Now many crossovers used to be clearer
Car brands have been crossovering themselves in the last 15 years. This makes it increasingly difficult to categorize cars, and it leads to new body styles. A recent example: the Peugeot 408. Yet it was not much different about 40 years ago. In the 1980s you had a unique range of coachwork. Here are the seven most notable vanished body styles from that decade.
The tricycle
Developed from the 1973 Robin, the Reliant Rialto has offered covered options since 1982 for those who have a motorcycle license, but no car license. In the 90s you could only drive it with a car driver’s license; an exception was made for existing owners.
The two-door sedan
Despite the growing popularity of the compact hatchback, there was still a need for the traditional car with a boot, even if they only had two doors. It resulted in gems such as the Opel Corsa TR and Volkswagen Polo Classic, previously known as the Volkswagen Derby.
The buggies
People with an active lifestyle are usually only found in brochures of boring cars (see the photo of the Corsa). In the past, they really went to the beach with their surfboard. In a matching pleasure mobile such as the Citroën Méhari or Ruska Super Buggy, the Dutch interpretation of the American Meyers Manx.
The minivan
Known as ‘Kei-cars’ in Japan, minibuses such as the Suzuki Carry and Daihatsu 850 also briefly enjoyed popularity in the Netherlands. Because ‘compact as a city car but with the loading volume of a real transporter’, as the Carry with its 37 hp 0.8-liter four-cylinder was advertised.
The homologation special
To participate in rallying, manufacturers also had to build a minimum of 200 street versions of their rally weapon. With icons such as the Lancia Rally 037, the Ford RS200, the Audi Sport Quattro, the Renault 5 Turbo and Peugeot 205 T16 as a pleasant result.
The lift back
The liftback is the slanted shape of a hatchback. Although a number of modern cars are eligible, the real liftback, such as Toyota built from the Corolla and Celica in the 1970s and 1980s, is all but extinct.
The Eastern blocker with the engine in the back
More specifically: the Eastern Bloc car with the engine in the back and the luggage compartment in the front. In the 1980s you had of course the Skoda 105/120/130 series and the Rapid derived from it, but you could (unfortunately not in the Netherlands) also order a Tatra with a big V8 on the rear axle!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl