100 Fastest Cars of 1984: 30-21.

"RT" (rt-p) 07/31/2018 at 18:00 • Filed to: 100 Fastest Cars of 1984, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin, Isuzu, Audi, Jaguar, Ford, BMW, De Tomaso, 1984, Year of the Twingo

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Outside the final twenty cars, we reach !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

30. Mercedes-Benz 500 SL

231 PS | 1540 kg | 150 PS/t

Regarded as a mainstay from the prior decade, this car refused to age, much to the annoyance of rival companies. While BMW and Audi climbed ladders in Motorsport to drip-feed sales; Mercedes merely updated engines and submitted their homework assignments on time. Calmly, the SL graduated with a V8 purr.

29. Porsche 924 Turbo

177 PS | 1180 kg | 150 PS/t

Initially ridiculed for containing a van engine, despite Audi motor origins, the 924 met replacement in the higher displacement 944. However, it beat the 944 here; earning a numerical tie with the 500 SL (and winning a 0-60 tie-breaker). Thank Italian tax laws for keeping this Turbo model around to steal the win.

28. Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16

185 PS | 1230 kg | 150 PS/t

Mercedes-Benz were never immune the Motorsport bug. Soon enough, the leanest sausage in their Bratwurst lineup became the fastest, with help of British engineers at Cosworth. It aimed sights at the rally stage, but threat from Audi led to touring car success instead, plus a victory from a certain Mr Senna.

27. Aston Martin Lagonda

304 PS | 1996 kg | 152 PS/t

Conceived as a five metre long middle finger to the 1973 oil crisis, the appeal of this V8 behemoth rested on its electronics; i nfamously costing quadruple the development budget of the car itself. Such efforts resulted in the first digital instrument panel; although no one knows for sure, as none of them work today.

26. Isuzu Piazza Turbo

180 PS | 1180 kg | 153 PS/t

Depending on who you ask, the Piazza Turbo was the fastest hot hatch of the year, but its sensibilities were more with in line with the Scirocco than a traditional hatch. Each were Giugiaro designs, though unlike the Scirocco, this was rear-driven; a consequence of Chevette running-gear lurking underneath.

25. Audi Quattro

200 PS | 1300 kg | 154 PS/t

Arguably, this is the most significant vehicle to make it on our list. The decision to design a four-wheel drive car, inspired by a military Volkswagen, forever altered the fortunes of Audi and car design itself. Jensen, Subaru and AMC made the same innovation before. But, with rally wins, Audi got people to notice.

24. Jaguar XJ HE Sovereign

299 PS | 1926 kg | 155 PS/t

HE stands for ‘High Efficiency’, an attribute much desired in a V12 unit from 1972. In fact, after various refreshes, the design of car itself held similar to its 1968 debut. If viewed through a glass half full, these aspects culminated in a quaint experience. Even if this wasn’t your fancy, at least the Jag had presence.

23. Ford Mustang 4.9-4V

208 PS | 1321 kg | 157 PS/t

Likely, many outside America would fail to identify this car as a Mustang. Appearances aside, the recipe for Ford’s finest remained undiluted. Commonly referred to as the ‘Fox-Body’ in reference to its platform, a combination of bite and agility led some cars to live up to the moniker (or die in a hedge, sideways).

22. BMW 745i

252 PS | 1590 kg | 158 PS/t

Our first meeting with the much-discussed Bavarian giant is an unexpected one. In a time before the M5, the 745i was the fastest new four-door BMW. As a matter of fact, it was fast enough to offer ‘the power of a 4.5 litre engine’ with a turbocharged 3.2; opening the floodgates to ongoing numerical deceit. Cheeky.

21. De Tomaso Longchamp Cabrio

270 PS | 1700 kg | 159 PS/t

Don’t worry, I didn’t make this one up. In prospect, any Maserati expert reading may notice it a striking resemblance to the ill-fated Kyalami. Interestingly, the Maserati was based on the De Tomaso, not the other way around. Ghia styling and Ford motors fed a long-lived, albeit largely unknown, Italian muscle car.

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Next time, we may encounter a few super cars on the journey to the very top.

All photos sourced from WheelsAge.org.

AestheticsInMotion > RT 07/31/2018 at 19:51

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So what made you choose ‘ 84?

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > RT 07/31/2018 at 20:41

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I always thought that the De Thomaso Longchamp, and the german Bitter SC were oddly reminiscent of the Ferrari 400 and 412 line, coach-built personal luxury 3-box formal Grand Touring coupes, built with American V8s instead of Ferrari’s in-house V12... and at a time where Lamborghini was fully immersed in mid-engined Countach mania, and no long building front-engined GTs like Jarama or Espada. Porsche 928 and BM W 635 were much more popular and prevalent at that time, anyway.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > RT 07/31/2018 at 23:11

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Hmm I was expecting the 900 Turbo 16 Valve (or 8 valve) to be on here.  

pip bip - choose Corrour > RT 08/01/2018 at 05:04

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Piazza please!

RT > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 08/01/2018 at 08:01

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The Saab made it on the list, it’s only a little further up .

It got to a pretty respectable position too, just one place behind the Corvette.

RT > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2018 at 08:27

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It’s not my favourite year for cars, but I had the most reasons to cover it:

My AutoKatalog book sources   were at their quality peak in the 80s .

Lineups in 1984 were still small enough for me easily sort through .

There’s a healthy mix of 70s and 80s designs, making for extra variety .

Overall, the year is home to a lot of forgotten cars: setting up surprises.

Culturally, 1984 was quite a big year, you had Purple Rain and everything.

Combine that with the current fascination with the decade (Radwood, Stranger Things, v apourwave music etc) and you have a golden opportunity. Since it was a transitional year too , an eventual 1990 followup would be more appreciated; showcasing the end result of the advancements the car underwent  in the 1980s.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > RT 08/01/2018 at 09:37

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Huh.  Wonder how I missed that.  Thanks!