The 1980s showed an interesting blend of technology shifts, evolving consumer demands, and unusual car shapes. With manufacturers taking new experimental approaches in light of higher fuel standards, the changing global automotive alliances, and demands for cars to stand out of the mainstream crowd. There are a few icon cars from this decade that will forever be remembered, but there are a lot of bizarre and brave models that were slowly forgotten. Whether it was their ground-breaking engineering, their peculiar performance/comfort fusion or their untimely arrival, the car itself never found a real market.

Seeing these abandoned, out-of-circulation cars shows another slice of the automotive past. All of them seem to illustrate an answer that the car makers at the time were exploring for some new demand or problem. And for these reasons, these ten outmoded automobiles are more than odd relics to wonder about-they were agents for a different automotive landscape.

1. Subaru BRAT

The Subaru BRAT was one of the marque’s truly unique early products for the American market, manufactured from 1977 to 1994. Marketed as “Fun on Wheels”, this unconventional and sturdy little truck carved out a remarkably enduring niche and earned a place as one of former President Ronald Reagan’s personal vehicles during his twenty years running his California ranch. The BRAT was ungainly, but that did not diminish its sales success-over 100,000 units were sold in its eleven-year production run, proving its utility, character, and general quirkiness resonated with quite a few Americans while the company was still finding its footing in the U.S. Market.

What Made BRAT Stand Out:

• Distinctive American-market model
• Over 100,000 sold
• Unconventional but practical
• Turbocharged engine upgrade
• Strong reliability reputation

In later model iterations, a turbo-charged 1.8-litre engine option was introduced which improved performance but did not diminish the practicality of this compact Ute. Perhaps most importantly, it contributed to Subaru’s image as a long-term reliable vehicle brand and it set the stage for the company’s wider expansion across the North American market in the years that followed.

2. Plymouth Sapporo

A Personalized, Fuel-Saving Option Resulting from the Plymouth- Mitsubishi Joint Venture, the Sapporo is a Personal car which marries economy with touches we usually associate with much more comfortable interiors the interior featured a sports car-style bucket seat with lordic, a power control, inside wing mirror, in addition to the in-depth privacy glass, which made it an unexpectedly option-rich option for the class. The automobile could easily achieve estimated gas mileages within 40-plus, making it an enticing selection for car owners seeking the combination of economical driving combined using comfortable transport. Plymouth discovered customers for roughly 70,000 Sapporo’s.

Why Buyers Chose Sapporo:

• Mitsubishi-Chrysler partnership
• Comfortable cabin features
• Around 40 mpg
• Approximately 70,000 sold
• Changing corporate strategy

Even with this initial interest, the Sapporo drifted out of consumers’ minds as corporate plans and model ranges evolved. Mitsubishi brought in the Conquest which then took centre stage thus leaving the Sapporo as a somewhat little-known and interesting part of Chrysler’s international relationship with another motor manufacturer.

3. Alfa Romeo Alfa 6

Alfa Romeo Alfa 6, it was a curiously protracted transition from conception to creation. Intended to be launched in 1973, global oil crisis pushed back the market introduction to 1979, and by then the very large executive-sedan had begun to look a little old-fashioned on the European market. A smooth performer the 2.5-litre V6 had the typical feel of an Alfa Romeo but was hampered by a very thirsty, if quite torquey, carburetted engine. At a time when owners and manufacturers were keenly interested in economical motoring this wasn’t ideal.

Challenges Behind Its Story:

• Delayed production launch
• Global oil crisis
• Smooth V6 performance
• Heavy fuel consumption
• Limited production success

In 1983 Alfa Romeo introduced Bosch fuel injection and revised styling in a bid to rescue the car. Unfortunately, none of the changes had an significant effect on the car’s market success, and in 1987 with just around 12,000 having been sold Alfa’s largest sedan came to the end of its troubled life as another unusual reminder of the challenges of market leadership in an unreliable world.

4. Buick Century Turbo Coupe

Launched in 1979 by Buick in an attempt to allure younger buyers with something sporting and distinctive, the Century Turbo Coupe leveraged Buick’s motor racing heritage including the time it manufactured the Indianapolis 500 pace car with a Continental-style design. It looked far more like a sports coupe than most 1970s American models. Speed was also part of the formula, as a 175bhp, 2.8 litre turbo V6 engine dished out enough torque to rival the contemporary Corvette this meant the mid-size coupe could deliver startling straight-line speed for a model which did not claim to be its manufacturer’s top-performance car.

Its Sporting Ambitions:

• Younger buyers targeted
• Motorsport-inspired image
• European-inspired styling
• 175 bhp turbocharged V6
• Short production run

Sadly, a blend of styling clearly derivative of European iron and blown-power just didn’t tickle the public the way Buick would have liked it to. The Century Turbo Coupe only survived two model years (less than 2,000 made), and that interesting, sporting diversion for Buick ended with a whimper.

5. Chevrolet Citation X-11

When it was time for the large range of cars called Citation to undergo a sporting variant, the engineers of Chevrolet answered the call with the X-11. It’s said that just under 1.54million Citations where ever made in total and only 20,000 of these chose the X-11 sporting option which means that spotting one would have been rare amongst the usual models. Its looks added a sportier character to the car, notably with bonnet bulges but under that sat a 2.8 V6 engine hoping to give something extra and to offer the market a American product catering for the new smaller, faster car market.

Performance Made It Special:

• Performance-oriented Citation
• Around 20,000 sold
• Distinctive bonnet bulge
• 2.8-litre V6
• Racing championship victories

In competition, the X-11 also held its own, as Chevrolet captured racing championship crowns in 1982 and 1984. Nevertheless, the car never quite broke into the mainstream, but it remains an interesting experiment on how America tried (unsuccessfully, obviously) to one up the developing hot-hatch trend by packing plenty of pep into a small body.

6. Dodge Mirada

The 1980 Dodge Mirada was designed to be a relaxing long-distance car for people who valued personal luxury and ‘80s styling. Whitewall tyres as standard, an optional V8 engine and some sporty visual flair all suggest an ambitious personality that set out to pair comfort with an energetic style. The problem was that this was one car that failed to live up to the image the outside world seemed to imply it represented with a performance figure which has little to write home about and an inability to combine roadholding with the polish necessary for a sports cruiser, the Mirada never really cut the mustard.

Mirada Features Worth Noting:

• Personal luxury cruiser
• Distinctive 1980s styling
• Available V8 power
• Disappointing driving experience
• Around 52,000 produced

That this design languished in production for just three years and with a mere 52,000 were made prior to its cancellation by Dodge makes sense as of today’s viewpoint The Mirada represents an interesting view to American styling trends in the personal-Luxury category entering the early 1980’s and is representative of design attempting to marry the two genres.

7. Lincoln Continental Turbo diesel

A Bizarre Effort at High End Turbodiesels The Lincoln Continental Turbodiesel was a fairly bizarre answer to the increasing interest in European diesel-powered executive luxury sedans. A customer ordering the 1984 Continental would no longer be confined to the 140 hp 4.9 litre V8; they could alternatively spec out an in-line 6-cylinder, 2.4 litre BMW built, direct-injection turbodiesel engine (BMW’s 524td and it made 115 horsepower). While costing $1,235 additional it helped Ford hang onto the luxury sedan customers, they were likely to lose to a Mercedes-Benz or something similar.

Turbodiesel Features Worth Noting:

• European diesel influence
• BMW-built turbodiesel engine
• 115 bhp output
• Additional $1,235 cost
• Option discontinued after 1985

Unfortunately, the plan went about as well as an elephant performing a pirouette in the local dance studio. Existing Lincoln customers weren’t really clamouring for diesel, and Mercedes buyers weren’t all that willing to cross over for an oil-burner with a Lincoln badge, which ended the turbodiesel in Lincoln cars following 1985 and was one of the weirdest cross-market experiments of the age.

8. Isuzu Impulse

When the Isuzu Impulse arrived on scene in 1983, its appearance alone put it above most competitors. The dramatic body was penned by design wizard Giorgetto Giugiaro and handling refinement was undertaken by the guys from Lotus, providing the vehicle with quite the sophisticated lineage for an Isuzu sports coupe. Isuzu marketed the Impulse with a provocative “It screams when you step on it” campaign that highlighted the stylish and sophisticated sports car with good handling and amenities now hoping to keep pace with a burgeoning field of would-be sports car icons.

Impulse Features Worth Noting:

• Giugiaro-designed bodywork
• Lotus-engineered handling
• Dramatic advertising campaign
• Modest sales performance
• Forward-thinking sports coupe

But despite all the design cues and engineering backstories, the Impulse just didn’t take on. Sales figures never truly took off on Isuzu’s best year, it sold fewer than 40,000 Impulses and the sport coupe was cut from the line-up after just six years on the market. Limited success, though, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a design breakthrough.

9. Chrysler Laser

The 1984 model of Chrysler Laser fully took advantage of the futuristic feel of the digital age. It was advertised in front of retro-purplesunsetsor futuristic backgrounds while inside this theme continued with trapezoildal air-vents and bright digital guages making the cockpit feel nothing like the normal car. However, this was no just cosmetic offering. Chrysler pitted the Laser against more expensive sports coupes boasting performance from 0 to 60mph that would better the Porsche 944 and Nissan 300ZX Turbo while still offering the benefit of 35mpg.

Laser Features Worth Noting:

• Futuristic digital-era styling
• Colourful digital gauges
• Sports coupe performance
• Estimated 35 mpg
• Over 150,000 sold

The addition of a dashboard turbo boost gauge added one more great memory, where the driver could visually monitor the boost pressure when driving, and the Laser ultimately registered over 150,000 sales during its lifetime of the market to show that a futuristic style, sporty performance and fuel efficiency would combine.

10. Volvo 780

Making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1985 the 780 was the latest in a series of Volvo projects worked on with Italian coachbuilder Bertone. Underneath it had the same underpinnings as the top of the range 760. The boxy shape, so associated with the working Volvo, was replaced with clean-cut edges, devoid of a vinyl roof to attempt a more stylish design, with the cabin aiming for more premium intentions. The leather and wood interior set the tone for the interior, whilst customers had their pick from a choice of a V6, turbodiesel or, if it was available, turbo-four.

Volvo 780 Features Worth Noting:

• Bertone styling collaboration
• 760 chassis foundation
• Luxurious leather interior
• Multiple engine choices
• Distinctive luxury coupe

Production spanned 8,518 to 10,000 units until the plug was pulled in 1990. It truly has been a remarkable and rare example of luxury European design, blending Scandinavian efficiency and ingenuity with sophisticated Italian styling. As such, the Volvo 780 certainly is one of the more exotic chapters in Volvo’s colourful history and, is still certainly one of their more unique luxury coupe examples today.