BMW M1

'The BMW M1 is a sports car produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981.
In the late 1970s, Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for homologation. The result was sold to the public, from 1978 to 1981, as the BMW M1. It was the first and only mid-engined BMW. It employed a twin-cam M88/1 3.5 L 6-cylinder gasoline engine with Kugelfischer injection. A version of this motor was later used in the South African version of the BMW 745i, of which 209 examples were built between 1984 and 1986, as well as the E24 BMW M6/M635CSi and E28 BMW M5. The engine had six separate throttle butterflies, four valves per cylinder and produced 277 PS (273 hp/204 kW) in the street version, giving a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph). Turbocharged racing versions were capable of producing around 850 hp.'

Lancia Stratos HF

'The Lancia Stratos HF, widely known as Lancia Stratos was an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.
The Stratos was a very successful rallying car during the 1970s and early 1980s. It started a new era in rallying as it was the first car designed from scratch for this kind of competition.[2] The three leading men behind the entire rallying project were Lancia team manager Cesare Fiorio, British racer/engineer Mike Parkes and factory rally driver Sandro Munari.
The bodywork was designed by Marcello Gandini, head designer at Bertone, and the technical layout was loosely based on a (Lancia Fulvia V4 powered) concept car called Stratos Zero first shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1970. The body was wedge-shaped, and unusually short and wide, providing maximum traction.
In 1971 Lancia presented the Lancia Stratos HF prototype. The Stratos prototype (Chassis 1240) was fluorescent red in colour and featured a distinctive crescent-shaped-wrap-around windshield providing maximum forward visibility with almost no rear visibility (which was unnecessary for rallying anyway). The prototype had three different engines in its early development life: the Lancia Fulvia engine, the Lancia Beta engine and finally the mid-mounted 190 bhp (140 kW) 2418 cc Dino Ferrari V6.
Lancia did extensive testing with the Stratos and raced the car in several racing events where Group 5 prototypes were allowed during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Production of the 400 cars required for homologation in Group 4 were launched in 1973 and the car was homologated for the 1974 World Championship.[3] The Dino V6 was phased out in 1974, but 500 engines among the last built were delivered to Lancia.'

Mazda RX-7 Savanna 1979–1985

'The Mazda RX-7 (also called the Ẽfini RX-7) is a sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002. The original RX-7 competed in the affordable sports car segment with the likes of the Nissan Fairlady Z. The styling was inspired by the Lotus Elan +2. It featured a unique twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine and a sporty front-midship, rear-wheel drive layout, making it well balanced and appropriate for racing. The RX-7 was a direct replacement for the RX-3 (both were sold in Japan as the Savanna) and subsequently replaced all other Mazda rotary cars with the exception of the Cosmo.
The original RX-7 was a true sports coupé design, as opposed to a sports car like the Triumph TR6 or a sedan with sporting intentions. The compact and light-weight Wankel engine, also known as a rotary engine is situated slightly behind the front axle, and in contemporary advertising, Mazda called the first generation RX-7 as "a front mid-engine design". It was offered in America as a two-seat coupé, with four seats being optional in Japan, Australia, and other parts of the world.
The RX-7 made Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list five times. In total, 811,634 RX-7s were produced.'

Bugatti EB110

'The Bugatti EB110 was a mid-engine sports car from Bugatti Automobili SpA, the 1990s successor to one of the most celebrated marques in automotive history. It was unveiled on September 15, 1991 in both Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti's birth.'
Production - 1991–1995 (139 produced)
Successor - Bugatti Veyron
Body style(s) - 2-door Mid-AWD coupe
Engine(s) - 3.5 L quad-turbo V12
Transmission(s) - 6-speed manual
Wheelbase - 100.5 in (2553 mm)
Length - 173.4 in (4404 mm)
Curb weight - 3560 lb (1615 kg)
Designer - Marcello Gandini

Lamborghini Countach

'The Lamborghini Countach was a mid engined sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. The design of the Countach popularized, but did not pioneer, the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance supercars. The "cabin-forward" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularized by the Countach.
The word countach (help·info) (pronounced ˈkun.tɑʃ) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman.[1] While the term is often considered untranslatable into English, it is essentially equivalent to the British lager lout verbalization "Fwwaaaa", or it can also be considered the verbal equivalent of aWolf Whistle.
The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it was listed as number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
The Countach has been discontinued for 18 years and still enjoys a massive fan appreciation.'

De Tomaso Pantera

The Pantera was a sports car produced by the de Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 through 1996. The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther". The car was designed by Tom Tjaarda and replaced the de Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of de Tomaso using this construction technique.
Famous owners
 - Elvis Presley owned a Pantera and once fired a gun at it when it wouldn't start.
 - NHL player and doughnut shop magnate, Tim Horton, was driving a Pantera when he lost control and was killed while driving home from a game in 1974.
 - Mötley Crüe lead singer, Vince Neil, was driving a Pantera when he caused the December 1984 accident that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas Dingley (AKA Razzle) and injured two others.

Peugeot 205 GTI

Peugeot 205 GTI
Volkswagen had claimed the hot hatch crown for itself with the Mk1 Golf GTI but Peugeot snatched it in 1984 with the diminutive 205 road rocket. Based on a stiffened 205 shell, the original GTi used a 1.6 105bhp four-cylinder engine which may not sound much but was plenty in such a lightweight body particularly as it still came with rear drum brakes. The handling, while immensely rewarding in the right hands could also land owners in trouble as it had a nasty propensity for lift off oversteer which saw many pugs heading off the road backwards. The 130bhp 1.9-litre model at least had disks all round but carried more weight up front so was even more tail happy. Probably one of the cutest hot hatches, the 205 came with plastic wheelarch extensions and deeper bumpers plus attractive alloy wheels and part leather trim in the 1.9. You can pick up a MOT’d heap for a couple of hundred quid today whilst mint examples go for around £3,500. Just try and find one that hasn’t visited the scenery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205
http://www.peugeot205gti.co.uk/

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

 

'Big wings seemed to be a theme of the 80s if the 911 and especially the Cossie are anything to go by. Perhaps they were the automotive equivalent shoulder pads and if so the fast Ford was the Joan Collins of the motoring world. Ford roped in the skills of legendary engine builders Cosworth to create a super saloon based on the unpopular three-door Sierra bodyshell. Unprepossessing but very stiff, this bodyshape allowed Cosworth to drop in a 2.0-litre DOCH four cylinder which with the addition of a Garrett turbocharger fed 204bhp to the rear wheels. Unique alloys, a bodykit, flared wheelarches and of course that rear wing helped put other road users in no doubt that you were behind the wheel of something quick. Just over 6,000 were produced before it was superseded by the 224bhp RS500 special edition version to mark the end of the three-door bodyshape. It was superseded by the Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth which used the saloon bodyshell and was altogether much more sensible looking if just as tail happy. Find one that hasn’t been TWOC’d and you’ll have a blue chip, blue oval classic.'

Ferrari Testarossa

 

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The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engined sports car made by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was radically wide at 1976 mm (77.8 in) and low at just 1135 mm (44.7 in) high.

It should not be confused with the Ferrari TR "Testa Rossa" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. These were GT sports cars that ran in the World Sportscar Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.