Posted on 07/22/2023 6:14:14 PM PDT by DallasBiff
You didn't have to be alive in the 1970s to know how crazy they were. John Travolta was disco dancing in bellbottoms and shag was a desirable feature for a rug, not just something you did on it. Serious news from Watergate and the war in Vietnam heavily impacted, well, everything, but ultimately didn't put a damper on style. The cars reflected all of it, from garish excess to the automotive dark ages when the Oil Crisis and the advent of emissions standards combined to cause as much muscle-car agony as Burt Reynolds selling his beloved Bandit.
Some of the cars below would be in the Automotive Hall of Fame if it actually inducted automobiles (but it doesn't, weird right?) and some of them are just gloriously tacky as hell. Either way, they're the 1970s-est cars of the 1970s.
(Excerpt) Read more at thrillist.com ...
Our 75 Suburban did the same thing. Dealer told me tough shit.
Not many people would think this 1976 Honda Accord would be such a gamechanger. But it was. It was The Greatest 1970's car.I wrote an article for Automobile Quarterly making that claim for the '72 Civic as the greatest car of the 70s. I got no push-back from the editors or readers. It was an engineering and marketing triumph that opened the way for the Accord, which, I agree with you, was a tremendous automobile and the best designed and made car of the decade (and the 80s, likely). Nevertheless, the Civic was the first truly quality economy car since the Model T, and it was a breakthrough in so many dimensions (albeit small), especially with the introduction of the CVCC engine.
My back window was fine. I did hit a deer which had me driving the Gremlin with no hood for a couple of months.
Last rear wheel drive car I had was a 1986 Thunderbird. It was fine in Dallas except when there was ice, and then it was worthless. Kept it after moving to Illinois from 1994 to 1999. It did just okay in the snow but I made sure to have a shovel, sand and kitty litter in the trunk.
Similar with my Trans Am. I got a reckless driving ticket while not moving once.
State police didn’t care for my massive burnout at Wawa.
Court of common pleas knocked it down to careless driving.
Last ticket I got 1998.
Engine locked up at 90,000. It was burning huge quantities of oil when I got it at 70,000 miles. It was a wagon and at 18 I spent time partying in the the back. It was relatively solid. I don’t remember much rust.
UAW was as much at fault as the designers and engineers.
The feds crippled things as much as the industry not knowing how to make cars rug decently.
I’ve had the opportunity to drive a Gremlin from Dover AFB, De to a Thai Buddhist monasteery in Silver Springs, MD; I owned a Cadillac Eldorado for a few years; I owned a Ford MustangII. I was “Homer Simpson” oner the BMW 2002ii and thre 2002 turbo. I also owned a Chevrolet Monza 2+2, and a Datsun 311 Bluebird sports convertible.
All these vehicles were short-lived in my possession due to theft.
I was a huge fan of SCCA and Camel GT racing.
UAW was as much at fault as the designers and engineers.
The feds crippled things as much as the industry not knowing how to make cars rug decently.
I blame gov’t exclusively. They imposed ridiculous standards.
Designers and engineers did what they could.
They’ve gotten better at it. But, the cars disintegrate on contact.
Drove a ‘71 Torino for a while. Liked it but wanted something faster.
Bought a ‘74 Camaro new, drove it daily for 27 years. Rebuilt the engine once, probably put about 400,000 miles on it altogether.
Went through a pile of radiators, alternators, starters, a couple carbs, a couple torque convertors, U-joints, body mounts, tranny mounts and everything made of rubber several times. The TH350 tranny and the rear end never failed, amazing. Pulled out the AC and spare tire to save weight, the car was very weight-sensitive.
After 27 years I was tired of spending almost every weekend under the Camaro to keep it running as a daily driver. Traded it for a nice gun and started driving late model Fords and got my weekends back.
The Camaro was a fun drive but these days I appreciate all-wheel drive and comfort.
After Fort Lewis I went back to Germany and shipped the car with me.
I had to get a special front-end wheel alignment in order to keep up with the high speeds on the Autobahn there. Fun car.
‘Shag’ also used to be a very cool dance. I think they still do it in the Carolinas. These two are the best I’ve ever seen at it - they’ve been competing for decades:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwAVVnQVfg
I had a ‘72 Mercury Capri. I loved that car.
Then a ‘77 El Camino that someone put a screaming chicken decal on the hood. Replaced the 305 with a SB 400 with a RV cam to pass inspections. Was my hunting/camping vehicle for the loads it carried and climbing ability.
*Later put the 400 in my ‘69 El Camino and built up the motor.
A ‘77 2x4 Blazer with a 350 for hunting/camping/work. Had a 45 gallon gas tank and needed it.
Blazer rusted out from 2 years work’n in Massachusetts. Had to tow it back to Texas then went another 5 years when my son in law put in a junkyard in Abilene (Texas y’all) due not replacing the oil he drained out for what ever reason.
Agreed.
And the flip up headlights and that annoying speed alert buzzer!
My first new car. Sharp car, but because of idiotic environment regs, horsepower was seriously lacking.
"Guys, are you MAN ENOUGH for the new custom Chevy van? It's what women want."
Mine didn’t have the whale tail. A new 1975 911S that same color. “India Red.”
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