Do you know the Chancellor? No, not the Chancellor, but the coupe built by former Ford designer Ernest Kanzler in neo-classic style with technology from the Mercury Cougar. It’s not the only exotic that Roger Gloor lists in his book regarding 80’s cars. On the contrary: the title of his book already makes a noble claim. “All Cars of the 80s” promises 231 car brands from 40 countries. This also includes the Umm from Portugal, the Italian Rayton Fissore and … and … and ….
In terms of content, there is far more to the compendium than just a mere listing. The well-known automotive journalist dedicates pages to the major car manufacturers. Even brands like Midas come up with a tightly printed two-thirds page. Not only inveterate hobby car connoisseurs come across a real treasure here. On the last 25 of the 560 (!) pages there are even 384 “companions” from Arden to the now almost forgotten electric three-wheeler pioneer Mini-El to Zagato.
The eighties are not least the angular decade from Audi to Volvo – and an epoch in which the Japanese switched to the fast lane and the Koreans took the first steps and nobody spoke of China. These are the years when ABS, airbags and navigation systems entered the automotive stage, heated windscreens and catalytic converters moved into cars, diesel began its triumphal march, there was a head-up display for the first time and brake pads became asbestos-free. And there are years in which now defunct brands like Rover and Saab were still on everyone’s lips. Gloor garnished the 20-page introduction with an insight into the then most important markets with interesting cockpit photos.
For car enthusiasts – whether private or professional – an impressive standard work has come out once more this time. As in the predecessors over the decades from 1950 to 1970.
“All Cars of the 80s – 231 Car Brands from 40 Countries” by Roger Gloor has been published by Motorbuch-Verlag Stuttgart. The book has 560 pages and around 1300 illustrations. It costs 34.90 euros. (Jens Riedel/cen)
