20 cars that prove American muscle wasn’t dead in the 1980s

Performance monsters from the yuppie decade

American fans of going fast had to endure some pretty lean years after classic American muscle peaked in 1970.

But by the 1980s performance was starting to creep back onto the agenda, and not just in traditional big-cube V8 form; V6s, fours, turbochargers and superchargers were all fair game.

Here are 20 cars that prove American muscle was alive and kicking in the ’80s.

1. Camaro Z28

Chevy’s Camaro (and its Pontiac Firebird twin) got new, lighter bodies for 1982, and even a four-cylinder engine for base cars.

Fortunately, the V8 was still available, though the top 5-litre’s 165bhp – 145bhp if you wanted a manual – was hardly tyre-melting stuff. Things got better, though: the IROC-Z (pictured) introduced a 225bhp 5.7 in 1987.

2. Pontiac 20th anniversary Trans Am

Pontiac’s pony car was more closely aligned than ever with its Camaro sister by the 1980s, but the 20th TA marked one major difference.

While the top Camaro stuck with a traditional V8, Pontiac took a leaf out of Buick’s book and added a turbocharged V6.

Official figures said it made 250bhp; Car and Driver magazine’s 4.6secs 0-60mph time suggested it was north of 300.

3. Corvette ZR-1

In the dark days of the mid 1970s, GM’s plastic fantastic pumped out a not very fantastic 165bhp in its weakest configuration, but by 1984, things were on the mend.

The new-for-’84 C4 Corvette’s 205bhp was up to 250bhp by 1985, but the decade’s big story was the ZR-1 (pictured) and its Lotus-developed 32v OHV V8.

Introduced in late 1989, the ZR-1 was good for 375bhp and a supercar-grade 180mph top speed.

4. Callaway Corvette Sledgehammer

The Lotus-tuned ZR-1 wasn’t the only unhinged Corvette available from Chevy dealers. Another was a twin-turbo conversion from Callaway.

The cars were backed by a full Chevy warranty and pumped out 382bhp in road trim, but Reeves Callaway didn’t stop there. His outrageous Sledgehammer Corvette (pictured) used its almost-900bhp to record an incredible 255mph.

5. Vector W2

Supercar fantasist Jerry Wiegart first showed his concept for a mid-engined, V8-powered answer to the Lamborghini Countach in 1978, and then spent the 1980s trying to get the funding to put the supposed 242mph W2 into production.

6. Vector W8

Wiegart finally made his dream a reality in 1989, when he launched the production version of the W2, the W8.

The twin-turbo V8 featured an aluminium block and adjustable boost pressure, but the strangest bit was the transmission: an ancient three-speed automatic originally developed for the 1960s front-drive Olds Toronado.

7. Buick Grand National

Keen to capitalise on its NASCAR success, Buick introduced the Grand National package for its two-door Regal in 1982.

In 1984 the GN was pumping out 200bhp from its turbocharged V6, and by 1987 output had climbed to 245bhp, making it as powerful as a V8 Corvette.

8. Buick GNX

Things got even wilder in 1987, when Buick launched the GNX, or Grand National Experimental.

Limited to 547 units, the GNX got an upgraded Garrett turbo, bigger intercooler and free-flow exhaust to help it deliver a conservatively claimed 276bhp (more like 300bhp in reality) to the rear wheels.

9. Merkur XR4Ti

Merkur was Ford of America’s response to the 1980s boom in upmarket European imports from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and the XR4Ti was one of its key weapons.

Based on the European Sierra XR4i, the Merkur subbed the Euro car’s 2.8 Cologne V6 for a turbocharged 2.3 ‘four’.

10. Ford Taurus SHO (1988-’91)

A rapid American family car with a distinctly European flavour, the Taurus SHO (Super High Output) featured a front-wheel drive chassis and a Yamaha-developed V6 that could scream to 7000rpm.

Was it quick? For SHO: zero to 60mph took just 6.6secs and the top speed was over 140mph.

11. Mustang GT

Ford didn’t offer a V8 of any sort in the downsized 1974 Mustang, and even by 1981, the best it could muster was a feeble 120bhp from an emissions-strangled 4.2.

But the 5.0 was back in the brochures in 1982, bringing a then-respectable 157bhp, which rose to a solid 225bhp by the end of the 1980s.

12. Mustang SVO

The newly returned performance V8 wasn’t the only way to go fast in a 1980s Mustang, however.

Created by Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations, the 1984 SVO Mustang came with Koni suspension, an aerodynamic nose and most importantly, a 2.3-litre turbocharged ‘four’ that started with 175bhp, and was up to 200bhp by the time production ended three years later.

13. Pontiac Fiero

Pontiac’s answer to the Toyota MR2 and Fiat X1/9 was a compact mid-engined two-seater designed to make commuting fun and frugal.

The original 1984 car’s 2.5-litre, 90bhp Iron Duke four-banger was about as athletic as a tortoise waiting for a gastric band op, but a 140bhp V6 answered performance criticisms the following year.

14. Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe

Even in its two-seat mid-’50s heyday, the T-Bird never really convinced as a sports car, but the new-for-’89 Thunderbird Super Coupe had a good stab at it.

Base cars got a yawn-inducing 140bhp naturally-aspirated V6, but the SC’s supercharged and intercooler version made 210bhp, and even came standard with a five-speed manual ’box.

15. Shelby Dakota

For a time in the late 1970s the fastest American car you could buy was a truck: Dodge’s L’il Red Express, which was exempt from the catalytic converters that were stifling cars such as the Corvette and Trans Am.

Fast forward a decade and Dodge was at it again, this time with a 175bhp Shelby-branded Dakota that could hit 60mph in 8.5secs and helped spark a wave of high-performance trucks.

16. Dodge Viper concept (1989)

Not carrying the Shelby name, but clearly inspired by the great man’s 1960s Cobra, the original Viper concept was a sensation at the 1989 Detroit show.

Swayed by positive feedback Chrysler pressed ahead with a production version, though it would be 1991 before customers got their hands on the 400bhp V10 monster.

17. Dodge Omni GLH

Contrary to appearances, the Dodge Omni didn’t actually have that much in common with the tediously dull European Chrysler/Talbot Horizon – except that it, too, was tediously dull.

Well, the standard Omni was. But with the 146bhp turbocharged 2.2 from the Shelby Charger stuffed under the bonnet, the hot GLH version really did justify that ridiculous Goes Like Hell name.

18. Dodge Omni GLH-S

As if the GLH wasn’t silly enough, Shelby tuned 500 examples to 175bhp, adding an intercooler, sexy Momo steering wheel and an ‘S’ to the name, because a 6.5secs 0-60mph time meant it really did Go Like Hell S’more.

19. Chrysler Conquest

If the Conquest looks strangely similar to a Mitsubishi Starion, it’s because that’s exactly what it is.

Available initially as either a Dodge or Plymouth, and later, as a Chrysler, the Japan-built Starion came in narrow- and wide-arch styles, with power outputs starting at a modest 145bhp but climbing towards 190bhp in later years.

20. Eagle Talon TSi

For its next joint project with Mitsubishi, Chrysler got rather more involved than simply sticking a new badge on an imported Starion.

Introduced in 1989 as a result of The Diamond Star Motors joint venture, the Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser and Mitsubishi Eclipse triplets were American by birth, but Japanese in spirit.

Top models got a 195bhp version of the turbocharged 2-litre 4G63 engine that would become legendary under the bonnet of Mitsubishi’s iconic Evo cars.