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The 1984 Ford RS 200 Prototype was a homologation special for Ford’s Group B rally car. Source/Images: oldconceptcars

The 1984 Ford Transit Supervan 2 was a Ford C100 Group C car powered by a Cosworth DFL engine fitted with a fiberglass replica of a Transit Mk2 bodyshell albeit lowered, with a front air dam, large side air inlets, and a high-mounted rear spoiler. It was timed at 174mph during tests at Silverstone. It took part in the first British truck racing Grand Prix. Source: Auto Artist — carsthatnevermadeitetc: Ford Transit .... https://kustomcarkustoms.tumblr.com/post/652156773559566336/carsthatnevermadeitetc-ford-transit-supervan-2 Images: oldconceptcars

Antoine Volanis followed up the Helios with an advanced aerodynamic saloon concept based on the humble Renault 11 with a claimed drag coefficient of 0.13. The Volanis Apollon concept was presented at the 1984 Paris Motor Show. Engine & performance: Type: Renault 11 Turbo, 4-cylinder Capacity: 1397 cc Power: 105 hp @ 6500 rpm Torque: 162 Nm @ 2500 rpm Dimensions: Length: 4550 mm Width: 1750 mm Height: 1320 mm Wheelbase: 2620 mm Source: carsthatnevermadeitetc.tumblr; allcarindex Images: oldconceptcars

Teenage drivers in the early 1980s got very creative when it came to making their VW Polos and Golfs look like Italian sports cars. The Swiss car designer and nonconventional Franco Sbarro went the other way – and turned a Ferrari 308 GTB into an infernal, mid-engined hot hatch. If there is one design studio that outshone all other tuning studios during the era of automotive excess in the early 1980s, it must be Sbarro of Switzerland. Founded by a car mechanic, designer, and engineer Franco Sbarro, the studio created dozens of sometimes fascinating, sometimes outright bizarre Frankenstein cars. Over the years, the experimental hot rods, monstrous SUVs, hysterical hypercars, and other cartoonishly proportioned prototypes became guaranteed crowd-pullers at the annual motor shows. In the spring of 1984, the visitors of the Geneva Motor Show who managed to push through the crowds at the Sbarro stand marveled at a surprisingly compact but wide-hipped and chromed-out hatchback car dubbed the Sbarro Super Eight. As it turned out, Franco Sbarro and his team had based the car on the chassis, 5-speed gearbox, and V8 engine of a Ferrari 308 GTB, creating the 260+ HP hot hatch Maranello was so reluctant to build. The 3.0-liter engine had been mounted transversely and accelerated the 800-kilo pocket rocket to a top speed of 130+ mph. Sporting spoiler lips and Testarossa-style air intakes, the Sbarro Super Eight was dressed to impress – but once you made it beyond the dramatically styled fiberglass body, you found yourself in a surprisingly subtle and elegant cockpit clad in caramel-colored leather, textiles, and carpets. There was even a full stereo system – and of course, that trademark open-gate gearbox that reminded you what kind of engine was roaring right behind you. Source: Jan Baedeker | classicdriver.com Images: Sbarro; Peter Vann; Speed 8 Classics

The model's design was developed in Italy in the studio Italdesign Giugiaro. The "nine thousand" is built on the same platform as the FIAT Croma, Alfa Romeo 164, Lancia Thema. Saab brings together the suspension design and body architecture with Italian relatives. And the doorways, glass frames, and other details are the same for Fiat, Lancia, and Saab. Source: www.avtomarket.ru (translated from Russian) Images: Saab

Multi-purpose station wagons, or station wagons with increased capacity, can characterize a new category of cars, including Renault Espace. In the five-door body, the front row seats can be rotated around a vertical axis by 180 °, the second-row seats lean forward, as in a station wagon, or move back (then the third row of seats can be easily dismantled). In the latter case, it is possible to push forward the second row's middle seat to the center of the cabin and turn it into a table. Thus, various options for the cabin's layout are possible, depending on the number of passengers, the size of the cargo, and the most convenient placement. The salon is quite high - 1135 mm. Despite this, the car's overall height turned out to be relatively small. The front-wheel drive allowed the floor to be very low. The one-volume body is carefully designed in terms of aerodynamics to reduce air resistance and reduce fuel consumption. So, the windshield and the front panel of the body form a single surface inclined at an angle of 32 °, it was possible to do without gutters, the door handles were made non-protruding, a spoiler was installed in front - as a result, the Cx coefficient was reduced to 0.32-0.3. Of interest is the load-bearing body of the car. It has a steel frame lined with plastic panels. Assembly from units supplied by Renault, including the body frame, is carried out by the Matra plant. Source: Magazine "Behind the wheel" Images: Renault

Pontiac teased the public with the show stopping Fiero roadster at the 1984 Chicago Auto Show. This Fiero concept featured a removable top and V-6 performance. Though Pontiac toyed with the idea, no production ragtop Fiero was released. Source: www.chicagoautoshow.com Images: Concept Car Central; www.chicagoautoshow.com

Presented by Peugeot in 1984 at the Paris Motor Show, the Quasar was a futuristic sportscar concept inspired by science-fiction spacecraft design. It was powered by a 1.6 liters biturbo engine which delivered 600hp. Premiering at the 1984 Paris Auto Show, the Quasar was a sporty two-seater with a low profile and a large glass area. The 600-horsepower 4-cylinder twin-turbo inline engine and four-wheel-drive system were fully visible from the rear. Under the transparent dome, inside sat a one-piece full-width dashboard supported by the transmission tunnel. The stereo system and controls were housed on the passenger side. The dashboard and seats were finished in bright red leather. All digital instrumentation included transflective liquid crystals to provide optimum legibility day or night. A CRT monitor in the center of the vertical console served as a navigational system, a warning message display, and sent and received telex messages. Source: Concept Car Central Images: Concept Car Central

Based on the Daihatsu Cuore, the PAC (Project Automotive Commuter) was Michelotti’s most successful city car concept, pursuing Michelotti’s dream of creating a small, rational, versatile, economical car for urban use. The modular assemble allowed different versions on the same structural base easy production. The two-cylinder 548cc engine gave the PAC a 70-mph top speed with a countershaft to reduce vibrations. Engine & performance: Type: Daihatsu Cuore, 2-cylinder Capacity: 548 cc Power: 31 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 41 Nm @ 3500 Nm Dimensions: Length: 3200 mm Width: 1420 mm Height: 1380 mm Wheelbase: 2150 mm Source: Concept Car Central; allcarindex Images: Concept Car Central; Flickr; Live To Dai

Based on the six Sbarro Shahin Mercedes-Benz prototypes of 1983, the Biturbo was unveiled at the 1984 Geneva Auto Show as a revitalized version of the six concepts. The gull-wing doors, horizontal-lined front grille, dual sets of headlights, and white leather interior, were carry-overs from the previous designs. The windshield was tinted pink around the edges. The interior was also equipped with a telephone, air conditioning, and a high-quality audio system. Based on Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC mechanics and powered by a 350-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, the Biturbo could reach a top speed of 171 miles per hour. Engine & performance: Position: front longitudinal Type: Mercedes-Benz, V8 Capacity: 4973 cc Power: 350 hp Drive: RWD Top speed: 274 km/h Source: ConceptCarCentral; allcarindex Images: Espera Sbarro

In the late 50s, the activities of Carrozzeria Zagato reached a semi-industrial size. The official collaboration with renowned sports brands of the period pushed the company to move, in 1961, from Milan to a larger production site in Arese, near to where the future headquarters of Alfa Romeo would be built. In this plant, the company began its production of fuoriserie road and racing cars at ever-increasing rates to meet industry demand. In 1984, the collaboration with Maserati resumed at full speed. Alejandro De Tomaso, enchanted by the one-off A6G/54 Spider, awarded Elio and Gianni Zagato the task of creating the design and production of the Biturbo Spyder. Distinguished by a shorter wheelbase of 11 centimeters, compared to the “closed” version (adjusted to strengthen the chassis and harmonize it with the body), the Biturbo Spyder retained the same six-cylinder, two-liter, twin-turbo engine. Stylistically, it was characterized by a fabric roof that, once lowered, disappeared into a special compartment created by the new design of the rear. In 1989, the model evolved with a new version equipped with a more powerful, 2.8-liter engine. In the same period, the commercial push also launched in the American market, where it was sold with a 2.5-liter engine and catalytic converter. In total, production reached nearly 7,000 units. Source: 2015 Maserati Mostro By Zagato | Top Speed. https://www.topspeed.com/cars/maserati/2015-maserati-mostro-by-zagato-ar169527.html Images: Zagato

After the Esprit in 1982, a new cooperation with Lotus for an aggressive two seats Coupé, sophisticated and powerful. The new 8 cylinders, 4 liters, 340 hp engine is the basis of the new cooperation between Lotus and Italdesign, for the creation of a two seats Coupé; Lotus is enthusiastic about this project and begins the development that will be interrupted in 1986 to coincide with the leverage by GM. The Etna wheelbase is longer than the Esprit one (70mm) to contain the engine. In the '90s, the super-cars look impose rounded lines, but general statement, in common for all the Lotus, is wedged. After BMW M1 and DeLorean DMC 12 squared lines, Etna opens a new shaping thread that will characterize many two seats Coupé in years to come. Engine & performance: Position: mid-engied, longitudinal Type: Lotus 909 V8, DOHC, 32-valve Capacity: 4000 cc Power: 340 hp @ 6500 rpm Dimensions: Length: 4268 mm Width: 1844 mm Height: 1143 mm Wheelbase: 2515 mm Weight: 1180 kg Source: www.italdesign.it Images: ItalDesign; Lotusespritturbo.com; Bonhams; www.lotusbuzz.com

The Kia KMX-90 was a concept sedan hatchback car built in 1984. The car featured futuristic styling, which included aerodynamic wheel covers and bodywork. The design is reminiscent of the Lotus Elan M100 (later sold under the Kia name badge). The car debuted at the 1984 Seoul Motor Show and is unusual because it has gull-wing doors. Source: Kia KMX-90 | Classic Cars Wiki | Fandom. https://classiccars.fandom.com/wiki/Kia_KMX-90 Images: oldcar-korea.tistory.com; Roger Gloor, "Zukunftsautos der 80er Jahre – Concept-cars, Designstudien, Prototypen"

Developed on the same chassis of three box berline Marlin, the research for space-wagon cars goes on. Together is similar to New York Taxi, Megagamma, Capsula. A tall and multifunctional vehicle with research brought to the realization of series cars like Fiat Uno and Panda. Together is, as a matter of fact, "1 box and a half", small total dimensions, 4 meters length and 1790 mm width. The internal compartment is bigger than Marlin one, rudder pedals is higher and in an advanced position; the distance between the foot-brake pedal and back seat is 2200mm, 170 more compared to the Marlin. Large glass surfaces runs all around the car that has a configuration of two or three seats row. Front seats can be completely rotated, permitting a frontal disposition compared to the three back seats. Inside the wheelbase, two people have a bent seat that can be used to push ahead a second-row seat. Engine & performance: Position: front transverse Type: Lancia Delta HF, 4-cylinder, in line, DOHC, turbo Capacity: 1585 cc Power: 130 hp @ 5600 rpm Torque: 191 Nm @ 3700 rpm Drive: FWD Dimensions: Length: 4150 mm Width: 1790 mm Height: 1600 mm Wheelbase: 2665 mm Source: www.italdesign.it; allcarindex Images: ItalDesign

Inspired, as the name suggests, by tapering shapes of oceanic swordfish, it's a three-box sedan, five doors, and great habitability. From the same chassis is also realized the Together, the space-wagon version. At the 1984 Turin Motor show, ItalDesign propose two different architectural solutions for berline and space-wagon, using the same chassis, Orca's one. Marlin complete length is the same as the Lancia Thema and Saab (4600 mm). Still, the bodywork is more tapered to reach a 0,21 cx, thanks to the large front, deceiving windscreen and rear window, total doors, the continuous section between glasses and side of the car. The roof is glassed, and with lateral windows, makes a transparent dome that allows a 360° visibility from the inside. The steering wheel is similar to Medusa and Orca's one, with central controls, while the equipment is both analogical and digital. Engine & performance: Position: front transverse engine Type: Lancia Delta HF, 4-cylinder, in line, DOHC, turbo Capacity: 1585 cc Power: 130 hp @ 5600 rpm Torque: 191 Nm @ 3700 rpm Drive: 4WD Dimensions: Length: 4600 mm Width: 1740 mm Height: 1370 mm Wheelbase: 2665 mm Source: www.italdesign.it; allcarindex Images: ItalDesign

The Honda HPX was a concept car built by Pininfarina in 1984 and presented at the Turin Motor Show. The car is characterized by wedge-shaped lines of an extremely aerodynamic sport berlinetta. It is a research for a high-performance sports car destined for assembly on a special version of the Honda V6 F2 engine. Engine & performance: Position: mid-engined, rear Type: Honda F2 V6, DOHC, 24-valve Capacity: 1996 cc Dimensions: Length: 4165 mm Width: 1770 mm Height: 1125 mm Wheelbase: 2550 mm Source: Honda HP-X | Classic Cars Wiki | Fandom. https://classiccars.fandom.com/wiki/Honda_HP-X Images: Concept Car Central; Mario Buonocunto Concept Cars Page; www.2000gt.net

GM called its Project Saturn prototype for the late 1980s "The American answer to the Japanese challenge". It represented GM's largest single commitment to fully-integrate design, engineering, and manufacturing and incorporate new technology and assembly techniques. lt was planned to enter production as a FWD Chevrolet subcompact smaller than the Cavalier and about 600 pounds lighter. The fuel-injected 4-cylinder transverse engine was intended to be coupled to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Plans for the car to enter production included selling the vehicle as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, and a sport utility vehicle. Source: Concept Car Central Images: Concept Car Central

Presented at the 1984 Turin Motor Show, the TSX (Touring Sport Extra-4-Wheel-Drive) was a luxurious five-door sport wagon based on the mechanics of the Ford Tempo. A 120-horsepower 2.3-liter engine mounted up front was placed transversely. Lightweight materials, a projected top speed of 120 mph, and a drag coefficient of 0.30 indicated outstanding performance and aerodynamics. The low-profile front end incorporated an integral spoiler, radiator air intake, and a flush-fitting headlight unit with a full-width light bar. The single-section screened-glass rear tailgate cut forward into the roof, hinging at the point above the rear seats. All interior controls were mounted on the steering wheel, and the ignition was operated through a high-security, programmable push-button code system located on the center console. A television set was mounted in the rear, and a personal computer with keyboard and visual display units was built into a special security compartment. Source: Concept Car Central Images: Ford; Concept Car Central; Andre LE ROUX Site

The Ghia Vignale Mustang 4WD Prototype Coupe was presented at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show. Built on a Ford Mustang SVO platform and powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the three-door four-seat Mustang concept with Vignale featured flush glass, a contoured windshield with a single wiper, low-profile aerodynamic headlights, and fixed windows with a small portion capable of being controlled electrically. The traditional vertical Mustang taillights were placed horizontally on the Vignale concept, with reverse indicators built into the center lights on the trunk. Source: Concept Car Central Images: Ford; Concept Car Central; www.chicagoautoshow.com

The Ford Maya is a concept car designed and built by Italdesign for Ford. It debuted in 1984 at the Turin Motor Show. The Maya was designed to test the waters for a 2-seater, targa top sports car for the U.S. market. Ford had planned to put the Maya into production, building 50 units per day (about 12,000 per year), and as such, the concept was built to be fully functional. The design was criticized for being too similar to the Giugiaro designed Lotus Etna concept unveiled that same year. The Maya is powered by a mid-mounted Ford V6 engine producing 140 hp (104 kW; 142 PS). This was a placeholder for a Yamaha co-developed 3.0 L V6 engine producing 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) that Ford had intended to put into the production model. That power is sent to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. The Giugiaro wedge design gives it a drag coefficient of 0.28 cx. It was built for the U.S. market, and it features a soft plastic, deformable front bumper. The interior features twin leather bucket seats, space for luggage behind the seats, and most of the buttons for car controls mounted on the steering wheel. In 1985, after the first Maya concept had been unveiled, Ford requested that a second car be built, called the Maya II ES. Source: Ford Maya - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Maya Images: ItalDesign