100 Fastest Cars of 1984: 10-1.

"RT" (rt-p)
08/03/2018 at 18:00 • Filed to: 100 Fastest Cars of 1984, Maserati, Nissan, De Tomaso, BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin, Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari, 1984, YEAR OF THE TWINGO

It’s time. At roughly 100 pictures and thousands of words, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Preface

Sourced from a 1985 TR, stats are as follows: 390 PS | 1600 kg | 244 PS/t

Chances are, you may know the above car as the Ferrari Testarossa. Iconic to many, the defining horse of the decade is absent from our final ten. Why? Truthfully, 1984 was a transition year; the ageing BB 512i took the place of the car, with the Testarossa only debuting at the year end. Pictured is a prototype.

Now, onward to the final ten cars!

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10. Maserati Biturbo 2000 S

205 PS | 1086 kg | 189 PS/t

If the subtle four-door Biturbo was fast, the version you see here is lightning. Proportionally, it may falter Modenese standards; but those who overlooked the jam jar colour-scheme were rewarded. One such reward was the interior, brimming with leather and briar wood, still a mechanic was best kept handy.

9. Nissan Fairlady Z 300

230 PS | 1215 kg | 189 PS/t

Regular readers may note the Fairlady Z appeared here before, though in 2+2 form. Unfortunately, the extra back seats undermined the diet of the car. With the leash removed, all 1.75 rear passengers were now forced to play board games at home, a lucky duo could instead beleft to enjoy an unrestricted turbo cruise.

8. De Tomaso Pantera

270 PS | 1420 kg | 190 PS/t

Several De Tomaso models in, at long last, their one moderately well-known car has reared its pop-up headlights. Admittedly, born of the prior decade; Elvis himself owned one (and fired a gun at it). In evolution, the Tjaarda styling grew flared and winged, accompanying the roar of the Ford V8 which powered it.

7. BMW M635 CSi

286 PS | 1500 kg | 191 PS/t

Few vehicles gained as much recognition as those from the BMW M division. This shark-nosed wonder, albeit not responsible for the origins of the fabled M car, proved integral to the expansion of the Bavarian performance legacy. Unmatched in touring cars, only BMW could best its success with the later M3.

6. Porsche 928 S

310 PS | 1450 kg | 214 PS/t

On introduction, this silver fishbowl raised the pitchforks of Porsche fans across the globe. In truth, the reaction was not a critique of the design itself. Instead, it was a battle-cry; merely since the 928 broke rear-engined tradition. Eventually, the engineering on display healed wounds, history now honours the V8 Porsche.

5. Aston Martin V8 Vantage

380 PS | 1765 kg | 215 PS/t

Following the 1969 debut of Aston Martin V8, with ‘all the time in the world’, the car would ultimately come to define the heart of the company for the coming two decades. In Vantage guise; the engine of Polish engineer, Tadek Marek, wore four brawnier carburettors. The result: Britain’s first supercar.

4. Audi Quattro Sport

300 PS | 1300 kg | 231 PS/t

One word and a letter is enough to set the heart of any car enthusiast racing, jumping and narrowly avoiding spectators: Group B. Such terminology refers to the rally racing scene of the mid-1980s, best described as ‘lacking rules’. Amid rivalry from Lancia, Audi hacked a Quattro in half and multiplied the power.

3. Porsche 911 Turbo

300 PS | 1300 kg | 231 PS/t

Winning a tiebreaker with the Audi above, Stuttgart’s slice of horsepower attested to be just as maniacal as the Ingolstadt alternative. In the field of forced induction, Porsche took the initiative, applying stop-start turbo lag to a car with the handling characteristics of a pendulum. For the skilled, it was unstoppable.

2. Lamborghini Countach LP 500

375 PS | 1480 kg | 253 PS/t

Attributed to the gentleman who designed the Citroën BX, along with a vehicle widely described as the first supercar, the Countach cut through societal preconceptions with its scissor doors. In etymology, an Italian exclamation earned its name. In legacy, impact on automotive art earned it immortality.

1. Ferrari GTO

400 PS | 1160 kg | 345 PS/t

From the start, only one car could make it this far: Gran Turismo Omologata. Developed for Group B circuit racing, based on the mass-market 308 GTB, cancellation of the series left Ferrari with unfinished business. By utilising twin turbos and carbon fibre components; the birth of the hypercar was imminent.

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Thus, our journey comes to a close. I thank everyone for reading, sharing and commenting. Each of you have been the best audience I could ever hope to have. Perhaps, you may come across a similar series of posts in the future. Thank you!

All photos are sourced from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , easily the best website for car photography.

DISCUSSION (21)

ttyymmnn > RT
08/03/2018 at 18:07

Interesting. I graduated from high school in 84, and all the talk back in the day was that the Countach was the fastest car in the world, bar none.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > ttyymmnn
08/03/2018 at 18:11

It looked the fastest.

lone_liberal > ttyymmnn
08/03/2018 at 18:15

I’m about the same age but I remember seeing comparisons with the BB512 where the Countach, especially in spoiler form, was considered a bit of a disappointment. I don’t remember seeing comparisons with the fantastic GTO, though.

M.T. Blake > RT
08/03/2018 at 18:16

Amazing the Z31 appears so high in the list. Great job on putting this together. You’ve only got 34 more years and 340 more posts to get to present.

ttyymmnn > lone_liberal
08/03/2018 at 18:19

I wasn’t much of a car guy back then (and I’m still not, TBH), and all I remember were the posters at Spencer’s with the Lambo and the hype about it being the fastest.

lone_liberal > ttyymmnn
08/03/2018 at 18:21

C&D was my bible back then so I’m probably half remembering something they did.

RT > M.T. Blake
08/03/2018 at 18:25

Appreciate the comment! Note that it was a 3.0 turbo, short-wheelbase Z31. Lesser models in the range wouldn’t come anywhere near as high.

Likely the 340 post comment was a joke, but if you’re interested, I’d stick to doing future posts in six year intervals. That way , there’s no repeated cars .

RT > ttyymmnn
08/03/2018 at 18:29

The Countach was on posters everywhere; production lasted for 16 years.

Contrast with the GTO. It received much less attention in TV and film, was based on a low-end Ferrari. After a brief production run, the F40 stole its thunder.

So, no wonder there was more talk on the Countach. Numbers don’t lie. ;)

MultiplaOrgasms > RT
08/03/2018 at 18:34

Your stated w eight of the ZX Turbo seems too low. I think the weight is closer to 1350kg for the 3.0 Turbo model. Gran Turismo 4 lists it at 1330kg. A stripper model NA Z31 might have been under 1300, but not the Turbo.

RT > MultiplaOrgasms
08/03/2018 at 18:36

I’m using the manufacturer figures for the Japanese model , so it might just be the weight equivalent of the “276 horsepower” Skyline.

M.T. Blake > RT
08/03/2018 at 18:38

Joke indeed but keep the posts coming. We all enjoy ner ding out on the numbers and lists!

JeepJeremy > RT
08/03/2018 at 19:06

I want that Pantera!!!

Jay, the practical enthusiast > RT
08/03/2018 at 19:59

You had me eagerly waiting for these posts everyday. There were so many cars on this list that I never heard of before. Thanks for doing this! I hope you can make some more in the future.

404 - User No Longer Available > RT
08/03/2018 at 20:25

About that #1...

This Wiki page seems to cite Road and Track saying the Ruf BTR is faster. Unless you’re strictly talking about horsepower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruf_BTR#cite_ref-RT87_4-0

https://ruf-automobile.de/manufaktur/historie/

And this was also Ruf’s first car with their own VIN, so it’s technically not a 930 Turbo.

RT > 404 - User No Longer Available
08/03/2018 at 20:46

I’m talking about horsepower and kerb weight.

Also, I deliberately avoided tuner companies like RUF due to the lack of documentation in stats (my AutoKatalog sources don’t list them at all). As well as this, it avoids duplicate models and closes a can of hard-to-find worms.

There’s a good chance the RUF could be faster though, I’ll take your word for it.

RT > Jay, the practical enthusiast
08/03/2018 at 20:53

Awesome, glad you enjoyed the journey as much as I did!

I need a break for the time being, but you can certainly expect more to come. :)

AestheticsInMotion > RT
08/03/2018 at 21:36

6 year intervals would be fantastic. I'd love to see this for different groupings of cars

arl > RT
08/03/2018 at 21:58

These have all been a great read - thanks for putting all the working into the posts!

Derpwagon > RT
08/04/2018 at 00:13

Can't wait for 1990

pip bip - choose Corrour > RT
08/04/2018 at 08:57

BMW please!

RT > pip bip - choose Corrour
08/04/2018 at 12:40

Good choice. Excellent taste!