Terrible 80s cars that are now worth a fortune
Was it the decade that taste forgot?
We’re beyond such stark labels here because we know that tastes, trends and styles are cyclical. In time every Austin Allegro shall have its day.
And while you might be cringing at your first motor, the decade was considered a good one for the motor industry, with notable breakthroughs that range from air-cleaning catalytic converters, the birth of the family friendly people carrier style, and some huge breakthroughs in in-car entertainment.
So here are 8 1980s cars that will pay you back today:
MG Maestro Turbo
Maestros were brought in by British Leyland to replace the Austin Allegro (of which more later), and did a much better job of serving as a family hatchback.
The car roled off production lines in Oxford from 1982 to 1994. It was a hatchback aimed at families. It was a real foundation of 80s motoring. You would have seen them every day.
To get the real value today we have to look at the range badged as MG Maestros and branded as high performance.
The real gem of these is the MG Maestro Turbo, beloved of niche restorers, and selling for as much as £20,000 in the best nick.
DeLorean DMC 12
Image by Greenex at Wikimedia.
Almost more back-story than car, the DeLorean is etched into 80s cultural memory via its appearance as the time-travelling hero prop of the Back to the Future series.
Those (in Britain) with longer memories will also have fuzzy memories of a series of news stories about the company’s disastrous attempt to set up shop in Northern Ireland.
In the end, they went bust. The car was poorly reviewed, and soon became emblematic of everything that was wrong with its era - flashy, promising much, and failing to deliver. John DeLorean was arrested on drug trafficking charges.
Now, DeLoreans are massively collectible.
The Back to the Future care sold for $541,200. Rare, gold-played cars make over $250,000. And relatively ordinary production models can easily make over $200,000.
Renault Fuego
Image by Wikimedia Commons.
Taste is personal, but the Fuego’s forward leaning silhouette didn’t go down well with many critics. And, as an attempt to make a sports car for American markets it failed by not being very sporty.
It’s now a real rarity, perhaps, according to some estimates it might be Britain’s rarest cars in some date and production combinations, with one 1982 set-up claiming to be a unique survivor.
Rare versions like 1.6L turbos can sell for well over £10,000 in good condition.
Ford Bronco II
Broncos come with a warning sign. They’re rare because they were discontinued after a series of accidents and big compensation payouts from Ford.
The disaster for the company has produced an oddity for collectors, who are willing to pay up to $20,000 for good examples of this bad car.
Metros
Image by Charles01 at Wikimedia Commons.
The Mini Metro came in a variety of types, and changed its name a number of times over its 1980 to 1997 lifespan.
It’s not had quite the long-lasting love of other “super minis” of the period, but it was extremely popular, and many British drivers broke their driving duck in them.
And though they loved them, you won’t see too much nostalgia for them today, with competing European models remembered more fondly.
The most valuable models today are oddities: a rallying version that sold for £425,000 in 2024; souped up and de luxe Fraser Tickford models can get up towards £50,000.
Chrysler Executive Limousine
The Executive was a poorly timed attempt to offer some luxury at bargain prices. It took the popular and versatile K range of Chrylsers and stretched it one model too far.
While the limos were expensive for the K range, they were very cheap for limos. They landed right in the wrong place in a market that demands luxury and doesn’t mind if things are expensive. The body became too heavy for the engine. And, an attempt to design for the more egalitarian 70s landed in the midst of a massive boom in high-end wealth.
They’re now considered a classic and a rarity, and can sell for over $10,000.
The Lada
Ladas were most commonly seen in the UK in the shape of the Riva. And these are rarely valuable even today. In part, because they were hardly rare: the cars, made in the Soviet Union and based on Fiat designs sold very well, especially to young drivers. They were pretty basic, but had a certain retro design appeal.
The Niva is the model for collectors: “a Renault 5 on a Landrover chassis” said the makers.
This rare - and still going - off road vehicle can sell for as much as £20,000 in special editions (and in good condition.)
Sinclair C5
Image by Prioryman at Wikimedia Commons.
Is this a car?
Is it a pioneer electrical car?
It’s a vehicle in the words of its creator, Sir Clive Sinclair, whose range of home computers had been a ground-breaking success in British households.
Sadly for Sir Clive, while kids were learning their gaming skills playing Jet Set Willy on a Spectrum, mum and dad weren’t driving to the shops in their C5s.
The low-slung tricycles were a concept whose time had yet to come in 1985: they weren’t fast or powerful enough and the batteries wouldn’t take you very far. If it rained you got wet.
Not a good look In Britain.
Although very few were seen in the wild, they have a collecting allure, and usually go for well over £1,000, with the best examples getting towards £10,000.
As a genuinely pioneering oddity on the way to today’s EV’s you have to imagine they might make more in future.
Austin Allegro
Allegro’s show a decent upward curve on motor auction aggregating sites lately.
The record for this unloved car is £9,000.
It is commonly called “the world’s worst car”. And we’ve put it at the end of this list because sadly, it remains largely unloved.
In time, special editions are likely to achieve some value as historic survivors (many Allegros were broken up for parts for more popular cars), but thus far it remains a terrible 80s car that is still just a terrible 80s car.
And, because you want ot know, the most valuable 1980s car we can find (which no-one ever though was terrible) is a 1987 Ferrari F40 that sold for $2.4 million in 2024.