The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word FORDÂ ESCORT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
F
O
R
D
Â
E
S
C
O
R
T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "In the 1980s, perhaps, one picking up hitchhiker’s guide to galaxy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in the 1980s, perhaps, one picking up hitchhiker’s guide to galaxy = ford escort.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.