The 80s Didn’t Hold Back
The 1980s were packed with bold ideas, and they were very obvious in cars. This was a time when automakers pushed boundaries—experimenting with wild designs, new tech, and features that felt years ahead of their time. Some of these models became icons, and others may have flown under the radar, but each one brought something that looked like it came from the future. Here are 20 futuristic machines from the 80s that were way ahead of their time.
1. 1981 DeLorean DMC-12
Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of history’s most influential car designers, designed this car. It featured gullwing doors, a futuristic hallmark rarely seen in production cars. The brushed stainless steel body panels gave it a sci-fi look unlike anything else in the '80s.
Kieran White from Manchester, England on Wikimedia
2. 1984 Pontiac Fiero
Initially marketed as a commuter car, the Fiero secretly had sports car DNA. Engineers borrowed techniques from aerospace to improve structural rigidity. This car’s body panels were made of innovative rust-proof composite plastic, and despite modest power, it became a cult tuner car in later years.
Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA on Wikimedia
3. 1985 Citroën BX
The BX used Citroën’s hydropneumatic suspension, allowing adjustable ride height and silky smooth travel. Legendary Italian designer Marcello Gandini gave it an edgy, futuristic design. It could be raised high enough to drive over obstacles and lowered to load luggage with ease.
unknown, affiliated with Garage de l'Est, altered and uploaded by Mr.choppers on Wikimedia
4. 1987 Buick GNX
Clocking 0–60 in 4.7 seconds, it was one of the fastest production cars in America. Buick underrated its horsepower to avoid outshining the Corvette, and its turbocharged V6 engine beat out many V8 muscle cars of its era. Only 547 GNXs were built.
5. 1985 Toyota MR2
This was the first Japanese mass-produced mid-engine car. It came with an optional supercharged engine, a rarity for the time, and its lightweight design and agile handling set new benchmarks in affordability and fun. The design featured pop-up headlights and angular lines straight from a manga.
Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand on Wikimedia
6. 1982 Lamborghini Countach LP500S
A wedge shape and scissor doors made the Countach LP500S the poster child of futuristic car design, and almost zero rear visibility added to its mystique and impracticality. While the huge rear wing added no downforce, it looked incredible.
7. 1981 BMW M1
The M1 was BMW’s first and only mid-engine supercar, and it was homologated for Group 4 racing, blending street and track engineering. Even though BMW took over final production, the car was co-developed with Lamborghini. Its interior was surprisingly luxurious for a homologation special.
8. 1989 Nissan S-Cargo
This car’s name is a pun on “escargot,” the French word for snail. The S-Cargo was a concept-inspired production car with a cartoonish design, and only around 8,000 were made. It featured a centrally mounted instrument cluster, unusual even for quirky Japanese kei cars.
Charlie from United Kingdom on Wikimedia
9. 1983 Renault Fuego Turbo
The turbocharged variant delivered sporty performance in a stylish package. Offering remote keyless entry, its wraparound rear window and flowing lines made it stand out in the compact segment. Designed with aerodynamics in mind, the car achieved a drag coefficient of 0.34.
1983 Renault Fuego Turbo (Italian) by The Wheel Network
10. 1986 Ferrari Testarossa
With a name meaning “red head,” the Testarossa featured a flat-12 engine producing 390 horsepower. The width was so extreme it required dual radiators and wide rear mirrors, and its dramatic side strakes and wide rear track made it visually and aerodynamically bold.
11. 1988 Oldsmobile Aerotech
Powered by a turbocharged Quad 4 engine producing over 1,000 hp, the Aerotech broke multiple land speed records. Its body was designed in a wind tunnel with aerospace-grade precision, and its carbon fiber construction was pioneering for the era.
12. 1985 Audi Sport Quattro
Only 214 units of the Sport Quattro were made. Built for Group B rallying, it had a turbocharged inline-5 and permanent all-wheel drive. This boxy coupe could hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and featured Kevlar body panels to reduce weight.
13. 1984 Vector W2
The W2 featured a twin-turbocharged V8 engine pushing over 600 horsepower. It was designed as America’s answer to exotic supercars with aerospace engineering roots. Just one functional prototype was made, and the dashboard resembled a fighter jet cockpit, complete with aviation-grade instruments.
14. 1983 Mazda Cosmo HB
Being sold only in Japan made this car a cult classic among import enthusiasts. The Cosmo HB came equipped with a fully digital dashboard years ahead of its time, and it featured a turbocharged rotary engine, a futuristic and rare powertrain.
15. 1986 Alfa Romeo SZ Prototype
The design of the SZ Prototype used radical, computer-aided geometry, giving it a sharp, wedge-like silhouette. It previewed the eventual Alfa SZ, a limited-run sports coupe that looked like concept art. “Il Mostro” (The Monster) was its nickname, and it stemmed from its unconventional design.
16. 1989 Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor
Built as a high-speed concept capable of nearly 200 mph, the M4S became famous as the hero car in The Wraith, a cult sci-fi film. The aerodynamic body bagged a drag coefficient of just 0.23. Only a few screen-used models were ever built.
17. 1982 Lotus Esprit Turbo
The Esprit Turbo debuted as one of the first turbocharged supercars of the decade, and it appeared in For Your Eyes Only, a James Bond film. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed its angular fiberglass body, and it had a stunning interior trimmed in luxurious leather and digital gauges.
18. 1988 Peugeot Oxia
Only two examples of the Oxia were built, and both are still intact today. The Oxia had active aerodynamic components and a carbon fiber body. It flaunted a twin-turbo V6 producing 680 hp and a full-color CRT display for vehicle data, rare in its time.
19. 1985 Subaru XT
An ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.29, one of the lowest of the era, met an interior with a joystick-style shifter and airplane-style instrument pod in the XT. Its wedge shape and pop-up headlights gave it a true sci-fi silhouette.
Let's Get Weird: 1985 Subaru XT Turbo Tour & Drive by The Photographer's Garage
20. 1986 Saab EV-1
The EV-1 featured integrated solar panels in the glass roof for climate control. This was a concept car designed to showcase future-focused, energy-efficient technology, and it came with seats made from recycled PET bottles. The futuristic dashboard glowed red with aviation-style instrument clusters.
