The 80s were a decade of sheer exhilaration, and for many, it was the jaw-dropping 80s sports cars that became the stuff of dreams, gracing the walls of our bedrooms in poster form.
Retroheadz has meticulously curated the ultimate compilation of iconic and exotic 80s sports cars that fuelled our youthful Dream Car fantasies. These four-wheeled wonders were the closest we got to experiencing the thrill of the open road, when we were playing Test Drive on our trusty Amiga or C64 or burning rubber in the arcades with Out Run.
If you’re still yearning for a taste of that childhood excitement, buckle up for a journey through time that’s sure to make your heart race!
And so, our odyssey into the world of classic 80s sports cars begins with an icon that has truly withstood the test of time.
Porsche 911 Turbo
Wide wheel arches, sumptuous curves and a honking great spoiler on the back of it along with 80s Sport Cars favourite ‘Turbo’ lumped on to the end guaranteed that this German exotic made it on to walls across the world.
Best colour? Guards Red which was also a must have for the growing Yuppie class along with their Filofax’s.
Chevrolet Corvette
This V8 monster had a proper redesign with the C4 version after a long run with the C3.
A fantastic looking car overall with its round Ferrari style rounded rear lights, funky pop-up headlights, quad exhausts and its rarity over this side of the Atlantic means it made it onto bedroom walls in the UK.
Porsche 928
The next Porches to make it on to walls everywhere is the Porsche 928 which was officially their flagship car.
Made famous as Wyatt’s car in Weird Science.
For gamers, it was also the star car in Chase H.Q in the arcades as well as one sadly getting crushed by a Monster Truck in Cannonball Run 2.
It also made an appearance in Scarface, however, it’s doubtful you knew this at the time unless you sneaked a watch.
Lotus Turbo Esprit
A British exotic made famous by James Bond. Low, wedge-shaped, double pop-up headlights and later on made even more desired thanks to games like Lotus Turbo Challenge on the Commodore Amiga.
It was also the star car in Pretty Woman with the S2 model that first came out in 1987.
Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS
The first Ferrari on the list, the Ferrari 308 GTB or GTS was an 80s Sport Cars classic.
It actually came out in 1976 but made it way on to walls throughout the 80’s thanks to appearances in Cannonball Run (1 & 2) and was, of course, Tom Sellick’s vehicle of choice in Magnum P.I.
This V8 mid-engine exotic had a fantastic presence with its air intakes, pop-up headlights and round lights and quad exhausts. Best colour, Red or course!
Pontiac Trans-Am
Thanks to David Hasslehoff and his sidekick K.I.T.T the Trans-Am made it onto walls up and down the land.
This car was futuristic and was best seen in Black because everyone wanted to be KnightRider didn’t they?
Porsche 959
Another Porsche on the round-up, yep!
4 wheel drive, 197 mph top speed and 0-60 in under 4 seconds made this a must have.
It also looked so far ahead of its time too and a lot of it’s tech made it to later Porsches such as the Carrera 4 which came out in 1989.
It was the fastest road car in the world during the 80’s until….
Ferrari F40
Oh boy! Just…look…at…it! The Ferrari F40 was the first production car to make it over 200 MPH (201 to be precise).
It’s huge spoiler, V8 engine sporting three exhausts, stunning looks and its extreme performance made it onto walls after it came out in 1987 and rightly so its an icon.
Ferrari Testarossa
There are so many reasons why the Ferrari Testarossa makes it here.
It’s one of the most Iconic and exotic of all the 80s sports cars and rightfully so.
It’s wedge shape and iconic side intakes feeding air into the radiators along with its double pop-up lights featured in iconic series Miami Vice and arcade favourite OutRun as well as just being one of the nicest looking cars ever made.
Best colour… Red for the purists or White if you were a Miami Vice fan.
Lamborghini Countach
Our final car and quite possibly the wildest-looking 80s sports car is of course the Lamborghini Countach.
It’s wedge-shaped, crazy air intakes, wheels, and that iconic rear spoiler means this car was most likely the ultimate bedroom wall poster choice of everyone and most likely tops the ultimate 80s sport cars for 80s kids everywhere.
