The early 80s were dog years for muscle. My 90hp Rabbit GTI could keep up with some of the Firebirds and Camaros, which at the time only had like 150hp at best (usually less). Some Firebirds even had the lame 2.5L Iron Duke. Things got so bad, Ford was ready to replace the Mustang with the Probe until tons of people wrote letters in protest. Just as well, it ended up being a decent car in its own right.
Yes I remember, Chrysler kept coming out with power upgrades every year. An intercooler added some power, and then there was a 16-valve version co-designed by Lotus, and then the Shadow CSX-VNT had the industry's first variable-nozzle turbo. Did you know they tried putting a Lamborghini V8 into the Daytona? But they scrapped it because there wasn't enough ground clearance. The Omni, Charger, Shadow, Spirit, Daytona, Lancer, LeBaron and Reliant all used the same platform if I recall correctly. So unfortunately they all had short wheelbases. Look at how much overhang a Charger or Daytona has compared to an Omni. Also their paint jobs seemed to last only 4-5 years before significant sun fade. I actually respected Ford more than GM or Chrysler, because their designs were less gaudy and cheezy, and they also took the risk of pushing the entire industry towards a more European design focus with more aerodynamics and less chrome.
I have read it was Carroll Shelby's favorite project https://www.hemmings.com/stories/20...the-1985-86-dodge-omni-glh-glh-turbo-and-glhs My Father had a Talbot Horizon, but with a 1.3L engine it wasn't going break any speed records. Surprisingly the Horizon, on which the Omni was based, was European Car of the Year in 1979 despite having the worst gear change of any car I have driven. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simca-Talbot_Horizon
Detroit had a few 80s throwback muscle cars, I think they just did it to show they could still make them but very few were a serious effort, more for cover space on Motor Trend or Road and Track Magazine. I drove a lot of 70s-80s Firebirds/Camaros, we did a lot of car flipping, they were mostly dogs compared to the tiny sticks and when you compared 10 miles to the gallon to 30+ and the tighter steering. They also rattled like crazy! There was no fixing the hundreds of loose screws, I feel like every Camaro had a handful dumped in the heater vents before shipping. I will admit my 88 Firebird was the most comfortable seating position of any car I've owned followed by a 72 Spitfire. The Spitfire was awesome, the seat went back forever and I needed every inch.
Well, Lord-knows the turbo Buicks were a serious effort... as would be anything that moves the entire street-racing scene towards a particular model! Was a shame how with the leftover engine/transmission assemblies they only thought to place that powertrain in the Trans-am for only one year, instead of developing it further on the Series-II 3800 to offer in the 4th-gen Camaro/Firebird. But then, I wish they offered the 3800 in the 2nd-gen S-10/Sonoma in place of the 60* V-6, instead of just dropping option for a smaller V-6 from it altogether. Partially because how I've recently learned the 3800 was GM's most trouble-free design. Internally, the company was actually so proud about it, there was a ceremonious occasion went the last one was built.
My S10 had a four cylinder dog in it but that little truck was really practical for me. It's too bad they killed that line and nobody now has a mini-pickup. A couple years ago I snapped some photos of a Syclone in my neighborhood, it looked mint.
Get a 25 year old one of these https://www.google.com/search?q=vw+.....69i57j0l7.6526j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
All mine were 4-cyl/automatics, with the best of the bunch (performance-wise) being my first: An '85 fleet-trim unit gotten from my cousin. "Quick" it was not, by many's stretches of the imagination... but with what few mods I did--in the name of fuel economy--it cruised 75-80mph down to Bowling Green for outside Chicago without a whimper, and averaged 25-mpg doing so. I even whipped it up to about 113-mph along the upper-Indiana toll road one night, and it just kept going for years afterwards. I probably would still have it now, if I didn't feel the ignition coil was too difficult to get to... because although the fuel filter was under the hood/bonnet, it was still a pain to change. That was probably my only complaint about 4-cyl S-trucks: The ignition coil(s) were too difficult to service. And why GM felt it was best to locate/leave the DIS assembly in the same place as found on the pre-'98 J-cars when the LN2 (2.2L/2200) was placed in the S-10, I'll never figure out. I'll say this: At least the LN2-powered S-trucks could share many performance parts offered for that engine in the J-body apps. I just wish they didn't use differing head gaskets in the early days of sharing it, which lead to mix-ups at the plant that resulted in overheating issues... which, thankfully, my '94 never had. I just wish there was a better cylinder head available than what's to be had. Also, I've seen "hot parts" for the 'Duke in the GM Performance Parts catalog, in the Pontiac section. And it turns out there's not only an aftermarket for it, which includes a performance block that can be fitted with a variety of heads meant for other engines, but also a long-stroke 3.0L version available in the commercial/marine market. And since it shared the 6+1 trigger-wheel DIS with the OHV/Vortec 2.0/2.2L, I've often mused the possibility of installing the management from a '94 2.2L on one, fitted with "traditional" injectors & 3L "stroker" assembly w/aluminum GMPP Super-Duty Aluminum head, long-runner intake and "high-energy" hydraulic-roller cam... all in the name of building the perfect "workhorse" engine. The kind that having a double-overdrive w/the right FDR (Final-drive ratio) behind it wouldn't have a problem pushing over the limit down the highway, while running on 87-octane.
I've once seen one of those in my old neighborhood... and I've gotta say: Much like the Dodge Rampage (K-car based "ute") it didn't do well in the 'States. Something about not placing the drive wheels under the load makes it "self-defeating" in terms of traction. I guess that's why the Chevy Tororado never got sold up North... though I've done spotting of them here, a couple of times. But, that's the North American truck market: Part of a lifestyle, but not a "lifestyle" thing. Perhaps if Volkswagen offered it with the same performance package as the GTI... or the Versatrak AWD, like the Golf Country got, making it like the Honda Ridgeline... then it might've sold decently here.
Did you ever get these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_P100#:~:text=It was based on medium,panel van in the 1960s. The 1981 version pictured were really popular with tradesmen here, but like any heavily used vehicles all disappeared after about 20 years. My Mums gardener uses one of these https://www.exchangeandmart.co.uk/reviews/proton/jumbuck/2003/207885 I don't what they will replace it with. A Ford Ranger wouldn't fit on most peoples drives. My VW Golf Mk7 is a tight squeeze through the gate.
I don't know about the Daytona/Lambo Jalpa V-8 story, but I know this: This offered a kit through their factory performance outlet (Direct Connection) that allowed installation of a LA/Magnum V-8 in a RWD configuration for those looking to build a Pro-Stock drag car. And they fitted a Mitsubishi DOHC Turbo engine into the European version of the Daytona that produced 306-hp on pump gas called the Daytona Ultimate, as an experiment.
Nope! All we got was the Ranchero... based on the Falcon, then the Fairlane, the Torino and finally the LTD, before they stopped production of it all-together along with the LTD's platform in '79. Plus, unless it was sold South of the border, odds are greatly against seeing it here. Although, I did see a couple of rare "birds" at my hometown's cruise night once: You saw that right, mate...! One of each is owned by a fella a couple towns over, who's a big fan of the man named Max. Speaking which: I have seen images of the Aussie Valiant "ute"... and noted how it shared sheet metal with the Plymouth Valiant sold here, that was the basis for the A-body Barracuda. Which got me thinking: Re-skin one with the pieces of a notch-back '67-up Barracuda... ...and make the sexiest looking "ute" on either side of any "pond"!
The VW also rusted like crazy, they didn't like the midwest snow and salt. I see one every once in a while but it's just too small, the Dodge Dakota was the nice one, the first generation was advertised as 4' x 8' in the bed, perfect for building supplies. My little S10 must have been made on a Friday, I remember the AC went out, lucky the internet was new back then and posters mentioned Chevy laid the wiring right across the valve cover but hidden by the air cleaner. Yep melted nice and crispy, I'm not sure how nobody saw that coming. The tilt steering flexed the crap out of the internal wires, one day the lights quit working, I traced it back to the column, inside the wires were all dried and broken and this truck was only a few years old. When Mad Max came out we all pondered what the strange police car was, we never saw anything like it but it helped the mystic of the film having a real car that didn't look like a prop.
If I hadn't noted it, it was EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) that made the GTI the darling hero of the hot-hatch movement. (The "I" in GTI) I recall guesses of the super-interceptor being a Torino, a '71-'73 Mustang or even a Pinto-'Stang!
I think the GTI also had a little head start, the basic design goes back to something like 1969. It was already a nice little car with great mileage and then they gave it some power. A lot of those little cars were pretty basic but if they had the nice cloth seats it didn't matter. Check out this listing on Bring A Trailer, these were so nice looking and the rims haven't aged a bit. I think most people like the round GTI Headlights and I think you can source the parts. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1983-volkswagen-rabbit-gti-15/
True, the basis well proceeded... but it's the EFI that helped hot-hatches catch-on by taming the beastly little N/A engines, making them more "drive-able" and reliable. And even less fuel-thirsty. Such a system would've been more common in America if it weren't for the teething pains of Chrysler's Bendix-made Electro-Jection (Introduced before polystyrene capacitors were developed) and the RFI-prone issues had on the '72 VW Transporter's unshielded computer/controller. Not to mention the general expense & complexity of it... which compared to a carb, seemed frivolously unwarranted. Sad how part of America's unreadiness for the oil embargos hinged on the application of such thinking in the greater part of automotive design throughout 1960's. But then, the same was thought on a book on the principles of magnetism, that was written in the middle-ages... only to be erased, to have it's media reused to copy religious text.
I don't even remember what my first fuel injection car was, I've always love used cars that I can tweek on, so it might have been early 2000's. Now that I'm used to fuel injection, carburetors scare me, my Benz has dual Zenith Carbs that I've never been able to balance. The local vintage Benz Guy won't even look at them for some reason. Then I started looking through Bring A Trailer, that Lotus Esprit is calling my name, time for a road trip?
Longman will like this one, a European Ford Escort from 1969, a little beast with a 1.3L Engine, slightly larger than my lawn mower, but still a beautiful car. I remember swapping out a Spitfire Engine by hand, those were the days. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-ford-escort-5/
My first car, a 1974 version (the last year they made these) bought in 1981. However mine had the 1.1L engine, back windows that fell out if you tried to open them, a cardboard type steering wheel that left marks on your your hands in damp weather, and serious rust problems by the time it was nine years old. I think this merits a picture with me in it (taken using my 126 camera by the looks of it) checking out my newly bought CB rig. The aerial and wing mirrors stopped any bonnet slides though
He got $13K for that??? It doesn't even have a new paint job or a new motor. People have way too much money to blow these days, even with the pandemic. I owned the same car in silver, it's a very fun car on twisty roads, great autocrosser, but nothing special on the street. Only 90hp (the Euro version had 110hp if I recall correctly), crude twist-beam rear suspension, and the bodywork is a rust magnet. For that price it should have a serious motor upgrade and an all new interior and body panels.
