Matthew Broderick's delivery of a rebellious yet effortlessly able teen hero in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off perfectly encapsulated the feeling of an emerging generation of uncompromising, impatient, outside-the-box thinkers who had their sights set on the promise of a computerled, globally dynamic and have-it-all future.
This was a time when even Bill Gates was left looking out of date, holding a 5% in floppy disk on the cover of Time magazine just as the 3½in version was being widely adopted and flash memory was being conceived. Entire economies shook under the shifting plates of technological and cultural change, as new industries cast aside the simple disciplines of the past and newly unshackled, computerised financial markets pounced on fresh margins of volume trading. The work-hard, play-hard generation behind it all demanded everything at once; from those subject to their urgent exclamations into handheld phones to the ultimate toys, status symbols and personal transport, the do-it-all sports car that strode confidently into the supercar playpen.
The natural choice was the Porsche 911. By then into its third decade, Stuttgart's rearengined wonder had established itself as the arbiter of sporting ability, taste and prestige, with glowing magazine reports and the sort of unattainable allure that came with its increasingly unreasonable cost. But Porsche had timed its even more expensive Carrera 3.2 beautifully and, upon its release in 1984, you could even specify a Sport Equipment kit that made it look just like the MD's 930 turbo. At the height of the UK's post-'86 financial Big Bang, the 911's £32,849 list price fell neatly within reach of many a trader's quarterly bonus.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring