Author: JJM3

Eighties Cars At The 2015 Auctions America Auburn Spring

Auctions America’s spring 2015 auction at Auburn completed on May 9th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a red 1988 Porsche 930 Turbo Cabriolet was bid up to $65,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:

  • 1980 yellow Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$200 hammer price for this truly sad looking car.
  • 1987 black/silver two-tone Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$250
  • 1981 silver Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$400
  • 1982 blue/silver two-tone Dodge Shelby Charger prototype drag car with supercharger and four-speed manual transmission sold on bill of sale—$200
  • 1985 black Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$550
  • 1987 blue/silver two-tone Buick Riviera T-Type coupe—an ouch! at $200; they were a hundred times that when new.
  • 1983 red Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$550
  • 1984 white Dodge Daytona race car sold on bill of sale—$500
  • 1989 red Plymouth Sundance RS Turbo hatchback—$450
  • 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$3,700
  • 1986 silver Buick Skyhawk T-Type hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$500 for one of the semi-forgotten T-Types.
  • 1983 gold Plymouth Turismo hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$650
  • 1987 red Dodge Shelby Lancer hatchback—$1,800
  • 1980 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$325
  • 1983 silver Dodge Charger hatchback—$1,900
  • 1987 black Dodge Shelby Charger GLHS hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$1,000
  • 1986 blue Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with turbocharged engine and five-speed manual transmission—$1,400
  • 1981 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 Charger hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$900
  • 1983 white Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$2,300
  • 1986 yellow Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z custom hatchback—$6,300
  • 1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$4,900
  • 1984 tan/brown two-tone Ford Bronco XLT SUV with 22,000 miles—at $15,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I mark these vehicles with bold green.
  • 1980 brown Jeep CJ5 Wrangler Renegade SUV with four-speed manual transmission $18,000
  • 1984 gray Avanti coupe—$10,000
  • 1988 white Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$13,000
  • 1984 gray Buick LeSabre Limited coupe—$3,500
  • 1982 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$8,250
  • 1981 blue Mercedes-Benz 380SLC coupe—$3,100
  • 1985 red Porsche 944 custom hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$6,250

Saturday:

  • 1983 gray Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sedan—$2,400
  • 1984 silver Dodge Shelby Charger hatchback—$4,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette mild custom hatchback—$4,250
  • 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback with 9,000 miles—$15,000
  • 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission and 46,000 miles—$4,400
  • 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback—$8,600
  • 1988 blue Jeep Wagoneer Limited SUV—$12,750
  • 1982 white Ferrari 308 GTBi coupe—$53,000
  • 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with 119 miles—at $100,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction.

This auction was most notable for the incredible profusion of 1980s front-wheel drive Mopar sporty cars—some really nice, some really ratty.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

1987 Chevrolet Chevette CS hatchback sedan

In May 2019, my ex-wife and I were taking a walk early on a Saturday morning and passed a Chevrolet Chevette parked at the end of our street. That was reason enough to finally complete this blog entry.

“… one of America’s best known cars …”

1987 was the final year for the somewhat antiquated rear wheel drive Chevette—in North America, at least. The 1.8-liter diesel engine was no more, but otherwise little was changed from 1986.

The only engine available was the L17 1.6 liter/98 ci inline four with a Holley 6510c two-barrel carburetor and 65 bhp, but you did have a choice of transmission: the standard four-speed manual, an optional three-speed automatic ($450), or an optional five-speed manual ($75). Mileage with the standard transmission was 28 city/34 highway by the day’s standards (24/31 by today’s measures). With a 12.2-gallon gas tank, Chevette owners could expect a 305 to 340 mile range with a 10% fuel reserve. Predictably, 0-60 mph took a little under 16 long seconds.

The Chevette was a small car, classified by the EPA as a sub-compact. Curb weight for the sedan was 2,137 pounds, with a 97.3-inch wheelbase, a 164.9-inch overall length, a 61.8-inch width, and a 52.8-inch height.

The truly “base” Chevette had been gone since 1985, but standard equipment was spare even on the supposedly upmarket CS. For your $5,495 base price (about $15,900 in 2025 dollars), you got four doors, a rear hatch with a single strut, rack and pinion steering, front disc and rear drum brakes, and P155/80R13 tires (a size still available from Kumho) on 13-inch by 5-inch steel wheels. Inside were vinyl front bucket seats, vinyl rear bench seats, and a floor console.

Options & Production Numbers

Because the standard equipment was so spare, there were a lot of options. Optional exterior and mechanical equipment included power brakes ($105), power steering ($225), an engine block heater ($20), and a custom exterior package ($154). Inside, the buyer could add air conditioning ($675), a tilt steering column ($125), custom cloth bucket seats ($130), a rear defogger ($145), and an AM/FM stereo radio ($119).

Despite being on its last legs, Chevrolet still sold a little over 20,000 Chevette sedans in 1987, along with slightly more than 26,000 coupes.

The View From 2025

Chevettes rarely appear in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, or on Bring a Trailer—BaT has sold a grand a total of three over the years. Mecum did auction a nice looking 1987 Chevette CS hatchback sedan with 47 miles early in 2025—for an astounding $30,000.

Make mine Silver Metallic, please. Something inoffensive seems appropriate.

Last updated April 2025.

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Indianapolis

Mecum’s May Original Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis completed on May 16th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a black 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with 13,000 miles was bid up to $220,000) and add some of my opinions.

Tuesday:

  • 1981 red Asve convertible—$4,500 hammer price for this “neo-classic” with 2.3 liter Ford engine (and an embarrassing start for eighties cars in this auction).
  • 1984 orange Ford Mustang very custom coupe—$5,750
  • 1988 dark red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 89,000 miles—$7,000
  • 1987 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$8,500
  • 1988 red Pontiac Fiero Formula coupe with 50,000 miles—$7,000
  • 1985 red Pontiac Fiero coupe with 20,000 miles—$5,250
  • 1982 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$12,000
  • 1986 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe—an ouch! at $4,500.
  • 1986 white Porsche 928S coupe—$7,000

Wednesday

  • 1986 black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with 50,000 miles—$11,500
  • 1987 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible—$8,000
  • 1988 green Jeep Wrangler SUV—$12,500
  • 1986 tan Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$16,000
  • 1988 red Dodge Daytona Shelby Z hatchback with 79,000 miles—$4,250 for what may have been the most unexpected eighties car at this auction.
  • 1982 silver/charcoal two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 32,000 miles—$12,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS very custom coupe—$16,500
  • 1987 black Buick Regal T-Type coupe with 45,000 miles—at $16,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I mark these vehicles with bold green.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet C10 very custom pickup—$10,500
  • 1987 black Chevrolet Corvette Callaway coupe with 59,000 miles—at $7,250, a car that got absolutely killed by some really beat up exterior paint.
  • 1989 blue/silver two-tone Ford Bronco SUV with 66,000 miles—$8,000

Thursday:

  • 1985 orange/beige two-tone Chevrolet C10 custom pickup with 65,000 miles—$7,500
  • 1980 brown Porsche 911SC coupe—$25,500
  • 1985 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 12,000 miles—$17,000 shows that stock wins, at least this time.
  • 1985 black Ford Explorer pickup with 850 miles—$30,000
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 247 miles—$27,000
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 17,000 miles—$17,000
  • 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette Callaway 35th Anniversary Edition coupe with 430 miles—at $61,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
  • 1984 silver Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$18,000

Friday:

Saturday:

  • 1988 red Cadillac Allante convertible—$7,000
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with 20,000 miles—$24,000
  • 1989 white Pontiac Firebird 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am coupe with 743 miles—$42,000
  • 1985 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with 14,000 miles—$14,000
  • 1983 beige Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with 11,000 miles—$47,000

I felt that there wasn’t a lot of money in the room at this auction, especially in the first few days — there were a ton of no sales. Things definitely picked up from Thursday on.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

1985 Dodge Omni GLH

“… never, never, take it home to meet Mom.”

Though 1984 was the debut year for the Dodge Omni GLH, 1985 was the first year that Chrysler’s Turbo I 2.2 liter/135 ci turbocharged inline four was available with it (for an additional $872). Packing 146 bhp and 170 lb-ft of torque, the turbo delivered 0-60 times in about 7.5 seconds. Standard power on the GLH was the High Output 110 bhp 2.2 liter/135 ci inline four, and both engines came with a five-speed manual transmission.

Mileage for the turbo was 21 city/30 highway (18/27 by today’s standards) on premium gasoline. Giving up the turbo took you to 25/34 and let you run on regular fuel. Range with the 13-gallon gas tank was almost 300 miles with a 10% reserve.

Omni GLH pages from the 1985 Dodge Performance brochure
Omni GLH pages from the 1985 Dodge Performance brochure

The base price for an Omni GLH was $7,620 (about $23,100 in 2025 dollars). For that money, purchasers got a front air dam and side skirts, both finished in black, as was the grille. Distinctive aluminum 16-hole “pizza” wheels rolled on low-profile 195/50R15 tires—now considered a tiny size, but still available. Power steering, power brakes, and a sport suspension were standard and fog lamps completed the “sporty for a 4-door compact” look.

Inside, a GLH was pretty basic. You did get cloth high-backed bucket seats, a Rallye instrument cluster, dual remote mirrors, intermittent windshield wipers, and an AM/FM stereo radio.

Options & Production Numbers

The GLH had few exterior add-ons available. Inside, buyers could add options such as air conditioning ($643), a rear window defroster ($132), automatic speed control ($179), and an AM/FM stereo radio with cassette.

Dodge sold 6,513 Omni GLH models in 1985, including 3,004 normally-aspirated models and 3,509 with the turbo, making the GLH about 9% of total Omni/Horizon production for that model year.

The View From 2025

GLH‘s rarely appear in either the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors; I don’t think many of these cars lasted even a decade. You do occasionally see them on Bring a Trailer.

Make mine Black, please—so the ground effects match.

Last updated April 2025.

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Kansas City

Mecum’s April auction at Kansas City provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction — a black 1987 Buick Grand National coupe with 36,000 miles was bid up to $25,000) and add some of my opinions.

Thursday:

  • 1986 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible — $8,000 hammer price.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 54,000 miles — $8,500
  • 1984 blue Chevrolet K10 custom pickup — $5,250
  • 1986 white (of course!) Ford Bronco SUV with 41,000 miles — $10,500
  • 1989 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible — $6,250
  • 1989 red Lincoln Mark VII LSC coupe with 22,000 miles —  $10,750
  • 1986 burgundy Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 81,000 miles — $7,500

Friday:

Saturday:

  • 1985 white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible — $11,000
  • 1981 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe — $12,750
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 3,500 miles — at $19,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 8,100 miles — $17,000
  • 1982 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 4,000 miles — $16,500
  • 1984 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 12,000 miles — $12,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for an 1984 Corvette in #1 condition is $15,300.
  • 1985 red Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup — $18,000.

This auction backed up the truism that heading mid-west to get a collector car bargain is often a good idea. Fully half of the eighties cars that actually sold were Corvettes, with four of the 1982 Collector’s Edition coupes sold — it seems folks are finally giving up on these cars (the nicest of the late sharks) ever being worth real money.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Cars at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach

This year’s Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction included some interesting vehicles. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold in this mostly no reserve auction (a black 1989 Lamborghini Countach Anniversary Edition coupe with 2,200 miles was a no-sale bid up to $335,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:
  • 1986 beige Mercedes-Benz 420SEL sedan with 77,000 miles—$3,500 hammer price.
  • 1985 brown Lincoln Town Car sedan with 37,000 miles—an ouch! at $2,500.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 14,000 miles—$9,500
  • 1986 white Chrysler Laser XT custom (some Dodge Daytona parts) coupe once owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Cotton Owens—$5,000 indicates that in this particular case celebrity ownership didn’t help the bidding much.
  • 1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—at $17,500 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
  • 1980 red Ferrari 308 GTSi coupe—$45,000 is between number #1 and #2 money, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
  • 1982 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 6,600 miles—$26,000 is good money for a non-Collector’s Edition 1982.
  • 1985 beige/tan Excalibur Series IV Phaeton convertible with 5,600 miles—$29,000 for the most-respected of the neo-classics.
  • 1986 white Chevrolet El Camino pickup with the SS Choo Choo Customs package and 47,000 miles—$29,000
  • 1988 yellow Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with 55,000 miles—$10,000
  • 1988 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 6,500 miles—$20,000
  • 1986 black Ferrari Mondial convertible with 34,000 miles—$22,500
  • 1988 red Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with factory slant nose and 11,000 miles—$43,000
  • 1980 green Porsche 911 custom coupe—$26,000
  • 1983 green Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 SUV—$38,000
  • 1988 black Mercedes-Benz 560SEC with aftermarket convertible conversion and 10,000 miles—$17,000
  • 1989 tan Jeep Wrangler very custom SUV—$10,500
Saturday:
  • 1983 black/gray two-tone Lincoln Continental Mark VI coupe with 38,000 miles—$4,500
  • 1987 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$25,000
  • 1985 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$11,500
  • 1986 beige metallic Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$15,000
  • 1989 green Jaguar XJS convertible with 32,000 miles—$25,000
  • 1985 blue Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit sedan—$9,500
  • 1980 black Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II sedan—$11,000
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National GNX coupe with 362 miles—at $150,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction
Sunday:
  • 1989 blue Jaguar XJ 6 sedan—$3,200
  • 1984 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$7,200
  • 1988 silver BMW 635CSi coupe—$4,500
  • 1985 brown Chevrolet El Camino custom pickup—$17,000
  • 1984 black Dodge Ramcharger SUV—$9,500
  • 1985 white Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with 36,000 miles—$15,000
  • 1986 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe—$15,000
  • 1988 black Lotus Esprit coupe—$18,000
  • 1984 silver/black two-tone Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst Olds coupe with 10,000 miles—$25,000
  • 1989 cordovan Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$17,000
  • 1984 blue Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$24,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette very custom coupe—$21,500
  • 1984 white Porsche 911 Carrera coupe—$25,000
  • 1986 white Tiffany coupe with 18,000 miles—$26,000 for this Mercury Cougar-based neo-classic.
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 45,000 miles—$16,500
  • 1985 multicolored Chevrolet Corvette very custom coupe—$27,500 for this “VetteRossa”.
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National custom coupe—$23,000 for this coupe upgraded to GNX specifications.

Looks like a lot of Mercedes-Benz SLs, along with some Porsche 911s, turbo Buicks, and SUVs. What do you think of this year’s results?

Eighties Cars At The 2015 RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island

RM Sotheby’s traditional one-day auction at Amelia Island in mid March had a few 1980s cars this year among the hundred or so total. These particular cars definitely occupy the extreme high-end for eighties cars—none sold for less than their original list price.

  • 1989 Guards Red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with tan and black partial leather interior and 6,400 miles—$264,000 for this Turbo-look version. This is actually only a little over #2 money, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
  • 1988 Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo convertible with champagne leather seats and 2,400 miles—$363,000 for this “slant nose”
  • 1980 Nero Daytona (black) Ferrari 512 BB coupe with black leather interior and 12,000 miles—$418,000 for this lovely piece, despite the fact that it was not in its original red over black two-tone. All the money for a 1980 512 BB used to be about $225,000; obviously this is no longer true.
  • 1988 Jaguar XJR-9 race car—$2,145,000 for the winner of the 1990 24 Hours of Daytona. Race cars don’t generally do well at auction; this car was a definite exception, perhaps aided by the locale.
  • 1987 Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with champagne leather interior and 12,000 miles—$220,000

Eighties Cars At The Mecum Rogers Museum Auction

Mecum’s one-day no-reserve auction in late February of what had been the Jim Rogers’ Classic Car Museum collection had a few 1980s cars among the 231 total. As one would expect for long-time museum cars, all cars in the auction were explicitly represented as “may still need mechanical and fuel system maintenance” and “car has not been driven”. Most had at least had their engines started.

  • 1984 red Avanti coupe with red interior and 22,000 miles. A Steven Blake-era Avanti (no more Avanti IIs by 1984) with a 180 bhp/190 bhp (depending on who you believe) Chevrolet 305 V8 and an automatic transmission—$10,000 is between #3 and #4 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools
  • 1986 brown Jaguar XJ12 Vanden Plas sedan with 4,800 miles—$20,000 seems like a lot of money for this car, even with the low mileage. The cream interior did look near perfect.
  • 1988 triple white Rolls-Royce Corniche II convertible with 15,000 miles—at $68,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction and about $10,000 over Hagerty’s “all the money”
  • 1980 red/silver two-tone Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II sedan with red interior—$19,000
  • 1986 red Porsche 928S coupe with automatic transmission—$17,000 indicates about #2 condition

The rest of the auction was perhaps a little more interesting than these five cars. The oldest car was a black and silver 1915 Ford Motel T while the newest vehicles (from 2012) were a brace of Fisker Karma sedans and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion. The least expensive sale was a yellow 1948 Chevrolet fire truck that went for $3,000 while the most expensive car was a beige 1962 Rolls-Royce Mulliner convertible that hammered for $320,000. The distribution of cost versus year is shown in the chart below.

RogersAuctionPriceGraph

What do you think of these results?

1980 Datsun 280-ZX hatchback coupe

Yutaka Katayama passed on February 19th, 2015, after a long and full life—he was 105. “Mr. K” was the person most responsible for bringing the Z car to market. It is beyond the purview of this blog to head back to the original and groundbreaking 240Z, but we can take a look at the second-generation 280-ZX.

“It’s Black. It’s Gold. And it is awesome.”

For 1980, the 280-ZX received a ‘T’ bar roof and a new digital clock for the GL version, but Datsun otherwise mostly stood pat for the standard car. There were five new colors available.

Power continued to be provided by the L28E 135 bhp 2.8 liter/168 ci V6 with multi-port fuel injection. Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 time of 9.4 seconds in the 2,970-pound coupe—reasonably competitive in 1980. The top speed was about 117 mph.

With the standard five-speed manual transmission, EPA fuel economy ratings were 21 city/31 highway by 1980 standards. Moving to the three-speed automatic transmission significantly impacted mileage—ratings on the sticker were 19/26. With a 21.2-gallon gas tank, an owner of a manual-equipped 280ZX could expect an impressive range of 405 to 445 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $9,899 280-ZX Deluxe (about $41,800 in 2025 dollars or about what a current Nissan Z Sport starts at) included tinted glass, a power antenna, a four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel power disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and P195/75HR14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch steel disc wheels. Inside, a six-way driver’s seat with lumbar support, a quartz sweephand clock, and an AM/FM stereo radio with three speakers were standard.

Stepping up to the $12,238 Grand Luxury (GL) added a ‘T’ bar roof, a rear window wiper/washer, power recirculating ball steering, and aluminum alloy wheels. Inside, Datsun added cruise control, fully integrated air conditioning, a quartz digital clock, a lockable hidden storage compartment, a six-way adjustable seat with lumbar adjustment for the passenger, and an AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers and surround sound control.

Special Editions & Options

1980 Datsun 280-ZX advertisement
1980 Datsun 280-ZX 10th Anniversary Edition advertisement

For 1980, there was also a 10th Anniversary Edition (auto manufacturers were beginning to become aware that anniversary cars could really bring the buyers) available in two different two-tones: either Thunder Black and Rallye Red or Thunder Black and Golden Mist Metallic. The 10th Anniversary Edition went for $13,850—about $59,700 in today’s dollars, or almost exactly what a 2026 Nissan Z Heritage Edition goes for.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the loaded 10th Anniversary Edition included everything on the GL, along with the aforementioned two-tone paint, special badging, headlamp washers, and Goodyear Wingfoot radial tires on alloy wheels with colored inserts. Inside, a limited edition numbered plaque, automatic heating and air conditioning, leather six-way bucket seats, a Hitachi AM/FM stereo radio with cassette, and power windows were included. Period window stickers show no options for the 10th Anniversary Edition.

Exterior and mechanical options for the “normal” 280-ZX included a blackout package (Deluxe), mag-style cast aluminum wheels (Deluxe), two-tone paint (GL), and rear window shade louvers (of course). Buyers could add fully integrated air conditioning (Deluxe), leather seating surfaces (GL), a CB one-hand mic system, and the usual cassette and 8-track stereo choices to the interior.

Production Numbers & Period Reviews

Overall production numbers for the 280-ZX were impressive—Nissan reported 53,687 sold for the 1980 model year. Interestingly, 1980 was the worst year of five for the 280-ZX—86,007 were sold in 1979. Of the 1980 sales, 3,000 were the 10th Anniversary Edition—2,500 black/gold and 500 black/red.

Contemporary reviews were glass-half-full. Car and Driver‘s tagline was “A Japanese Corvette,” and they talked about Datsun discreetly following Chevrolet in terms of price and features. The new ‘T’ bar roof was generally liked for both its availability and its execution—as Popular Mechanics stated, this was the “closest the car would come to being a convertible.”

The View From 2025

There is good club support for the 280-ZX, though not quite at the level available for the now-classic original 240Z. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 280-ZX coupe in #1/Concours condition is $84,400, with a more typical number #3/Good condition car going for $13,200. 280-ZXs often appear in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.

Lord help me, I would like one in the black and gold two-tone …

Other Datsuns I have written about include the 1980 200-SX coupe and the 1981 810 Maxima sedan. Later Nissans I have posted on include the 1984 300ZX hatchback coupe and the 1989 Maxima sedan.

Last updated in September 2025.

1983 Ford Mustang GT convertible

I was driving westbound on the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia on a morning in February 2015 when I saw a Fox Mustang convertible (red exterior, black top). A good enough reason to write a blog entry about these attractive cars.

“It’s not just a convertible … it’s a Mustang.”

For 1983, the big news for the Ford Mustang was the return of the convertible for the first time since the 1973 model year. Introduced on November 5th, 1982, the convertible was available only in the luxury GLX trim and the performance GT trim—lower-end L and GL trims remained with the notchback coupe (L and GL) and the hatchback coupe (GL). The GLX was also available only with V6 and V8 engines (no inline-four—turbo or not—would sully the drop-top experience).

The V6 engine choice for the GLX was the Essex 112 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci with a two-barrel carburetor. Optional on the GLX ($595 additional) and standard on the GT was (of course) the Windsor 175 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor.

Starting at $9,449 (about $30,800 in today’s dollars) and rising significantly during the middle of the model year to a non-trivial $12,467 (about $40,300 in 2025 funds, which is almost exactly what a 2025 Mustang EcoBoost convertible starts at), the GLX did come reasonably well equipped. Standard external and mechanical features included power front disc brakes, tinted glass, and an automatic transmission. Standard interior equipment included a light group and an AM radio.

convertible pages from the 1983 Ford Mustang brochure
Convertible pages from the 1983 Ford Mustang brochure

The GT version of the convertible listed for $13,479 (about $43,600 in 2025 dollars). Standard external and mechanical features included power front disc brakes, power steering, rear spoiler, and a five-speed manual transmission. Standard interior equipment included an AM radio.

All 1983 Mustangs included dual rectangular halogen headlamps, a modified MacPherson strut front suspension, front disc/rear drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering. Inside, full instrumentation (tachometer, trip odometer, fuel/temperature/oil/alternator gauges), full vinyl bucket seats, and a cigarette lighter were included.

Options & Production Numbers

The Mustang option list was long. Inside, air conditioning ($724), speed control ($170), power locks ($160), a tilt steering wheel ($105), and an AM/FM stereo radio with a cassette player ($199) were all available.

All 1983 Mustang convertibles came with a power top, and all windows rolled down—an emphasis Ford frequently made in reference to the Chrysler K car convertibles.

FoxBodyMustangSales

The 1983 Ford Mustang convertible sold reasonably well considering its expense (the GT convertible stickered for 45% more than the GT hatchback). For that year, it probably saved total Mustang sales from dropping below 100,000—helping hold that off until 1991. Between 1983 and 1993, Ford would sell over a quarter of a million of the pony car convertibles.

The View From 2025

There is strong club support for the 1983 Mustang, as there is for all Mustangs except the mid-seventies Mustang IIs. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1983 Mustang GT convertible in #1/Concours condition is $58,300, with a more typical #3/Good condition car going for $14,500. 1983 Mustangs often show up in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer—as I update this blog entry in March 2025, there’s a Red 1983 Mustang GLX convertible with a white top, a white vinyl interior, an aftermarket V8, and 89,000 miles available on Hemmings for $18,000.

Make mine that same Red, please.

Other Mustangs I have written about include the 1980 Cobra fastback coupe, the 1982 GT fastback coupe, and the 1984 SVO fastback coupe.

Last updated March 2025.