The 1980s produced plenty of familiar cars, but some fascinating models disappeared almost completely from modern roads. Limited production, unusual designs, and short-lived nameplates left many of these vehicles forgotten. Even enthusiasts who know the era well may have never encountered one outside a magazine or photograph. These nine are among the hardest 1980s cars to stumble across today.

Renault Fuego

The Renault Fuego brought sleek European styling to the affordable sports coupe market, with a distinctive fastback body and unusual wraparound rear glass. It offered a very different interpretation of the sporty car formula from its Japanese and American competitors. Rust, limited sales, and years of neglect took their toll, leaving relatively few survivors for today’s enthusiasts to encounter.

Isuzu Piazza

The Isuzu Piazza looked like something considerably more expensive than its badge suggested. Its angular Giugiaro styling, compact proportions, and turbocharged performance versions gave it plenty of personality. Despite its distinctive appearance, the model never became a major sales success. Survivors are now uncommon, particularly examples that retain their original interiors, wheels, trim, and mechanical components.

Mitsubishi Starion

The Mitsubishi Starion combined boxy 1980s styling with serious turbocharged performance, creating a distinctive alternative to better-known Japanese sports cars. Its wide stance and aggressive appearance made it instantly recognizable, but relatively few have survived in original condition. Many were modified by enthusiasts, while others suffered from years of neglect. A clean, unmodified example can be surprisingly difficult to find.

Subaru XT

The Subaru XT was one of the strangest cars to emerge from the 1980s Japanese automotive boom. Its wedge-shaped body, extremely low hood, unusual dashboard, and available all-wheel drive made it unlike almost anything else in the segment. The styling was futuristic even when new, but the car never became common. Today, seeing one outside a specialist collection is a rare experience.

Citroën BX

The Citroën BX combined sharp Italian-influenced styling with the company’s famously unconventional engineering. Its lightweight body and distinctive hydraulic suspension made it an interesting alternative to ordinary European family cars. The model sold well in some markets but has become remarkably scarce in many places today. Age, corrosion, and complicated maintenance requirements have contributed to the disappearance of surviving examples.

Merkur XR4Ti

The Merkur XR4Ti was an unusual attempt to bring a European Ford performance car to American buyers under a separate brand. Its aerodynamic hatchback body and turbocharged engine gave it a distinctive character, while the unusual badge made it difficult to place in the market. Sales remained limited, and many examples were modified or discarded. Finding an original one today can be surprisingly difficult.

Pontiac Fiero

The Pontiac Fiero was one of America’s most unusual attempts at an affordable mid-engine sports car. Its plastic body panels, compact proportions, and distinctive wedge-shaped styling made it immediately different from other Pontiac models. Although production numbers were significant, surviving examples have declined sharply after decades of use and modification. A clean, original Fiero is now much more unusual than its former sales numbers suggest.

Renault Alliance

The Renault Alliance was an unusual French-American collaboration that produced a compact car with European influences and distinctly American market ambitions. Its economical packaging and front-wheel-drive layout made it practical, but reliability concerns and limited collector interest eventually pushed most examples off the road. Today, surviving Alliances are rare enough that many enthusiasts have never encountered one in person.

Toyota Celica Supra

The Toyota Celica Supra combined the recognizable shape of the Celica with a larger engine and more sophisticated grand-touring character. Early examples offered a compelling alternative to European coupes without the same price tag. Time has not been kind to many of them, however. Rust, modifications, accidents, and years of daily use have made clean survivors increasingly difficult to encounter.

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*Research for this article included AI assistance, with all final content reviewed by human editors