HOLDEN VK COMMODORE

Hello and welcome back... Now here is a car that i did own. My VK Commodore was simular to the pic (right) except it had a thumping 5lt V8 engine with a chunky exhaust system, so loud in fact, i had to roll her down the hill and around the corner,because where i lived at the time, when i started her, the windows of my neighbors would rattle and would wake them up.

The VK Commodore came out in 1984 and was the first to introduce plastic bumpers and 6 windows.
The 6 window configuration was a good idea(small window on back doors) but in the real world it was an easy way for thieves to gain entry to your "beast" without much noise being made.A simple arm to the door lock and you could watch your pride and joy disappear up the road in trail of smoke and noise.

 Other engines available was a 3.3ltr straight six and came with a carburetor, only the Calais ( upmarket commodore) had fuel injection.
The dash went from rounded buttons to a more retro square buttons

V8 racing is huge in Australia, Your ether a Holden fan or a Ford fan, The 80s saw a new leader of Holden racing know as Peter Brock. The classic 05 Commodore back end was a familiar site of many a ford driver ( except Dick Johnson.. sometimes).
Peter Brock won many times at Bathurst (race track), sadly after retiring from V8 racing, he hit a tree while in a rally, driving a daytona sportscar and died.

PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM ( THIRD GEN )

 Hello and welcome back... The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am ( 3rd generation ) was manufactured between 1982 - 1992.
Typical of the American muscle car it had sleek lines, pop up headlights and often a chunky V8 engine.
What made this car stand out was that the windscreen had a 62 degree slope on it, something that had not been done before.. looks kinda sexy, doesn't it?.

Top speed on this beast was 110 mph ( 177 kmh ) and had around 165 bhp.
The Trans Am also had rear wheel drive and an automatic gear box.

Here in Australia we didn't see many of these cars so it was a exciting moment when we did spot one.
Working in a service station in the 80s, I saw a few now and then, the most common was a black one similar to Knight Rider's car 'K.I.T.T'.
The owner stated he was gong to sell it because he was sick of kids pelting his car with rocks to "Make it Talk".

By the late 80s, the Firebird Trans Am was sporting a 5.7ltr V8 (a turbo model was also available).
Pop up headlights was a first for fire-bird cars and set it apart from earlier models.
The large back windscreen had no metal body to hold it into place, A new era in styling.

Then along came the most famous Firbird Trans Am of the 80s. 'K.I.T.T'.
 The show was called Knight Rider and it stared "The Hoff" ( David Hasselhoff ) and his sidekick car called K.I.T.T.
K.i.t.t. stood for Knight Industries Two Thousand and cost around $100,000 to build.

K.I.T.T. was no ordinary Trans Am, top speed of 200mph ( 322kmh ) and a teeth rattling starting point = 0-60mph in 2 seconds. Ki.t.t. also had a slather of options like turbo boost, computerized intelligence and an indestructible exterior.
He was a crime fighters best friend.

  The dash was like something you would find in an aircraft... so many buttons, so little time.
K.i.t.t. was everything you wanted in a car and more.
To me the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was one of the best looking cars to come out of America.








#Pontiac
#TransAm
#Firebird

SUBARU VORTEX / XT6

Hello and welcome back.. The Subaru Vortex, also known as XT, XT6 and Alcyone was produced between 1985 to 1991.
The styling looks like they gave the designer at Subaru a block of cheese, a small butter knife and said " do your best".
This car had straight cuts and angular styling.
 The main thing that stood out was the wedge shape of the car with the addition of pop up lights..

 In Japan this car was known as Alcyone and translates to 'The Brightest Star' known as Pleiades star cluster which is also where the Subaru badge comes from.

 The inside of the vortex looked like something you would find on an aircraft mainly because it was inspired by Subaru's sister company 'Fuji Heavy Industries' .
They manufactured the aircraft 'Fuji FA200 Aero Subaru'.
Even the door handles resembled something you would find on a plane.
Another interesting feature was the dash which tilted with the steering wheel.

 The Vortex came out with Turbo charged engines and a choice of 2 ( front ) or 4 wheel drive which produced about 115hp (86kw ) and came with fuel injection.
The 4 wheel drive system was activated by a push button system.
The vortex also had Pneumatic suspension with height control.

An excellent example of the 80s, unusual styling that looked ahead of its time.




SUBARU 80S ADVERTISEMENT



MOTORWEEK REVIEW



SUBARU XT6 VIDEO



LINKS

http://subaruxt.com/old/differences.htm


#Subaru
#Vortex
#XT6

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH

Hello and welcome back... A tractor is where it all started, Yes, Lamborghini used to make tractors until its creator Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to make sports cars.

After owning several Ferrari's and Maserati's... Ferruccio thought there was something missing.

Marcello Gandini was a young designer and when asked by Lamborghini to create the perfect sports car he came up with the Countach. The result = A wedge shaped car with a V12 engine and scissor shaped doors and at times, a chunky ass rear wing.

 What a sexy rear end..

 The Countach looked like no other and sounded like it too.

A huge V12 engine which had to be put in backwards so that the tail shaft could talk to the gearbox which was in the front. In car terms it was Meaty.

In the "What the Hell were they Thinking" basket, someone decided the car would look better with a wing on the front which in my opinion looked crap.

The Countach is also used as race car ( see pics below ) and is in the movie "Cannon Ball Run".. The cops never stood a chance.

A true 80s super car.

Please..Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner).. Any amount big or small is much appreciated and it keeps this site happening :)



Thanks to L-L-Liam! for the video



Thanks to BBC Brit for the video



Thanks to everdaydriver for the video


LINKS

http://www.lamborghiniclub.com.au/

http://supercarclubglobal.com/listings/lamborghini-countach/

http://www.shannons.com.au/club/enthusiasts/matthones/garage/1986-lamborghini-countach/

https://www.lamborghiniclubamerica.com/

http://www.lamborghiniregistry.com/Forums/Clubs.php

#Lamborghini
#Countach
#LamborghiniCountach

FERRARI TESTAROSSA

Hello and welcome back... Ferrari was on a winner when they released the Testarossa in 1984,with its extra wide body ( 6.5 feet wide ), cheese grater fins on the sides and squat height (4 feet high ), this bad boy had one mean engine ( 4.9ltr 380bhp boxer v12 ). This was one sexy car and looked like no other. Italian styling at its best.







The word Testarossa means redhead in Italian due to the red cylinder heads on the engine and the fact that italians often refer to their cars as women = a redhead women is sexy, powerfull and sleek.

Then enter the TV program that launched this car into stardom " Miami Vice ". This show made the Testarossa a house hold name, soon everyone was dressing like Don Johnson and pretending that their Datsun 180b was a Ferrari... Well, i was.

 A excellent example of  80s style and the soundtrack to match.



















FERRARI AT ITS BEST