The 1970s decade for automobiles was one of the most interesting and radical in terms of change than any other decade before it. Here's the list of the top 5 ugly but fun 1970s cars.
Loved my gremlin. Wish I still had it. I abused it for years doing everything from taking it off road to jumping a hill dukes of hazard style (with 5 ppl in it which broke my transmission in 2) but not still ran. It was unstoppable.
The Gremlin doesn't look ugly. It looks FANTASTIC! (eccept frontend and interior...) The long hood (with factory V8...) makes it cool. And the shape of the rear side windows is copyied by many makes for decades later on...
@@Romiman1 Hey, you are so right. AMC Gremlins were _NEVER_ ugly cars. They actually had a little cute style of their own... Can't say the same for some other cars featured in the video.
AMC never got the respect it deserved. Being Number Four, they had to ride the bleeding edge of styling to get noticed. Gremilns lasted on the roads a lot longer than the competition from Ford and Chevy. Gremlins were cute too, very good personal cars.
The Grand Am was attractive in two or four door. I liked the looks of the Bricklin. Its bumpers were way too large, but I forgive them as they were a tiny manufacturer with very limited resources, trying to meet the new 5 mph bumper laws. The Espada was odd looking, exotic and fast. The Gremlin and Thing were both so homely, they were also sort of cute.
I hate all four doors of that era - coupe or nothing! However, I knew someone with a Bricklin and I loved that car. I used to car pool with his daughter through my young teens and he would occasionally pick me up in it (usually it was parked in the garage). Not only did I get a ride in a cool sports car, but his smokin' blonde teenage daughter would be forced to sit on my lap for the ride - win, win for me young me! I still think the Bircklin is a good looking car and has aged fairly well. The bumpers just make it unique.
I disagree, I think the 4 door Gran Am was a good looking car whose style is still contemporary today. Great engines,good transmission options.,and great handling.A very underated car at the time.
It was a good time to be into cars for me. I was born in '64 and was a car encyclopedia by age 12. Could tell the make of the car by the exhaust sound driving by my house. My parents had me check out all their new cars in the '70s and '80s before they bought them.
My friends and I used to do that also, we could tell you what car was coming down the street just by the sound of the engine and at night we would identify cars by the headlights!!!
I could identify any car by it’s headlight configuration. Cadillac was the first company to introduce the square headlights on their 1975 model year. And Lincoln first introduced the European headlights on their new Lincoln MkVII coupe. One of my all time favorite cars is the big Lincoln MK V.
I can tell you're not trained for narration. Jesus Christ liven up. Talk about amateur hour. You morons think anybody can do it. BZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT! The. 19.73. Buick. Was. Thebestcarevermade. But. Some. Would. Disagreewiththis ASsEment?
The AMC Gremlin was an incredibly fun car to drive. It would smoke many other cars in its class with it's torquey inline 6. The V8 version was insane!!!
I swapped out the automatic for a B/W T-10-S 4 speed out of a Rebel. Powered by the completely stock 258 I6, I was still able to pull wheelies in 1st and second. Most reliable vehicle I've ever owned In spite of me treating it like it was a Jeep.
@@CDBC Seems as though everyone who grew up in the era of bell bottoms and Zeppelin owned either a Gremlin or a Valiant, Duster, Dart or Nova back in the day!.( quite a few Pintos as well). Of all those sub compacts in the 70s the Gremlin was about the best!!!!.
My Father order and purchased a 1973 4 door white Grand Am with the 455ci engine. He had Von Dutch put a custom paint job on it in 1974... What a Hot car in Scottsdale Arizona back then. And ironically the Bricklin was used as our Scottsdale Police cars in the mid 1970's...
Great video. I never owned any of these cars, but I really liked seeing the Grand Ams, Gremlins, and Things. I had a VW Beatle convertible that was great fun, and I have wished many times that I still had that car.
Here here... my parents bought one that was a demo on the show room floor with 6k miles. 4 door, star mag wheels. 400 2bbl, beautiful car. Drove that thing coast to coast a few years later. Funny thing, you had to go thru the right wheel well to change the aft spark plugs on that side. I miss it. To me it was one of the most beautiful cars ever created. The sticker price in 73/74 was around 6500 bucks.
The Pontiac 400 wasn’t considered a small block. It was a different engine than the Chevy 400. The Pontiac 400 was the same size as the 350 and the 455.
@@dryan8377 I would have LOVED your parents Pontiac! I settled for a '73 Luxury LeMans 4dr in a beautiful metallic red called Buccaneer Red with a white interior. It had the handling package (front and rear stabilizer bars). As a mechanic, I drove many cars and in the day it was the best-handling car I could find. Also, many GM intermediates by '73 (and on) had a crowded engine compartment because most were equipped with air conditioning. making antics like you described necessary to change spark plugs. My '62 Pontiac Grand Prix needed the AC compressor removed to change the left front spark plug buried under it!
The big Lincoln’s were some of the most beautiful cars ever made. They were certainly the most comfortable as well. Rolls Royce luxury took a distant backseat to both Cadillac and Lincoln. The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was gorgeous as well. As was the new Seville.
The cars I thought were ugly back in the day seem much more attractive now. My attitude and vision has changed 64 years later. How did that happen.? lol
My Mom had a '74 Gremlin, in this funky blue color that looked lavender/orchid-ish in the shade, with denim interior. It had the 304 with an auto tranny, manual steering and brakes. Oh, and an AM radio. That thing was a beast! My Mom loved that car! It was totaled in '82 when she got hit head on by a Buick Electra and walked away. She bought a loaded '83 Spirit, which she absolutely hated. She traded it the next year for a Daytona Turbo.
My Mom always liked fast cars. The first car I remember was a '61 Fury, and then she got a '67 Dart with a 318 which she traded on the Gremlin. In 1990, I showed up to show off my new car, and unbeknownst to me, she has bought a new car the day before... I was so proud of my Mercury Colony Park with the wood sides and roof rack... parked next to her new Z-28 with the t-tops... my dad just shook his head... lol
@@draggonsgate was the Mercury a wagon with a rear facing back seat? My uncle had the Country Squire which was Fords Station wagon. Station Wagons where popular in the 70’s
1972 Gremlin with the 258 straight six and automatic cost $2600 out the door. It had towed a 1000# camper 75 mph down intrastate 10 getting 26 mpg. It was a great all around vehicle.
@@jmorrow888 You should've seen the tv commercials about the grand am back then. It featured a 73 model crashing into a brick wall at 5-6mph, the entire front end collapsing, but coming back to form as if nothing happened. The big flexible nose was the key. We had one. That nose you could punch it all day and it would pop back out!
Could not disagree more about the Pontiac Grand Am 4 Door. Really beautiful sedan with the honeycomb wheels. The lines were much better than the 2 door.
I used to have a 1975 AMC Gremlin X :) I loved driving that little car because of all the funny looks I got with it, especially on the interstates :) Can you imagine a car like that keeping up with the new modern cars of the time doing 65 mph on the interstates? I loved that car and miss it to this day :)
Me too. My '75 Gremlin was an ugly lime green, but she was one of the best handling cars I've ever driven. She could turn and stop on a dime. One of my favorite memories was right after I bought her. I pulled into a full-service gas station to fill up, seeing as the gauge was showing below the quarter mark. When the pump showed 16 gallons and kept climbing, the person pumping the gas looked at the car kinda funny, so I explained that Gremlins had a 21 gallon gas tank. I called her Greta the Green Gremlin. She always started, even in the winter, and could go almost anywhere a 4 wheel drive could. One spring I plowed mud so deep it knocked the body plugs out of the floor between the front and back seats. I still miss her and her quirks to this day.
VW Thing was the civilian version of a West German Army vehicle, basically their equivalent to our Jeep. Essentially a modernized Kubelwagen from WWII.
If I could have bought a VW THING, I would have had it painted and trimmed as the German WWII vehicle, complete with the spare tire mounted on the hood.
A friend of mine in high school (1973) got a brand new GREMLIN with the LEVI option trim package. It had denim seats, which included copper buttons and the LEVI tags sewn into the seat stitching. Not a great car (it kind of fell apart within 5 years) but it served a purpose back then. It was made here in WISCONSIN, when AMC was a big thing in Milwaukee and Kenosha.
Thanks for this. Most people class the Espada as a 4 seater instead of a 2+2. That's one reason for the front overhang - to push the V-12 away from the passenger compartment.
until youtube, didn't realise there was a love hate thing for the Espada, I have always loved it, just can't imagine anything designed by Ghandini being ugly.
Taste is subjective, I always admired the 4 door Grand Am and it's longer wheebase. The body colored flexible nose was ahead of it's time compared to the huge bumpers fitted on most cars to comply with new government bumper regulations. Enjoyed the video.
Mr. B. Here ! Am a big fan of GM A body’s they had some short comings ! But today’s vehicles with no style at all ! Today’s vehicles make the so call ugly car look like master pieces.
The '74 GTO was actually a good seller with decent performance, they should had kept it on the Ventura. The Firebird was the "GTO" of the late '70s and beyond..
@@joyceleadbetter2600 I disagree a bit. More than likely if GTO continued with maybe an available 400 option until a probable '77 downsize Lemans based GTO w/301 HO woulda replaced Ventura GTO. I say this because fuel economy/emissions at the time and GTO sales were being stolen by Firebird until Ventura GTO was available plus the Firebird overall was a better performance car in corners than any GTO at that time.
My first car was a 73 Grand Am two door. Even tho emissions had choked horsepower the 7.4L 3 speed, it laid rubber in 2nd gear at 70 mph. Loved that car!
I had a Gremlin with the V8. It was a blast to drive, I enjoyed it more the 75 Corvette I had at the time. The Bricklin was a classic example of trying to make the government happy rather than car buyers. Plus it competed with the Ford Pantera which was a beautiful car.
I had a brand new Gremlin X in 1973. Inline 6 with manual trans. I was stationed at Ft. Hood and lived in Houston, and went home almost every weekend. Put almost 50,000 miles on it in a little over 2 years. Not one problem, never left me stuck on the side of the road.
The Vega is a lovely design, crappy quality but in that category, I can't think of anything better. The Pinto is nice too. Much better than a bland Golf or some other subcompacts. The Pacer is goofy, yeah not very pretty, but fun. Not ugly though.
My generation was just starting to be able to afford new cars when the Vega came out. We called them mini-Camaros due to the front end similarities. But boy, were they complete junk!
I was very young when the thing came out. My dad had a 68 bug so VW was something I kept up with. I remember the things release and TV commercials well. For the longest time i thought everytime you drove it under a bridge overpass or behind a tree or building it changed colors and got covered in some pattern such as polkadots or stripes. Thought it was awesome and more than once tried to convince my parents we needed one.
This channel is so interesting for so many reasons. I've got to be honest and say I'm addicted to it and am always ready for the next one. I enjoy and respect your opinions. Keep em coming!✌ Stay Safe & Be Well
Fun Video! I never thought the Gremlin was ugly, but the Thing, yes it was ugly! My neighbor had an Orange one. It sounded EXACTLY like a Beetle (same engine and transmission, I believe...).
Four doors was a HUGE IMPROVEMENT to the Grand Am's looks, since it deleted those fugly window louvers! GM only had one attractive quarter window treatment for the Colonnade coupes, the thin-pillared triangular ones that were clearly the original intent, and as the run progressed it was more and more restricted to the base models only.
Small Correction: The US called "Thing" was used Since WW II, not since Western Germany. It was the VW type 82 "Kübelwagen". "Kübelwagen is a contraction of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning 'bucket-seat car (Wikipedia quote)"
I had a 1972 Gremlin X that came stock with a 304 V8 and 3spd manual. It was fast and fun. Then I pulled the engine and Trans, and installed a 360 4bbl and torqueflite 727 auto. Then the Gremlin became stupid fast and hard to stop with manual drum brakes...
For sure driving a vw thing is such fun! Without the roof and folded down the windshield, is like driving a bathtub in wheels… 😂😂 1976 VW Thing owner… thanks for share!
In the late 80's when I was in High School (and these were all just used cars), my buddy bought the ugly Cutlass and while it had no HP it still had torque. We had dirt roads all over and made a track and it was a fantastic drifter with extended reverse lock tail out action. Loads of fun for the HP dollar. Also in S FL there's a guy with a Bricklin that goes to the car shows. He's a fanatic for sure.
The problem with the Bricklin was the old school engine choices in a time of very high fuel prices, not the bumpers. I owed the Datsun at the time. It was totally gutless by then, but at least the fuel economy was acceptable. Also, the Bricklin was really expensive.
I don't find the 4 door Grand Am or the Gremlin that ugly. And at least the Gremlin was a bit more reliable and solid than the comparable cars from Ford and Chevy. The 70's did have no shortage of ugly cars thanks to the battering-ram bumpers.
I really liked the submarine doors and “colonnade” styling of the mid 70’s GMs. Of course the Grand Am coupe was sexier but the sedan was no wallflower.
Gremlin was way better looking than a Pacer, Pinto or B210 Datsun in the compact area. Plus was a better car than any of those. The X was actual very cool looking and aged very nicely.
Excellent video especially about the gremlin with the 252 inline 6 is the same motor that's in my Jeep Grand Cherokee 1998 250.000 Mi and running like a clock
The ‘75 Grand Am 4 door looks a bit like my first car. A 1976 Olds Cutlass sedan. I bought that Cutlass in ‘82 and drove it until it started falling apart in ‘93. 😂
The Grand Am also came in a Police Package for a few years. Rutgers University Police used them for a couple of years. They looked sharp in their bright white paint with red and black markings and a red Twinsonic light bar up top.
The Grand Am was awesome my best friend got one back when we were in college maybe 86 it was rough on the outside but the performance was like a rocket or something you would never imagine.
The VW Thing is practically a Kubelwagen from the Second World war slightly modernized. Would you describe the 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda beautiful or ugly?
I had a 73 Grand Am two-door. Loved that car. Beautiful and always got compliments about it. Ran great, drove great. It once started at 27 below zero. It tore me apart to get rid of it but after 19 years it had just rusted out too bad to keep.
We had a `74 LeMans that my grandparents had bought in `75 as a leftover. They gave it to us in 1980. I remember that water went in the trunk when it rained... I remember hearing about Bricklins, but never saw one. I actually saw a VW Thing a couple years ago. Very cool. The guy has a strange way of talking, but I enjoy these videos anyway.🙂
The VW Thing was super popular in exotic places as a vehicle rental , usually arranged through the hotels ..... and especially in the Caribbean and Central America and the South Pacific islands too ....
The '72 Gremlin was our family car, the only car bought new by my Grandparents I6 Mom sold it to enthusiasts c1983, mint condition. I myself had two '70s cars, '72 Dart sedan, 318, '77 LeSabre sedan, Olds 350, $100 & $200 cars.
When I was a kid, my parents had a Beetle. I really didn't like that car. Than my parents decided to sell it and I was very happy! But not for long, they bought another Beetle. Thank goodness Thing wasn't available in my country! 😅
I had several 73 to 75 GRAND AM's INCLUDING a NEW 75 2 door with every option including a moon roof. I HATED it because the 455 couldn't get out of It's own way due too catalytic converter and single exhaust. After that I got a used 4 DOOR 74 G.A. with a 455, FAST reliable great handling. DEFINITELY a sleeper. The giveaway was the 7.4 Liter emblem on the deck lid. IF it didn't get totaled, parked on the street, I would still own it today along with my 74 S.D Trans AM I still own !!
Back then it would have been totally legal to remove the catalytic converter and put dual exhaust on your GA. Although you would’ve had to get a “double hump” transmission crossmember. Then it would’ve ran about the same as the 74. There was very little difference in Pontiac V8s between 74 and 75.
Fun fact in 74-75 Eugenie Street in Saint Boniface (Winnipeg MB Canada sub division) had all five cars on the street, although the Lamborghini only drove for about 6 weeks and broke down and parts were unavailable for it. It was owned by an Italian doctor who brought from Italy when he did a training program at the Saint Boniface Hospital. It was a great time for an eight year old car nut. Another car that could have made this list was the first generation 64 to 66 Plymouth Barracuda. The original design was designed more like the 2nd generation, but the bean counters weren't convinced that there was much of a market for a nimble smaller pony car and okayed production but insisted that they hed to use as much body panels as they could from the Valient. The result was a car that looked odd from certain angles.
@@mikesmith-po8nd Wasn't the Gremlin a Hornet minus the trunk? The Pacer was all-new, designed to be as wide as a full sized car and to be powered by a Wankel rotary engine. It nearly bankrupted AMC.
I like the Gremlin's styling. The Gremlin X equipped with a V8 and manual transmission is a classic "hot hatch". Seeing a Gremlin can fit big V8s, a barn find would make a great street car. The 1977-1979 Thunderbird and its siblings had what I'd call hideous exterior looks.
I, for one, would be PROUD to be seen driving one of those mid-70s Pontiac Grand Ams--coupe or sedan! I LOVE their body shape! They remind me of a "flying saucer on wheels"!
