Automotive Fads From the '80s

[aquariuscsm]

There were some talking cars in the 80s.

My 86 300ZX and 87 Toronado Trofeo would talk to you

 

[Dennywires]

I was just a boy but I remember my father's employee had an 85 mustang with a silhouette of a mustang near the shifter was outlined in LEDs to tell you information

 

[aquariuscsm]

Every one of those cars from the 80s looks so much better than anything current. They actually have character. Everything made today looks generic, like they all came from the same mould. They all look the same.

 

[Skippy722]

Bench seats are awesome… I’ve grown to hate the massive center consoles that just about everyone insists on having.

 

[HemiBenny]

I seem to remember a lot of smoked (tinted) headlight covers on S-10's around here. They'd be cruising the strip at night with really dim headlights.

 

[Kurtatron]

This makes me drive safer and pass me a diaper;


View attachment 58937

I want to graffiti those with the word “adult” above them.

 

[Wolf359]

My 86 300ZX and 87 Toronado Trofeo would talk to you

My 85 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo also talked. Had a switch in the glove box so you should shut it off. Had about 10 phrases, only one I heard normally was oil pressure was low. That came on whenever you switched the car on before starting it. I normally had it off. Torque steer was fun when the turbo kicked in on front wheel drive, had to hold onto the steering wheel. That and the 5 speed made it a handful to drive.

Still have headlamp washers on my Mercedes E-350. They got rid of them after 2014 though when they went to LED and the bixenons went away. Too bad.

 

[Wolf359]

I want to graffiti those with the word “adult” above them.

I liked the signs that said "Nobody on board" which was correct when you saw the car parked on the street but you would hope someone was there when you saw it on the road.

 

[partspro]

I actually appreciate the paint jobs from the '80s. Sure, they're not great, but they have character. Seems like most new cars today are either blue, red, or fall somewhere on the grey scale.

my kona is in the grey scale but in the sun you see greens etc which really shine, never had wax !! , BTW, my son has his own dealership, very nice used vehicles, color REALLY matters!! can make as much as 2k or more on the price. He moves alot o Porshe and BMWs red for older 911's BMW, clor really depends on the model, red ok for 3 series, mot for X3 or X5

 

[RAR]

I was just a boy but I remember my father's employee had an 85 mustang with a silhouette of a mustang near the shifter was outlined in LEDs to tell you information

My 1981 Mustang Ghia had that feature… when I had it, the low fuel light was on more than the others..

 

[UG_Passat]

God **** Altezza tail lights, and headlight covers.

What were people thinking.

That wasn't an 80's fad.

 

[UG_Passat]

25: Wood panels...the example used didn't use wood panels at all. It was fake plastic and vinyl pattern trim.
24: Automatic Seatbelts: Not a fad because it was a government mandate. What the article failed to mention is when the Accord got front driver airbag in 1992, the automatic seatbelts were gone.
8: Plastic Wheel covers... now even with alloy wheels, some alloy wheels are covered by plastic wheel covers, namely the Tesla model 3 and Y base wheels. The Prius/Corolla Hybrid have alloy wheels under the hubcaps also.

Model 3 wheel cover

And under it is:

Model Y wheel cover:

And under it:

Corolla Hybrid

and under it:

2: Cylinder Deactivation: Well, the Seville V4-6-8 was too complicated and too unreliable. Honda among others brought it back, but made it simpler on the V-engines by deactivating one bank of cylinders, to half the engine. VW has their ACT technology on the 4-bangers by making it function as a 2-cylinder in certain scenarios.

 

[methusaleh]

Am I the only one who was a teenage driver back then who thought the Penthouse nude girl air fresheners were super cool?

Luggage racks integrated into factory trunk lids (mine was on a Chevy Celebrity sedan).

Searching my brain for things I remember...I also recall, but didn’t partake in:

Fuzzy dice

Slick 50 (what’s a thread on BITOG without a mention of a lubricant?)

GM brake pedals that bragged “Disc Brakes” even if the rear were drums

The Club

ALA

Good Sam Club stickers slapped on by non-members

The “Bi Level” setting on GM climate controls

Push button radio station memory settings on an analog radio, so when you pressed the button you could watch the needle zoom up and down the dial

 

[Falcon_LS]

I miss quite a few things from the 80s and older vehicles; hood ornaments are the first to come to mind. Then you had those chrome ignition switches, where the key would fit right in the center. I recall GM had square keys for the ignition switch and an oval key for the locks. Column shifters were another, usually in chrome and some GM vehicles even had black rubber pedals with chrome accents. There were light switches you had to pull to turn the headlights on.

You also had velour or leather seats with pillow-like cushions, reading lamps on the inside of the C-pillars, with HUGE courtesy lights on the insides of the doors that were yellow with red accents, and even courtesy lights built into the outside of the B-pillars.

My favorite of them all was the distinct exhaust note on a lot of those pushrod V8s; those starters sure sounded a lot better than they do today, too and lest we forget the clicking each time the transmission was put in park, reverse, neutral or drive.

 

[mightymousetech]

That wasn't an 80's fad.

It was around here.

 

[Rmay635703]

I liked the 5mph bumpers my father sheared off a light pole with the Suburban skidding around in the mud in reverse trying to leave the flooded Hodag lot and no damage occurred just a bang

 

[2EHA]

It was around here.

altezza lights originate from the altezza

you would have to run into a lot of time travelers

 

[DwightFrye]

I didn't see aluminum rear hatch window louvers mentioned. Exceptionally ugly and the added weight often caused problems with the struts that were supposed to hold the hatch open.
The term "malaise" was often used to describe the 80's automobiles and with good reason.

 

[pghvolvo]

Not an eighties fad but I hope I never see those spinner hubcaps in my life again.

 

[PandaBear]

I don't know if I like anything from the 80s, it is just too bright in everything they do.