The Coolest Cars Of The 80s!
For Gen X, the 1980s may have been the greatest decade ever for cool cars. They were everywhere. TV shows, movies, music videos, toy aisles, posters on bedroom walls. Sometimes the vehicle was more famous than the person driving it.
Ultimate Classic Rock recently rounded up some of the most iconic rides of the era, and the list reads like a time capsule of peak car culture.
- 1969 Dodge Charger (General Lee) – The Dukes of Hazzard
- 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance (Ecto-1) – Ghostbusters
- 1958 Plymouth Fury – Christine
- Wagon Queen Family Truckster – National Lampoon’s Vacation
- 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Porsche 944 – Sixteen Candles
- DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future
- 1983 GMC Vandura – The A-Team
- Pontiac Trans Am (KITT) – Knight Rider
- Ferrari 308 GTS – Magnum P.I.
- 1933 Ford Coupe “Eliminator” – ZZ Top
- Ferrari Daytona Spyder/Replica – Miami Vice
- 1974 Ford Gran Torino – Starsky & Hutch
- 1986 Ford Taurus LX – RoboCop
- Pontiac Firebird Trans Am – Smokey and the Bandit Part 3
Looking at that lineup, it’s easy to see why so many Gen Xers became car nuts. These vehicles weren’t background props. KITT talked. The DeLorean traveled through time. The General Lee flew over creeks. Ecto-1 chased ghosts. The Eliminator helped make ZZ Top MTV superstars.
The ’80s were peak car culture. Kids had posters of Ferraris and Trans Ams on their bedroom walls, built model kits of their favorite rides, and dreamed about what they’d drive someday.
Today, special effects often steal the spotlight. Back then, a great vehicle could become the star of the show. And judging by how many of these cars we still recognize instantly, they did exactly that.
Doug O’Brien
