#1988 Ford Telstar TX5 Turbo

[radracer]

🎱ddball Series: 1988 Ford Telstar TX5 Turbo AT

[smoothshift]

What classics from the 1980s and 1990s would you import if you could afford one - and find it in good condition? via /r/cars

What classics from the 1980s and 1990s would you import if you could afford one - and find it in good condition?

What classic cars from the 1980s and 1990s would you import if you could afford one and it was in good condition?

For me it would be:

BMW 333iS E30 [1986]: One of the best performance sedans of all time, but very rare. Like an M3 but perhaps not as overtly sporting as the M3 in terms of aesthetic. Looks good in black.

Chrysler Spirit 2.5 R/T Turbo / Dodge Spirit R/T 2.5 Turbo [1989-1995]: This is from an era when Chrysler made sports sedans that were good, and this looks especially good in bright colors. Doesn't matter whether it's a Chrysler or a Dodge, both are pretty good.

Ford Cortina 3.0 XR6 [1980-1983]: Sold only in South Africa, this had Ford's 3.0-litre/148hp V6 Essex engine, and although it looks ordinary, it's fairly sporting. We had no equivalent of this in the United Kingdom, and it's a car I'd want to own. It was fairly sporty, and looks good too. I've always liked the Cortina, but the sports models were my favorites.

Ford Cortina 4.1 Ghia [1976-1983]: Sold only in Australia, this had Ford's 4.1-litre/161hp 6-cylinder engine. It's still a common sight nowadays, and these Cortinas look good in bright colors. It may have been a common car in the plainer 1600 L and 1600 GL versions, but I've always liked the Cortina sedan and wagon. No equivalent of this in the British line-up, but I'd have bought one if it was available.

Ford Telstar AY TX5 2.5 V6 Ghia [1994-1996]: It's a Mazda 626, but for some reason, this looks more upmarket with the Ford badge on it, and the 2.5 V6 engine is good. Picture. It's sold only in Australia and New Zealand, and was fairly sporty.

Nissan Bluebird 2.0 SSS-Z [1997-2000]: The Bluebird was known in the U.S. and Canada as the Altima, but it never had a sports sedan version. It looks rather understated, as you can see from this picture and shares alloy wheels with the contemporary Infiniti G20 sedan. Under the hood it's got a 2.0-litre/187hp 4-cylinder turbo engine. What a sports sedan, one I'd like.

Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon 2.0 GT [1993-1994]: This looks similar to the European-spec GL and GX models with similar alloy wheels, as this picture shows but that's where the similarities end. This one has a 2.0-litre/246bhp flat-4 turbo [the EJ20H engine] and it was never sold in the United Kingdom, where we had only 2.0i and 2.2i petrols, but no performance versions in the 1990s.

Toyota Corolla 1.6 GTi-16 [1987-1991]: This was one of the sportiest Corollas, and looked good too. Most I've seen tend to be in white. Underappreciated compared to the Golf GTI, but a likeable car.

Toyota Mark II GT Twin Turbo [1990-1992]: This luxury sedan had Toyota's 2.5-litre/276bhp twin-turbo 6-cylinder petrol, and it looks good too - particularly like this. It's like a larger Camry, and fairly obscure as a sports sedan.

Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 SRi 130 [1985-1988]: This was similar to the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird, but styling was softer, and it had a 2.0-litre/128hp 4-cylinder Family II GM engine, which was tuned for sportiness. It looked quite sporty, and good in bright red colors. Not many around, and many were thrashed, so hard to find a good one.

These are the ones I'd go for on my wishlist of classic cars - what ones would you go for if you could find them [and afford to buy and run them], and why?