The ‘80s was a wild era. For almost a decade, people had been starved of powerful marques that could rip a hole through space and time. That gap between the heavenly ‘60s when amazing marques such as the Mustang were launched and the hellish ‘70s where even the most powerful muscle cars couldn’t afford to pack a V8 and more than 200hp was excruciating. That’s why when the ‘80s came in and offered the industry a glimmer of light, no one left the chance.
As a result, wild concept cars were launched during this recovery era. But the market was not entirely ready to accept some of the wild suggestions automakers were fronting with their concept cars. As a result, most of these concept cars were shelved and, if lucky, toned-down versions sold to the public.
These 10 concept cars from the '80s were the most insane ever launched that are worth remembering in this modern age.
10 1987 Chevrolet Express
Chevy’s “Express” nameplate did not start with their fleet of cargo vans. The first marque to don this name was their outlandish 1987 concept car, the Chevrolet Express.
This car was not wildly imagined on the surface only. Its construction was full carbon fiber with an opening being provided at the roof for entering and exiting the vehicle. Under the hood, the 1987 Chevy Express concept car ran on a gas turbine engine that could rocket the car to 150mph. Yes, it never made it to the market. However, it made a cameo in “Back to the Future II” where it was seen driving around in the film’s fictional representation of the year 2015.
9 1980 Aston Martin Bulldog
You might think that the Aston Martin Bulldog is the concept car that inspired the creation of the wild Lagonda sedan. However, the latter was produced from 1976. This concept car, despite donning a strikingly similar wedge-shaped design, was built by Aston Martin as a way to show off its engineering capabilities and take a shot at breaking the fastest production car record.
Under the hood, the Bulldog packed a 5.3L twin-turbo V8 that could push the car to 192mph. Sadly, that wasn’t enough to set the record. Nonetheless, Aston Martin was able to prove that they can produce a might car.
8 1987 Oldsmobile Aerotech
This is the concept car that predated the McLaren Speedtail. The 1987 Oldsmobile Aerotech was based on the same concept that the McLaren Speedtail is built upon. That is to create an extremely aerodynamic car that can punch a hole through the air with its insane straight-line speed.
To do that, Oldsmobile fitted the Aerotech with a Quad 4 Inline-4 turbo engine, unlike the modern twin-turbo V8 McLaren put in the Speedtail. That power unit could produce more than 1,000hp. As a result, the Aerotech was a rocket on the road, achieving a top speed of 275mph.
7 1981 Citroën Xenia
After being starved of performance in the ‘70s, American auto manufacturers were only concerned with performance-oriented concepts in the ‘80s. On the other hand, Citroen was more focused on people-carrier concepts, like the Xenia.
The Xenia looked like a very early sketch of a small MPV. That segment was rapidly rising in Europe thanks to impressive marques such as the Renault Espace. However, the Xenia was intended for the American market where it was set to compete against the Dodge Caravan and later, GM’s DustBuster which it closely resembles.
6 1984 Bertone Ramarro Corvette
The Bertone Ramarro Corvette was born out of a collaboration between Chevrolet and the Italian design house Bertone. The intention was for Chevy to showcase the C4 Corvette to a European audience in the mid-80s. Thus, they had to contract Bertone since they were sure American design was not going to woo the buyers there.
Bertone was thus given the entire chassis of the C4 Corvette and tasked with creating a body for it. What Bertone ended up with was the Ramarro, which, when loosely translated, means “Green Lizard.”
5 1986 Italdesign Machimoto
The Machimoto got its name from the Italian mashup of “car” and “motorcycle”. That explains why this insane concept car had six seats, each looking like a motorcycle straddle that you had to strap yourself onto. Seating on one of those seats felt like seating on a moto-coaster amusement park ride. Moreover, it had an open top that completely sold the amusement park ride experience.
Despite being inspired by rollercoasters and moto-coasters, the 1986 Italdesign Machimoto was based on the VW Golf platform. Under the hood, it packed a 1.8L 4-cylinder engine that could develop 140hp.
4 1988 Pontiac Banshee
The end of the ‘80s provided a clear sign that car design was about to shift from sharp, angular lines, that hallmarked remarkable marques such as the Lamborghini Countach to long, round, smooth curves that represent more aerodynamic shapes.
Pontiac was quick to notice this shift, and thus their team started working on the 1988 Pontiac Banshee concept. This concept car was the precursor to the fourth generation F-body Firebird which was one of the most tuner-friendly and popular muscle cars of the modern era.
3 1983 Chrysler Lamborghini Portofino
Lamborghini eventually had to sell. And in some period between the 1980s and 1990s, Lamborghini was under the watchful eye and ownership of Chrysler Corporation. Everyone knew Lamborghini had the potential to build remarkable machines. But of late, nothing tangible had come out of the company, or at least not according to Chrysler.
The Portofino concept was thus built to change the narrative. Lamborghini built this concept car to showcase what a four-door Lamborghini would look like. Sadly, it never went into production. What came out of it was the underwhelming Dodge/Chrysler Intrepid.
2 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Concept
The Chevrolet Corvette Indy Concept is the sure-fire sign that the 2020 mid-engine C8 Corvette had been in the works for a long time. To build the 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Concept, Chevy had to invest in a ton of high-tech materials that would be used in its construction. These materials included Kevlar and carbon fiber, two materials that were unheard of at the time in car construction.
The Corvette Indy Concept was blessed with a Lotus-tuned active suspension. Under the hood, it packed a 2.65L twin-turbo V8 sourced from an Indy Car. That power unit could put down 600hp.
1 Lamborghini Athon by Bertone
Back in the ‘80s, Italy’s Bertone car design house was the most famous in the industry. Their work resulted in some of the most iconic nameplates in the industry. Their work was put next to other great creations designed by Pininfarina and Italdesign. These three companies were responsible for the wedge-shaped trend that defined the era.
The Lamborghini Athon Concept thus looked like a machine taken straight out of Blade Runner. It was designed to be the future Lamborghini. Thankfully, not everything about it was thrown away. Traces of its design were carried forward to the Jalpa and menacing Lamborghini Gallardo.