of the past. Lincoln responded by presenting the popular Town Car they built on Ford’s venerable Panther platform. They powered it with a 5.0-liter V8.

The Town Car was a recognizable boxy shaped sedan with a big chrome grille and bumpers. A comfortable ride, it was a typically-styled luxury model and buyers loved its proportions, soft ride, and plush interior.

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3. 1980 Mercury Capri RS

The introduction of the third-generation Mustang had a big influence on Mercury. This is because the brand got its own version in the form of the Capri in 1979. But from 1970 to 1977, Mercury sold the Capri. It was a model they imported from Germany with four and six-cylinder engines.

However, in 1979, thanks to the Mustang, the Capri was new and featured a unique front-end design. Since it was a Mercury product, it was more upscale than Ford. But other than a few aesthetical changes, it was identical to the Mustang. As the performance version, Mercury introduced the RS model featuring a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine delivering just 135 HP. Performance was expectedly bad, but the car looked cool with a big air intake on the hood, RS badges, and a rear spoiler. Today, those RS models are quite rare although not that valuable or sought-after by car collectors.

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2. 1981 Chevrolet Citation X-11

The Chevrolet Citation X-11 is an interesting car. It is a compact, front-wheel-drive hatchback Chevrolet produced from 1980 to 1985. But it had a somewhat powerful V6 engine and muscle car looks. This car was a fine line between an American hot hatch and a compact muscle car since it featured aspects of both segments.

The Citation was a modern model that Chevrolet needed to fight the import models. And it came in a wide arrange of flavors. The X-11 featured a 2.8-liter V6 engine and 135 HP. Despite the fact it doesn’t sound like much today, it was solid power for the time. But the X-11 had a few more features, such as a sports-tuned suspension, sharper steering, and better brakes. From the outside, you can differentiate the X-11 by its special bulged hood and trim details. However, the magazine testers of the day spoke highly of the X-11. In fact, they said it was much more than just a stronger engine and appearance package.

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1. Plymouth TC3

The Plymouth TC3 and its twin brother, the Dodge Omni 024 are forgotten Mopars. And they came from the time when American performance was a pale shadow of its former self in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The idea behind this car was to offer a compact, modern-looking sports model with a small engine and cool features. Unfortunately, the engine displaced only 1.7-liters. And it had the diminutive power of just 63 HP. This meant the TC3 was a slow, forgettable model.

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