These 10 Cars Are The Epitome Of ’80s Coolness

1980s cars are among some of the most popular classic cars to buy today. Whether you are a lover of the stereotypically boxy designs, very unique builds, what the era brought to the auto industry, the dedication to the illustrious, or the classic feel of a vehicle from a bygone era, there are nearly endless options on the used market and at the auctions to choose from.

There are some models, though, that stand out as the most iconic machines from the era. These epic-looking and legendary 1980s cars changed the design landscape of the market, starred in leading roles in some of the biggest movies of the era, became the poster-child for their high-end, lavish, performance-oriented, showy-off characters, and are all ideal if you feel like a head-turning nostalgic spin.

1985-1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z

Average Auction Price: $26,077

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Considering its iconic status, you can pick up a square-faced, low-slung, and relatively powerful Camaro IROC-Z for just north of $26,000 at auction. The most expensive example from the 1980s crossed the block at $84,700, while the highest-priced example sold in the last five years, according to Classic.com, was a 1990 IROC-Z, which fetched $102,300.

There are three engine options for the Camaro IROC-Z. None of them are unbelievably powerful and indicative of some of the most-loved Camaro models ever made, but they are of an era when the auto industry was attempting to improve fuel consumption.

What is going to want you to pick up a Camaro IROC-Z, though, is its exterior design. If 1980s affordable sports-car design was to be visualized in one model, the IROC-Z would be one of the top contenders. You get squared-off edges, a flat hood, a muscular look courtesy of its sharp, angular shoulder lines; the headlights are rectangular, the sloping back makes it look sleek, and the pointed nose makes it look aggressive.

The Camaro IROC-Z certainly keeps the 1980s vibe alive and kicking in a market of smooth-edged and conservative models.

1980-1991 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen

Average Auction Price: $30,405

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We know it isn’t a car, but the 80–91 G-Wagen lineup has to take a place on any list of cool 1980s vehicles. The machine is an icon. Originally produced as a military vehicle, the 1980s Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen keeps hold of the now-legendary boxy, no-nonsense silhouette in an era of low-slung, flashy and futuristic stylings.

It boasts boxed-off lines, an upright windshield, and exposed hinges, while the Mercedes badge quite forcefully pushed the G-Wagen into the high-end world in its own unique way.

While we think it looks great, and it is very 1980s-esque, the G-Wagen can also perform as something of its size and stature should. It is built on a ladder-frame chassis; three locking diffs are featured, and it is built tough. So, despite the luxe interior and Mercedes badge, this luxury SUV brought the best of both worlds to the 1980s with a style and demeanor that has aged very gracefully.

1981-1983 DeLorean DMC-12

Average Auction Price: $65,380

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It doesn’t get much more 1980s iconic than a DeLorean DMC-12. As the star of Back To The Future, the DMC-12 has become synonymous with the era of big shoulder pads, big thinking, sharp designs, and bigger hair.

In a time of futuristic, almost sci-fi looks were the big thing, the DMC-12 fits in perfectly with its sharp wedge shape, louvered rear window, low and angular profile, and, of course, its signature gullwing doors.

There is only one engine option for the legendary DeLorean: a 2.85-liter PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 that can trickle out a very modest 130 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque. You can only top out at 110–120 mph, and it will take you around 10 seconds to hit 60 mph.

If you are looking to initiate any sort of time travel in it, give yourself a long straight road.

1987-1991 BMW M3 (E30)

Average Auction Price: $86,850

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The way it looks, the way it handles, its engine options, and its everyday usability, the BMW E30 M3 is an ’80s boss. We think it is an undisputed legendary two-door coupe. The E30 M3 was born from BMW’s aim to rule the touring world as a homologation model, so you get a great mix of road legality and race-bred features.

Under the hood, the E30 M3 comes equipped with the legendary S14 mill, a high-revving naturally aspirated inline-four that can kick out 192 horsepower at 6,750 rpm (U.S. models). Later in its lineage, the Evolution II and Sport Evolution were introduced with a 2.5-liter engine with a slightly higher output of 235 horsepower.

It boasts flared fenders, an aggressive boxy stance, and a large rear wing. But, not only do they look very much of the era, but they actually help to keep you planted and stable at the decent top speeds you can do in one (approximately 150 mph).

For fans of BMW M models, the M3 E30 is one of the most recognizable models out there and a real collector’s dream. If you are looking to get one, the average auction price is high at just under $87,000, while prices have been known to stretch to over $300,000 for sublime examples.

1980-1991 Audi Quattro

Average Auction Price: $139,015

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Not only does the Audi Quattro bring all the 1980s design cues you’d expect, but it is a bona fide legend for changing the performance landscape with the introduction of the Quattro All-Wheel Drive System. Before the Quattro, AWD was largely reserved for off-road vehicles, but when Audi rolled this beauty out, it proved that AWD could be very beneficial on the road.

More importantly for Audi at the time, though, it showed how well AWD was suited to the rally stage. The Quattro is a Group B hero and showed most other marques on the scene that you could have traction, stability, and style in one neat package.

Under the hood of the 1980 to 1987 MYs is a 2.1-liter turbocharged inline-five, which is good for 200 horsepower, paired with a 5-speed manual box; the 1987 to 1989 MYs boast a 2.2-liter 10-valve engine that is also good for around 200 horsepower, but the pinnacle of the ’80s Quattro lineup is the 20V.

This beast boasts a 20-valve 2.2-liter turbo-five that kicks out 220 horsepower, the Quattro AWD rig, a Torsen center differential, and an updated cylinder head, so it can rev up more freely.

1984-1992 Ferrari Testarossa

Average Auction Price: $149,853

Ferrari

When Pininfarina and Ferrari work together, something special happens. No more can be said of any model from the 1980s than the iconic Ferrari Testarossa. It is a cultural legend for both its design cues and what it represents as a model from an era that loved a bit of excess. It is one of the supercars that defined the decade with a mile-long list of celebs owning one, a potent mill under the hood, and its iconic body design.

Showcasing a wide stance, low profile, and most famously, the dramatic side strakes that run along its doors and into the rear panels, the Testarossa is one of the most recognizable prancing horse models ever and perfectly encapsulates the flair of the 1980s.

Inside, you get a classy and luxurious feel, unusual for a supercar of the era, in the shape of air conditioning, leather upholstery, and power windows. But, Ferrari didn’t just make the Testarossa look good. They made it to perform and show the high-end world that good looks, substance, and style could all go together as one.

The Testarossa comes equipped with a 4.9-liter naturally aspirated flat-twelve that can produce 390 horsepower and give you 0–60 mph times of around 5 seconds. While that may not seem like supercar standards today, in the mid-1980s, it was a true performance weapon.

1987 Buick Grand National GNX

Average Auction Price: $178,137

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Depending on what kind of car you like, you may be surprised to hear that the Buick GNX is worth more than a Testarossa on today’s market. Much of this is down to its rarity and what this ultimate sleeper sedan can really do.

Only one model year of the GNX was ever created, but Buick chucked everything at it. Under the hood is a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 that was co-developed with McLaren Performance Technologies and ASC that boasts a Garrett T-3 turbo, a large intercooler, and a specially programmed engine management unit. Official power output figures are 276 horsepower and 360 pound-feet, but in reality, horsepower is closer to the 300+ mark.

The GNX was built around the turbocharged variant of the Buick Grand National but received a lot of upgrades in the form of revised engine tuning, reinforced engine internals, and a stronger rear diff. The result: rest-to-60 times of approximately 4.7 seconds and a lot of track guts.

With its square face, muscular but still relatively covert stance, and very potent V6, the Buick GNX isn’t just an ’80s icon, but could arguably be considered the absolute ultimate sleeper car.

1986-1993 AMG ‘Hammer’

Average Auction Price: $352,778

Mercedes-AMG

Though it may just look like a slammed W124, if you look a bit deeper, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer is the melding together of raw power, luxury, and comfort.

In a fashion only expected from AMG, they took a W124 coupe and added flared wheel arches, an AMG-specific body kit, lots of track-worthy goodies, and under the hood of its most powerful iteration, a highly-modified M117 V8, and created a proper 1980s performance icon.

The 5.6-liter M117 was bored out to create a 6.0-liter V8 beast that boasts strengthened internals, revised camshafts, a freer-flowing exhaust, and a lot of fine-tuning. The result is a 400-horsepower/400-foot 21-valve V8 that can pin you to 60 mph in as little as 5 seconds.

Average auction prices are very high at over $300,000, but we say if you are in the market for a special 1980s car, the AMG Hammer is worth taking a look at. Fewer than 100 models were produced for each model year. It has some insane performance specs for the time, it is comfortable and luxurious, it is fast, it looks the part, and it represents a turning point in AMG’s transformation into a global performance powerhouse.

1985-1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole

Average Auction Price: $586,504

Fuel Economy

TBC

Make

Lamborghini

Model

Countach

Engine

5.2L V12

Segment

Supercar

While the Lamborghini Countach started life in the 1970s, it is the 1980s iterations, especially the LP5000 QV models, that many see as the zenith of wedge-shaped, illustrious, poster-worthy icons.

The Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole is an improved variant of earlier Countach models and boasts a very responsive 455-horsepower four-valve-per-cylinder (hence the name) 5.2-liter V12 that lets rip an insane noise out the tail, replacing the LP500 S’ 485-horsepower 4.8-liter V12. 0–60 mph times for the LP5000 QV are a rapid 4.8 seconds, and top speed is 180 mph, which makes it truly fast for the era.

It is not just the engine that got an upgrade over earlier models, though, and the LP5000 QV comes equipped with a fine-tuned front and rear suspension setup with stiffer springs and dampers, improved anti-roll bars, a lower ride height, and stronger suspension bushings to minimize flex when you’re gunning it.

For many collectors, the absolute pinnacle of the Countach LP5000 QV is the “25th Anniversary” model, which bring all the performance guts of the LP5000, but ‘improved’ reliability and different visual additions to make this wide-bodied, aggressive ’80s icon even more of a head-turner. No list of cool 1980s cars would be complete without the Countach in one variant or another.

1987-1992 Ferrari F40

Average Auction Price: $2.6 Million

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Not only is the Ferrari F40 considered one of the most iconic supercars of the 1980s, but we think it is also one of the coolest-looking. Built to celebrate 40 years of Ferrari, this pointed, low-hung, raw, performance-oriented prancing horse was the absolute premium in the 1980s on-road fun (if you could afford one).

Unlike other supercars of the time, especially other Ferrari models, which were trying to add more creature comforts, the F40 was designed to be a proper driver’s car with no power steering, no ABS, no luxury trim, and just an unfiltered experience behind the wheel.

As another one of Pininfarina’s most celebrated builds, the body is constructed of Kevlar, carbon fiber, and aluminum, which gives it a very light weight of 2,425 pounds, while the massive rear wing, iconic pop-up headlights, and wedge nose hit home that this machine was made for 1980s opulence.

The engine that it boasts is a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 that kicks out 478 horsepower and 426 pound-feet of torque. This gives the F40 a power-to-weight ratio of 0.94-horsepower-per-pound. In more useful terms, a 0–60 mph time of around 4 seconds and a top speed of 201 mph, making it the first Italian supercar to break the 200 mph barrier. We can see why this rare, powerful, iconic, era-defining Ferrari is commanding average auction prices of over $2.5 million.