The emissions regulations that caused the American automotive industry to be hamstrung made it difficult for many of the cars from GM, Ford, or Chrysler to make it to the top of the performance charts during the 1980s. Even so, there were still plenty of fast cars and they came from brands that we love and admire as some of the top names in the industry.
1985 Ferrari Testarossa
Very few cars are as iconic as the Ferrari Testarossa and the fact this car is one of the fastest of the 1980s makes it an easy choice for the drive. This is a car that looks smooth, sleek, fast, and ready to race. With a top speed of 181 mph and the ability to reach sixty mph in only 5.0 seconds, the Testarossa marked its spot in history.
1987 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Slant Nose
More aerodynamics went into this car and it was able to make its way across the finish line faster than most on more than one occasion. This car was built for speed, quickness, and to race. With this in mind, this was one of the Porsche 911 models that could reach the sixty mph mark in only 4.9 seconds to be a car that gave you want you wanted.
1986 Buick Regal Grand National
The Buick Regal Grand National allowed us to fall in love with a car that didn’t look like it should be fast but it was. This car looked more like a bank robber’s getaway car and it had the chops to leave others behind with a time to reach sixty mph of only 4.9 seconds. This is still one of the most impressive and admired cars of the decade.
1990 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE
Lotus has been able to make fast cars that are lighter and more nimble than others on the market. This is certainly one of the best examples of that and as the decade of the 1980s closed, the Esprit Turbo was considered one of the fastest cars with a sprint time to sixty mph of only 4.8 seconds.
1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4
Get behind the wheel and enjoy the fact that this is a car that’s truly built for speed. Whether you admire the handling around a track or the fact it could reach 100 mph in 12.4 seconds, a quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 104 mph, or make the sprint to sixty mph in 4.8 seconds, this was a stylish and fast Porsche that was fun to drive.
1987 Buick GNX
As it was time to say goodbye to the Buick Grand National, the team came up with this version to be the farewell model. This amazing car could take off like a rocket and reach sixty mph in only 4.7 seconds. If
you find one of these cars, it’s worth the price and the fun it can give you as the fastest Buick mode of the 1980s.
1989 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (turbo V6)
Not only was this one of the fastest cars of the year from Pontiac, it was also the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 and showed off what GM had created. This car made it to sixty mph in only 4.6 seconds while also being able to complete a quarter mile run in 13.4 seconds at 101 mph. This was the quickest sprinter of the time and it used a V6 for the power.
1986 Porsche 911 Turbo
This is a car that could easily race past you with its time to reach sixty mph of only 4.6 seconds and the ability to keep on accelerating until it let you behind. This car showed off with the classic Porsche looks that are sexy and appealing to all who wanted a car that could give you an excellent drive on the track.
1989 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
There had to be a Corvette on the list, but it took Chevrolet nearly the entire decade to offer one that was worthy of making into this list of fast cars. The ZR-1 model of 1989 could make the run to sixty mph in only 4.5 seconds and was considered to be one of the few cars that could take on the European models and win the race.
1987 Porsche 959
This car still carries a specific respect and takes a place in history as one of the most admirable and impressive cars ever built. While the rest of the market was trying to stay below five-seconds for their sprint, this car was able to reach sixty mph in only 3.6 seconds and was by far the fastest car on the market in the 1980s.
Looking for something slightly newer? Opt for the Chevrolet Impala.
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