1. Ferrari Testarossa
   Chevy Camaro Iroc Z
2. DMC DeLorean
   Pontiac Fiero GTO

The DMC DeLorean is one of the most recognizable cars from the '80s thanks in no small part to the "Back tot he Future" film franchise. Despite the car's reputation and futuristic appearance, it didn't actually perform that well. At only 130 horsepower, it took over 10 seconds to accelerate to 60 miles per hour.

1. Lotus Elan M100
   Audi 5000
2. Acura Integra
   Ferrari Testarossa

The Ferrari Testarossa showed up in 1984 and was the last vehicle Ferrari ever made with a flat-12 engine. The F51M model was able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds, making it one of the fastest cars in the world at the time.

1. Acura Integra
   Subaru BRAT
2. Dodge Rampage
   Toyota Cressida

Though the Subaru BRAT debuted at the end of the '70s, it had its heyday in the '80s. Rex, the owner of Rex Kawn Do, drove an '82 BRAT in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite," while Joy from "My Name is Earl" drove a stars-and-stripes themed '85 BRAT.

1. Buick Grand National GNX
   Ford Mustang GT
2. Dodge Shelby
   Chevy Camaro IROC-Z

The Chevy Camaro IROC-Z, usually just called the IROC-Z by most people, was an option package for the third generation Camaro Z28. It was decked out with sway bars, a lower height, upgraded suspension and shocks, and Corvette tires.

1. Ferrari F40
   McLaren F1
2. Lamborghini Countach
   DeLorean DMC-12

The Lamborghini Countach had been around for a few years, but in 1985, they rolled out the Lamborghini Countach L5000 QV. To meet safety standards in the U.S., the company had to add a bulkier bumper and a new fuel-injection system. Word is many American owners removed the bumper after buying it.

1. Volvo 200
   AMC Eagle
2. Audi Quattro
   Nissan Hardbody

The Audi Quattro has stood the test of time as a powerful and reliable vehicle originally designed for racing. Back in 1980, the rules of racing stated a certain number of cars had to be available to the public before a car could be a race car, so that's how some people first experienced this four-wheel-drive powerhouse.

1. Ferrari F40
   Lamborghini Jalpa
2. Lancia Strata
   BMW M3

As Lamborghinis go, the Jalpa is rather rare and underrated. In production from 1981 to 1988, it was introduced as a more affordable Lamborghini compared to things like the Countach. Failing sales saw it discontinued in 1988 even though it was apparently Lamborghini's second most successful V8 powered car ever.

1. Chevy Monte Carlo SS
   Honda CR-X
2. Lincoln Mark VI Continental
   Cadillac El Dorado

The Lincoln Mark VI Continental was a full-on luxury car introduced in 1981 but full of modern amenities. This was one of the first cars ever to use a keyless entry system and even a trip computer to keep track of your comings and goings.

1. Porsche 944
   Acura Integra
2. Toyota Supra
   Mazda 323

The Porsche 944 was a replacement for the underperforming 924. The transmission in this model was located in the rear as a way to help balance the way, and the suspension was improved to make the driving experience superior to the disappointing 924.

1. Ford Thunderbird
   Chevy Monte Carlo SS
2. Pontiac GTO
   Plymouth Road Runner

The Chevy Monte Carlo SS was introduced in 1983 as a muscle car upgrade to the fairly ho-hum regular Monte Carlo model that had been made available. The SS offered a 5.0L 150 horsepower V8 engine. It had the full SS badging and sported some dual exhaust and smoother lines to round out the package.

1. Toyota Tercel
   Pontiac Fiero
2. Honda CR-X
   Acura Integra

The Acura Integra debuted in 1985 and made "Car and Driver's" 10 Best in 1987 and 1988. That's just the '80s, though, and if we followed it through its whole history, we'd see it show up on that same list six whole times overall.

1. Audi 5000
   Plymouth Caravelle
2. Ford Taurus
   AMC Eagle

The AMC Eagle is the forerunner to many more modern all-wheel-drive station wagons. The Subaru Outback, the Audi Allroad and the Buick Regal TourX were all inspired by the design of the Eagle and its massive suspension.

1. Nissan Hardbody
   Jeep Cherokee XJ
2. Dodge Grand Caravan
   Ford Bronco

The Jeep Cherokee XJ was the first new design Jeep had rolled out since 1963's SJ Wagoneer. It also had the distinction of being the first American off-road vehicle with a unibody design. They were sold as Sportwagon, something which would go on to inspire the modern SUV market.

1. Jaguar XJ
   Nissan 300ZX
2. Hyundai Excel
   Mazda 323

The Nissan 300 ZX was one of the forerunners of computer technology in the '80s. It had fully digital climate control, a sound system that you could feel in the front seats, and was one of the first cars to incorporate a voice system that would tell you when a door was open.

1. Pontiac Fiero
   Nissan Maxima
2. Mercedes 190e
   Mazda RX-7

Like most Mazda vehicles, the RX-7 was powered by a rotary engine. The RX-7 FC was the first Mazda ever to use a turbocharger that rocketed it up to 200 horsepower. It was also styled to be reminiscent of the Porsche models of the time to appeal to a wider international customer base.

1. Lamborghini Countach
   Porsche 959
2. Ferrari F40
   McLaren M1

The last car ever personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before his passing, the Ferrari F40 was made to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. It was released with a sticker price of $400,000 in 1987, which is about $900,000 today.

1. Charger
   Challenger
2. Daytona
   Coronet

The Dodge Shelby Charger was a follow up to the standard Dodge Charger available in 1983. Legendary designer Carroll Shelby, of the Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustang, didn't alter the power of the Charger, instead choosing to focus on the suspension and styling, including racing stripes and a free-flowing exhaust system.

1. Buick Grand National GNX
   Buick Skylark
2. Chevy Impala
   Ford Taurus

The Buick Grand National GNX was an '80s-style muscle car complete with a turbocharged V6. According to Buick, the car had an output of 276 horsepower, but those who reviewed it clocked it up closer to 300 overall.

1. Honda CR-X
   Honda Civic
2. Nissan Maxima
   Toyota Supra

The CR-X from Honda made numerous top car lists throughout the '80s, including two spots on "Car and Driver's" 10 Best lists in the '80s and a second sport on "Motor Trend's" best import for the SI model in 1988.

1. Toyota Tercel
   Toyota Cressida
2. Pontiac Fiero
   Plymouth Caravelle

Debuting in 1985 in the U.S. but in 1983 in Canada, the Plymouth Caravelle was the company's first front-wheel-drive mid-size sedan. It replaced the Chrysler E-Class and was essentially an E-Class with a new grille and a new name.

1. Ford Tempo
   Mercedes 190E
2. Pontiac Fiero
   BMW M3

The Pontiac Fiero was a sports car produced from 1983 to 1988 and was notable for being the first mass-produced mid-engine sportscar from an American manufacturer. It featured many cutting-edge design elements like speakers integrated into the headrests, composite side panels, and hidden headlamps.

1. Mitsubishi Starion
   BMW M3
2. Audi 5000
   Toyota Supra

BMW's legendary M3 was made for racing, and because the rules stated any racing car needed a street-legal counterpart, the MW was born. At least 5000 street versions needed to be made in order for it to qualify for racing, but it went on to become one of the most popular models from the '80s.

1. Buick Skylark Monterrey Edition
   Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition
2. Dodge Grand Caravan Midnite Special
   Nissan Hardbody Special Edition

In 1980, the Datsun 280ZX Anniversary Edition was nicknamed "Black Gold" and was offered up with an appropriately decked out color scheme inside and out. They only released 3,000 of them, 2,500 in all black and gold, and 500 in black and red.

1. Honda Civic
   Toyota Camry
2. Ford Tempo
   Volkswagen Jetta

Few cars are as synonymous with the '80s as the Ford Tempo. It was immensely successful for Ford and consistently sold hundreds of thousands of units every single year it was available. Its first year, 1984, was the most successful, and over 400,000 were sold.

1. Isuzu Trooper
   Hyundai Elantra
2. Honda Fit
   Toyota 4Runner

The Toyota 4Runner is notable for being one of the most long-lived vehicles you can buy. According to a 2019 study, nearly 4% of them can make it past 200,000 miles of driving. That placed it at number five on the list.

1. Ford Pinto
   AMC Pacer
2. Chevy Vega
   Yugo

To fully understand the legacy of the Yugo, you just need to appreciate its nickname "Yugo Nowhere." It was very hyped up before its release as an affordable, subcompact car. Still, upon its release, massive performance issues made it one of the world's biggest automotive failures of all time. How bad was it? "Car Talk" voted it the worst car of the millennium.

1. Honda Accord
   Hyundai Excel
2. Toyota Corolla
   Mazda RX-7

The Hyundai Excel was sold from 1985 to the year 2000. It was the first South Korean car to be made with front-wheel drive. It was also sold in the U.S. from 1987 to 1994 under the name Mitsubishi Precis.

1. Nissan Maxima
   Pontiac Sunfire
2. Cadillac Allante
   GMC Sierra

The Cadillac Allante was far more expensive to build than the average vehicle since the body was manufactured in Italy by a company called Pininfarina, and then they were flown to Detroit to be assembled. As for the name, Allante was just one of 1,700 computer-generated words they had to choose from.

1. Lotus Elan
   Lexus R6
2. Cadillac Cimmaron
   Buick Century

The Cadillac Cimmaron was supposed to be a luxury car like you'd expect from Caddilac but ended up being a massive failure for the company. It performed poorly and was essentially a low-budget economy car rebadged as a luxury car with a price tag to match.

1. Mercedes 190
   Bentley Mulsanne
2. Aston Martin DB6
   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

The Mercedes 190 was otherwise known as the Mercedes-Benz W201. At the time of its release, it was regarded as a "budget" Mercedes by American drivers, the discount version of a better car, and was generally shunned on the market.

1. Plymouth
   Mercury Cougar
2. Chevy Lumina
   Pontiac Sunfire

The Chevy Lumina nameplate saw use in NASCAR in 1989, but the car wasn't publicly available until the next year. The result of that was a number of complaints about Chevy running a car that shouldn't have been allowed, giving them an unfair advantage.

1. Subaru XT
   Honda Civic
2. Mitsubishi Starion
   Hyundai Elantra

The Subaru XT was what the future looked like if you lived back in 1985. Flush door handles, an aerodynamic wedge shape, and even rubber spoilers before each whee well to make it more smooth of a ride. They also worked as mud flaps.

1. Pontiac Fiero
   Dodge Neon
2. Ford Taurus
   Toyota Celica Supra

The Toyota Celica Supra got a redesign in 1981 and the resulting vehicle was a hot commodity. Literally, in fact, as when it wasn't being stolen for those plush front seats, the back windshield came with a louvered cover because it was flat enough that passengers in the back would get burnt by the sun without it.

1. Volvo 200
   Alfa Romeo Milano
2. VW Passat
   Citroen Ami

The Alfa Romeo Milano was the last car produced by Alfa Romeo before Fiat bought the company out. In Europe, it was known as the Alfa Romeo 75 because it was introduced to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary.

1. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo
   Porshe 944
2. Ferrari 12X
   Chevy Camaro

In what would be one of the most bizarre twists you can imagine, the 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo had an engine that actually performed worse than the non-turbo engine it was supposed to be replacing. This basically made the car weirdly pointless.

1. Ford Taurus
   Chrysler Town and Country
2. Dodge Stratus
   Chevy Citation

In 1980, the Chevy Citation was the best-selling car in North America after a hugely successful rollout. Unfortunately, it ended up being a massive failure as the vehicle was recalled an incredible nine times to fix everything from faulty fuel lines to transmission hoses that would catch fire to the steering gear that would detach mid-drive.

1. Pontiac Sunfire
   Dodge Caravan
2. Plymouth Reliant
   Volvo 200

The Plymouth Reliant was also known as a Chrysler K-car along with the Dodge Aries. The car proved to be massively popular at a time when Chrysler was faltering in the marketplace and sold over 150,000 units in 1981 alone.

1. Ford Temp
   Dodge Neon
2. Chevy Cavalier
   Subaru Impreza

The Chevy Cavalier was a remarkably popular car during its time and consistently sold in the hundreds of thousands of units every single year it was in production. In 1984 alone, it managed to sell over 462,000 units.

1. Bentley Mulsanne
   Rolls Royce Silver Ghost
2. Aston Martin V8 Zagato
   Austin Delano

Aston Martin started production of the V8 Zagato in 1986 and continued until 1990. In that time, they made a total of 89 — 52 coupes and 37 convertibles. It was based on the pre-existing Aston Martin V8 but with a body built by Zagato coachbuilders.

1. Peugeot 250
   Alfa Romeo Aventador
2. Fiat 600
   Volvo 780

The Volvo 780 debuted in 1985 at the Geneva Auto Show and was available in Europe in 1986 and then North America a year later. They were designed by Bertone in Italy in an attempt to overcome the reputation of the boxy, awkward Volvo of the past.