Fastest cars of the eighties

The eighties were a decade of madness – also on the streets. Almost 40 years ago, some sports cars reached more than 300 km/h.

First of all: Many of the vehicles in this series of photos are absolute cult today. The prices are correspondingly brutal. If you still want to park a Lamborghini Countach LP5000S Quattrovalvole in your garage, you need deep pockets. The same applies to almost everything from Maranello, the Ferrari city. It becomes a bit more bearable with a look across the pond, because the V8 sports cars from the USA are also rare, but apparently less popular among classic car collectors and enthusiasts.

Well-preserved models of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am start at around 20,000 euros. You could get a Buick Grand National Regal for 50,000 euros if it doesn’t have to be one of the rare “GNX” models and a little less power is enough. The “Bond submarine”, the Lotus Esprit, is also found in this price range.

Little going on for less than 100,000 euros

1 Turbo is available for around 120,000 euros, and an iconic Testarossa also changes hands from around 100,000 euros.

After that it becomes painful. A Lamborghini Countach will not change garages for less than 400,000 euros, the extremely rare Aston Martin V8 Zagato is also in this price range.

Millionaires are free to choose: a Porsche 959 is available from 1.3 million euros, a Ferrari F40 in very good condition currently costs two million euros, sometimes even half that. It looks really bad when it is supposed to be a Ferrari 288 GTO. The offers for this vehicle start at 3.5 million euros.

1986 from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds

But which car is now the fastest in this series of photos? The Lamborghini Countach with its 455 hp is not. From 0 to 100 kilometers per hour, the racing flounder needs 4.9 seconds, at 295 km / h is the end. Neither is the Aston Martin V8 Zagato with its 438 hp. It takes around five seconds to reach 100 km/h – too slow.

So Ferrari? Not quite. The 288 GTO is definitely out. It “only” reaches 305 kilometers per hour and does 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.

The Scuderia shares first place with Porsche. The F40 super sports car shines with the highest top speed: 324 kilometers per hour. But for the 100 km/h it needs 4.1 seconds. This is where Porsche comes up trumps: The Porsche 959 reaches 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. But five kilometers per hour are missing for victory in terms of top speed. At 317 kilometers per hour, it is a little behind Ferrari.

1. Lamborghini Countach

Lamborghini Countach
Lamborghini Countach
  • Manufacturer/model: Lamborghini Countach
  • Years of construction: 1974 to 1990
  • Special features: The “LP5000S Quattrovalvole” had the greatest power with 455 hp. Lamborghini built 610 of them.
  • Current used car prices: between 400,000 and 500,000 euros are due for the high-powered models.

2. Porsche 959

Porsche 959
Lamborghini Countach, one of the fastest cars of the 80s
  • Manufacturer/model: Porsche 959
  • Year of manufacture: 1986 to 1988
  • Special features: Was considered the fastest production vehicle in the world. The six-cylinder boxer engine delivers 450 hp.
  • Current used car price: If found, the price is between 1.3 and 1.7 million euros.

3. Porsche 911 SC Turbo

Porsche 911 SC Turbo
Porsche 911 SC Turbo, one of the fastes cars of the 80s
  • Manufacturer/model: Porsche 911 SC Turbo
  • Year of manufacture: 1978 to 1989
  • Special features: The Porsche 911 Turbo of the eighties had a maximum of 300 hp. A vehicle from 1982 is shown.
  • Current used car price: Models in good condition currently cost around 120,000 euros.

4. Manufacturer/model: Ferrari F40

  • Years of manufacture: 1987 to 1992
  • Special features: Enzo Ferrari’s last Ferrari. For a long time the fastest and most powerful Ferrari, put 478 hp on the road.
  • Current used car price: A good offer would be one million euros, two million are usual.

5. Buick Grand National Regal GNX Year of manufacture

  • Manufacturer/model: Buick Grand National Regal GNX
  • Year of manufacture: 1987
  • Special features: The GNX was only built for one year, Buick made 547 copies. The car delivers 276 hp and, due to structural features, straightens up when you accelerate hard.
  • Current used car price: A real “GNX” is very difficult to find, in the US prices are around 200,000 to 250,000 US dollars.

6. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

  • Make/Model: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
  • Years: 1982 to 1992
  • Special Features: Knight Rider’s favorite car. The 5.7-liter V8 of the years ’88 and ’89 made 225 hp.
  • Current used car price: Rare, but not too expensive. Beautiful models are available from 22,000 euros.

7. Lotus Esprit

  • Manufacturer/model: Lotus Esprit
  • Year of manufacture: 1976 to 2004
  • Special features: The car was used as a submarine in the Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977).
  • Current used car price: The prices are between 28,000 and 55,000 euros, depending on the engine and equipment.

8. Ferrari 288 GTO

  • Manufacturer/model: Ferrari 288 GTO
  • Year of manufacture: 1984 to 1986
  • Special features: There were less than 300 copies in total. He established the tradition of building supercars.
  • Current used car price: under three million euros no chance, currently 3.5 to four million euros are usual.

9. Aston Martin V8 Zagato

  • Manufacturer/model: Aston Martin V8 Zagato
  • Year of production: 1986 to 1990
  • Special features: Not beautiful, but rare. No more than 130 of the Zagato Aston were built.
  • Current used car price: In fact, the prices are between 350,000 and 450,000 euros because of the enormous rarity.

10. Ferrari Testarossa

  • Manufacturer/model: Ferrari Testarossa
  • Year of manufacture: 1984 to 1996
  • Special features: In the eighties, a Testarossa had 390 hp. Elton John, Dr. Dre and Dieter Bohlen had one.
  • Current used car price: There are good vehicles from around 100,000 euros upwards.