The 1960s and the 1970s witnessed some of the most memorable American classic cars. The fact that most of these cars lacked basic safety features like seatbelts and rollover protection is not enough to lessen our love for them. Being an era when young people were in a "feeding frenzy" for high-performance cars, America's top manufacturers were rolling out these icons as fast as they possibly could.
However, more stringent emission and efficiency regulations soon had them backpedaling, and most of the muscle cars were no longer attractive to gearheads. Dwindling sales due to this and fuel price increase led to the discontinuation of most of these iconic nameplates. Some of them are still tugging the strings of our hearts today and have decent collectible value. Read on for a list of cool American cars that were discontinued in the '70s.
10 Mercury Cyclone
The Mercury Cyclone is a two-door muscle car introduced in 1964 as a replacement for the S-22 model of the Mercury Comet. Becoming a distinct nameplate in 1968, the Cyclone enjoyed fame after hitting a world record speed of 198.22 mph and taking first place at the 1968 Daytona 500.
In a lifespan of four generations, the Cyclone grew in size and weight while performance suffered despite the introduction of bigger engines. Following a decline in sales, the Cyclone was discontinued as a unique model in 1971.
9 Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero is a two-door rear-wheel-drive coupé utility that was offered in several variations over seven generations from 1957. Introduced in December 1956 and marketed as a truck, it was adapted from the Ford Courier sedan delivery and featured an integrated cab and cargo bed.
Being the first brand that offered the practicality of light-duty pickups in the body of a sedan, it became an instant hit. Although stringent regulations regarding emissions and fuel efficiency led to its discontinuation in 1979, it remains a reasonable collectible today.
8 Chevrolet Kingswood
Built on the GM B Body platform and introduced in 1959, the Chevrolet Kingswood is a uniquely-designed four-door wagon with seating for nine passengers. With its low headlights, cat eye rear lights, and wing-shaped tail fins, the original Kingswood was a head-turner powered by a lineup of three engines.
Discontinued in 1960 for the Chevrolet Brookwood, it was brought back for the second generation in the 1969 model year. For the second generation, the engine lineup consisted of three V8s: a 5.7-liter, a 6.6-liter, and a 7.4-liter mated to either a manual or an automatic transmission.
7 Plymouth Valiant
Created in 1959, the Plymouth Valiant was Chrysler's effort to break into the then-emerging market for compact cars. Initially named the "Falcon", the Valiant debuted at the British International Motor Show as a 1960 model and was offered in several body styles.
Powered by a powerful but efficient slant-6 engine, it boasted outstanding durability, excellent passenger/cargo space, and great maneuverability. In 1964 an all-new 4.5-liter V8 was introduced in the Valiant lineup, and finally, after five generations, the Plymouth Valiant was axed in 1976.
6 Ford Torino
Named after Turin in Italy, the Ford Torino was developed as a replacement for the Ford Fairlane in the intermediate market segment. Debuting in 1968 the first generation of Torinos was available in several body styles including a four-door sedan and a four-door wagon.
Engine options available for the Torino in its lifespan ranged from a 3.3-liter I-6 to a series of monstrous V8s. The wagon variant offered premium cargo carrying capacity while all Torinos, properly kitted, were able to tow up to 3500 pounds.
5 AMC Hornet
Available from 1970 to 1977, the Hornet was based on AMC's "junior cars" platform and offered as a sedan, hatchback, and wagon. Powered initially by a choice of two six-cylinder engines and a 5-liter V8, the Hornet was an affordable family car.
In addition to being a moneymaker for AMC, the Hornet also served as AMC's platform for experimenting with new automotive technologies. Apart from having a 5.9-liter V8-powered muscle car(the SC/360), the Hornet also had a luxury trim package designed by Gucci.
4 Dodge Dart
The Dodge Dart's production run lasted from the 1960 model year to 1976 across four generations featuring several key modifications along the way. It debuted as a full-size car before it was reduced to a midsize car in 1962 and finally became a compact car from 1963 to 1976.
Throughout its lifespan, after being kitted with better brakes, tires, shock absorbers, the Dodge Dart was popularly used in the taxi industry. In 1966, a performance version (D-Dart) was offered while 7-liter Hemi-powered versions appeared in 1968.
3 Mercury Monterey
Introduced in 1952 to replace the Mercury Eight, the Mercury Monterey is a full-size car that was offered in sedan and coupe forms. During a 22-year production run, it went from being the flagship of the Mercury full-size lineup to being the entry-level offering.
Across seven generations it paraded a long list of V8 engines and also gained features like safety door locks, memory power front seats, and climate control. In its last years, it gained an egg-crate style grille design and wider tail lamps before it was finally edged out in 1974 by the Mercury Marquis.
2 Buick GSX
The GSX/GSX Stage 1 was a muscle car based on the GS455 and built from 1970 to 1972 by Buick to increase showroom traffic. Armed with the standard 7.5-liter Buick V8 engine, it became the American production performance car with the highest torque output(510 lb-ft).
With 350 hp on tap, it was no slouch, the 1970 model becoming the quickest American production car before succumbing to emission laws in 1971 and 1972. Back in the day, it also had the longest list of standard high-performance and handling features.
1 Plymouth Barracuda
The first generation of the Plymouth Barracuda was offered in 1964 as a two-door fastback coupe built on Chrysler's A-body platform. Following a mild redesign in 1967, two more body styles, still based on the A-body platform, were introduced for the second generation.
Among the long lineup of engines available for the Barracuda was the 7-liter Hemi V8 powering the legendary Hemi 'Cuda. In the wake of the 1973 fuel crisis, sales declined, and in April 1974, the last barracuda rolled off the line ending a 10-year production run.