Ten Vehicles That Wouldn't Shock Anyone Back In 1985

"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror) 10/21/2015 at 11:50 • Filed to: LISTS

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So we finally made it to October 21st 2015, and the vehicular landscape changed quite a bit. Most cars got larger (bloated), with huge wheels, LED lights, technology integration and whatnot, but cars aren’t flying and you can use a Mr. Fusion to power them. Overall most 2015 cars would be pretty impressive to see for someone living in 1985, but some not. Let’s have a look a ten cars still we see everyday in 2015 that wouldn’t look out of place in 1985.

10 - Ford P71

The Panther production may have ended 5 years ago, but the P71 is still widely used by police forces and cab companies.

9 - Mitsubishi Mirage

Except for the bumper cover and plastic headlight, this is a car that would pretty standard 30 years ago

8 - Ford E-series

Its origins predates the first BTTF movie by a good 20 years, but it’s a still a common sighting in 2015

7 - Jeep Wrangler

Sure it’s a lot larger than it used to be, but otherwise it still wouldn’t look too futuristic 30 years ago.

6 - Toyota Corolla

As bland as ever !

5 - Jeep Patriot

Looks a lot like an 1985 Cherokee

4 - Land Rover Defender

This would blend perfectly in 1985

3 - Mitsubishi Mi-EV

Looks pretty much like your typical 1980’s EV prototype, both nin style and performance.

2 - Mercedes-Benz G class

As a matter of fact, the G wagon was already dated by 1985 standards, and it is still in production, almost unchanged 30 years later

1 - Mazda MX-5

Yes, the answer is always Miata, and in this case it’s all for the right reasons. The MX-5 is pretty much 1985 in terms of size, weight and power.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 11:55

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#6: But Corollas were so much cooler in 1985! They could be had in RWD and AWD! People would know that toaster on wheels was an impostor. lol

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 11:55

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WOuld have looked very futuristic. It’s so 90s.

T5Killer > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 11:56

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But the Corolla had RWD performance models in ‘85 so it would be shocking.

dogisbadob > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:01

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awesome color

dogisbadob > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:02

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cool livery tho

Margin Of Error > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 10/21/2015 at 12:02

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Agreed, but it’s probably what prototype looked like back in 85

Nick > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:03

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Ford Transit?

EL_ULY > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:07

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Navigation, rear camera, LED headlights/ brake lights, more power, self parking option, infotainment center, blind side detection, etc. Yup, so 80’s

jjhats > T5Killer 10/21/2015 at 12:09

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and this car would dust them

jariten1781 > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:13

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85 is pre-Taurus. A modern Corolla on an 85 street would definitely give people pause. They'd also wonder why it was badged Corolla when it was significantly bigger than a Camry.

EL_ULY > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/21/2015 at 12:18

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Pretty much all brands and models really (except muscle cars, 80’s wasn’t the coolest time)

duurtlang > jjhats 10/21/2015 at 12:22

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Judging by objective metrics, yes. Faster, more comfortable, more economical, larger. It wouldn’t be as fun to drive though, and that’s what counts to many.

jjhats > duurtlang 10/21/2015 at 12:23

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Tell that to the struggling brz and frs sales....people like speed and cars are always advertised as such hp torque 0-60 matter

duurtlang > Nick 10/21/2015 at 12:25

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That’s a not a Transit, it’s a Transit Connect. Anyway, the 1985 Transit Connect equivalent was this Escort Express. Not overly different.

PS9 > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 12:27

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The Panther and Ecovan might be okay given how long they’ve been in manufacture, but there’s no way I’m taking any of those other ones back to 1985. They’d blend in about as well as a baskeball player wearing a dick costume at a business suit convention.

This is what you’re average 1985 interior looked like. Notice all the sharp edges and flat surfaces? Thats because Inejction molded plastic technology wasn’t advanced enough to produce the nice curved surfaces we see today on your average 2015 car;

How the hell would you explain a high-resolution flat touchscreen in the dash of your car in 1985? Nevermind the ancillary LCDs in the dash and speedo. Even though this car is meager compared to what you can get today, it would be lightyears ahead of every subcompact in 1985. You’d be a dead give away for a time traveler.

Actually now that I think about it; every car back then that wasn’t a ferrari or something else high end was basically a box. A pink Mirage parked anywhere with all of it’s curved surfaces would arouse a lot of curiosity and suspicion. You need something really boxy with a tape deck and/or 8 track, and a plaid fabric interior if you really want to blend in no questions asked.

duurtlang > jjhats 10/21/2015 at 12:44

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This is true. Most people look at specifications and don’t care much about handling, balance or fun to drive-ness. A new Corolla is an objectively better car than vast majority cars from the 1980s, including the fan favorites. However, we’re here on Jalopnik, not on some appliance page.

Chinny Raccoon > duurtlang 10/21/2015 at 12:57

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The shocking thing to 1985 would be the notion of a transit that doesn’t rust!

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 13:05

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If you have a Panther fetish, swing by Parliament Hill in our nation's capital, there's always a bunch around there.

duurtlang > Chinny Raccoon 10/21/2015 at 13:16

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That’s a shocking notion in 2015 as well, isn’t it?

Chinny Raccoon > duurtlang 10/21/2015 at 13:27

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The first generation Connects have held up well. The just replaced transit not so much, but that was still much better than the version before that.

functionoverfashion > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 13:36

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I think the G should have been #1 only because it really hasn’t changed at all. The miata, sure it has a place on this list, but it’s not #1. I guess it got the Jalop bump?

Have we already had a Top 10 Most Surprising? I can think of a few: F-150. i8. Escalade ESV. Veyron I guess would have to be one...

nerd_racing > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 13:41

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Met the nicest guy ever downtown the other day... he was driving one of these and gave me free candy.

Margin Of Error > nerd_racing 10/21/2015 at 13:42

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Was it a hard candy ?

Margin Of Error > functionoverfashion 10/21/2015 at 13:43

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I suggest you make one :

Ten Cars That Would Shock People From 1985

nerd_racing > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 13:44

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Cream filled center with a firm exterior.

Margin Of Error > nerd_racing 10/21/2015 at 13:50

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hotmud'n'exhaust > PS9 10/21/2015 at 14:00

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I think of the mid-1980s as a continuation of the malaise period of the 1970s but now in a smaller package. Cars were still designed using rulers and not french curves. Square but flat-faced headlights were de rigueur. Flat black paint hides a multitude of sins.

There were some new, innovative features, like seatbelts tried to decapitate you every time you started the car. But pretty much the golden era of mainstream car design was done by 1972 and is mourned to this day.

This 1985 Ford Escort ad tells the story. It’s the same boring ideas in an awkwardly angled package as a 1975 Ford Granada, just in a now-smaller package.

Though build quality improved in the 1980s, if few examples of 1980s cars are on the road today, it was because they were simply to boring to survive.

By the end of the 1980s, main stream car designers had discovered their french curves again and we begin the evolution of the current phase of automotive styling - the suppository era. This is a new take on boredom.

Here every car shape is carefully designed and crafted to slide gently forward with the least amount of resistance, and often character.

If you switched the marque logo badges around on the mid-size offering of every mainstream manufacturer at an auto show, would any one notice?

So I think the biggest comment that a 1985 time traveler would have today standing in the middle of airport car park would be “My god, every car looks the same!”. Followed by, “ten bucks an hour to park!?!

thebigbossyboss > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 14:03

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Hello work.

Margin Of Error > thebigbossyboss 10/21/2015 at 14:18

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you work for the government ?

functionoverfashion > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 15:10

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consider it... done if I get a chance...

ranwhenparked > Margin Of Error 10/21/2015 at 21:07

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The 2015 BAW Qishi S12 is another one, since it is basically the exact same vehicle that was in production in 1985. And built by essentially the same company that was making it in 1985.

SilverBRADo totaled his beigeslushboxmatrix > EL_ULY 10/22/2015 at 12:56

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Whoa, I’m having flashbacks. I can smell the plastic and vinyl from my mom’s ca. 1984 Corolla station wagon. It was different, but the spirit is the same.

SilverBRADo totaled his beigeslushboxmatrix > Margin Of Error 10/22/2015 at 13:00

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EL_ULY > SilverBRADo totaled his beigeslushboxmatrix 10/22/2015 at 13:10

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cars don’t have spirits, they are cars

thebigbossyboss > Margin Of Error 10/23/2015 at 07:44

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My last day there is Nov 2nd bud. So I do...but not for long.