jcb928

Bentley Turbo R,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-...item3efb7e851f

tv

IMO - Supercar (80's term) should include;

Built by a respected legit manufacturer

top performance relative to its peers (meaning a performance car - handling)

exotic looks usually low and wide

built to handle the autobahn


There really are only a handful from the 80's the four pictured below and from BMW the M1, no longer produced when the article was written and the v12 850 . The 911 turbo would also have to be included. AM was making crap and Pantera was really a kit car.

The 80's also started the hypercar - 288 GTO, F40, and 959

Nowadays some people like to include cars just based on hp levels, but that does not cut it, I agree with Doc and Tom.


The four icons

tv

one of my favorite rides that was kind of a remake of the article


https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...realworld1.jpg

robot808

that's awesome.

GRTWHT

Apart from my 1981 928 I could only think of a couple that are inexpensive

Mitsubishi Starion Turbo (still own one)
Porsche 928S say a 1981 to 1985 euro

Find them in good shape and they are still reasonably cheap. And if you are scratching your head with the Starion, trust me they would give the 928 a run for it's money (ours runs the 1/4 in 14.5sec), nice and balanced with plenty of grunt from the 2.0L Turbo and I still like there shape today. I could say it was built to compete with the 928 being of the same time

Cheers,
Glenn
'81 928
AU

polecat702

TV, If you knew anything about a Pantera, you would know it isn't a kit car. And from the day I brought mine home it's only increased in value. It still looks wicked, it's very,very fast. And people ask me what it is when ever I take her out. I stopped counting dollars about 20 years ago on what I've spent on the Cat. But at 36 she still draws a crowd.

Richter12x2

Looks kinda like an 80's Dodge Daytona. I wouldn't say it was built to compete with the 928. Maybe the Mustang from the same time. Or the Supra.

tv

I am no expert, but I am no stranger to them either having seen many back in the day when they were in production. They have a nice look, but why I said kit car was they sourced a crate engine from a real auto company and they are not around anymore.
I would put them in the same category with Vector, Bricklin, and DeLorean, maybe even excalibur and the Eleanor builder. I am sure there are more.

Richter12x2

Didn't the 911 source its engine from VW? By that logic, we would have to take the 911 off the supercars list.

rad_951

Has anyone imported a TVR to the states? I have always one, especially the Sagaris.

tv

Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann - the driving force behind the 928 -was the first chairman of Porsche AG from 1972 to 1980. He was also the creator of the carrera engine in the 356 and 550.

jayc67

No, the Bricklin gets it's own category. That car was one serious P. O. S. That weird plastic is the absolute worst thing ever put on a car.

One of my good friends still has one he bought new in 1975. Horrible cars, do not meet the definition of "super car" in any way in my opinion

dr bob

The Pantera came from a real car company, and that company is still around albeit in a reincarnated form. One could describe the Pantera as a 'kit' car except they came fully assembled. Maybe the same definition applies to the Corvette, a plastic-bodied 'Jeckyl' Impala SS. The Pantera has the Ford engine with tons of aftermarket performance potential, a rather unique and $$$ ZF gearbox, with parts and pieces sourced from other Italian makers including Fiat/Lancia lamps and electrical parts. Still easily makes the supercar status due to performance, appearance, lack of practicality, and relatively low production. A decade or so ago, I attended a Pantera Owners Club gathering in Las Vegas. Great Folks, great cars, but it seemd like most of the folks were either relatibely local or had their cars shipped in for the show. Nobody wanted to drive them more than a few hours at a time.

If performance and rarity are the guiding factors, the big Mercedes of the 60's into the 70's make the grade too. The early S class with the V-8 motors, especially the 6.3 and sometimes the 6.9, have pretty darn impressive performance numbers for the time. The recent C class with the Kompressor V12 is a subtle rocket. Problem is that they are too easily mistaken for run-of-the-mill Mercs unless you look closely at the badging as they blow by you.

Richter12x2

There were a couple of the TVRs at the local carshop, but I didn't notice what kind. I like the Cerbera myself and they didn't have one of those.

tv

I checked wiki before I posted above and after reading this posted what I posted;

The company went into liquidation in 2004.[1]Despite this, new cars were still being made by De Tomaso as of 2005[2]. As of 2008, the company is in liquidation, and a buyer is being sought for the De Tomaso trademarks, as per the court-appointed liquidators[3].

http://www.italiaspeed.com/2004/cars...quidation.html



And for me the biggest qualification is who builds (design + assembly) the engine, no big deal