- [Glen] Ever seen a defunct car brand
and wish you could have it in your garage?
Well, we sometimes have those nostalgic moments too.
I'm Glen and we're bringing you our list
of 15 cars from the '80s that will
have you wishing you could turn back time.
- [Cassie] Number 15.
- [Glen] Designed by Dennis Adams and presented by
Glenfrome Engineering at the 1983 Motor Fair in London,
the Facet quickly became the rave of the '80s.
Built on the original Rover chassis,
the Facet sported a manually detachable Targa roof,
which left the windscreen separate and supported
with a cast aluminum frame.
Shaped like an anvil with a hydroelectrically lifted top,
and a four wheel drive,
it was a guaranteed choice for serious off roading.
With a headlamp borrowed from Vauxhall and it's dashboard
designed with laminated burl wood veneer,
the Facet was tagged as ultra futuristic.
And priced at just under $89,000 in 1983,
an arm and a leg for too many of it's admirers.
- [Cassie] Number 14.
- [Glen] Unveiled in 1989 the Ford Probe IV was sold as
a sporty coupe, with a rear-drive chassis powered by
a 1.6 liter four cylinder turbo charged engine.
Built to replace the Ford Mustang
in the North American market,
the Probe IV was immediately noticeable
with a modern styling that was attractive, yet practical.
With a sleek body made of fiberglass
and headlights under plastic covers,
the four door coupe was designed
with a more aerodynamic shape and a low ride height
that gave the car more air penetration
and better speed stability.
However the Probe IV wasn't affordable for it's market,
disappointingly selling just over 800,000 units
in its eight years of production.
- [Cassie] Number 13.
- [Glen] With a change in focus from petrol vehicles,
the Itaipu E-400 electric van was launched in 1980.
Styled as a medium-sized pickup,
the Itaipu E-400 measured 12 1/2 feet in length
and weighed 3,240 pounds.
The vehicle was powered by eight batteries
with an average range of 56 miles,
and a maximum speed of 44 miles per hour.
The E-400 like most pickups it's size,
adapted a single four seater row behind the driver's seat
and was able to transport up to six people.
Although the operating costs were about 40% lower
than that of petrol vehicles.
Early users noticed that the range was less than advertised.
This along with a burdened economy, led to it's demise.
- [Cassie] Number 12.
- [Glen] The Pontiac Stinger sport utility car
was launched with a lot of fanfare and buzz,
as it was targeted at the younger, trendy generation.
The four-seater vehicle featured one door on each side
and an open roof that suggested a fun exiting ride.
The Stinger, though lightweight,
had a sturdy build and a modern suspension system designed
to handle serious off roading.
But the car was not built to last,
as the cheap materials used in the panels came off easily.
Proving that the Stinger model was only good in theory.
- [Cassie] Number 11.
- [Glen] Launched in 1980 at the Turin Motor Show in Italy,
the Lamborghini Athon was a three liter V8
with a five speed manual gearbox.
With a mid engine design,
the car featured a long rear deck, an open roof,
and no backseat.
Weighing around 2400 pounds
and able to reach a maximum speed of 170 miles per hour,
the Lamborghini Athon was available at a premium price
of $487,000.
Even though it had an influential design,
and was featured in several movies,
the Lamborghini Athon ended up as a museum display
after the company went bankrupt.
- [Cassie] Number 10.
- [Glen] The Suzuki Mighty Boy
was a coupe utility commercial vehicle styled
as a small-sized pickup that was sold in Japan,
from 1983 to 1988.
Powered by a three cylinder engine
and a four speed manual gearbox,
the car was able to achieve a speed of 75 miles per hour.
With only two sliding and reclining seats,
the Mighty Boy offered just enough space for luggage
behind the seats and in the trunk,
making it a good fit for small scale commercial hauling.
Fortunately this shortcoming made other larger trucks
the preferable choice.
Left the Mighty Boy as more of a personal vehicle.
- [Cassie] Number nine.
- [Glen] Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in 1983,
the Buick Questor was General Motors model
of a computerized car with most of the car's
integral functions controlled by 14 microcomputers.
Featuring a specially programmed laser key system,
automatic adjusting light sensitive windshield,
a navigation map, and self-adjusting rear spoiler,
it was touted as the car of the future.
It also had no exterior door handles
or side mirrors.
Interestingly, the vehicle was programmed to nosedive
at 25 miles an hour in order to achieve better fuel economy
and aerodynamics.
- [Cassie] Number eight.
- [Glen] Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1983,
the Nissan NX-21 was a four seat coupe touted
as the family car of the future.
Powered by an efficient two shaft, gas turbine engine,
it could be fueled with gas, diesel, light oil, alcohol
or kerosene.
With side doors that opened upwards,
the NX-21 featured a flat top and wedge shaped front lamps,
which showed it's excellent aerodynamic build.
On the inside a modern instrument panel was equipped
with high tech gadgets like a rear view projection screen,
and programmed vocal driving instructions.
- [Cassie] Number seven.
- [Glen] The first impression you get from the GMC Centaur
is the speedboat styled body.
Designed like an open-backed wagon,
the five seater was an all-wheel drive hybrid car truck
with a three liter, six cylinder engine,
a manual suspension system,
and a five-speed automatic transmission.
As a 4x4 vehicle,
the Centaur was ideal for off road excursions.
With the load bed boasting a payload capacity
of 2,000 pounds
and the vehicle able to tow up to a 5,000 pound trailer.
- [Cassie] Number six.
- [Glen] This next entry was unveiled in 1989
at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.
As a gullwing door sedan,
modeled after the Mercedes-Benz 300CE,
it was designed by modifying the Mercedes 300CE
and merging it with the nose of an R129SL class Mercedes.
Very few were produced however,
with most being non gullwing type.
It was overpriced at the time,
having a cost of about 165,000 deutschemarks,
or an equivalent of $97,000 in 1990.
- [Cassie] Number five.
- [Glen] The electric, CommutaCar,
which was nicknamed the cheese wedge,
and sold between 1979 to 1982 was way ahead of it's time.
Weighing 1,250 pounds and spanning eight feet in length,
this two CEV offered a compact, low cost car
with a decent speed of 40 miles per hour
and a range of up to 50 miles.
Made out of DOT approved safety cages
and layered with a plastic skin,
it featured sliding windows, protruding bumpers,
a six horsepower motor and eight six volt batteries
to keep it going.
With claims that it was the biggest selling battery powered
car before they Tesla S,
you would wonder why just 5,000 units were produced.
- [Cassie] Number four.
- [Glen] Designed to showcase Wolfrace's
new range of sonic alloys,
the Sonic was a two seat race car
powered by two Rover V8 engines,
and a high performance drive by wire control system.
Built on a space frame chassis,
the car was lightweight,
yet sturdy and balanced.
The wheel configuration was similar
to that of a 1977 Panther 6,
with four smaller tires at the front
and two larger ones at the rear.
The body of the Sonic was designed to have
a forward tilting torso and electric controlled headlights,
shielded in plastic covers.
Sadly, only two units were eventually built.
- [Cassie] Number three.
- [Glen] Launched in 1981 at the Chicago Auto Show,
the Bronco Montana Lobo was a two passenger SUV
built on the 1977 Ford Bronco chassis
and powered by a five liter V8 engine.
The 4x4 off road vehicle had a T top roof,
and two removable plexiglass bubble doors that unveiled
it's ventilated seats and digital dashboard.
The loading bed,
which was equipped with a retractable loading ramp
and side storage compartments was cushioned
with hemp fabric upholstery.
Furnished with two foldable bench seats
along each side of the bed,
they could be accessed from the cabin
through a patio style glass door dividing both compartments.
Even though the Montana Lobo
was one of the best equipped SUV's at the time,
the production was discontinued as newer models
came on the market.
- [Cassie] Number two.
- [Glen] Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show,
the Mercury Antser was a four passenger,
wedge-shaped concept car.
With a lightweight aerodynamic design that is powered
by a 1,200 pound electric-hybrid system.
Considered a futuristic car,
Antser featured high tech gadgets
such as a computerized display map
for detours and alternative routes.
As well as an all digital dashboard.
The two sliding doors on both sides gave an elegant look
and allowed packing in narrow spaces.
With batteries powering the electric motors
on all four wheels.
It was equipped with a small generator that charged
the batteries on the go.
But just like other futuristic car models,
the market just wasn't ready for the Antser at the time.
- [Cassie] Number one.
- [Glen] The Bronco DM-1 was a four-wheel drive SUV
designed by an industrial art student named Derrick Milsap,
hence the suffix, DM-1.
Styled with a bulging build
and a body made of steel-reinforced fiberglass,
this five passenger vehicle was compatible
with the 4x4 setup of the Bronco II model
and was built on the Ford Escort chassis.
With 17 inch wheels and tires for all terrains.
The interior featured a digital drivers display,
with an early version of a GPS based satellite navigation
system installed.
For convenience,
the front seats were adjustable in six different ways,
while the rear bench was foldable
to provide more cargo space when needed.
The DM prototype was a good one,
but production plans have long been shelved.
Though some of these cars were only good on paper,
if some become reality today,
it's almost guaranteed that heads would turn on the highway.
We can only wish and hope that maybe the companies
have a change of heart and bring some of them back.
(upbeat music)
- Hey guys this is Cassie,
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