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1986 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta hatchback coupe

“Elegance With a Technical Touch.”

1986 was the last model year for the Berlinetta semi-luxury version of Chevrolet’s Camaro, and they were by far the rarest of the three Camaro types available. With only 4,579 Berlinettas built in 1986, Chevrolet sold more than eleven times as many IROC-Zs alone. There were few changes for the 1986 Berlinetta—among them the appearance of the federally mounted center high-mounted stop lamp, new colors, updated interiors, and a new automatic closure for the large and heavy rear hatch.

The base powertrain for the Berlinetta was the LB8 135 bhp 2.8 liter/173 ci multi-port fuel-injected V6 with a five-speed manual transmission. Optional power was the $450 LG4 155 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, which was paired with a $425 four-speed automatic transmission (the five-speed manual was not available with the V8 on the Berlinetta).

Fuel economy with the base powertrain combination was 17 city/26 highway by the day’s standards (15/24 by modern measures). Moving up to the V8 dropped mileage ratings only slightly—to 17/25, and reduced the 0-60 mph time to a respectable 9 seconds in a car that weighed approximately 3,065 pounds. With a 16.2-gallon fuel tank (for some reason 0.7 gallons larger than with the V6), a V8 Berlinetta owner could expect a range of 275 to 305 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Your $11,902 base price (about $35,400 in today’s dollars) bought standard mechanical and exterior equipment including power brakes, power steering, dual horns, and P205/70R-14 blackwall steel-belted radial tires (a size still readily available) on 14 x 7 inch wheels with Berlinetta-specific full wheel covers. Inside, custom cloth reclining seats with adjustable headrests, a Berlinetta-only steering wheel, intermittent windshield wipers, a roof console with a removable flashlight, a fold-down rear seat, a locking rear storage cover, Quiet Sound Group, and an AM/FM stereo radio with a clock and four speakers were included.

Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta print advertisement
Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta print advertisement

Of course, the most notable interior component in the Berlinetta was the “Welcome aboard Starship Camaro.” (yes, that was an actual advertisement) electronic instrument cluster with dual adjustable control pods, a vacuum-fluorescent digital speedometer, and a bar graph tachometer. To an aspiring young audiophile, the killer feature of this interior was the optional (an extra $242) AM/FM stereo on a swivel with a “proper” upright (no slot) cassette deck and a five-band graphic equalizer. For 1986 only, the stereo received substantially improved backlighting.

Options

Among the many exterior and mechanical options were four-wheel disc brakes ($179 and only available with the V8), t-tops ($846—ouch!), a rear spoiler ($69), halogen headlamps ($25), electric rear window defogger ($145), and nice looking Berlinetta-only aluminum finned wheels ($225). Inside, you could add cruise control ($185), Comfortilt steering wheel ($115), power door locks ($145), and Berlinetta-specific electronically-controlled air conditioning ($775). The Berlinetta could get expensive: I had no trouble getting a V8 version up to $15,400—about $45,800 in 2025 dollars.

The View From 2025

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According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1986 Berlinetta with the LG4 in (rare) #1/Concours condition is $21,900, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $6,100. Third-generation Camaros generally have good club support and are often available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. However, Berlinettas of any year (Chevrolet first brought them to market in 1979) are relatively rare. As I update this blog post in August 2025, there is a Medium Gray Metallic 1986 Berlinetta with gray cloth seats, the V8, and 29,000 miles available for sale on Hemmings, asking $17,900.

Make mine Black, please.

Thanks to the GM Heritage Center for some really specific information on the 1986 Berlinetta.

Other third-generation Camaro hatchback coupes I have written about include the 1982 Z28 Indy 500 Commemorative Edition, the 1984 Sport Coupe, and the 1985 IROC-Z. I have yet to write about any of the 1987 through 1989 Camaro convertibles.

Last updated August 2025.

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1980 Pontiac Sunbird Sport Hatch

“Sunbird offers new thrills for the thrifty.”

1980 was the last model year for the rear wheel drive Pontiac Sunbird, Pontiac’s variant of Chevrolet’s Monza. Initially available in base coupe, sport coupe, and sport hatch (a base hatch was added mid-year, but the wagon was permanently gone), the Sunbird received few changes for 1980.

The standard engine was the LX8 Iron Duke 2.5 liter/151 ci inline four with a Rochester 2SE two-barrel carburetor, making all of 86 bhp. Optional was the LD5 110 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a Rochester M2ME two-barrel carburetor. A four-speed manual was standard, with an optional three-speed automatic available.

Mileage with the inline four and four-speed manual was pretty impressive in 1980: 22 city/35 highway by the day’s standards. Getting decadent by spending $545 for the automatic and the V6 combination took mileage down to 20 city/27 highway. With the V6/automatic transmission pairing and an 18.5-gallon fuel tank, a Sunbird owner could expect a range of 320 to 350 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Not much came standard for the $4,371 base price (approximately $18,700 in today’s dollars), especially to our 2025 eyes. Feature highlights for a base Sunbird included a bright grill with park and signal lamps, whitewall tires, Custom wheel covers, and “Sunbird external identification.” Inside, base Sunbirds included tinted windows, vinyl front bucket seats, and a Delco AM radio.

Moving up to the sport coupe ($4,731) or the sport hatch ($4,731) added body color mirrors, “custom” vinyl bucket seats, and various moldings, but was still rather austere. Luxury trim ($195) added cloth seats along with snazzier carpeting and door trim.

A Package, Individual Options & Production Numbers

1980 Pontiac Sunbird brochure picture
1980 Sunbird Sport Hatch with the Formula Package

Available only with the sport hatch, the rare (only 1% of production) and expensive ($674, or about $2,900 in today’s dollars) Formula Package added a front air dam and rear spoiler, along with blacked-out grille, and BR70-13 white lettered tires (nearly equivalent 195/70R13 tires are available from BF Goodrich) on 13-inch cast aluminum rally wheels with trim rings. It wasn’t all bark and no bite: the Rally Handling Package was included, with larger front and rear stabilizer bars. Inside, a tachometer and other rally gauges were included. The whole combination meant that a sport hatch with the Formula Package, the V6, and the four-speed manual came to $5,630 (about $24,100 in today’s dollars). The 0-60 time for this top-of-the-line Sunbird was probably around 10 seconds—not far from some versions of the line-leading 1980 Firebird Trans Am.

Individual mechanical options included variable-ratio power steering (the most popular option and required with the V6) and power front disc brakes. Inside, you could add Custom air conditioning ($531), a tilt steering wheel (which required power steering), and an AM/FM stereo cassette player (two different 8-track radios were also still available). A removable sunroof was also available for $193.

The rear wheel drive Sunbird sold well even in its final year, partially because of the extended model year. Almost 188,000 were sold, with over 100,000 being the base coupe, making the Sunbird the best-selling of all the 1980 H-bodies. Pontiac would return partially to the Sunbird name with the 1983 2000 Sunbird convertible version of the J-body—by 1985, the Sunbird name would once again stand alone.

The View From 2025

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Stock Sunbirds of this generation almost never come up for sale in Hemmings Motor News and eBay Motors—they seem to have disappeared entirely despite the fact that Pontiac sold about 480,000 examples over five years. You do occasionally see examples of the “sister” Chevrolet Monza auctioned on Bring a Trailer, but even they are rare.

Make mine Agate Red, please.

Another Sunbird I have written about is the 1984 2000 Sunbird S/E hatchback coupe. I have also written about the 1980 Chevrolet Monza Sport 2+2 hatchback coupe.

Last updated October 2025.

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1985 Buick Somerset Regal coupe

Welcome, Jalopnik and Autoblog readers! We have many meh cars at Eighties Cars—the unloved category covers most of them.

I saw a reasonably original Buick Somerset Regal with Dark Gray Metallic paint on a side road in Philadelphia in March 2104. It was the first one I’d seen in many years.

“There has never been a Buick quite like the Somerset Regal”

Buick’s Somerset Regal was a new model for 1985. Available initially in coupe form only, Buick’s version of the N-body (Oldsmobile had the Calais, and Pontiac had the Grand Am) was designed to at least partially replace the Skylark. It failed miserably, only surviving for three years before being subsumed back into the Skylark product line. Respectable first-year sales of 86,076 declined to 75,620 in 1986 and 46,501 in 1987.

Exterior photo of Somerset Regal from 1985 Buick brochure
Exterior photo of the Somerset Regal from the 1985 Buick brochure

The Somerset Regal was not a big car by today’s standards. With 180 inches of length and a 103.4-inch wheelbase, it is within shouting distance of a 2025 Honda Civic sedan, which is 184.8 inches long and has a 107.7-inch wheelbase. Of course, cars, in general, have gotten a lot bigger in these thirty years—the Somerset Regal was notably more substantial than the 1985 Honda Accord.

The standard powertrain was a Tech IV 92 bhp 2.5 liter/151 ci inline four with throttle body fuel injection (a slightly upgraded Iron Duke) paired with a five-speed manual transmission, but I believe most buyers went with the optional ($425) three-speed automatic instead. The hot set-up (if you could call it that) was the optional ($560) LN7 125 bhp 3.0 liter/181 ci multi-port fuel-injected V6, only available with the automatic. 0-60 times ranged from 11 to 13 seconds.

Mileage for the inline four and five-speed manual combination was an impressive 24 city/34 highway by the day’s standards (21/31 by 2025 measures). Choosing the more realistic three-speed automatic cost two mpg, while upgrading to the V6 dropped you all the way down to 20 city/26 highway. With a 13.6-gallon gas tank, owners of the most profligate powertrain combination could expect a range of between 255 and 280 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Interior of the Somerset Regal brochure from the 1985 Buick brochure
Interior of the Somerset Regal from the 1985 Buick brochure

For the Somerset Regal’s $8,857 base price (about $27,100 in today’s dollars), standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, tungsten-halogen headlights, and body-colored bumpers. The interior included cloth or vinyl bucket seats, a center console, brushed metal accents, electronic digital instrumentation (somewhat upmarket at the time), and an AM radio. Moving up to the Limited trim added dual horns, chrome bumpers, and courtesy lamps, along with snazzier cloth seats and an upmarket steering wheel.

Standard features that date the Somerset Regal included the Delco Freedom II Plus battery, front and rear ashtrays in the console, and the P185/80R13 tires (now considered a trailer size) on 13-inch wheels.

Options

Options included the $645 air conditioning (in the mid-1980s not yet standard on most cars), cruise control ($175), leather seats ($275 and only available with the Limited), power door locks ($130), power windows ($195), Vista-Vent sunroof, Delco GM/Bose Music System AM/FM stereo cassette ($995!), cast-aluminum wheels ($229), and a Gran Touring suspension ($27).

The View From 2025

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These Somerset Regals are now almost completely gone. Bring a Trailer did sell a very rare 1986 Somerset T-Type (Buick removed the Regal part of the name after only one year) in mid-2023. I haven’t seen one in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors in several years.

Make mine Medium Blue Metallic, please.

I have also written about the 1985 Pontiac Grand Am coupe, which had a lot more success. Other smaller front wheel drive Buicks I have written about include the 1983 Skylark T TYPE coupe and the 1984 Skyhawk coupe.

Last updated in August 2025.