@@lancemannion4113 the notchback fox body was lighter than the convertible and the hatchback. Ppl went hunting for them in the 90s when they found that out for the track. That's why there's so few notchbacks today, many were wrecked in the track. All that said, the notchback is the uglier than the hatchback and the vert by far
@@scarface9617 nah, the fox body 5.0 mustang was faster than the Camaro and the transam in the 80s by far. The track numbers proved that, yes the Camaro/trans am had a lil more hp than the fox body but it also weighed alot more than the mustang and for that reason the fox body gapped both of them GM muscle cars.
@@Montoya1991 It depends on the year and options (L98, LB9, LO3, G92 etc..). The cars were actually pretty close in times with the F-Bodies edging out the Mustang in the handling department. The nice things about the Stang was that it was a lot less expensive and there was really only two options. A shitty 4 Banger or the 5.0. (Plus a manual in either case). It wasn't like the GM car that had a TON of options and you had to pick the right combo for a winner and some of those options (Like the L98) meant that your only option was an Auto. I have an 89 Iroc Hardtop with the L98 that was mostly stock and it routinely beat my Buddy's 90 5.0 GT 5 Speed. With headers and full exhaust, I beat him handly... then he got headers and exhaust and pulled a little ahead... Now I am replacing the stock 2.73 with 3.23s and will likely pull ahead. It's a vicious circle for these two but they were surprisingly well matched for two cars that had entirely different approaches.
@@bohoward6991 you don't know BoI saw plenty of Grand Nationals dust everything they faced back in the day the GTA turbo option was the pace car other than that I'm not sure I saw one beat anybody
The 1989 turbo trans am was a faster car.it was the fastest car u can buy in 1989. Pontiac reworked the heads to fit in the fbody. Output was higher in 89 for thr the turbo trans am. 1555 were made in 89.they would smoke anything even the 87 grand national.
If you increased this list to 10 cars, the late 80’s Thunderbird Turbo Coupe should be in that list. That Turbo Coupe was a beautiful car. I wanted one so bad when they came out and won MT Car of the year.
Yep, that 126 mph top end was killer., lol. The Dodge Daytona Z owned it by 10 mph, and they were at the tail end of the top speed sports cars back then.
Everyone has that one car they wish they could have back, Mine was my 88 IROC. I had the black one with the gold pinstriping, it was gorgeous and freaking fun to drive. Always turned heads too.
Honestly, anyone that had the 89 Turbo Trans Am, Knows yes 0-60 they could run low 5s . But if the temp outside was in the 80s them shits dropped performance considerably. Same with them Grand Nationals and GNX. The 350 TPI. Was by far Mechanically better and far more reliable performance.
Hush Money he's referring to the 82 grand national. Look them up, most people hear grand national and they think of the all black 84-87. He probably should have been more clearer. 👍🏻
‘88 Firebird Formula with the 305, 5 speed manual (the 350 only had the auto), 2 tone delete and optional subwoofer system. Light blue metallic. Beautiful. Wish I’d kept it longer!
GM made a good impression with several "Sport" models in the 80's, i.e. Pontiac 6000STE, Grand Am SE, Fiero GT, Beretta GT, Cavy Z24, etc. These weren't rocket-fast, but the performance versions had brisk acceleration & very brawny sounding stock exhausts on their V6's. Then the Buick GN, which was in a Class by itself.
you are referring to the 20th anniversary edition with the turbo 3.8 V6 that was pretty much the same motor from the Buick GNX. Very fast and very rare! Few are aware it ever existed!
I also felt that so! If the mustang could be on their twice, with the 5.0 and the svo. The firebird should have gotten the trans am ws6 and the gta turbo.
I have an 84 Pontiac Chinese M305 Hyatt.High output 5 speed.All the bells and whistles forty two thousand eight hundred and three miles in good condition
my 2 favs are always been 88 mustang gt and 88 transam gta i have them both still to this day i will never get rid of these cars so mutch fun👍 awsome video !!
I once had an accident on my 81 AMC Spirit and the insurance company provided me with a 4 Door Dodge Omni.....Boy, was I surprised at how quick and lively that little car was!! Looks aside, I really enjoyed driving that little car!
I owned a Brand New 1986 IROCZ with a 350 hp/350 V8 with TPI ..it was a limited edition because most IROC's came with the 305 TPI putting out 225 hp. Unfortunately it was T Boned in 2002 by a drunk driver..a good friend of mine took the 350 out of it & installed it in my 1981 GMC Pick Up.. To this day my IROC engine lives on in my Classic 😘 truck👍
I had a 84 Mustang SVO, then a 85 Camaro Z/28, then a 87 Trans Am, then a 88 Camaro IROC-Z and went into the 90's with a 91 Camaro Z/28. My favorite was the 91 Camaro Z/28.
I had a 92' Z28, the final production year for that body style. Loved it, fast and handled superbly for its time, but side by side with my 17' GLI there's just no comparison. The VW packs so much more punch in both off the line power and handling, drives like it's on rails, and this from a FWD car with just a turbo four under the hood. Fascinating how different modern cars are from those of the past..
Nelson Vanvickle You Napoleonic car guy's make me chuckle, lol. Compare the '92 Z28 with a '92 VW whatever, and the VW gets SMOKED. It's all relative. A '17 4,000+ lb V6 N/A Camaro will beat your '17 GLI, whereas the V8 will absolutely STOMP your "just a turbo 4" VW. "Just a turbo 4" VW also includes twice the valves/cams in a much lighter body, along with the forced induction compared to the simpler, pushrod design of the '92 Z28. The then 4-speed auto trans held the Z28 back. At the time, manuals were clearly faster, but GM didn't have a manual trans that could handle the extra power of the 5.7. Now, autos are MUCH faster than manuals. Engines/trans/drive trains have definitely come a long way (for the better) but like I stated before, everything is relative.
@@Lucille69caddy Lol, and? There's no question a thoroughly modern v6 powered RWD sports car packing 300 plus hp has a bit of an advantage over a 210 hp FWD compact sedan. WHAT'S YOUR POINT? I was making reference to the overall performance of a 92' v8 powered RWD sports car compared to a thoroughly modern turbo 4 cylinder powered FWD compact. No Napoleon complex here. But just for some perspective, I used to own a stage 2 apr tuned 15' golf R. I can't count on both hands the number of modern rwd muscle cars I ROASTED at the track, on back roads and on the freeway. In a straight line or in a slalom, 400 hp in a sub 3500 lb all wheel drive hatch back makes for some epic fun at the expense of some overly confident Camaro and Mustang owners...
I had a Scarlet Red 89 GT with the oil cooler and bigger radiator, 2.73s in the ass because I bought it while stationed in Germany. That bia, was hell on the autobahn. Had a German performance shop turn some bolts on her. She maxed out at 172 but wouldn't turn for shi**....You could hear the power steering pump screaming From Ramstein to Bremehaven.....Man I miss that car. Brought her home and took her straight to Super Shop in Pompano Beach Florida while stationed at Ft Stewart Ga. Ended up with a 347 stroker, 3.55s in the rear, Tremec and a host of other goodies. Well as fate would have it, lost it to the wife. She had her cousin drain the oil and at the time, tremecs used automatic trans fluid for the manual . He drained that too and put it on the lodge freeway in Detroit and well.........She went out like champ.............
Hi I’m the guy that was 24 years old in 1985 . I drove ever car that had mussel. I decided on the 1985/ 5.0 roller cam 5 speed Capri . That put out 210 hp. I do know a little about the HP of the I Camaro . For 1985 the New for 1985 TPI 305 put out 215 HP and the HO 305 put out 180. For 1986 the tpi engine was D turned to 190 hp for 1986. Then in 1987 they came out with the 350 220 hp in the camera IRock.
I still have my 1984 Mercury RS 5.0 Foxbody Capri. It still has the factory oxford white paint with tricolor stripes on it. My dad bought the car new and gave it to me in the very early 90ies. I put a roller block stroked 347 in it after the original motor broke and at 2900lbs it scoots along nicely with a 500hp motor in it!
@@bunk-bn9eo yup, they were lighter then the GTAs and can be equipped with ttops. But if you wanted a street/strip car. Then the bare bones formie was the way to go. No power options, no tops, just the 350 engine, level lll suspension, 16" wheels and go!...and for more goodies head down to your local Pontiac dealership and buy some of that good ol slp performance parts like headers, cam, ecm chip, cold air box, runners, etc...mmm good times it was!
@@carrsllccarrillo6507 I just got finished replacing the injectors in mine. 89 Formula 350 . The plenum and runners are like new inside . I cleaned all the carbon out of them. Put it all back together and took her for a test drive and damn what a difference. It had three bad injectors but has 8 new ones now. That torque will put you back in the seat .Mine is a ttop and I read somewhere they only made 1100 89 Formula ttop cars with the 350. I realize if I want to add a decent bit more power I need to add sub frame connectors though.
Joseph Romano same! Though I was hoping they would have used the 91-92 firehawk instead, any mention of a third gen trans am will always get my blood pumping!
@@fpaltenhoff86 Unfortunately the formula firehawk was considered a 90s car even though the chassis is still considered a 3rd gen platform from the 80s. But no doubt about it, those firehawks were beyond badass. They were rated 350hp and was equipped with the Corvette's ZF 6 speed tranny with the Dana 44 rear end.
The 5.7l 350 was only available in automatic , the 5 spd was a 5l 305 and v6 , Now there were lots of people that put the 350 in it but it wasn’t offered at the dealer.
What happened to this channel? Why did you guys stop uploading? please i really liked this video and i would like to know more about 1960's 1980's 1990's and 2000's muscle cars.
gsueagle04 it’s because it’s not a muscle car this is almost as bad as saying Honda is a muscle car cars in the 80s were economy cars because of an oil crisis back in the mid-70s
@@andrewfotopoulos7766 lol. The GT was a 225hp and the 5.7 IROC was rated at 230, but was underrated. It was the same motor that was in the Vette @ 245hp and would beat the Vette in the 1/4 in BOTH time & speed. Yet was heavier. 🤔
@@rodneyjones8433 So trash basically? Their whole line up is SUV's and every second vehicle on the road is an SUV and as for electrics I'd rather roll coal in Greta's face than drive these golf carts everybody is wet for.
That rear window made it an absolute beast on the NASCAR circuit. At 200MPH, it funneled air down on the rear spoiler while also cutting down drag so not only was it faster, it had the rear wheels firmly planted on the ground.
Of all the cars I've owned over more than 30 years, my 88 IROC-Z is the one I miss the most. Also, the difference between Corvette and F-Body TPI engines was more than just the heads, the blocks of the non-Corvette cars were two-bolt mains while the Corvette got four-bolt mains from what I remember. My 88 IROC was the weakest one they ever made as optioned, it had a 195HP 305 TPI engine with the 2.73 rear end and A4, with the "performance aluminum drum" rear brakes. She couldn't do more than squeak the tires standing on the throttle from a standstill, but she cruised nicely at 80mph getting about 27 mpg at around 2000 RPM, and looked good doing it. Mine was one of the few that came with the "decal delete" option, no IROC-Z decals on the doors, but the badges had changed to "IROC-Z" instead of the 1987's "Z28" badge.
StevieDee Yes they were, my buddy had one. It would hang right with Camaros and 5.0s. Your earlier comment though, about beating '89 turbo TAs is just ludicrous.
I remember seeing two on a showroom floor . I think they were GLH - S in California. I went back a week later and they were both gone. Even the salesman wondered where they went. I liked the Shelby CSX they came out with years later even better.
Well Greg I wasn't saying that we should all go out and hunt one down because of its reliability. I was merely saying that it would blow the doors off of the 5.0 mustang but hell I had a Ford taurus that would do that
@@hiesenburg669, I had an 82 Z28 with a 5.0 H.O. That was the biggest POS I've EVER owned. When a GLH showed me nothing but taillights, it was beginning of the end for that car. I gave it back to the credit union and bought a buddy's 73 Dart Sport 340.
@@lucianhartt3123 - Yes, at one point, the state told me that if I bought one more car that year, they were going to make me get a dealer's license. Edit: I should explain that in those days, you could buy a decent, running, drivable vehicle for $150 - $ 200, then turn around a buy a parts car for $50, if the thing needed any kind of work. So it was really easy to have multiple vehicles at one time, all of 'em drivable, even though a couple might need doors or fenders replaced.
I know you were not doing imports in the video and I love American Classic Muscle, but having my teen years in the 80s I cant help but mention the Supra's and the 280/300Z's were amazing both offering performance and status and I believe the 300z twin turbo set the bar pretty high having more horse and better 1/4 mile times than all others on this list. Just my opinion I was alive and striving to be cool in the 80s and several imports had the wow factor and deserve honorable mention :)
My Dad had a GLHS when I was a kid. I remember him ripping through the 5 speed manual and it just fucking screaming. It was amazing in the turns, handled like it was on a rail. The wide, low profile tires were nice for handling.
I know this dude that has all kinds of muscle cars hemi cuda's, chevelles all sorts of cool stuff but he swears the fastest car he has is the 84 omni glhs
I had an 86 Monte Carlo SS. Traded it on 8-7-87 for a brand new 87 Monte Carlo SS, Black , T roofs, burgundy inside. I drove it 248,000 miles, traded it in on Feb 12, 2012 for a 2007 Impala SS. Miss the Monte badly, but no one could tune a QuadraJet anymore lol.
Imagine that the fox mustang has two listings on here lol built ford tough... the thing about the fox is they aren’t/ weren’t the fastest but only beat by the gnx and they’re so versatile and cheap
Dave Sampson ran 11:80’s all day long with my 88 gt with slicks, gears and some juice. Blew away grand nationals left an right. Mustang gt was the easiest to make it go fast
Hell yeah, buddy had 1, had a 4-speed in it. Think it was an '83? Really fun car and a bit of a sleeper with the Capri badging! Only one I ever seen in person! Was fun in the late 80's/High School...
1989 turbo Trans Am, only 1,555 where ever made that year. Horsepower rated from the factory was 250 horsepower and 340 pound feet of torque. A lot people have put and estimated horsepower over 300.
I remember pulling into the local hang out in Mississauga Tim Hortons on friday night with my black Capri Gs next to a black gta trans am black iroc black buick grand national black monte carlo & black mustang gts what a scene !!
Nightmare Moon you’re absolutely right I could’ve also said Levi’s 501 blues vans off the wall and Rubiks cube? And somebody else would’ve politically correct with me? I’m sure you got the meaning👍🏼 oh yes Levi’s “ Button “fly 501 blues🙄 I remember correctly it was just a subject matter what was going on in the 80s not what was invented.
The Grand National and GNX were by far the best vehicles of the decade. I liked the 80 - 82 Corvette. That body style with those awesome rims were an amazing combo but even those are a distant 3rd ranking for the decade considering they were dogs. Forth on my list is the IROC 5.7 TPI V8, but the nod has to go to the GNX as the best of the 80's even though I prefer the look of the '87 GN much more.
Why the 442 olds smh!!!!You should've put the Hurst olds on that list but it didn't matter cause both of them had that weak 307 cruise engine in them they just wasted the trans & rear end on that car they could've worked that 350 olds engine in their if they had did their research or at least put the turbo Buick v6 in hell they put the same engine in the base models....
5:16 is a Hurst/Olds .Says on the door and plate. 5:23 is another one .Plain as day on the door. 5:47 lightning rod shifters only came in the Hurst / Olds 83 and 84. Hurst was done after 84 . In 85 it just said 442 on the door. I'd liked to have an 83 or 84 .I love those shifters. I think he was a little confused . If it was up to me that GLH would be replaced with a T-type.
The Iroc-Z was the coolest car of the 80's I still want to buy one today.
I have 3, one of them is a race car, they're great cars.
They got there looks from the H body, 1975 - 1980 Monzas. Go look at a 1980 Chevrolet Monza Spider and see if they both look alot?
My brother just got his hands on a five speed model he parks I next to his Camaro berlinetta with a four banger and a five speed
The most ‘80s symbol since Jackson guitars
Edwin Ramos
Hurry up buying your Iroc-Z. The prices are going to keep increasing as these cars are getting parted out.
The Iroc and GT 5.0 are the ones everyone wanted.
(LX 5.0). GT was heavier, and to some, tackier. The taillights left a lot to be desired.
the 350 iroc's was a bit faster than the GT's!
@@lancemannion4113 the notchback fox body was lighter than the convertible and the hatchback. Ppl went hunting for them in the 90s when they found that out for the track. That's why there's so few notchbacks today, many were wrecked in the track. All that said, the notchback is the uglier than the hatchback and the vert by far
@@scarface9617 nah, the fox body 5.0 mustang was faster than the Camaro and the transam in the 80s by far. The track numbers proved that, yes the Camaro/trans am had a lil more hp than the fox body but it also weighed alot more than the mustang and for that reason the fox body gapped both of them GM muscle cars.
@@Montoya1991 It depends on the year and options (L98, LB9, LO3, G92 etc..). The cars were actually pretty close in times with the F-Bodies edging out the Mustang in the handling department.
The nice things about the Stang was that it was a lot less expensive and there was really only two options. A shitty 4 Banger or the 5.0. (Plus a manual in either case).
It wasn't like the GM car that had a TON of options and you had to pick the right combo for a winner and some of those options (Like the L98) meant that your only option was an Auto.
I have an 89 Iroc Hardtop with the L98 that was mostly stock and it routinely beat my Buddy's 90 5.0 GT 5 Speed. With headers and full exhaust, I beat him handly... then he got headers and exhaust and pulled a little ahead... Now I am replacing the stock 2.73 with 3.23s and will likely pull ahead.
It's a vicious circle for these two but they were surprisingly well matched for two cars that had entirely different approaches.
I don’t care what’s on this list, I really miss the eighties!
I know it was just a better time
I wasn’t even alive in the eighties and i somehow miss it too
I do
The 1989 Turbo Trans Am was by far the best to come out of the 80's. Had Looks Great steering and suspension and killer speed
Hell yea. And would smoke that buick to
@@bohoward6991 Bo doesn't know
@@bohoward6991 you don't know BoI saw plenty of Grand Nationals dust everything they faced back in the day the GTA turbo option was the pace car other than that I'm not sure I saw one beat anybody
The 1989 turbo trans am was a faster car.it was the fastest car u can buy in 1989. Pontiac reworked the heads to fit in the fbody. Output was higher in 89 for thr the turbo trans am. 1555 were made in 89.they would smoke anything even the 87 grand national.
I owned a 89 tta car #1218 beautiful car.... Fast n fun
Monte Carlo SS 👍 still love that body style
The 86’ SS?
Pretty much the same G body style as the GNX, only difference...The GNX output was 360ft Torque
If you increased this list to 10 cars, the late 80’s Thunderbird Turbo Coupe should be in that list. That Turbo Coupe was a beautiful car. I wanted one so bad when they came out and won MT Car of the year.
I had an 88 maroon. Very nice, very comfortable.
The grand national...... Definitely one of the best
Yep, that 126 mph top end was killer., lol.
The Dodge Daytona Z owned it by 10 mph, and they were at the tail end of the top speed sports cars back then.
The 80's god I miss those days
love my 1988 Monty Carlo SS, have made changes from factory 180 hp. to 240 hp. can't wait till summer!
My first car was a brand new 1989 Pontiac Firebird. I was 17 in my senior year of high school. Wish I still had it.
I drive a 86 Trans Am and it is awesome.
Everyone has that one car they wish they could have back, Mine was my 88 IROC. I had the black one with the gold pinstriping, it was gorgeous and freaking fun to drive. Always turned heads too.
Mine was an 89 IROC, maroon with gold and black pinstriping and T-tops. I loved that car.
You included the Dodge Omini but not the Turbo Trans Am?
Yet the TTA had more HP than the GTA
Everyone forgets about the Trans Am
Honestly, anyone that had the 89 Turbo Trans Am, Knows yes 0-60 they could run low 5s . But if the temp outside was in the 80s them shits dropped performance considerably. Same with them Grand Nationals and GNX.
The 350 TPI. Was by far Mechanically better and far more reliable performance.
@@damontroch4765 I never found the GNX to heat soak that bad. The standard Grand National I understand but the intercooled GNX I've never noticed it
Chalks October that omini Would kick the shit out of a Trans Am turbo and I love Trans Ams just keeping it real
Oh the good ol days.....when cars really had character
Yes. And 200 horsepower was the industry benchmark lol.
Yeetus Maximus Not the 80’s. These cars sucked.
@@melrose9252 Not as bad as the 90's those were horrible!
8? There's only one Buick Grand National/GNX
from my knowledge, you could get the same powerplant in a buick regal
@DFB58 the grand nation was not NA it was turbocharged
Well the Trans Am was around too to make it look like a Yugo
@DFB58 well I had a86 I must have got lucky it a turbo...
Hush Money he's referring to the 82 grand national. Look them up, most people hear grand national and they think of the all black 84-87. He probably should have been more clearer. 👍🏻
Trans Ams in the 1980s were the pinnacle of styling in that decade.
Love's iroc-z and Fox body 😍
I'm restoring my 85monte Carlo SS now.
Got rid of the old 305
It now has a 355/330 horse Edelbrock, TCI transmission and 323rear
Marc Aliventi Aliventi ok
@chief tp that's the way I got it.
‘88 Firebird Formula with the 305, 5 speed manual (the 350 only had the auto), 2 tone delete and optional subwoofer system. Light blue metallic. Beautiful. Wish I’d kept it longer!
My dad passed his Firebird GTA on to me and i enjoy driving it everyday
pontiac for life bby
I have GTA for more than 12 years and I'm still in love! I will never sell that car!
nhra formula ws6 for me
Junk
@@flya787 😂
The 5.0 Badge still lives till this DAY ✌️️🐎
Yeah but they are 2 very different engines
@@farmerboy9029 Beat me too it.
The goat
In the future it’s, “to this day.” I got you bro. 👍
I love the older cars. Wish we could go back in time
GM made a good impression with several "Sport" models in the 80's, i.e. Pontiac 6000STE, Grand Am SE, Fiero GT, Beretta GT, Cavy Z24, etc. These weren't rocket-fast, but the performance versions had brisk acceleration & very brawny sounding stock exhausts on their V6's. Then the Buick GN, which was in a Class by itself.
Bought my wife a 5 seed Z-24. It actually hauled ass, and surprised more than one 5.0 Mustang GT!
No 89 Turbo Trans Am on the list?!! It was the fastest American production car that year
It was the slowest production car next to the Peel P50
Top speed of 168 mph the fastest production car of 1989 was the turbo trans am.
you are referring to the 20th anniversary edition with the turbo 3.8 V6 that was pretty much the same motor from the Buick GNX. Very fast and very rare! Few are aware it ever existed!
Yes, for 1989, it ran 13.4 @ 101mph in the quarter, while the 1987 Buick GNX did it in 12.7 @ 113 mph
The '89 Turbo TA should have been near the top of the list.
I also felt that so! If the mustang could be on their twice, with the 5.0 and the svo. The firebird should have gotten the trans am ws6 and the gta turbo.
Maybe 2nd, it ran 13.4 @ 101mph in the quarter, while the Buick GNX did it in 12.7 @ 113 mph
I have an 84 Pontiac Chinese M305 Hyatt.High output 5 speed.All the bells and whistles forty two thousand eight hundred and three miles in good condition
my 2 favs are always been 88 mustang gt and 88 transam gta i have them both still to this day i will never get rid of these cars so mutch fun👍 awsome video !!
Loved those turbo Dodge's. Nothing like going fast for cheap!
I love those 442 s. Especially the 83 and 84.
Probably the prettiest of the g-bodies. Love to get a black over silver car as shown here!
Hurst olds, ttops, lighting rods....pure 80s!
My uncle had a red IROC-Z when I was a child in the 80s and early 90s. Everytime he gave me a ride it felt like the coolest car in the world
I daily drive 3 80s vehicles, my firebird, caprice, and toyota pickup. All 3 are very dependable.
Have an 1983 Z-28 which at the time was great even though it only had 185 HP. It’s still in the garage today.
Wow, they had a lot of decent cars in 80's but Buick is my fav. 👈🤓😎👌
I once had an accident on my 81 AMC Spirit and the insurance company provided me with a 4 Door Dodge Omni.....Boy, was I surprised at how quick and lively that little car was!! Looks aside, I really enjoyed driving that little car!
Buick GNX and Monte Carlo SS are the cars i would choose from the 80s
I owned a Brand New 1986 IROCZ with a 350 hp/350 V8 with TPI ..it was a limited edition because most IROC's came with the 305 TPI putting out 225 hp. Unfortunately it was T Boned in 2002 by a drunk driver..a good friend of mine took the 350 out of it & installed it in my 1981 GMC Pick Up.. To this day my IROC engine lives on in my Classic 😘 truck👍
I had a 84 Mustang SVO, then a 85 Camaro Z/28, then a 87 Trans Am, then a 88 Camaro IROC-Z and went into the 90's with a 91 Camaro Z/28. My favorite was the 91 Camaro Z/28.
I bought a 1988 camaro base model for my first car, still working on it though everyone thinks it's an Iroc
I had a 92' Z28, the final production year for that body style. Loved it, fast and handled superbly for its time, but side by side with my 17' GLI there's just no comparison. The VW packs so much more punch in both off the line power and handling, drives like it's on rails, and this from a FWD car with just a turbo four under the hood. Fascinating how different modern cars are from those of the past..
I also had a brand new '88 IROC-Z. Loved that car!!!
Nelson Vanvickle You Napoleonic car guy's make me chuckle, lol. Compare the '92 Z28 with a '92 VW whatever, and the VW gets SMOKED. It's all relative. A '17 4,000+ lb V6 N/A Camaro will beat your '17 GLI, whereas the V8 will absolutely STOMP your "just a turbo 4" VW. "Just a turbo 4" VW also includes twice the valves/cams in a much lighter body, along with the forced induction compared to the simpler, pushrod design of the '92 Z28. The then 4-speed auto trans held the Z28 back. At the time, manuals were clearly faster, but GM didn't have a manual trans that could handle the extra power of the 5.7. Now, autos are MUCH faster than manuals. Engines/trans/drive trains have definitely come a long way (for the better) but like I stated before, everything is relative.
@@Lucille69caddy Lol, and? There's no question a thoroughly modern v6 powered RWD sports car packing 300 plus hp has a bit of an advantage over a 210 hp FWD compact sedan. WHAT'S YOUR POINT? I was making reference to the overall performance of a 92' v8 powered RWD sports car compared to a thoroughly modern turbo 4 cylinder powered FWD compact. No Napoleon complex here. But just for some perspective, I used to own a stage 2 apr tuned 15' golf R. I can't count on both hands the number of modern rwd muscle cars I ROASTED at the track, on back roads and on the freeway. In a straight line or in a slalom, 400 hp in a sub 3500 lb all wheel drive hatch back makes for some epic fun at the expense of some overly confident
Camaro and Mustang owners...
I love this erra of cars and trucks to me they look really nice
My 1989 SALEEN SSC. Mustang was rated at 292 hp!
Which, at the time... was huge.
I had number 238. It was a red 1989.
I had an 89 also. It was red. The number was 238
I had a Scarlet Red 89 GT with the oil cooler and bigger radiator, 2.73s in the ass because I bought it while stationed in Germany. That bia, was hell on the autobahn. Had a German performance shop turn some bolts on her. She maxed out at 172 but wouldn't turn for shi**....You could hear the power steering pump screaming From Ramstein to Bremehaven.....Man I miss that car. Brought her home and took her straight to Super Shop in Pompano Beach Florida while stationed at Ft Stewart Ga. Ended up with a 347 stroker, 3.55s in the rear, Tremec and a host of other goodies. Well as fate would have it, lost it to the wife. She had her cousin drain the oil and at the time, tremecs used automatic trans fluid for the manual
. He drained that too and put it on the lodge freeway in Detroit and well.........She went out like champ.............
That's a good list. I've owned 5 of those cars during the 90s when they were just used cars.
Good ole fox body
Hi I’m the guy that was 24 years old in 1985 .
I drove ever car that had mussel.
I decided on the 1985/ 5.0 roller cam 5 speed Capri . That put out 210 hp.
I do know a little about the HP of the I Camaro .
For 1985 the New for 1985 TPI 305 put out 215 HP and the HO 305 put out 180.
For 1986 the tpi engine was D turned to 190 hp for 1986. Then in 1987 they came out with the 350 220 hp in the camera IRock.
All of them were wanted through out the 80s when I was in my 20s.
Had an 85 IROC. No complaints here
I just got rid of an 89 Camaro dam I miss it so much
I still have my 1984 Mercury RS 5.0 Foxbody Capri. It still has the factory oxford white paint with tricolor stripes on it. My dad bought the car new and gave it to me in the very early 90ies. I put a roller block stroked 347 in it after the original motor broke and at 2900lbs it scoots along nicely with a 500hp motor in it!
87 GTA , thing was a beast especially after a few mods. I rolled hard in that thing 😎
The Formula 350 was a sick ride too.
I owned 87'gta then got the 89'turbo trans am with a 91'z28! love the look of the gta!
@@bunk-bn9eo yup, they were lighter then the GTAs and can be equipped with ttops. But if you wanted a street/strip car. Then the bare bones formie was the way to go. No power options, no tops, just the 350 engine, level lll suspension, 16" wheels and go!...and for more goodies head down to your local Pontiac dealership and buy some of that good ol slp performance parts like headers, cam, ecm chip, cold air box, runners, etc...mmm good times it was!
@@carrsllccarrillo6507 I just got finished replacing the injectors in mine. 89 Formula 350 . The plenum and runners are like new inside . I cleaned all the carbon out of them. Put it all back together and took her for a test drive and damn what a difference. It had three bad injectors but has 8 new ones now. That torque will put you back in the seat .Mine is a ttop and I read somewhere they only made 1100 89 Formula ttop cars with the 350. I realize if I want to add a decent bit more power I need to add sub frame connectors though.
Really enjoyed driving my 1988 Lincoln Mark 7 Bill Blass edition. Had a 5.0 & was very smooth
for me the best muscles 80,s cars is , trans-am, camaro and buick
I had an ‘86 SVO mustang. It was a blast when that turbo kicked in
The 1987 Pontiac trans-am GTA is my favorite!
Joseph Romano same! Though I was hoping they would have used the 91-92 firehawk instead, any mention of a third gen trans am will always get my blood pumping!
@@fpaltenhoff86 Unfortunately the formula firehawk was considered a 90s car even though the chassis is still considered a 3rd gen platform from the 80s. But no doubt about it, those firehawks were beyond badass. They were rated 350hp and was equipped with the Corvette's ZF 6 speed tranny with the Dana 44 rear end.
These cars look better than anything new
Agree. Especially when one of these old cars is clean. My black firebird t top car turns heads all day. Lord have mercy Elvira has her t tops off..
still loving the grand national! cant get over it!
The 5.7l 350 was only available in automatic , the 5 spd was a 5l 305 and v6 ,
Now there were lots of people that put the 350 in it but it wasn’t offered at the dealer.
Me Toooo, I own a 1987 with good mods LOL
Nice list bro wish I was born In the 80's sounds like a wonderful time and the cars are futuristic and on point
Fox4Life 🤘
What happened to this channel? Why did you guys stop uploading? please i really liked this video and i would like to know more about 1960's 1980's 1990's and 2000's muscle cars.
I didn’t know that the Dodge Omni was a muscle car. I thought that the Omni was a compact car
gsueagle04 it’s because it’s not a muscle car this is almost as bad as saying Honda is a muscle car cars in the 80s were economy cars because of an oil crisis back in the mid-70s
Same
175hp in that be little package... more than the v8's in that time period.
@@andrewfotopoulos7766 lol.
The GT was a 225hp and the 5.7 IROC was rated at 230, but was underrated. It was the same motor that was in the Vette @ 245hp and would beat the Vette in the 1/4 in BOTH time & speed. Yet was heavier. 🤔
gsueagle04 I thought it was a piece of shit. And I still do! 💩
Somebody paid this guy to say a pinto based mustang can spin the wheels in any gear? 4 lug 5.0s were snacks for my iroc
I'm on the Fox Body Mustang bandwagon! (OG 5.0 ALL THE WAY!!!) Who's with me!
🖓
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I’m in!
Wish Buick would make a sports car again.
I hear they're bringing back the Grand National...Only problem it might be electric or a SUV, or both
@@rodneyjones8433 So trash basically? Their whole line up is SUV's and every second vehicle on the road is an SUV and as for electrics I'd rather roll coal in Greta's face than drive these golf carts everybody is wet for.
Had the SS Monte never liked the aero style made it look like a hatchback.
That rear window made it an absolute beast on the NASCAR circuit. At 200MPH, it funneled air down on the rear spoiler while also cutting down drag so not only was it faster, it had the rear wheels firmly planted on the ground.
@@shawdowsanddust5301 yeah i figured there was a purpose for it
From the time I was a kid in the 80s to now in my 40s I loved these cars. Still can’t afford one
I liked The Pontiac Fiero, them were mean looking cars back into the 80s.
Did you really just say that
Of all the cars I've owned over more than 30 years, my 88 IROC-Z is the one I miss the most.
Also, the difference between Corvette and F-Body TPI engines was more than just the heads, the blocks of the non-Corvette cars were two-bolt mains while the Corvette got four-bolt mains from what I remember.
My 88 IROC was the weakest one they ever made as optioned, it had a 195HP 305 TPI engine with the 2.73 rear end and A4, with the "performance aluminum drum" rear brakes. She couldn't do more than squeak the tires standing on the throttle from a standstill, but she cruised nicely at 80mph getting about 27 mpg at around 2000 RPM, and looked good doing it. Mine was one of the few that came with the "decal delete" option, no IROC-Z decals on the doors, but the badges had changed to "IROC-Z" instead of the 1987's "Z28" badge.
If you’re watching this video and laughing at the Dodge Omni GLH you have no clue about 80s muscle cars that thing was fast as hell believe it!
Yes it was a very formidable car on the autocross circuit.
StevieDee Yes they were, my buddy had one. It would hang right with Camaros and 5.0s. Your earlier comment though, about beating '89 turbo TAs is just ludicrous.
I remember seeing two on a showroom floor . I think they were GLH - S in California. I went back a week later and they were both gone. Even the salesman wondered where they went. I liked the Shelby CSX they came out with years later even better.
Cool I have a 1987 fire bird pontiac run great it has 305 engine in it. People like it
*Creator: We need to talk about 80’s muscle cars, what cars should we use
*Narrator: DODGE OMNI😂
Not much slower than 5.0.
the omni glhs will blow the doors off of the 5.0
@@hiesenburg669 sure until that 2.2 liter lifts a head gasket which was the issue with ALL the dodge four banger turbo motors......
Well Greg I wasn't saying that we should all go out and hunt one down because of its reliability. I was merely saying that it would blow the doors off of the 5.0 mustang but hell I had a Ford taurus that would do that
@@hiesenburg669, I had an 82 Z28 with a 5.0 H.O. That was the biggest POS I've EVER owned. When a GLH showed me nothing but taillights, it was beginning of the end for that car. I gave it back to the credit union and bought a buddy's 73 Dart Sport 340.
What a blast from the past 👏 🙌
I prefer the 79’ Trans AM
Got that right. 80s suck
That One Leafs Fan my dad owned a 1988 firebird 305 he hated that car, yet I love my 79 TA
For the record my 1980 Monza Spyder is one of my all time fav cars
Best car in the list.. The Grand National any day..
Yep, and BY FAR the quickest and easiest to make HUGE HP with. Which is exactly why they are so sought after and expensive today.......
CT87 GN agreed glad to have one sitting in the garage
No doubt. They are one of my favorite cars of all time.
The Buick 231 V6 (3.8 v6) first got turboed in 1978.
And now I remember why all the cars I owned in the '80s were made in the '70s...
"All the cars?" Dude, how many cars did you go through in 10 years?
@@lucianhartt3123 - I owned 21 different vehicles before I even turned 21. lol
@@guarddog318 Holy crud, that's a lot....
@@lucianhartt3123 - Yes, at one point, the state told me that if I bought one more car that year, they were going to make me get a dealer's license.
Edit: I should explain that in those days, you could buy a decent, running, drivable vehicle for $150 - $ 200, then turn around a buy a parts car for $50, if the thing needed any kind of work.
So it was really easy to have multiple vehicles at one time, all of 'em drivable, even though a couple might need doors or fenders replaced.
I know you were not doing imports in the video and I love American Classic Muscle, but having my teen years in the 80s I cant help but mention the Supra's and the 280/300Z's were amazing both offering performance and status and I believe the 300z twin turbo set the bar pretty high having more horse and better 1/4 mile times than all others on this list. Just my opinion I was alive and striving to be cool in the 80s and several imports had the wow factor and deserve honorable mention :)
I would love to own an Iroc Z
My Dad had a GLHS when I was a kid. I remember him ripping through the 5 speed manual and it just fucking screaming. It was amazing in the turns, handled like it was on a rail. The wide, low profile tires were nice for handling.
This is like television quality video but on a yt channel with 22 subs
That tv quality was great in the 1980's.
The great old days when cars were cars not the plastic fantastic we ride in today
Ray Busa Cars today are better than the junk from the 80’s.
88 Chevy Caprice Classic, hits million kms on the odometer if well looked after.
Much better than today's soda cans on wheels.
An omni is by no means a muscle car at all
No it wasn't but it could dust a lot of muscle cars out there. It was nearly equivalent to the 5.0 mustang in street races
The video said muscle and performance cars.
I know this dude that has all kinds of muscle cars hemi cuda's, chevelles all sorts of cool stuff but he swears the fastest car he has is the 84 omni glhs
I think the Shelby Charger GLHS should been in place of the Omni. It has that muscle car look and is basically an Omni with a racy two door body.
sports cars but don't see any real muscle cars here
I got an iroc and its the coolest looking car in person
Go look at a 1980 Chevrolet monza spider, same car.
I had an 86 Monte Carlo SS. Traded it on 8-7-87 for a brand new 87 Monte Carlo SS, Black , T roofs, burgundy inside. I drove it 248,000 miles, traded it in on Feb 12, 2012 for a 2007 Impala SS. Miss the Monte badly, but no one could tune a QuadraJet anymore lol.
Imagine that the fox mustang has two listings on here lol built ford tough... the thing about the fox is they aren’t/ weren’t the fastest but only beat by the gnx and they’re so versatile and cheap
And the 5.0 fox has a big following to this day as well. 🦊for life
My stock 87 5.0 had nuts.. it wasn't until the 93 Camaro came out, then it was time to upgrade
The turbocharged shelby z daytonas has been smoking foxbodys since 87 them lil sons of bitches were v8 killers
Dave Sampson ran 11:80’s all day long with my 88 gt with slicks, gears and some juice. Blew away grand nationals left an right. Mustang gt was the easiest to make it go fast
@@Joetrout Yes sir the were very easy to upgrade. Had an 87 Gt and boy I sure miss it!
80s and early 90s FTW !!!!!
You have to remember smog control and vacuum leaks were the main reason why a lot of these ran like shit
It’s a bit of a reason why most would LS swap them nowadays. I plan on doing that to my Sport Coupe Camaro eventually
My dad had an 89 GTA that he would actually let me drive anytime I wanted when I was in highschool. Cool dad!
But the cutlass supreme and Buick Regal were the best looking car out of all the rest .
Nice cars
The 86 Capri 5.0 was a cool rare car
Hell yeah, buddy had 1, had a 4-speed in it. Think it was an '83? Really fun car and a bit of a sleeper with the Capri badging! Only one I ever seen in person! Was fun in the late 80's/High School...
1989 turbo Trans Am, only 1,555 where ever made that year. Horsepower rated from the factory was 250 horsepower and 340 pound feet of torque. A lot people have put and estimated horsepower over 300.
BUICK GNX SHOULD BE NUMBER ONE. IT'S THE CAR DARTH VADER WOULD RIDE
I have a mint red 1985 Camaro Z28 IROC-Z t-top with 47k mikes. All original. Love it! I want a GTA Trans Am next.
I remember pulling into the local hang out in Mississauga Tim Hortons on friday night with my black Capri Gs next to a black gta trans am black iroc black buick grand national black monte carlo & black mustang gts what a scene !!
Just bought a beautiful 1989 Pontiac GTA, gonna drop an LT1 in it
The only thing that came out of the 80s that was worth a damn was rock ‘n’ roll music AC/DC Ruch Nazareth Fast way Quiet riot🎵 just to name a few😁
AC/DC didn’t come from the 80’s they just peaked in the 80’s. They formed in 1973
Nightmare Moon you’re absolutely right I could’ve also said Levi’s 501 blues vans off the wall and Rubiks cube? And somebody else would’ve politically correct with me? I’m sure you got the meaning👍🏼 oh yes Levi’s “ Button “fly 501 blues🙄 I remember correctly it was just a subject matter what was going on in the 80s not what was invented.
Excellent Choices
The Grand National and GNX were by far the best vehicles of the decade. I liked the
80 - 82 Corvette. That body style with those awesome rims were an amazing combo but even those are a distant 3rd ranking for the decade considering they were dogs. Forth on my list is the IROC 5.7 TPI V8, but the nod has to go to the GNX as the best of the 80's even though I prefer the look of the '87 GN much more.
The GNX is from 87
@@joshbarbone189 Well aware.
My 1st ride was an 87 Mustang GT 5.0 😉
1986 Pontiac trans am 5.0 makes a Similar amount of horsepower
Alex 1 gaming the trans am and camaro were pretty much the same car.
They were vary similar
Once upon a time a Big V8 with 140hp.
Why the 442 olds smh!!!!You should've put the Hurst olds on that list but it didn't matter cause both of them had that weak 307 cruise engine in them they just wasted the trans & rear end on that car they could've worked that 350 olds engine in their if they had did their research or at least put the turbo Buick v6 in hell they put the same engine in the base models....
Had an 1987 442 and it belongs on the list. All of the cars except for the GNX are quite weak.
@@brianmcghee3597 Right about that👍🏾👍🏾
5:16 is a Hurst/Olds .Says on the door and plate. 5:23 is another one .Plain as day on the door. 5:47 lightning rod shifters only came in the Hurst / Olds 83 and 84. Hurst was done after 84 . In 85 it just said 442 on the door. I'd liked to have an 83 or 84 .I love those shifters. I think he was a little confused . If it was up to me that GLH would be replaced with a T-type.
@@brianmcghee3597 I had 3 IROC's with the 350, they run ok for that time!
@@peteandrepete528 went with my buddy to pick up his 83 Hurst/olds at the dealer in 83. It was the hottest looking slow car I've ever been in. Lol