Fast is a relative term. For 2017, there are a number of vehicles that will make the mad dash from a dead stop to 60 mph in three seconds or less. Count the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Ferrari 488 GTB, and Porsche 911 Turbo among them.
While the pace of life may have been no slower back in 1980, the vehicles certainly were. To demonstrate this fact, we have amassed the ten fastest-accelerating cars of that year, as tested by Consumer Guide®.
Note that this list contains only cars tested by Consumer Guide, thus no Porsche or Lamborghini products are represented. Perhaps as expected, Corvette tops the list, though the appearance of an imported Ford econobox may surprise some folks. Credit that car’s bantam-class curb weight and rather low axle ratio.
If you have had the pleasure of spending time with any of these vehicles, please tell us about it. We’d like to know more about what it was like to be fast—1980 style.
Diesel Doldrums: The 7 Slowest Cars of 1980*
Chevrolet Corvette: 8.0 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 3519
Engine: 195-horsepower 350-cubic-inch V8
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.07:1
Mazda RX-7: 8.7 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 2385
Engine: 100-horsepower 70-cubic-inch 2-rotor Wankel
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.90:1
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am: 8.8 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 3540
Engine: 205-horsepower 301-cubic-inch turbocharged V8
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 3.08:1
Datsun 280ZX: 9.2 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 2825
Engine: 132-horsepower 168-cubic-inch six
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.36:1
Chevrolet Camaro: 9.5 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 3451
Engine: 130-horsepower 305-cubic-inch V8
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.08:1
Ford Fiesta: 10.4 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door hatchback
Curb Weight: 1776
Engine: 66-horsepower 98-cubic-inch four
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.58:1
Oldsmobile Omega: 11.0 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 4-door sedan
Curb Weight: 2655
Engine: 115-horsepower 173-cubic-inch V6
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 2.84:1
Mercury Capri RS: 11.1 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door hatchback
Curb Weight: 2655
Engine: 115-horsepower 173-cubic-inch V6
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 2.84:1
Ford Thunderbird: 11.8 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 3270
Engine: 133-horsepower 302-cubic-inch V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 3.08:1
1980 Buick Riviera: 11.8 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door coupe
Curb Weight: 3762
Engine: 185-horsepower 231-cubic-inch turbocharged V6
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 2.93:1
