-The malaise that was the 1970s dribbled over into the 1980s, with ads touting Corvettes that made all of 190 horsepower, gussied-up econoboxes parading as Cadillacs, and dubious technology such as the Moleculetor promising improvements in fuel economy of up to 23 percent—yours for just $214 (plus $5 shipping)! And there’s John Z. DeLorean hawking Cutty Sark scotch, with nary a kilo of coke in sight. With apologies to Mr. Dickens, it was the worst of times, it was the worster of times.
A few bright spots managed to punch holes through the darkness. Turbocharged engines began to appear under the hoods of a number of cars, including the Datsun Turbo ZX, the Mazda 323 GTX, the Porsche 944 Turbo, the Volvo Turbo, and even the Subaru XT Turbo.
-Nascent technologies also made some of their earliest appearances in these pages, with ads for Apple’s Macintosh desktop computer, Panasonic’s TV with a 1.5-inch screen, and the Maxwell Portable Cellular Phone with one hour of talk time for $695. And if the Maxwell was too pricey, you could order a fake “Cellular Fun Phone” and “enjoy the status of owning a car phone for just a fraction of the regular cost.” Cost: $49.95.
-The decade couldn’t end soon enough.
-(Note: Click or tap an ad to enlarge.)
--
-
Pontiac Grand Prix – April 1980
-
-
-
-
The Sharper Image Xernus – June 1980
-
-
-
-
-
International Harvester Scout – June 1980
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
Energy Efficiencies Inc. Moleculetor – September 1980
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
Panasonic TravelVision – October 1980
-
-
-
-
Chevrolet Corvette – December 1980
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: Our Original 1980 Chevrolet Corvette Road Test
--
-
-
Chevrolet Citation X-11 – August 1981
-
-
-
-
-
Ronrico Rum Sweepstakes – September 1981
-
-
-
-
-
Jeep Scrambler – October 1981
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: A History of Jeep Pickups: The Lineage Is Longer than You Think
--
-
--
-
-
-
Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition – January 1982
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: 1982 vs. 1962: Last-of-Their-Kind Corvettes
--
-
-
Jeep CJ – February 1982
---
-
-
READ MORE: Our Original 1982 Jeep CJ-7 Limited Test
--
-
-
K40 Radar Detector – February 1982
---
-
-
De Lorean Motor Company – February 1982
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: De Lorean DMC-12 vs. Corvette, 280ZX, 308GTS, and Porsche 911
--
-
--
-
-
-
Volkswagen Scirocco – March 1982
-
-
-
-
-
Cutty Sark Scotch – April 1982
-
-
-
-
-
Volvo Turbo Wagon– April 1982
-
-
-
-
-
Alpine Car Audio Systems – June 1982
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: Our Original 1983 Lamborghini Countach 5000S Road Test
--
-
--
-
-
-
Ford Motor Company – June 1982
-
-
-
-
-
Datsun Turbo-ZX 5-speed – September 1982
-
-
-
-
-
Cadillac Cimarron – October 1982
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
Callaway Turbosystems – March 1983
-
-
-
-
-
Cadillac Cimarron – March 1983
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
--
-
-
-
Chrysler Laser XE – October 1983
-
-
-
-
-
Dodge Omni GLH – October 1984
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: Awesome to the Max: C/D’s Coolest Cars of the 1980s
--
-
-
Apple Macintosh – December 1984
-
-
-
-
-
Ford Motor Company – November 1985
-
-
-
-
-
Chevrolet Corvette – July 1986
---
-
-
READ MORE: Our Original 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Road Test
--
-
--
-
-
-
READ MORE: Battle of the Winter Beaters: Subaru XT6 vs. Camaro RS, Renault Fuego Turbo
--
-
-
Pioneer DEX-77 – December 1986
-
-
-
-
-
General Motors Parts – March 1987
-
-
-
-
-
Daihatsu Charade – February 1988
-
-
-
-
-
BMW Motorsport Division M-Cars – April 1988
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: Original Tests of the 1987 BMW M6 | 1987 BMW M5 | 1988 BMW M3
--
-
-
Cellular Fun Phone – April 1988
-
-
-
-
-
Ford Taurus SHO – April 1989
-
-
-
-
-
READ MORE: Our Original 1989 Ford Taurus SHO Road Test
--
-
-
Maxwell Portable Cellular Phone – April 1989
-
-
-
-
-
Isuzu Amigo – June 1989
---
- -
- Awesome to the Max: C/D’s Coolest Cars of the 1980s -
- Car and Driver Tested: The 13 Quickest Cars of the 1980s -
- Like, Totally Rad: The Car and Driver Covers of the 1980s -
-
No comments:
Post a Comment