Outlandish, concept-like styling characterized the supercars of the 1970s. Carmakers took pride in pushing the boundaries of design. In the 1980s, supercars were primarily defined by unbelievable speed made possible by technological progress. Often fueled by homologation requirements, companies from all over the automotive spectrum relied on turbochargers to extract outstanding performance figures from relatively small engines. Styling was important, too, but the 1980s were all about the numbers.

Join us for a look at the greatest supercars released during the 1980s.

Ferrari 288 GTO (1984)

Ferrari developed the 288 GTO as an evolution of the 308 GTB, but the similarities between the two models did not go far. While the 308 was primarily a road car, the 288 was designed to race in the FIA’s Group B category. It should have competed in rallies worldwide while elevating the Prancing Horse’s reputation in racing circles. It never got the opportunity to prove its mettle, however, because the FIA banned the Group B category before Ferrari got a chance to put a car on the starting grid.

200 units were initially built for homologation purposes, and it quickly became evident that the 288 GTO was one of the world’s most impressive cars even without a rally pedigree to illustrate its performance. Its mid-mounted, 2.8-liter V8 was turbocharged to 395 horsepower, enough for a 4.9-second sprint from zero to 62 mph and a 179-mph top speed. Demand was so high that Ferrari ultimately built 272 cars.

Today, the 288 GTO is celebrated as the first in a long line of illustrious Ferrari flagships that includes the F40, the F50, and, more recently, the LaFerrari. In a way, it’s also the famed 250 GTO’s heir.

Ford RS200 (1984)

In the 1980s, while Ford’s American division was gradually injecting more power into the Mustang, its European arm was busily developing a mid-engined, all-wheel drive coupe named RS200 for the Group B category. Homologating the car required building at least 200 street-legal examples, so Ford released a toned-down variant with a turbocharged, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 250 horsepower.

England-based Reliant (which was better known for making bargain-priced three-wheelers than rally cars) earned a contract to manufacture the fiberglass-bodied RS200. The model’s rallying career was cut short by the FIA’s decision to cancel the Group B category after a series of deadly, high-profile crashes, but it remains one of the most impressive performance cars Ford has ever built.

Porsche 959 (1986)

Officially, the Ferrari F40 was developed to pick up where the 288 GTO left off. Unofficially, it was also designed to dethrone the Porsche 959. Engineers relied on composite materials (including Kevlar and fiberglass) to achieve a 2,722-pound weight, and they equipped the F40 with a 2.9-liter V8 twin-turbocharged to 477 horsepower, which was enough to achieve a factory-stated 201-mph top speed.

Ferrari stripped the F40’s cabin to the bare essentials; early models even received sliding door windows. It wasn’t available with ABS brakes or power steering, but an adjustable suspension was added to the list of options later in the production run. All told, the F40 was truly a race car for the road.

400 units were initially planned, and demand quickly outpaced supply. Ferrari ended up building about 1,315 examples of the F40 between 1987 and 1992. It’s highly sought-after in 2020, partly because it was the last car fully developed under the watchful eye of company founder Enzo Ferrari.

Ruf CTR (1987)

One of the most spectacular supercars of the 1980s came from a tiny automaker based in southern Germany. To the untrained eye, the Ruf CTR looks like a mildly-tuned Porsche 911. Its relatively subtle design conceals a twin-turbocharged, 3.4-liter flat-six tuned to 463 horsepower, a significant increase over the 911 it was based on. Ruf also devoted a considerable amount of resources to lowering the car’s weight. It removed unnecessary parts, like the rear seats, and it installed aluminum body panels.

In 1987, German magazine Auto, Motor und Sport took the CTR to 212 mph on the Nardò track, beating the Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40 that also participated in the high-speed shoot-out. This stunning achievement resonated worldwide and cemented the CTR’s spot in the pantheon of 1980s supercars.

Ruf built 29 units of the CTR, which earned the nickname Yellowbird. Historians estimate about 25 additional 911s were converted to CTR specification at the request of customers. In 2019, the company unveiled a modern version of the car limited to 30 examples and created around a carbon fiber monocoque developed in-house. Its Porsche-derived 3.6-liter flat-six engine made 700 horsepower.