Category Archives: 1980s Cars

1988 Ford Mustang GT ‘Hypersilver’

Posted on by
Reply

If you’ve picked up any kind of car magazine at all in the past year, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of this 1988 Ford Mustang nicknamed “Hypersilver.” The full build has been documented in Car Craft, Hot Rod Magazine, Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords, and many other magazines made for guys with grease under their fingernails. It was neat to see the completed car in person at the Source Interlink booth at SEMA 2013!

The idea for this car was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords. The magazine’s technical editor, Mark Christ, headed up the build. Things started coming together at the Muscle Mustangs office in Florida. One article I read said that the car went from a shell to completed in just 4 weeks…an amazingly short time for a build like this!

Continue reading →

1985 Mustang Interceptor Notch with SVO Front Clip (Craigslist)

Posted on by
Reply

You either love the early SVO headlights and offset hood scoop or you hate them.  I for one think they look awesome, especially on a notchback, couple that with a white car from the 1980’s and you can’t go wrong. Continue reading →

Finally For Sale, The 86 Testarossa I Spotted Last Year (Craigslist)

Posted on by
1

While browsing Craigslist for Corvettes under $12,000 (there are quite a few C5’s) I happened to stumble across an old acquaintance.  It’s the oddball Testarossa inspired Corvette (or maybe Pontiac Grand Am?) that I spotted rolling around the streets about a year ago.  I never thought I would see it again, but here it is in all of it’s glory for only $5500.  If you’re looking to get into the Ferrari game this is a cheap start. Continue reading →

1982-1986 Toyota Supra Mark II

Posted on by
Reply

The 1980s were a gold rush of Japanese sports cars making their way to the United States. Manufacturers were importing cars such as the 280ZX and 300ZX from Nissan, the RX-7 from Mazda, the Mitsubishi Starion, the Isuzu Impulse, and the Subaru XT. Perhaps one of the most memorable Japanese cars of the decade was the Toyota Supra.

This two-seater sports coupe is pretty much a direct descendant of the Toyota 2000GT I covered recently. It has an inline-6 cylinder engine, rear wheel drive, and a long, sloping front with a hatchback roof. Toyota produced the second generation (or Mark II) from 1982 through 1986. They were badged as “Celica Supra” at the time, becoming just “Supra” in 1986 with the introduction of the Mark III Supra.

Continue reading →

1989 Peugeot 405 DL Sedan Junkyard Find

Posted on by
3

When it comes to cultural differences, Americans and Europeans have very different tastes. We have distinctly different preferences in food, music, clothing, and humor. It stands to reason that we would also have different preferences for automobiles. As Peugeot learned in the 1980s, this is exactly the case.

Peugeot is a large and well-known car manufacturer in France. In 1987, they launched a brand-new car called the 405. This mid-size family sedan offered a lot of standard features at a reasonable price. It had a body designed by Pininfarina and was available with an optional 150HP engine. This sporty, front-wheel drive sedan was named European Car of the Year in 1988. Spurred on by a positive reception at home, Peugeot decided to bring the 405 sedan over to the United States market.

Continue reading →

1986 Plymouth Horizon 2.5L Turbo Swap

Posted on by
Reply

The 1973 OPEC oil crisis had a dramatic effect on the American automobile industry. An embargo with oil-exporting countries of the middle east caused a shortage of crude oil which is refined into gasoline. The shortage in turn caused gasoline prices to skyrocket and rationing to go into effect.

In response to customer demand and new Federal Emissions Standards, the “Big Three” automakers went to work building a new generation of cars that were smaller and more fuel efficient. Chevrolet introduced the Monza and Citation, while Ford debuted the Pinto and the Fiesta. Not to be outdone, Chrysler introduced their new compact, front-wheel drive model in 1978: the Dodge Omni (and its badge-engineered cousin, the Plymouth Horizon).

Continue reading →