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1981 Alpina B7 S Turbo E12 vs. 1984 B7 Turbo E28 and 1991 B10 Bi-Turbo E34

As Alpina builds its last BMW 5 Series remix, we sample three of Buchloe’s legendary turbocharged autobahn annihilators.

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Modified 1981 Mini Saloon - Brilliant rally-inspired revamp living in Malta

Ramon Montebello, from Malta, literally has ‘Monte’ in his name so a long-term obsession with the 1997 Monte Carlo rally Mini is no great surprise. It spurred him on to modify his Mini many years later.

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1981 Ford Granada Consort Mk2

When Gav Smith stumbled across this Granada Consort, he knew he had to do the right thing and give it the regal rebuild it deserved — along with a few choice mods, naturally.

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1981 Jaguar XJ-S V12 Coupe P-Digital Manual

Although Jaguar had stopped offering the XJ-S with a manual gearbox in 1978, two were produced in the early Eighties which also had the Lucas P-Digital injection. We’ve tracked down what’s thought to be the sole survivor.

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First production car with cylinder deactivation 1981 Cadillac Eldorado

When posing the question of which technological steps to take to improve vehicle fuel economy, the answers tend to fall on the side of engine downsizing.

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1981 Monteverdi Safari 5.7

The popularity of the SUV knows no ending and even traditional, luxury, and sports-car Manufacturers are cannibalizing their brand values and butchering their heritage to find a way into the over-crowded segment. Swiss Motorsport Specialist and Car Manufacturer Monteverdi was a true visionary when he offered a coach-built luxury SUV as early as the 1970s.

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1981 Alpine A310 V6 Group 4 Rally-Spec

Classic motor sport enthusiast Jamie Buchanan loves an oddball, and they don’t come stranger than his dream rear-engined 1981 Alpine A310. We throw him the keys for an unconventional blast

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1981 DeLorean DMC-12

John DeLorean’s bid to make a car in his own image famously ended badly, but has history painted the DMC-12 unfairly? We drive one and find out.

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Group 44 Jaguar XJ-S finishes second in the 1981 Trans-Am Series

Even though Bob Tullius’ Group 44 team won the 1978 Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am Series with a largely standard XJ-S, Jaguar North America withdrew its sponsorship, leaving the Virginia-based outfit to concentrate on its Triumph TR8 campaign instead.

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The innovators - 1981 Honda Accord - First-map-based navigation system

The cars we drive today were influenced by these pioneers First-map-based navigation system

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