Let’s face it. There was a “Dark Age” in the automotive world, and it lasted about 20 years. While a few bright spots shone through, the Malaise Era was most filled with economical but boring-to-death cars, or worse yet, badge engineering one’s company to the brink of bankruptcy.
High gas prices, new regulations, and social factors all played a part in this, and it took their toll.
This thread is to showcase some of your “best worst” designs from about '78 to '91. Let’s see some weird stuff. Concept cars that never should have seen the light of day. Niche market cars that didn’t actually have a niche. What did the cocaine-addled brains of your design bureau come up with?
Post a picture and a little bit about the design of your car. Feel free to comment on other peoples’ creations. This is a non-competitive thread, there are no winners (and let’s face it, this is ALL for losers).
This little creation was a pure moment of “Yes, we CAN do it. But really, let’s not.” Keystone engineers came up with this cringeworthy concept of a 4-seater city convertible car. They wanted to showcase the fun side of the company, which apparently had been severely chemically induced.
Let’s ignore for a moment the horribly period-incorrect round mirrors and the ungodly 80’s sport stripe package and concentrate on the Longitudinally-mounted FWD 2.7 liter SOHC V6. Wholely inappropriate for a car this size, it did manage to propel it from 0-62 in 8.5 seconds. And even got 21 MPG.
The 1979 DMA Loadstar… it actually made it to production though for only a few years.
The 3.4L V6 made 132hp and only managed 15mpg.
According to all of the economists it checked every box a truck enthusiast would want, but poor sales numbers proved them all wrong.
In 1983, some OAM engineers decided to have a little fun with ACA’s cheap and cheeful badge engineered Merciel. Their idea, get the engine off a 1981 ACA Phoenix and shove it into the small ACA La Ville. The result was a 980kg car with a 3.2L Turbo V6 packing 190hp.
With the modifications made to the car by OAM, the ACA La Ville now went from 0-60 in under 6 seconds, while still retaining 22 US MPG. However, even with this, the car failed to sell. The gimmick of the 3.2L V6 was overshadowed by the large amount of torque steer and the hefty price tag of $15,600, leaving the LaVille STO in the footnotes of ACA history.
why is it that the only '80’s car i have off hand was actually a good one I guess I can try to pretty up the base model Barchette a bit, as that one was sellable rubbish at least
It’s the Carter administration. There’s gas shortages, recession, rampant inflation. That doesn’t stop the American automobile industry from making the most iconic, yet epicly awful decision to create the personal luxury-sport coupe. Olympus even had their own; the 4th generation Libra Coupe, shown in trademark Goddess Gold, the luxury sport trim.
The one thing you could say about this car, was that it was easy to forget you were driving it. It boasted a 0-60 time of 16.2 seconds, and got around 10 MPG. This car makes a statement, and that statement is: I am a young upwardly mobile professional, with a small penis. Hearkening back to its roots, the Libra still boasts the most amount of chrome of any car in this era. The car sat 4 adults very comfortably in it velvety plushness, each with their own ashtray and cigarette lighter. 77-81 models featured the very best in hi-fidelity 8track sound, and 82-85 models featured a tape deck.
The 80’s were by far an away the greatest decade of them all. Case in point:
1982 Hunaudières GTV 41
Who but a small number of french lunatics would come up with this 160mph, front-wheel drive V12 Super Coupe made up almost entirely out of Renault and Citroen parts? A heavily modified Renault 16 floorpan houses a bespoke 4.1L SOHC V12 fed by a barrage of Weber Carburettors giving ~290hp and mated to a Citroen SM 5-speed Transaxle. Naturally the vehicle is also fitted with the high-pressure hydraulic suspension, power brakes and self centering DIRAVI power steering from a Citroen CX. The end result is capable of 0-60 in under 6 seconds and will eventually reach 254kph flat out. It also got an amazing 8.5mpg. Naturally they made all of 12 until 1991, but not before bothering to update it not once but twice, one time they reduced the number of carburettors to three, losing 15hp in the process, and later regaining those hp by fitting it with KE-Jetronic fuel injection.
The people responsible for this are still building Front-Drive, V12 GTs to this day.
Oh god I love the 80’s. We got nice GTI, and what about the Group B!
Speaking of Group B, I’ll present you my stupid car from the 80’s:
In 1984, engineers from Deverre, a french car company (because I am, sorry for my english btw ), had to develop a compact car to compete in 1985 against Peugeot with the 205 T16 and Audi with the Quattro in the Group B.
So they developed a rallycar based on their popular model, the Deverre Fusion, they had already done the Fusion GTI, but they needed a new platform, with a more powerful engine.
Here comes the Deverre Turbo Rallye who develops 508HP and 427Nm Turbocharged 2.1L Inline 6, for 1070kg and 4x4 of course.
Produced only 200 cars, the series model developped only 250 hp, but who cares, it was just for the homologation in the competition.
I guess I can try to pretty up the base model Barchette a bit, as that one was sellable rubbish at least
), had to develop a compact car to compete in 1985 against Peugeot with the 205 T16 and Audi with the Quattro in the Group B.
