The best cars from the 1970s

Is the Lancia Stratos the best car from the 1970s? Photo: Lancia

There should be no arguments that the 1970s was a good decade for movies and music. Releases like Ziggy Stardust from David Bowie and Saturday Night Fever clearly prove that. But were the cars from this decade as good?

To find out, we turned to you and asked what’s the best car from the 1970s? Thankfully, you came back with some great suggestions.

So, from world-beating rally cars to quirky French sedans, flick through the following pages to find out more about some of the best cars from the ‘70s.

Photo: Dodge

“I liked my ‘79 Dodge Colt Custom (aka Colt RS) with yellow paint and a twin-stick transmission quite a lot but overall the ‘70s were a pretty bad time for automobiles.”

Was the Dodge Colt Custom a rare nugget of joy in an otherwise dull era for car design? Let’s find out together.

Suggested by: Alan Dahl (Facebook)

Photo: Nissan

“Datsun Z. An affordable sport car with performance, handling and fun! I had one and I still remember it so well. I drove it in Summer and in Winter, never had an issue.”

Call it the Datsun 240Z, the Nissan Fairlady Z or even the Nissan S30, whatever name you chose it’s still a glorious car.

Suggested by: minardi

Photo: Pontiac

“Best is a relative term.

“I will say the Firebird. You have the coolness of the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ gold and black Firebirds… even if they were out performed by a ride-on lawnmower. You also have the early 70s bottlenose Firebirds with the awesome TransAM and the Formula 400 and its iconic hood scoops.”

The Firebird is probably one of the most American cars ever made. But, is it also one of the best cars of the ‘70s?

Suggested by: slicks30r

Photo: VW

“VW Golf Mk.1

“It was pretty much a versatile vehicle from family hatchbacks, performance variants, convertibles and even a truck.”

Shoutouts came in for both the standard MK1 Golf and its beefier GTI sibling, which launched into the world in 1976.

Suggested by: thedriveress-

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

“The Mercedes W123 chassis coupes, sedans and wagons.

“Produced from 1973 all the way through the 80s. It was the car that convinced the masses that it was possible to expect 100k+ miles without a major engine service, or any major service at all, for that matter…if you could afford the initial purchase price.

“The Japanese were certainly well on their way, but most Americans still struggled with cultural image issues associated with these cars, as good as they were. After all, most World War II vets hadn’t even retired yet.

“The Mercedes W123 is still widely regarded as one of the best cars ever built—from any decade.”

Built between 1976 and 1986, the W123 lineup included sedans, coupes and station wagons. All in, the German automaker sold more than 2.7 million W123 cars in this period.

Suggested by: Kris Eager (Facebook)

Photo: Cadillac

“Mid-seventies American barges.

“Below is a picture of my 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood. Barring the absolutely abysmal mileage from the 8.2L V8 (185 hp!), it was a truly great way to experience a road trip. Took my sons on a 3000 mi trip over last spring break and hit many of the roadside attractions in the southwest US.”

What started as a prefix for certain Cadillac models became a car in its own right in the 1970s with the launch of the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and the Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine.

Suggested by: soloyosh

Photo: Lancia

“May I present for your consideration, the Lancia Stratos!

“WRC Champion in 74, 75, and 76. Still looks like a proper race car today. Ferrari Dino engine, styled by Marcello Gandini. And the Alitalia livery was epic. If I ever hit the lottery for a couple hundred mil, this is the car I would start my collection with.”

The correct answer. I’m actually disappointed in myself for not thinking of this one sooner. The Stratos is and always will be phenomenal.

Suggested by: gtbeam

Photo: Plymouth

“1971 ‘Cuda convertible. Cool enough for ‘Mannix’ and cool enough for ‘Nash Bridges’ twenty five years later.”

The third and final iteration of the Barracuda went on sale in 1970. It struggled on for four years, before being killed off in the fallout of the 1970s energy crisis.

Suggested by: Scott Sanford (Facebook)

Photo: Honda

“First Generation Honda Accord. The first real threat to the Detroit Big Three, especially when the sedan was introduced.”

The MK1 Honda Accord sedan looks cool AF, even in this weird brown.

Suggested by: earthbound-misfit-i

Photo: Porsche

“Porsche 911 has to be in consideration. And for that matter the oft-maligned 914. Datsun 510 and 620 pickup were game changers too.”

Is the 911 of the 1970s the best looking 911? It certainly might be.

Suggested by: Adam Martin (Facebook)

Photo: Plymouth

“1970 Plymouth Superbird.

“I was a kid going to Bosak Chrysler/Plymouth in Gary, IN with my father to pick up his Nabisco company car. Chrysler had allotted one to each dealership and for some reason they had not one, but two of these on their showroom. One had the wing and for some reason the other did not. Both were Alpine White. I see the MSRP was around $4500 but I distinctly recall after my mind stopped blowing my first thought was, ‘who the fuck has $8000 for a car?’ Turns out my friend’s brother did. His father owned an auto repair/body shop. Every year he’d paint his Superbird a different factory color.”

The Plymouth Superbird is a bonkers, but very wonderful, car that was built for one purpose: to destroy the Ford Torino at stock car meets.

Suggested by: 900turbo

Photo: Saab

“Saab 99 or Mercedes S-Class. Saab was just weird and gorgeous. The Mercedes you still see around. They don’t quit.

“Honorable mention to an early 1970s Bronco.

“Sentimental mention to the El Camino. So ugly it’s beautiful.”

It wouldn’t be a look back at the best cars in history without a cheeky little Saab now, would it? The 99 was first introduced in 1968 and remained on sale until the early ‘80s.

Suggested by: Barrett Buss (Facebook)

Photo: Lamborghini

“Countach! Before all the tacky wings and fender flares.”

Another iconic car that spanned multiple decades, the Lamborghini Countach. This chunk of Italian engineering was launched in 1974 and remained on sale until 1990.

Suggested by: hangovergrenade

Photo: Citroën

“I thought about the SM (being launched in 1970 it does qualify) but I am going to actually nominate the Citroën CX as the ultimate 1970’s car.

“It was the last of the proper big Citroëns, before Peugeot took over and decided Citroën had to become their budget brand and took away all that made them interesting.

“Hydropneunatic suspension, DIRAVI steering and a bonkers interior. And then there’s the styling which not only made it look like a spaceship but was aerodynamic too.”

Citroën should go back to making quirky sedans that are ridiculously comfy. And they should sell them all over here, America would be better off with more quirky French cars.

Suggested by: alferr

Photo: Ferrari

“Ferrari 308 GTS/GTB. It set the design language for a generation of Ferraris, and took us into the ‘80s with one Thomas Magnum.”

Clearly, the 1970s were a time for pointy Italian cars to reign supreme, so following on from the Countach and the Stratos here’s the Ferrari 308. The wonderful Pininfarina-styled Ferrari 308 GTB was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1975.

Suggested by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy