As cars grow and develop over the generations, each decade produces its own fair share of outstanding vehicles during its time. Some, however, offer more than others, with a few lacking in decent options. One time period that offers some real gems for classic car enthusiasts is the 1970s.
Nowadays, cars built as long ago as the 70s are considered are veritable antiques of the auto world. As such, they're very desirable and their value skyrockets more and more. Many of the best 70s sports cars can cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions. If we could afford it and had easy access to them, though, these ten 70s classics would be an amazing choice for any driver with a appreciation for retro style.
10 10. Dodge Challenger R/T
When thinking about cool cars from the 70s, you'll probably initially think of an American muscle car. This is for good reason, as several American models created during the 1970s have been idolized over the years. An example of this would be Dodge's front-running sports car: The Challenger R/T.
Similar to the Challenger's brother, the Charger, the Challenger had a good bit of movie presence as well. Although not as well-known as The Dukes of Hazzard, Vanishing Point provided the Challenger more than enough screen time. Along with this, the Challenger looked amazing and was one of the most competitive American cars of the decade.
9 9. Datsun 240Z
Today, the J.D.M. (Japanese Domestic Market) culture finds their favorite vehicles in the past. Most of the new cars don't do enough to impress the petrol-heads of today, causing many to reminisce on the good old days. One of these sought-after classics is the Datsun 240Z.
Before Nissan was Nissan, they were known as Datsun. During their time as Datsun, they made some amazing vehicles, especially the Z-series. Of the Z-series, the 240Z is (easily) the most popular amongst J.D.M. lovers. The car looks stunning and is a great platform to modify and tune. Needless to say, this increase in demand has lead to a reduction in supply and increase in M.S.R.P. To bad this doesn't seem to be turning around anytime soon.
8 8. BMW 2002 Turbo
BMW just seems to exude innovation and excellence, even to this day. The company's cars are revolutionary, pushing the limits of what's possible while looking fresh at the same time. Few can do this, and even less can do it for so long. What really started this snowball effect, though, was the 70s BMW 2002 Turbo.
If you weren't already aware, the BMW 2002 Turbo was a first for the Europeans with its turbocharged setup. No-one had done this before for with a street-legal vehicle, making BMW one of the only to have this advantage. With this, BMW swept the floor with their competitors. The 2002 Turbo was a spectacular racer as well as a competent passenger car. Without the 2002, the BMW M-series, arguably, may never have happened.
7 7. Lamborghini Miura
Anger can be a powerful motivator. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, reference how Lamborghini began. When Mr. Lamborghini was upset with his Ferrari's performance, Enzo Ferrari offered no help. This caused Lamborghini to make his own cars to spite Enzo, accidentally creating Ferrari's greatest rival.
This rivalry would prove to be troublesome for Ferrari, with Lamborghini's creation of the Miura. For all intents and purposes, the Miura was the first actual "supercar." It could exceed 200 miles per hour, an outstanding feat in the 1970s. Today, many see the Miura as the car that created supercars and the car that put Lamborghini on the global map.
6 6. Porsche 911 Turbo (930)
With BMW's turbochargers in passenger vehicles, more and more companies got onto the bandwagon. One of these companies was the German manufacturer Porsche, who brought to the table the first turbocharged 911 Carrera: The 930 911 Turbo.
This car was not for the faint of heart. In actuality, the 911 Turbo was a very dangerous car to daily drive. The huge turbo took forever to spool, causing turbos to initiate mid-corner and possibly spinning out the driver. Regardless of this, the 930 Turbo is still a very cool car. Although it may be hard to drive, for those with the ability it has the potential to be a great driving experience.
5 5. Lancia Stratos
During the heyday of rallycross racing, slightly before Group B's creation, there were a handful of cool cars that managed to win a good bit too. Even though a large amount of cars won races/championships, few did it like the Lancia Stratos.
In rally racing, Lancia had been quite the dominant force during their time in the sport. They had built several successful racers, but the Stratos is easily their most unique. The Stratos is a wedge-shaped mid-engine Italian sports car that absolutely tore up the countless off-road circuits. The road-going Stratos isn't that different to the racing version, either.
4 4. Ferrari 512 BB
Nowadays, Ferrari is associated with mid-engine setups and bright red supercars like the Enzo, 488, F50, F40, and so on. However, this wasn't always the case, until the birth of the 512 BB.
The 512 BB was Ferrari's first mid-engine road car. At first, Enzo Ferrari thought that mid-engine cars were reserved for the track, with front-engine being for the road. Thankfully, he was eventually convinced otherwise, resulting in one of the sharpest and most revolutionary Ferraris of the 1970s.
3 3. De Tomaso Pantera
Upon first glance, you may think the De Tomaso Pantera is an American knock-off of a Ford GT40. In reality, though, De Tomaso is Italian, with subtle hints to classic racers in Le Mans. The best example of this is their 70s Pantera.
The Pantera was a more affordable and readily available version of cars like the GT40. Even though the car was great, De Tomaso would eventually fall by the wayside and be forgotten by a vast majority of the automotive community.
2 2. BMW M1
Once, a long time ago in the 1970s, BMW decided to dip their toes into the "supercar" game. The car that they would do this with was the beginning of their still standing sports cars series, the M1.
As mentioned previously, the M1 was the first in BMW's M-series lineup. The M1 was the classic wedge-shaped supercar that was, of course, put into competition by the manufacturer. Luckily, the M1 was outstanding on track and off, garnering millions of fans. Today, the M1's pedigree still lives on in all of BMW's M-series sports cars.
1 1. Lamborghini Countach
Through the years, each generation/decade seems to have its own car. What this means is that one car stood out the most during its time, in terms of fame, cost, and desirability. For the 1970s, that car was probably the Lamborghini Countach.
The Countach is the quintessential wedge-shaped supercar from the 70s. Although the wedge shape didn't really help with aerodynamics and speed much, everyone loved it all the same (and for good reason, too). A jaw-dropping vehicle.