It was the era of WA Inc, the America's Cup, shoulder pads and big hair.

Then there were the cars — some were a bit rad, some were a bit bad, but they were the wheels that left West Aussies with a bigger glow than fluro jazzercise pants during the high flying '80s. Here are some of our faves.

Click a thumbnail below to start the image gallery.

18 cars West Aussies loved in the 80s

  • Nissan Pulsar - An affordable and reliable car, the later N13 model, which arrived in 1986, was the basis for the classically kitsch Pulsar Reebok Special Edition of 1990.
  • Toyota Corolla - Stubbornly reliable, the Corolla was marketed heavily in the 1980s to the catch cry of “Oh what a feeling”. Celebrities and sports stars touted it as “something special”.
  • Volvo 700 Series - Though they looked after you in a crash, they weren’t pretty (neither was the advertising). The 740 and 760 Volvo models of the '80s were criticised for their boxy appearance.
  • Mitsubishi Sigma - The Sigma was famously criticised by motoring journalist Peter Wherrett, who was then challenged by Mitsubishi to recommend some changes, resulting in the now-rare Peter Wherrett Special Sigma (not shown here).
  • Mazda RX7 - With its innovative and lightweight rotary engine, low-slung styling and brilliant handling, the RX-7 was one of the greatest cars to come out of Japan and remains an iconic sports car.
  • Toyota Celica - This was an angular version of the popular ‘70s Celica, this time with the obligatory 1980s pop-up head headlights plus some very impressive alloy wheels, but still great reliability.
  • Mitsubishi Starion - With its angular styling, pop-up headlights and turbocharger technology, the Starion was more 1980s than a hypercolour t-shirt.
  • Nissan Exa Turbo - Based on the front-wheel drive Nissan Pulsar N12, the Exa Turbo had almost every 1980s design cliché, such as pop-up headlights, large ‘turbo’ decals and a near vertical rear window.
  • Holden Commodore - The Commodore was tremendously popular during the 1980s, spurred by its up-to-date, more compact design and dominance on the racetrack in the hands of the late Peter Brock.
  • Mazda 323 - Given they handled well, were fuel efficient and priced from only $5425, both the BD and BF models of the Mazda 323 were deservingly successful in WA.
  • Toyota Tarago - A work van with a maroon velour interior and accompanying moon roof was a sweet recipe for a people mover in the 1980s. The Tarago was all that.
  • Nissan Bluebird Station Wagon - Although it dates back to 1959, the Bluebird most West Aussies remember will be the 910 model.
  • Ford Falcon XD - The XD Falcon built between 1979 and 1982 was a major design change from its predecessor and set up the Falcon for success throughout the 1980s with the later XE, XF and EA models.
  • Saab 9000 - Full of Swedish cool this was a prestigious car during the 1980s, often driven by shoulder pad and pleated pants-wearing professionals who wanted European styling with room for the family.
  • Honda Accord - If the ‘70s was the era of the panel van, the 80s was definitely the era of pop-up headlights and the Honda Accord Saloon of the mid-‘80s had a gimmicky set of pop-ups to complement its aerodynamic styling.
  • Hyundai Excel - In 1986, Alan Bond’s Bond Motor Sales imported an unremarkable Hyundai hatchback to WA called the Excel. It was a bit rattly but economical and for some reason, still not well understood, WA buyers went completely nuts for it.
  • Mitsubishi Colt - One of the Colt’s distinguishing features was its “Super Shift” transmission, which added high and low range gearing, effectively turning the four-speed manual into an eight-speed.
  • BMW E30 - Brilliant steering and a sporty, rear-wheel drive chassis defined the BMW E30 - one of the legendary sports sedans.
What other cars were big on WA roads in the '80s? Email your pics and stories to editor@rac.com.au

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