Indeed they were. The F1 cars of that era were so powerful they were just flat dangerous. To handle that power, they started using slicks so big on the rear, they were beginning to look like short wheelbase T/F dragsters!

It was another era of megabucks (as if F1's ever been anything else!). From the turbocharging point of view, they had things like $25,000 billet compressor wheels, and tubular turbo headers that cost $5000 a set and were replaced with a new set every race for durability's sake. All this in 1984-ish dollars too!