Saturn was an idea being tossed around officially in 1982, established as a division in 1985, and didn’t have a product until the 1991 model year. So it shouldn’t even be involved in this conversation.

I’m not really sure what the most awesome car of 1982 is. I’d never really sat and thought about it. I’m quite fond of the Celica Supra, which may not have been as big of a technological tour de force as the Quattro or Starion, but I’ve been fond of it.

The Starion raced well, but the street versions were always so cheeseball, spawning some downright ghastly Chrysler iterations. I’d rather have any Celica from that time period.

My honorable mention goes to the Alfa Romeo GTV6. If you weren’t buying a 323i, or you didn’t have enough money for the Audi, it was a cool choice. Handling was as good as any road car of the era.

The Porsche 944 was available, but it was expensive. The first GTI wasn’t here until 1983.

Bottom line: the Audi Quattro will go down in history as one of the most important cars of the century, where the Starion will be lucky if it’s listed as a competitor.