1. As well as the famous Integrale, Italian rustmeisters Lancia produced some cool turbo motors in the ’80s including the tiny 1ltr Y10 Turbo, the mental Delta S4 Grp B rallycar. Craziest of all was the insane carbon-bodied Lancia ECV prototype rallycar powered by a 1.8ltr twin-turbo engine!
2. Renault loved turbo engines in the ’80s, and fitted them in nearly everything. Even crappy Renault 9s and 11s packed mad 1.4ltr turbo motors!
3. Citroen and Lotus worked together to produce the insane Lotus Visa prototype; a small hatchback powered by a midmounted Esprit Turbo engine tearing up the rear wheels with over 220bhp!
4. In the late ’80s Nissan made the Micra Super Turbo. OAPs suddenly had a supercharger and a turbocharger bolted to their 1ltr lump, giving a shocking turn of speed nobody expected.
5. Renault 5 Turbos aren’t just the GT Turbos we all know and love. Renault made the mid-engine rear-wheel drive 5 Turbos with its wide bodywork and up to 350bhp. All of these wild 5s use the same engine block as the later GT Turbos did, which goes some way to explaining the mega power people get from GTTs these days!
6. Mitsubishi Lancers were turbo’d in 1980, with the RWD 2000 Turbo sliding around the UK.
7. MG’s Metro Turbo was simply shit. It had a tiny engine, a big turbo, and just 4psi boost. This gave big lag, poor reliability, and it wasn’t even fast!
8. Ford actually built a rear wheel drive Mk3 Escort in the ’80s! The awesome RS1700T was a 1.7ltr turbo car that was cancelled before it got to full production.
9. The best Peugeots ever made were from the ’80s, including the legendary mid-engined, turbocharged, 4WD, 205 T16, which could be tuned upwards of 600bhp! Nearly as cool was the 405 T16. This four-wheel drive turbo saloon was Peugeot’s answer to the Sapphire Cosworth, and a French Police favourite.
10. Toyota built this Mk1 MR2 that looked like a tank, but packed a turbocharged engine with 700bhp and 4WD! Just two were made, and still exist, somewhere…
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