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1970’s American cars

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Sometimes, I do miss them….

Conversation 19 comments

  1. My grandparents had a Grand Marquis in the drive for almost all my childhood. The last was a '78 with a 460 in. V8. Loved that car. I still measure "new car smell" by the smell of the leather in that Mercury.

    Still want a Mark IV, too.

  2. Well, we're all programmed to LOVE the excesses of the '50s and '60s but HATE the excesses of the '70s. These pseudo-glitz-mobiles actually do have some sort of appeal to me in an end-of-an-era and nostalgic way.

  3. AHHHH!… When men were REAL MEN and cars were REAL CARS. 98 Octane for the Lincoln and a Martini for me, thank-you.

    Smooth.
    Quiet.
    Solid.
    COMFORTABLE.

    And each one a work of art.

    No buzzy 4-cylinders.
    No "unintended acclelration"
    No tire rumble.
    No indication that any roads had any bumps or potholes ever.

    Plush carpeting half way up the doors. Sumptious velours & creamy soft leathers (none of the course stuff of Mercedes; no vinyl "leatherette" like the 3-series. Just yards of thick, comfortable, soft material.) And on Chryslers the door padding was almost an inch thick. With wood & chrome everwhere. Driving one was like having a "Great Room" on wheels. Sure those deep-dish Mark V Cast-Aluminum wheels squeeled as the monster V8 plowed through corners at ridiculus speeds. But inside you couldn't hear a damn thing. Quiet as a bedroom in a really big mansion.

    I still remember being able to hit the gas in Dad's old New Yorker Brougham (with 6 people aboard and a 20' boat behind) and being able to quickly pass some little Honda that was barely doing 70. Pass the o'dorves please, and fix up my drink while you're at it. That was travelling in style!

    THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIEND!; Those were the days.

  4. AUGH! Giant bumpers! Run for your life!

    Do you think people who lived in mansions on private estates actually drove any of those?

  6. i miss pontiac… and im not even american nor do i live in the usa.

    bring back pontiac.
    btw. the other cars looks like houses on wheels. bleh.

  7. Do you think people who lived in mansions on private estates actually drove any of those?

    Actually everybody I knew who was a Dr, Civil Engineer, Laywer(sucessful ones) or owner of really profitable business all drove Riverias, Grand Marquis Wagons, Town & Countys, New Yorkers, Electras, Toronados, Fleetwoods, Mark VII's, Eldorados, Imperials, Town Cars, Ninety-Eights, etc. Most had homes in the 8,000 sft on up catagory. (One couple with a 21,000 sft home on the lake owned an Olds 98 and a Fleetwood Brougham. Their kid had a "cute little convertable" (a Mercedes 350SL) and they had a "Grand Wagoneer" for up at the "cabin" (which the groundskeeper use to plow out the drives in winter).

    The America I knew as a kid was a lot different than the one that exists today. (It seemed EVERYBODY was richer).

    Mabey THAT'S why "they don't make 'em like they used to" NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE CAN AFFORD THEM!

  8. @Dan – I learned to drive in 70s era cars, and those 5MPH bumpers were a lifesaver.

    My dad's 77 Buick Regal had the nicest upholstery I've ever seen in a car. It was soft and warm (no heated seats in those days), and the nap gently held you in place. Plus, no center console made it the perfect sofa on wheels.

  10. My Mom had a new Mark IV. They had to remove a tool closet to get it into the garage.

    Ah, those were the days.

  11. The golden age of wretched excess. Landau roofs, opera windows, crushed velour tufted upholstery, all they were lacking were chandeliers over the vanity mirrors.

  12. Wow, Vince, thanks for the walk down memory lane!

    My grandmother had a '83 Mark VI that looked VERY much like the MK IV at the bottom. Hers was gray, gray interior, with a matching gray landau roof. It had every damn option in the book and it was a GORGEOUS vehicle. She sold it in 1995 for nearly as much as she paid for it. It was an instant classic.

  13. My mom's '72 Olds Custom Cruiser had a 455 V8 and got 8 miles to the gallon. Or as my dad put it, "8 gallons per mile."

    It also had the bizarre disappearing clamshell tailgate and acres of fake woodgrain paneling. Such a classy automobile!

  15. Aunt had a ca. 76 Cutlass Supreme (America's best-selling car)
    Mom had a 74 Camaro
    Grandfather had a 77 New Yorker Brougham (massive car!)
    Young uncle had a ca. 75 "glass-house" Caprice

    And it used to be nothing to see A-body GMs, Gran Torinos, LTDs, and Satellites all over the road every single day. Never thought they would all disappear. Those that remain are done up well too with modern touches.

    I'd love to have that Cougar picturd…or a 78 LTD II.

  17. Pops had a 77 Grand Prix that was so pimp, I wish he still kept it when I was 16 I wanted to have that as my first car…The 301 engine in it would "asleep" on the freeway as my pops said.

  18. Im 32 and I remember my Mom had a 73 Grand Marquis she bought used for $400. That was a great riding car although a lot of the accessories didnt work at that point(87). Even though it was old, the interior declined prematurely. Cracked dashes,buzzing radio,Dim dash lighting, etc. I do miss the plushness of older American cars and looking at these pics bring back memories!!!

  19. I agree with BC. The American cars of the 70s did indeed have a style of their own. Some didn't workd so well, but then neither did everything from the 50s and 60s. The style fairies abandoned American car design forever in the 80s.

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