One of the canards of eighties cars is how performance returned over the decade. I’ve accepted this for many years, but recently, I got interested enough to put some time into it.
I ended up plotting about 175 individual 0-60 times of cars I have blogged about, and this chart was the result. The curving green trendline is a polynomial best fit, which drops from 12.5 seconds in 1980 to 7.9 seconds in 1989.
The quickest car I’ve written about is the 1989 Turbo Trans Am, which Car and Driver got to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds—still very respectable even in 2025. The slowest car was a 1980 Cadillac Seville with its standard diesel engine, at 19.7 seconds. Outliers on the lower performance side include the 1986 Hyundai Excel (16.1 seconds), while the 1983 Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer stands out with its 5.0 second 0-60.
The chart definitely supports the premise that performance improved in the 1980s, but there are challenges with the data:
The only data points are from my blog entries. I like to think that I write about a wide variety of cars, but I tend to choose the more interesting ones—which are often the faster versions. So, this skews the data, but likely by about the same for every year.
Some 0-60 times are hard to find, especially of less glamorous or little-changed cars. About 15% of my blog entries did not have a reliable enough 0-60 time for me to usefully plot.
I find that the 0-60 estimation tools are often well off compared to “real” 0-60 times. Thus, I do not trust these tools to create reliable placeholders when I do not have actual data.
There are also the classic differences in 0-60 times between various automobile magazines. Car and Driver was almost always faster—sometimes significantly. An example that comes easily to mind is the 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI, where Car and Driver recorded a 9.7 second 0-60 time, and Road & Track managed a 10.6 second 0-60. Which one to trust?
On my birthday, here’s a big, comfortable eighties convertible.
“A classic in its own time.”
After being considered by Buick since the early 1960s, the 1982 model year’s most significant news for the Riviera was the advent of the first production convertibles—though the division didn’t deliver the first examples until July 1982. Every Riviera convertible began life as a “normal” Riviera coupe built at GM’s Linden, NJ assembly plant. Cars destined to become convertibles were assembled with neither a rear seat nor a headliner and were finished in either White or Red Firemist paint with maple leather interiors.
Buick then shipped these coupes about 675 miles to American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) in Lansing, MI, where the involved process of changing them to convertibles began. This procedure required cutting the top off, strengthening the body, adding a different rear seat (narrower than the one fitted to the coupe), and installing the white diamond-grain vinyl convertible top and the associated electronics for the power top’s operation. This process took more than 300 parts and required a quoted 10 hours of labor per car—both notable additions. Once completed, new Riviera convertibles underwent two separate leak tests to ensure the top’s integrity before being shipped to Buick dealers. Buick general manager Lloyd Reuss was quoted as saying, “it’s not a hacksaw job,” perhaps comparing it to contemporary efforts from Chrysler and Ford.
Advertisement for the 1982 Buick Riviera convertible
Additional standard equipment packaged with the Riviera convertible included contrasting body-side stripes, four-wheel disc brakes, Custom locking wire wheel covers, deluxe trunk trim, 45/45 leather seats, and the aforementioned Firemist paint (if one went with red). Convertible-specific components included a power-operated convertible top, a cloth headliner, power-operated rear quarter windows, and a “special” radio speaker system. It was a good thing that Riviera convertibles came well-equipped because they were really expensive—with a base price of $24,064, 1982’s droptop Riv was about 66% more expensive than its coupe relation’s barrier to entry. In constant dollars, the sixth-generation convertibles are easily the most costly production Rivieras ever built.
Options & Production Numbers
Exterior and mechanical options for the convertible included door edge guards ($15), an 85-amp Delcotron generator ($35), tungsten-halogen high beam headlamps ($10), and Twilight Sentinel headlamp control ($97). Inside, electric seat back recliners for the driver and front passenger ($139 each), Electronic Touch Climate Control air conditioning ($150), and a tilt and telescoping steering column ($150) were available. Buick offered five optional radios for the Riviera, ranging up to a Delco ETR AM-FM stereo radio with a cassette tape player, CB, and Triband power antenna.
For all its expense—a Riviera convertible started at about $80,200 in today’s dollars—the convertible made and continues to make a distinct impression. A friend of mine who has owned his Riviera convertible since new remembers viewing one at a Buick dealership and thinking it was one of the most beautiful cars he had ever seen.
Buick sold 1,248 Riviera convertibles in the 1982 model year, making the droptop 2.8% of overall production. Approximately sixty were part of Buick’s Select 60 program for top dealers.
The View From 2025
There’s robust discussion and support for the sixth-generation Riviera on the AACA’s Buick Riviera page. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1982 Riviera convertible in #1/Concours condition is $40,600, with a far more normal #3/Good condition going for $12,900. Riviera convertibles often come up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, on Bring a Trailer, and at in-person auctions.
Make mine Red Firemist, please.
Other sixth-generation Rivieras I have written about include the 1980 S TYPE and the 1984 T TYPE. I should write about a “civilian” coupe at some point.
Most material in this blog entry was sourced from the unfinished Riviera Project.
One of my regular readers and commenters mentioned that he once owned a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera sedan. Longtime followers of this blog know that’s a great way to inspire an article—especially with the knowledge that I had already written about the Buick, Chevrolet, and Pontiac versions of the A-car.
“You always win with a mid-size leader in high style.”
For 1985, Oldsmobile’s Cutlass Ciera received its first facelift, with updates to the front fascia that included a new grille and sleeker headlights. The taillamps were revised, and a high-center mount stop lamp was optional one year before it would be required.
The Ciera’s standard powertrain remained the Iron Duke 92 bhp 2.5-liter/151 ci inline four with fuel injection paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. The LK9 110 bhp 3.0 liter/181 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor added $260, while the LG3 125 bhp 3.8 liter/231 V6 with multi-port fuel injection cost $520. The LT7 85 bhp 4.3 liter/263 ci diesel V6 was $260. A four-speed automatic was $175.
The best case 0-60 time was about 11 seconds with the 3.8 liter V6 and the four-speed automatic. Fuel economy ratings for the same combination were 18 city/25 highway by the day’s standards (16/23 by today’s measures). With a 15.6-gallon gas tank, the owner of the quickest Ciera could expect a range of 275 to 300 miles.
The owner of a Ciera with the base Iron Duke/three-speed automatic powertrain might as well have been driving a different car. Their 0-60 time was more like 16 seconds. Fuel economy ratings were an impressive 23 city/32 highway by 1985 standards (21/29 by 2025 measures). With the same 15.6-gallon gas tank, the owner of that Ciera could expect a range of 355 to 385 miles.
Ciera LS page from the 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass brochure
The 1985 Cutlass Ciera LS sedan was $9,497—about $28,900 in today’s dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included a front-end panel stand-up ornament, power rack and pinion steering, low drag power front disc brakes, P185/75R14 steel-belted radial-ply all season blackwall tires, and Deluxe wheel discs. Inside, a Custom bench seat with a center armrest in either cloth or vinyl and an AM push-button radio with dual front speakers and a fixed mast fender antenna were included.
Moving up to the $9,998 Brougham added bright rocker panel and wheel opening moldings, a Convenience Group (lamps, visor vanity mirror, and chime tones), knit velour trims, and a divided front seat with individual controls and a center armrest.
One Package, Options, & Production Numbers
Oldsmobile continued to offer a sporty ES package for the Ciera. Built on the LS sedan and adding $895, the ES included a firm ride and handling package, P195/75R14 steel-belted radial-ply blackwall tires on 14-inch wheels with styled wheel discs, reclining bucket seats, and a console with shifter.
Individual options included Soft-Ray tinted glass, a glass panel sunroof ($310), styled aluminum wheels, a four-season air conditioner, and cruise control ($175). Custom leather trim was only available with the Brougham. Three optional radios were offered, with the top-of-the-line being an ETR AM/FM stereo cassette with auto reverse, seek and scan, noise reduction, extended range speakers, and a clock.
August 1983 Fortune magazine cover
Oldsmobile sold 118,575 LS sedans and 112,441 Brougham sedans, making Ciera sedans 21% of total Oldsmobile production. Cieras overall were two out of every seven sales at an average Oldsmobile dealer. Cieras were also relatively reliable and had few, if any, recalls—a significant improvement over the X-cars.
Of course, the Ciera was one of the four poster children for Fortune magazine’s brutal but accurate August 22nd, 1983 cover. Many believe that cover alone changed the future direction of GM styling, but perhaps that course-correction came too late.
The View From 2025
I see these A-body cars as basic and honest, and believe they deserved their sales numbers. Cutlass Cieras sometimes show up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors, though this is increasingly unusual. Bring a Trailer has sold four Cieras.
Mecum’s annual Indy auction finished on May 17th this year. In the middle of 2021, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks less seen at auction—and those that sell (a red 1986 Ferrari Testarossa coupe was a no-sale at $135,000). Here are eight out of the 108 that sold that attracted my eye, described in a little more detail than usual.
1982 DeMarco, linked from Mecum’s website
[Lot J147] 1982 DeMarco convertible. Black with a tan vinyl top and Camel leather/vinyl front bucket seats. L81 190 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual, and 12,000 miles. $26,000 hammer price for this handsome and relatively rare (they only made 50 or so) convertible conversion, based on a 1981 Chevrolet Corvette but completed (and titled) in 1982.
1987 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, linked from Mecum’s website
[J186] 1987 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer4×4 SUV. Apple Red/Frost White two-tone with Carmine vinyl front bucket seats. LL2 125 bhp 2.8 liter/173 ci V6 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 71,000 miles. $9,500 bought this exceptionally clean and stock S-10 Blazer—how many like this are left?
1985 Buick Riviera convertible, photo courtesy of Mecum
[K60] 1985 Buick Riviera convertible. Red Firemist with a white convertible top and a red leather/vinyl front 45/45 seat. LM9 200 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with sequential fuel injection and a turbocharger, a four-speed automatic, and 67,000 miles. $16,500 for what might be the most interesting example of the Riviera convertibles—rare because it’s a final-year convertible, and even rarer because it is Red Firemist and equipped with a turbo V6 (instead of the far more common V8). I have written about the Riviera convertible many times, but never in this blog—maybe it’s time to fix that.
1981 Checker Marathon, linked from Mecum’s website
[L63] 1981 Checker Marathon taxi. Yellow (natch) with a black vinyl front bench seat. L39 115 bhp 4.4 liter/268 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor and a three-speed automatic. Showing 81,000 miles, but who knows how many times that five-digit odometer rolled over. $6,000 is right at Hagerty’s #4/Fair money for a 1981 Checker with a V8.
1981 Buick Regal, linked from Mecum’s website
[W24] 1981 Buick RegalPace Car Edition coupe. Silver/Dark Maple two-tone with maroon cloth front bucket seats. LC3 110 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor, a four-speed automatic, and 72,000 miles. $18,000 for one of 150 built. You could get a Regal with a turbo in 1981, but Buick elected not to do that with these pace car replicas.
1984 Ford Mustang, linked from Mecum’s website
[W175] 1984 Ford Mustang20th Anniversary convertible. Oxford White with Canyon Red cloth front bucket seats. Lima 145 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with fuel injection and a turbocharger, a five-speed manual, and 4,000 miles. You see a reasonable number of 20th Anniversary convertibles for sale, but you sure don’t see many of them with the turbo four and its distinctive hood bulge. $16,500
1988 Ford Thunderbird, linked from Mecum’s website
[W176] 1988 Ford ThunderbirdLX coupe. Oxford White with Scarlet Red luxury cloth split front bench seat. 155 bhp Windsor 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 86 miles. At $17,000, this has to be the nicest 1988 LX remaining—right? Also, why am I seeing so manyridiculouslynice late eighties ‘Birds?
1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, linked from Mecum’s website
[T240] 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera convertible. White with a white convertible top and Claret leather front bucket seats. LG3 125 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 43,000 miles. $8,000 for this Hess and Eisenhardt convertible conversion.
November 1, 1982 was an incredibly important date for Honda. That day, a Charcoal Gray Metallic 1983 Honda Accord sedan rolled off the production line at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant. That car is currently on exhibition at the marvelous Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
The only engine available for any 1983 Accord was the EK1 75 bhp 1.8 liter/107 ci inline four with a three-barrel carburetor. A five-speed manual was standard, while a four-speed automatic transmission was newly available. Consumer Guide clocked a 13.0-second 0-60 time with the manual, which they charitably described as “brisk.” Fuel economy ratings were 32 city/45 highway by the day’s standards (25/32 by today’s measures). With a 15.9-gallon gas tank, an Accord driver could expect a range of between 410 and 495 miles.
Cover of 1983 Honda Accord brochure
The 1983 Honda Accord sedan’s base price was $8,345—about $27,500 in today’s dollars, which is almost exactly what a 2025 Honda Accord LX sedan goes for. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included dual halogen headlights, tinted glass, variable-assist power rack and pinion steering, power disc/rear drum brakes, and P185/70R13 steel-belted radial ply tires on 13-inch wheels. Inside, cloth reclining front bucket seats with adjustable headrests, cruise control, two speed plus intermittent wipers, a rear window defroster, a remote-control outside rearview mirror, a remote trunk lid release, a tachometer, and a quartz clock with a sweep hand were standard.
One Package, Dealer Options, & Production Numbers
In the middle of the model year, Honda released the Accord Special Edition. The SE added a power sunroof, aluminum alloy wheels, Michelin steel-belted radial tires, leather seats, air conditioning, dual remote-controlled outside mirrors, power windows, power locks, and an AM/FM digital electronic stereo with a stereo cassette player with Dolby noise reduction, a seven-band graphic equalizer, and a power antenna.
There were no factory options—you chose the transmission and the color, and that was it. All options were dealer-installed, including air conditioning for non SE‘s ($500) and eight different radios.
Honda produced 221,137 Accords for the 1983 model year. Comments on the Accord’s build quality from the automotive press continued to range from admiring to stunned—Consumer Guide commented on their test Accord’s “lustrous” paint and “formidable” quality control.
The View From 2025
Second-generation Accords were once prevalent on American roads, but have virtually disappeared by now. You occasionally see these Accords for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer, but there were no sedans out there as I write this in May 2025.
The Pontiac Fiero came to market in 1984 with ridiculous expectations, partially driven by Pontiac and partly by how the public sees two-seat mid-engine cars. What had initially been proposed in the late seventies as a “small, sporty commuter car” became a significant part of Pontiac’s mid-eighties We Build Excitement strategy.
Soon, the painful fact that the Fiero’s mechanical parts were from the low end of the General Motors parts bin became stunningly obvious. Citation and Chevette suspension parts abounded, and the only available engine was the distinctly uninspiring 2.5 liter/151 ci Iron Duke inline four with fuel injection, featuring all of 92 bhp.
Predictably, handling and acceleration did not meet expectations, with Road & Track clocking an 11.6-second 0-60 time with the standard four-speed manual. On the other hand, fuel economy numbers were impressive—27 city/47 highway by the day’s standards (21/33 by 2025 measures). Only the tiny 8.7-gallon gas tank kept range with a 10% fuel reserve at a mere 215 to 260 miles.
Fiero pages from the 1984 Pontiac prestige brochure
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $7,999 Fiero (about $25,700 in 2025 dollars) included retractable tungsten halogen headlamps, Sport mirrors, rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel vented power disc brakes, and 185/80R13 tires (a size now only available from Michelin) on 13-inch Rally wheels. Inside, reclining cloth bucket seats, a floor console, and a rear window defroster were included.
Three Optional Models
The $8,499 Fiero Sport added an AM radio. Likely the most important feature of the Sport option was that it added the availability of options such as an automatic transmission, 14-inch tires and wheels, air conditioning, and upgraded seats.
The $9,599 Fiero SE added Soft-Ray tinted glass, the Special Performance Package, 195/70R14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch Hi Tech Turbo wheels, Custom cloth reclining bucket seats, a Formula steering wheel, and an AM radio with a digital readout.
The Indy Pace Car Edition cost an additional $2,895 over an SE and added a specific exterior treatment with ground effects and a rear spoiler, a pop-up sunroof, and white bucket seats with red inserts. All Indy Pace Car Editions had a White over Medium Gray two-tone—Pontiac made 2,000 of them. At a minimum of $12,494 without additional options, they were about $39,200 in today’s dollars, or almost exactly what a 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring goes for.
Individual Options, Production Numbers, & Period Reception
Individual options included a removable glass sunroof ($300), a tilt steering wheel ($110), air conditioning ($730), an electric rear window defogger ($140), power door locks ($125), and power windows ($185).
Fiero sales overall totaled 136,840 in the 1984 model year, with 49% of those being the top-of-the-line SE. First-year sales accounted for 37% of the total number of Fieros produced over five years.
Reviews from the buff books were decent, though there was disappointment at the Iron Duke-only power—especially since Pontiac was already talking about a V6 (and alleging it would be turbocharged). Reading those early reviews, you can sense that the magazines wanted such an undeniably different domestic product to be good.
Then, of course, the recalls came—four in all for the 1984 Fiero. They were primarily related to the fuel system, and the recalls were driven by many fires (perhaps one for every 300 Fieros made in 1984). Pontiac would eventually acknowledge and fix most of the problems, but the damage had been done.
The View From 2025
According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1984 Fiero Indy Pace Car Edition in #1/Concours condition is $25,000, with a more common #3/Good condition car going for $9,800. An SE is about 44% less, while a base car is 46% off. Fieros have a good club and forum following and a fairly strong presence in Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in December 2025, there’s a White 1984 Fiero Indy Pace Car Edition with 1,676 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $30,000.
1980 model year changes to Ford’s Fairmont Futura coupe included new engine choices and a new Tu-Tone paint treatment. Newly standard were P-metric steel-belted radial ply tires, high-illumination halogen headlamps, and a maintenance-free battery.
The Fairmont was the first of the Fox platforms to make it to market. Initially available for the 1978 model year, it replaced the Maverick as Ford’s compact offering. The Futura coupe’s distinctive wrapover B-pillar design came from a March 1976 Fairmont-based Thunderbird proposal.
Ford had been using the Fairmont name for a while by 1978—Ford of Australia had first used it in 1965. The Futura name was even older, dating back to a Lincoln concept car designed in 1954 and debuting as a higher-trim model of the Falcon in 1961.
Powertrains, Performance, & Standard Equipment
The Fairmont Futura’s standard engine was the Lima 88 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with a two-barrel carburetor. The Thriftpower 91 bhp 3.3 liter/200 ci inline six with a one-barrel carburetor ($169) was available, and had 36% more torque than the four. A Windsor 119 bhp 4.2 liter/255 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor ($288) was also available—a substantial downgrade from the 139 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci engine that had been available in 1978 and 1979.
There was once some argument, but it now seems reasonably clear that some Futuras were built with the heavily advertised turbocharged four ($481). This engine was rated at 120 bhp and included a prominent hood bulge with Turbo insignia. Reliability must not have met Ford’s expectations, because the turbocharged four didn’t make it to the 1981 model year.
A four-speed manual was standard with the base 2.3 liter inline four, while a four-speed manual with overdrive was standard with the 3.3 liter inline six. A SelectShift three-speed automatic ($340) was required with the turbocharged four and the V8, and optional for the two other engines.
Performance wasn’t great, but few domestic competitors were much better. Road & Track clocked a 15.8-second 0-60 time with the base powertrain. Best-case times with either the turbo four or the V8 were probably about two seconds better, but a Futura driver wasn’t looking to go racing.
Fuel economy ratings with the base powertrain were impressive: 28 city/38 highway by the day’s standards. The far more common 3.3 liter six/automatic combination was 20/27, with the V8 getting 18/26. The turbo came in at 19/26. With a 14-gallon fuel tank, Fairmont buyers with the 3.3 liter six and the automatic could expect a range of 270 to 295 miles.
Cover of the 1980 Ford Fairmont Futura brochure
The Fairmont Futura coupe’s base price was $5,531—$23,500 in today’s dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included dual rectangular halogen headlamps, wraparound taillamps, rack and pinion steering, front disc/rear drum brakes, and P-metric 14-inch black sidewall radial-ply radial tires on 14-inch wheels with Deluxe wheel covers. Inside, accent vinyl low-back front bucket seats and a Deluxe steering wheel hub were included.
Some of the Futura‘s standard interiors depended on the engine and transmission chosen. Buyers of the base 2.3 liter four with the four-speed manual and the turbocharged four with the automatic got low-back front bucket seats in pebble-grain vinyl. Buyers of the 3.3 liter six with the manual and the V8 with the automatic got a bench seat.
Packages, Options, & Production Numbers
The Ghia package ($193) included dual remote-control mirrors, a Ghia badge, plush cut-pile carpeting, a carpeted trunk, a Luxury steering wheel, a glove box lock, sun visors, and a right hand visor vanity mirror. Ghia buyers got a Flight Bench seat in either Luxury velour cloth or pebble-grain vinyl if they chose an automatic transmission, or bucket seats with the four-speed manual.
The Sports group ($114) included an over-the-roof tape stripe, color-keyed turbine wheel covers, and a charcoal/argent grille.
Individual exterior and mechanical options included power front disc brakes ($78) and power steering ($165). Inside, air conditioning ($671), a tilt steering wheel ($78), fingertip speed control ($116), power side windows ($135), and power door locks ($88) were available.
Ford produced 51,878 Futura coupes in 1980, making up 16% of overall Fairmont production in a year where overall Ford sales were down. 1,158 Fairmonts were turbos.
The View From 2025
It is striking both how many Fairmont versions there were and how much effort Ford put into marketing the Futura. Ford presented six versions of the Fairmont:
a 2-door sedan, which had a normal roofline and looked much plainer than the Futura
a 4-door sedan
the Futura coupe
the Futura sedan, which joined mid-year and had the same grille and many of the same features as the Futura coupe
a 4-door wagon
a Squire-branded 4-door wagon with woodgrain vinyl
Though the Futura got two full pages in the Fairmont brochure, Ford also made an eight-page Futura-specific brochure available.
Fairmont Futuras are not often seen for sale in any venue. AutoTrader Classic has an occasional Fairmont, while Bring a Trailer has sold a grand total of one Fairmont overall—a wagon. The word Fairmont appears in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds more as a component (of Model A replicas, for example) than a vehicle. One exception to this lack of sales visibility came in January 2024, when Barrett-Jackson auctioned a 1978 Ford Futura coupe for a $34,000 hammer price—it was the 100,000,000 U.S.-built Ford vehicle.
“The thrill of pure, uncluttered driving excitement is back.”
For 1987, the Formula returned to Pontiac’s offerings after a six-year pause. The general messaging of the Formula was all the performance of the Trans Am, but with few of the Trans Am’s exterior add-ons and little of the interior comfort of the Trans Am GTA. At $12,413—about $36,600 in today’s dollars—the Formula was 14% less expensive than a Trans Am.
The Formula’s standard powertrain was the LG4 170 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor paired with a five-speed manual. The LB9 185 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with tuned port injection ($745) and the big dog B2L 210 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with tuned port injection ($1,045) were available options. The 5.7-liter engine required the four-speed automatic ($490).
Performance had improved steadily since 1982, yielding a zero to sixty times of about seven seconds. Mileage with arguably the sportiest combination (5.0 liter tuned port injection and five-speed) was 16 city/26 highway by the day’s standards (15/24 by 2025 measures), with the 5.7 liter/automatic transmission combination only slightly worse. With a smallish (approximately 16.0-gallon) fuel tank, a Formula owner with the base powertrain could expect a range of between 280 and 300 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
Firebird Formula pages from the 1987 Pontiac brochure
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the 1987 Firebird Formula included a front air dam, a dome hood, a body color aero deck rear spoiler, a special performance suspension, power brakes, and P245/50VR16 Goodyear Eagle tires on Hi-Tech 16″ x 8″ aluminum wheels. Inside, reclining cloth front bucket seats, cloth rear folding seats, a Formula three-spoke steering wheel, a full-length console with instrument panel, complete analog instrumentation, side window defoggers, and a Delco AM radio were included.
Packages, Individual Options, & Production Numbers
By 1987, General Motors was finally figuring out the build complexity costs of tens or hundreds of individual options. Thus, packages came into play.
The Formula Package I ($1,273) included body side moldings, air conditioning with Soft Ray tinted glass, a tilt steering wheel, and a Delco ETR AM/FM stereo with seek, scan, and clock.
The Formula Package II ($1,842) included everything in Formula Package I plus cruise control, controlled-cycle windshield wipers, power windows, power door locks, and a deck lid release.
Individual options not included in either of the packages included a removable glass hatch roof ($920), a limited slip differential ($100), an electric rear window defogger ($145), and a series of radios ranging up to the “Touch Control” ETR AM stereo/FM stereo with seek-scan, search-replay/auto reverse cassette, graphic equalizer, and clock ($529).
Pontiac sold 13,164 Formulas in the 1987 model year, accounting for about 16% of overall Firebird sales (the base Firebird coupe was the best seller with approximately 47% of sales). Third-generation Formula sales would peak at 16,670 in 1989, and would never approach that total again.
The View From 2025
I believe the Formula‘s somewhat restrained looks (compared to the Trans Am) have aged well, and their comparative rarity makes them special.
According to Hagerty‘s valuation tools, a 1987 Firebird Formula with the base 5.0 liter V8 and the manual in #1/Concours condition is $25,600, with a far more normal #3/Good condition version going for $9,800. Late-1980s Formulas aresometimes available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.
After a six-year pause, Porsche brought the 911 Turbo back to the United States market in 1986. The difference compared to other 911s was, of course, the engine, a Bosch fuel-injected 282 bhp 3.3 liter/201 ci flat six with a turbocharger.
With the standard four-speed manual transmission (the Porsche five-speed could not reliably handle the Turbo‘s power), you could expect to hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, with a top speed of 157 mph in the 3,000-pound Turbo (the 2025 911 Turbo coupe is about 3,700 pounds). Fuel mileage was an unimpressive 16 city/22 highway by the day’s standards (15/20 by today’s measures) with premium gas, which meant you were paying a $500 gas guzzler tax. A 22.5-gallon gas tank meant a range of 355 to 380 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
1986 Porsche 930 Turbo print advertisement
The 911 Turbo‘s base price was $53,475—about $157,000 in 2025 dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included tinted glass all around, a front and rear spoiler, heatable and electrically adjustable outside mirrors, heatable windshield washer nozzles, integrated fog lights, four-wheel vented disc brakes (but no ABS), and an engine oil cooler. Tires were 225/50VR-16 in the front and 245/45VR-16 for the rear, both mounted to 16-inch forged alloy wheels (both tire sizes are still readily available). Inside, a leather interior, a 4-spoke leather-covered steering wheel, an air conditioner, a central locking system, power windows, and Blaupunkt’s Monterey AM/FM stereo cassette with four speakers were all standard.
Production & Period Reviews
Porsche sold 1,424 Turbos in the United States during the 1986 model year, with many of the eager buyers happy to avoid the vicissitudes of gray market imports.
Like many turbocharged Porsches in the 1980s, the 911 Turbo was somewhat of a poster child for turbo lag. The immortal quote from Car and Driver:
“A cheerleader in a clapped-out Mustang II will have no trouble beating you across an intersection while checking her makeup. As a matter of fact, one did exactly that to us.”
All the buff books agreed that the wider rear wheels and tires substantially improved the handling over 1970s Turbos. However, there was a feeling that the mid-eighties Turbo was not as differentiating as the seventies version had been, perhaps because many other performance cars (including others from Porsche) had closed the gap by 1986.
The View From 2025
After all that has been written about them, I don’t feel I have anything startlingly new to say about the 911 Turbo—perhaps the reason it has taken me so long to generate a blog post about it.
Porsche 911 Turbos have (of course) excellentclub support from many sources and are often available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. 911 Turbos from the 1980s have held their values very well. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo coupe in #1/Concours condition is $275,000, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $175,000. As I write this blog entry in April 2025, there’s a Black 1986 911 Turbo with black leather seats and 16,000 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $182,500.
I was working on a blog post on the 1981 Chrysler New Yorker, and I got to thinking about the nuts and bolts of Chrysler’s transition to front-wheel-drive in the United States. For this study, I looked at only non-imported cars (no Arrows, Colts, or Sapporos), and only at offerings from the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth brands.
1977: the year before the Omni/Horizon hatchback sedan debuted, Chrysler Corporation had four platforms, all of them rear-wheel-drive. The F-body Aspen/Volaré compact was by far the sales leader—approximately 48% of Chrysler’s 1.2 million sales. The other offerings were the M-body premium mid-size (new for 1977, with the Dodge Diplomat sedan fated to make it all the way to 1989), the B-body mid-size, and the C-body full-size.
1978: the L-body Omni/Horizon hatchback sold well in its first year, with almost 167,000 exiting Dodge and Plymouth dealerships. These numbers comprised 15% of overall domestic production, with the Aspen/Volaré still being the sales leader. Chrysler Corporation sales declined by about 13%.
1979: a coupe version of the L-body made it to market, branded as Omni 024 and Horizon TC3. Overall Omni/Horizon sales were now 27% of total production, partly because Chrysler’s sales continued to collapse (off another 11%). Chrysler did bring the downsized rear-wheel-drive R-body full-size platform to market, replacing the C-body. 1979 was the last year that the Aspen/Volaré led Chrysler sales.
1980: Omni/Horizon sales increased by 2% to 264,000. They were now 41% of overall domestic production and by far the sales leader in another down year. The rear-wheel-drive J-body coupes (Cordoba and Mirada) replaced the B-body, but didn’t sell any better. 1980 was the final year for the Aspen/Volaré.
1981: a lot changed at your local Dodge or Plymouth showroom in 1981. The Aspen/Volaré was retired, putatively replaced by the heavily publicized Aries/Reliant K-body. Sales of the two front-wheel-drive platforms combined for 81% of overall production, and domestic Chrysler automobile production was up for the first time in many years.
1982: Chrysler added Super K models to the mix—really just slightly nicer versions of the Aries and Reliant. The Chrysler brand got its first front-wheel-drive offering with the LeBaron coupe, sedan, station wagon, and (late in the model year) convertible. The rear-wheel-drive C-body full-size was retired after only three years, with the New Yorker and Gran Fury marques transitioning to the rear-wheel-drive M-body mid-size platform. Despite the increased front-wheel-drive choices, their percentage of production increased only half a percent.
1983: Chrysler introduced the E-body—an extended version of the K-body with three more inches of wheelbase. Dodge got the 600 sedan, while Chrysler got two models—the E Class and the New Yorker (switching platforms yet again). Chrysler’s M-body offering was renamed to New Yorker Fifth Avenue, but I’m betting many potential buyers were still confused. 1983 was also the last year for the J-body coupes, with the Cordoba, Imperial, and Mirada going away.
1984: the sporty G-body Daytona and Laser hatchbacks were announced. Chrysler rebranded the rear-wheel-drive New Yorker Fifth Avenue as simply Fifth Avenue—probably a good idea. With only the M-body as a rear-wheel drive offering, the percentage of front-wheel-drive vehicles reached 88%.
1985: the Chrysler E Class vanished, but magically reappeared as the Plymouth Caravelle. The H-class mid-size sedan debuted in Lancer and LeBaron GTS forms. Dodge kept interest going in the aging L-body with increasingly quicker variants: 1985 had the Omni GLH and the Shelby Charger.
1986: unlike the previous five years, things were relatively quiet in 1986, with no model introductions or phase-outs. The K-body convertible was in its final year—there would be no Chrysler LeBarons (Mark Cross or Town & Country) or Dodge 600s after 1986.
1987: the Super K platform disappeared, and the P-body and front-wheel-drive J-body platforms debuted. The K-body offerings no longer included a LeBaron coupe or convertible, but the LeBaron sedan and station wagon and the Aries/Reliant twins were still good for a quarter of overall production. The percentage of front-wheel drive cars hit 90%, but Chrysler still sold over 100,000 of the M-body sedans, with the Chrysler Fifth Avenue being the leader.
1988: the front-wheel-drive C-body debuted, at that point the largest Chrysler front-wheel-drive offering—by an inch of wheelbase. It was seen in the Dodge Dynasty, and yet another version of the New Yorker—the end-of-the-line E-body based New Yorker was branded as New Yorker Turbo. Front-wheel-drive sales hit 93%.
1989: the E-body went away, with the A-body Dodge Spirit and Plymouth Acclaim sedans replacing it. For the first time since 1980, the K-body was not the best-selling platform—the C-body took over the sales crown in its second year, with 207,000 sold. Front-wheel-drive was now 97% of production.
1990: Chrysler Corporation discontinued three platforms in 1990. The K-body and H-body went away, but most important for this narrative is that the rear-wheel-drive M-body was gone. The transition was complete, but Chrysler would return to rear-wheel-drive in 1992 with the Dodge Viper.
Eighties Cars 