Driving ’80s performance car icons, from the Peugeot 205 GTI to the Ferrari Testarossa – car pictures of the week
In the latest issue of evo magazine, we revisit six staple performance cars of the 1980s on some of the best roads in the UK – these are our favourite shots
It’s easy to complain about modern performance cars being too big, heavy, numb and complex, but were the old days really better for driving enthusiasts? In issue 334, we begin a journey discovering which decade really is the golden era for driver’s cars, by testing six of the most iconic and influential models from the 1980s. Revisiting everything from the Peugeot 205 GTI to the Ferrari Testarossa on spectacular roads was as illuminating as it was fun – find out why by picking up a copy of evo 334 in-store or online via the evo shop.
It’s easy to get lost in the romance of old cars – particularly one as achingly desirable as a Testarossa. But as part of evo’s new Eras series, which will run across multiple issues this year, we want to find out how satisfying they are from behind the wheel, and which decade from the 1980s until now has delivered the best driver’s cars.
From the ’80s, we have a wonderful selection of shapes from humble hot hatches to homologation specials and full-blown supercars. The 205 GTI kicks things off with its reputation for back-to-basics hot hatch thrills and a fizzy 1.9-litre four-pot engine. It’s already a surefire icon, but is it as thrilling as we remember?
Then comes the Mk1 Toyota MR2, a car that’s lived in the Mazda MX-5’s shadow but has all the makings of a sweet mid-engined sports car – you could almost swap its Toyota badge for a Lotus one, such is its mechanical elegance and sub-ton kerb weight. The MR2 is joined by two German machines spawned from the world of competition and box arches – the Audi Quattro 20v and E30 BMW M3.
There’s no benchmark like a Porsche 911 – in this case a 3.2 Carrera – but the star of the show is the glorious Ferrari Testarossa, kindly lent by evo founder Harry Metcalfe. Which of these models have stood the test of time, and do any of them make us wish we could turn back the clock? Pick up a copy of evo 334 to find out – and stay tuned for the ’90s in issue 335.
