Wedge-shaped cars with pop-up headlights ruled the 80s and 90s to the point of cliché, and now together with the music and style of that era they’re coming back in vogue.

Cars leading the charge in the collector market include the epic BMW M1 and brutally wedgy Ferrari 288 GTO, the latter of which has spiked interest in milder-mannered (and more affordable) Ferraris of the period including the 308 and its successor, the 328.

Even the much-maligned 348 is starting to get some love: I was stunned to see that at the Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction, a 348 GTB fetched 65k. A F355 Series Fiorano—Ferrari’s last true wedge—crossed that same auction block at an unheard-of 180k.

Wedges more affordable than Ferraris in their day like the Acura NSX, Nissan 300ZX, and Toyota Celica Supra are creeping out of the shadows as well.

Two of the purest, most exotic wedges are today very undervalued: the Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino, and the first-generation Lotus Esprit.

Thanks to pedestrian safety laws, pop-up headlights and wedge-shaped cars are gone forever, and clearly absence makes the heart grow fonder. Now where are my stone washed jeans….

Driving the Wedge

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