American gas guzzlers | American Classic cars | Drive in | 1973
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- 'Drive in' presenter Tony Bastable compares American cars that are available to the British consumer featuring:
Cadillac Eldorado coupe
Mercury Marquis Brougham
AMC Ambassador
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
mustang 2 ghia
Lincoln Continental
First shown: 19/11/1973
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The first 6 seconds were one of the sounds of the 70's!
The Benny Hill intro man! The Benny Hill intro.
This was also the intro to The Tomorrow People 1973-1979
and Count Duckula!!
So many shows. Even into the 80s.
My grandmother owned a 71 Eldorado, similar to that one in the clip. Red interior of velour, velvet and leather. That car was like riding in a Parisian brothel on wheels. I miss her and I miss that car.
Me too. Had one for a few years in the late 00s until it rusted too badly from summer humidity in the barn. Had to say goodbye.
This is a really good report, that guy's a first class presenter. I don't think this has dated much at all.
Yes he was, no nonsense clear and concise, but moved aside for the often mumbling self important,sensationalist presenter we are more accustomed to today. Sadly long dead and so is forgotten.
Well, his outfit and hairstyle has dated a bit...
Here, here @crazyclive
What was his name?
@@johndrake2729 Tony Bastable.
I owned new AMC Matador Wagon. My wife. It was a great car for it's time in Los Angeles California.
Thank you
Tony Bastable walked so jeremy Clarkson could run
An enjoyable video. I have previously owned a Chevrolet Astro, a Chevrolet HHR station wagon, and now drive a 5.2 litre V8 Dodge Ram 1500. It may be little heavy on the fuel consumption, but it is more comfortable than European cars, and insurance is not as high as might be expected, especially if you are a member of an enthusiasts club. Spare parts sometimes take a few days to arrive from the USA, but you get a lot of vehicle for your money. My wife also prefers American cars, her favorite being the Chevrolet Impala.
you cant kill those 5.2 magnums. my 93 dodge ram d150's 5.2 magnum has 240k miles, and it still hauls ass.
@@frigglebiscuit7484 Was the same back when it was called a 318. Those things would go forever.
@ferkemall I know what you mean. My wife always fell asleep in the Astro and HHR because of the comfort. Me- I had to drive so had to stay awake, unfortunately.
The Brits know we made cars better than they did for a long time.
I never realised you could get the AMC Ambassador in right hand drive...
That car had more features than a lot of new cars, lol. Never been in a car that released the parking brake from just shifting into drive.
He really summed it up near the end when he says they aren't well-suited for British roads. They were never intended to be, which is why I can't understand why they were imported into the UK in the first place. Imagine trying to parallel-park that Caddy in London....
justsomeguytoyou ...whilst American cars of the era suffered poor quality, nearly all British and European cars were truly awful in terms of comfort and refinement. British Leyland cars were notoriously bad.
Jimbob Jimbob I know....British Leyland cars were like American cars when it came to quality, they were just smaller. At least they didn't muck up the Mini
The people who were buying cars like the Cadillac and Mercury here in the UK probably never actually drove them. No doubt they had a chauffeur to drive them around. At the time, those big American barges were seen as an alternative to the traditional Rolls-Royce's and Bentley's for people who had too much cash. Even back then, you already had rich Arab oil barons doing business in London and they always preferred American cars to British ones.
That's interesting, I never thought about the limousine angle
That Eldorado is stunning
0:14 front wheel drive? is that correct?
GM's original plan was to put a FWD power plant in the 1961 "senior compact" Olds F85, but that stayed on hold until GM had given up on the idea of selling innovative smaller cars to Americans (who weren't interested). So, they put an Olds 455 onto a much bigger version of the F85 transaxle and built to Toronado around it; the Eldorado was Cadillac's version of that platform. The Buick version of the Buick-Olds 3.5 L aluminum V8 intended for the F85 was eventually sold to Rover.
"Next year they're hoping to sell 70". Yeah, I think OPEC had something to say about that...
Imagine one of these on a street packed with tiny italian cars. You could basically put one of those inside the trunk
The Mustang II looked bored out of its skull
That wagon reminds me of trips to the pool in the summer when I was a very small boy. Having lived in the UK for a couple of years there is no way I could have driven one of those monsters on the B roads. I’m glad those things are extinct, including that embarrassing pinto called a mustang
The Chevrolet Camaro Z28 for me
So, is "three star fuel" regular or premium?
I'd guess he means 3 out of 5 stars, right in the middle so regular likely
8.1 Liters
front wheel drive
Chris Dawson car gore
America
8.2 liters.
Eldorado coupé was the one which was FWD, the rest of the Cadillacs were RWD at the time... All had the 500ci (8.2L) NA-V8.
@@syxepop the 500 only was available for the others in '75. The 500 was always a Eldorado exclusive
The only reason 70's American cars were so thirsty was because of the use of low compression ratios,ironicly introduced because of the fuel crisis.
I do love electric cars which ware supposed to be eco, but I guess avaregae Nissan Quashquai weights more then any of the Caddis there. At least we get massive power.!!!
Cadillac and Lincolns were every bit as good as a Rolls Royce, similar fuel economy and much cheaper to buy! I don't hear the presenter complaining about the fuel economy of the Rolls Royce, Bentley or even a Jaguar!
They were a different kettle of fish. More room, less leather, no real wood, less money, equally horrible mileage.
He mentions the dinosaurs going extinct while he is walking of in his bell bottom pants
Hahahahaha! Plus that haircut. Dude's the Fred Flinstone of the tv world.
Well if you follow that logic, we might have dinos again someday, because at least here in Denmark those bell bottoms came into fashion again in my teen years in the 90's :D.
@druss999 In the USA you could call them "flares" or "bell bottoms"..
Apparently people are saying birds are dinosaurs
so ha they never went extinct anyway
I'd wer pants like that before I'd ever be seen in one of those monstrosities. (Okay, except for the mustang. My first car was a Mustang II and I have a soft spot for them.)
You have to keep in mind the conditions these vehicles were designed for, the much wider spaces of the states, and being very comfortable (because you're going to be sitting in it a long time) over many miles of distance in a straight line.
He clearly wasn't planning a trip from New Orleans to Chicago up I-55. He was just going to pop down from Birmingham to London.
Indeed, and let's not forget that America was richer than ever before and having its golden age in the 50s and 60s, while the UK was making do with what it could after being bankrupted by WW2. That tells you everything you need to know about the differences in consumption between their post-war lifestyles.
But but the fuel crisis?????
The doesn't make them any less gross.
Growing up as a kid in 70's North London (Hampstead), I used to see quite a few Mustangs, Trans Am's, Cadillacs and even Pacers around. England went through a period in mid to late 70's when everything American was really hip with the introduction of Levis, Macdonalds, push button telephones, American ice cream, Star Wars etc.
True! I was born in England,Mum's English,but we emigrated to rural Pennsylvania when i was 5 years old,in 1972...when we came back from the USA for 6 months in 1975,my uncle picked us up from Heathrow to drive back to Lincolnshire,& I remember being surprised to see a Camaro,a Firebird & a Mustang on The North Circular on the way back. Mum sold her white 1967 Ford Anglia Deluxe when we left in 1972 & bought a dark green '67 Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania....then my American step monster 'father' got hit head on in it by a big truck that jack knifed on an icy road & Mum downsized once again to a yellow 1973 Opel Kadett!
A lot of these make sense for 70s era USA though. Big open roads and the US interstate system. These cars are made for long American distances
“Shattering straight line performance!”
... The Z28 moves away like a snail.
Yea ive had healthier go karts...lol
Ha ha it struggled to do a burnout, and bogged down.
Shattering compared to any UK car in 1974.
Now that was shattering.
Pitiful!
I miss the 1970s when safe sex just meant having a padded head board.
@Andy Peek relevance?
@Andy Peek alright steady on mate
For all those people complaining about his pronunciation.... Marquis *IS* pronounced 'markwis' in British English. If you say 'mar-key' to a Brit, you are actually saying 'marquee', which is a large tent on a lawn used for social gatherings; the sort of place you could have tea & scones with the vicar and Miss Marple at the summer fête. Google it if you must.
Foreign words are properly pronounced per the rules of the language they were taken from. It's the height of arrogance (read: typical British) to ignorantly pronounce them as if they were of English derivation. (See also: tortilla, conquistador.)
bcubed72 Oh shut up you idiot. I can't think of a language that does not take on/adapt words from other languages and why shouldn't they if it makes them richer? English *is* a mixture of languages (Latin, French, German, Norse to name some) and has developed over time for all sorts of reasons. I was explaining the reason why the presenter was pronouncing words the way he was to people who found it odd, that's all.
I had this conversation with a Yank on you-tube who had a Mercury Marquis and he insisted that in the US the
car was pronounced Markee, even though according to the spelling it should have been pronounced Markwiss.
Gary Dunn Yeah, but my point was just that people pronounce (and spell) things differently in different countries, so no-one is right or wrong. This video is of a British programme (
@@garydunn3037
Yeah, just like the "Markwiss de Sade." LMAO.
The thing that always makes me smile is they go on about American cars being to big for British roads yet our roads are full of Sprinter vans etc that are just as big and they manage to get around ok parking is always an issue but van drivers manage ok.
blacknester Where do you live?! Those prices are outrageous.
@blacknester 4.50 Here in CA. Not too far off. Fuel economy is a huge priority in the US, we just make big cars that get decent mpg now.
Bang on. Same with folks grumbling about suvs when most have a footprint no larger than a car’s.
Typical chippy labour voters!
@@herrfister1477suvs are gay
It's a polite way of saying they are all a pile of shite!😀
Haha, that camaro burnout was embarrassing.
MrWithnailJRjunior they glued the front wheels
Hard to think that was a burnout back then lol
sickening 😂
From 73 on to about the early 90's was an embarrassing era for muscle cars. Looking back the only decent one we got from that era was the 80's Mustang 5.0, and that was simply for it's after market capabilities.
Last I checked camaro at time had a 4.? 250 Straight 6 Cyl. 5.0L 305 or 307 V8s top had a 5.7 350 big block was dieing out at that time
The closing comments about the last of a dying breed were eerily accurate.
I dont think it was much of a stretch of the imagination. Like he said, "the island" is small and congested already and fuel prices were climbing. European cars were already far more efficient and some offered a similar level of luxury.
It's almost inconceivable how poor the efficiency of the design is! You'd think fuel was cheaper than water in the US
30 cents a gallon until the fuel crisis atleast
And that was for premium
Big American cars are still around, they're just different. Your Ford LTD becomes your Ford Expedition. Cadillac Eldorado becomes the Escalade. North Americans still buy big cars, they just buy trucks and SUVs instead of boaty sedans.
Not really, the micro car has largely gone away and big heavy over-sized vehicles designed to be anything besides efficient (luxury SUV's) have never been more popular.
Electric seats in 1973, DAMN!
Power seats were available in a lot of cars for about 20 years at this point, maybe longer.
@@JrGoonior I never knew. European luxery cars tend to have them just the last 20 years or so. Never seen a Mercedes from that era with electric seats.
it's crazy how high spec american cars were vs the crap britain was making. My 75 eldorado (in the UK) has/had climate control, cruise control, 6 way electric seats, heater rear screen (On a convertible!) indicators to tell you if any bulbs had blown and probably more im forgetting
You pronounce it mar-key, yes it's a French word.
He would have sounded pretentious pronouncing it like that - the English version (marquess) is pronounced with the 's' on the end.
Yes but it is spelled Marquis not Marquess.
My friends surname It's spelt the French way but the family pronounce it the English way, and they're pretty middle class...
Mar-key spelled Marquee in British English is a large tent used for social functions. It would be pretty silly to have a car named after a tent.
The British intentionally mispronounce French words.
With how many people in NA who wanted to import British cars especially MGs Minis and Land Rovers it makes sense that there were some enthusiasts in the UK who wanted American cars. It's all about wanting something unique compared to the regular domestic cars of your country.
I'm amazed they sold any of these beasts in the UK.
If you wanted to be exclusive, you're not gonna get much rarer than one of 35 cars sold in a year.
If you wanted to look like you drove a Yank Tank but had more modest means (or space to park) Chrysler, Ford and Vauxhall brought in small numbers of the Australian produced Valiant Regal, Ford Fairmont and Holden Premier, respectively...these were all a shade larger than a Ford Granada and looked like Detroit designs.
@@twoeightythreez That said, I bought an English limousine that was one of just under 20 built over a 7-year production run and the only one on the road by the time I bought in the 2010's. At 18ft long, it's actually slightly smaller than these 2-doors! I never found parking an issue.
@@saxongreen78
That’s the BRITISH Ford Grenada, not the American version.
🚗🙂
Say whatever else you want, nothing is as comfortable as riding in one of these down the highway.
CITROEN
Suburban GMC
For today's size comparisons the Cadillac and Mercury presented at the beginning are about the same size as a Chevrolet Suburban and rode like a sofa on wheels.
well yah after 46 years the vehicle isn't supposed to work like brand new genius...do I really have to tell you all that? god you kids are the worst, and matter of idea of understanding size, a 1975 Cadillac is larger than a Chevrolet Suburban plastic truck today. what it isn't larger is a Chevrolet Suburban in 1960.
@@artdecotimes2942 this show was broadcasted when these cars were brand new
@@RichTexas82513 yes I know that of course, I'm referring to well, something else. I heard his comment in more of an insulting way referring to it as a coach on wheels basically. But usually that's a compliment, I've very defensive on keeping the traditions and respect for older automobiles alive, so I'm the trigger ready version of cars.
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar oh ok, my bad lol
@@RichTexas82513 no no, nothing wrong with your comment, better than my usual responder, smitten with fiery and needing revenge.
Cheers oh and I must be American because I definitely just translated his word "sofa" to couch" haha.
That Lincoln is definitely the one that still looks the best today.
I actually prefer the Cadillac and I still think the 2nd gen Camaro and Firebird looked fantastic, at least until 74. Then again, my first car was a 70 Firebird, so I may be biased.
Yes indeed, and when I see a grey Lincoln Continental coupé, I immediately imagine Frank Cannon/William Conrad at the wheel, and later Jock Ewing/Jim Davis in Dallas, who both drove a similar one !
The epitome of 70s American-style automotive luxury.
he was jealous, you could tell!
In the fall of 1973 GM introduced the first cars with air bags. They were only available on Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs.
They also had anti-lock brakes starting in 1971. Despite their dinosaur status, U.S. cars pioneered a lot of features that are taken for granted all over the world today.
Can we have the full programmes please.
I own a 1963 Cadillac sedan Seville with a 6.4 litre V8 it's in mint condition and I love it.....at 15mpg it's still less than 50p a mile at today's rip off prices
I thought US cars were so exotic and glamorous compared to what we had in the UK back then, but many were absurdly over sized. Pity this film didn't feature any of the beautiful Oldsmobile's, Beuiks or Pontiac's, or the big Dodge's from this era. It was rare to see anything other than a Chevrolet or Ford in the UK though. The US Ford's were a completely different beast to the euro versions and much more expensive.
Many AMC cars came to the UK with RHD. Look carefully at that estate & you'll see where the steering wheel is.
I know in Australia they had the Dodge Phoenix . Later ones (built between 1965-71) were nothing more than RHD Plymouth Furys.
them113 all rhd American cars sold in Australia and South Africa were partly assembled from ckd (complete knock down) kits and then completed using local content in compliance with local laws. In Australia, importation of left-hand drive vehicles was actually illegal. On closer examination it will often be found that South African Chevy Impalas etc were completely different mechanically from the American originals.
Also, any right-hand drive Yanks that you might run into in the UK were generally assembled and shipped over from Canada, particularly full-size 1960s Chevrolets and 1970s downsized Fords such as the Yankee Granada. In the early-90s, the Cadillac CTS was also available in rhd.
In Australia many came over as kits. They were then put together hear like the Ford Galaxie.
I love these classic American cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s. But its almost impossible to own these and drive them on our European roads.
It’s really not. Like anything else you have to want to.
"You waft along silently unaware of vulgarities like bumps and thumps" lol
Great drive test! Incessant circling of a carpark!
Lol
For the American market, these made perfect sense. Fuel was and still is cheap. They were astonishingly cheap to buy and you are not allowed to go fast in the States anyway. Two tonnes! That is light compared with modern SUVs. Gone are the days of a sub 1 tonne family car. Dinosaurs yes but let’s not ridicule them. They could kick the ass of modernity any day.
no they don't. these are embarassing
@@Andyface79 I have a feeling you drive a Mini and get intimidated by big cars next to you at red lights
Floridian Rail & Auto I don’t and I like big cars. Just not these. They were cheaply made, inefficient, and lacked character.
@@Andyface79 How about 60s cars?
Floridian Rail & Auto Yes, I do like American cars from the 60s.
The good old day when gas was cheap and you could burn an entire tankful just backing out of the garage....
Not so cheap.... I still recall my father lamenting one day that it wouldn't be long before he was paying a pound a gallon, which would be just under 22p a litre in today's measures. So... Not as cheap as you.might imagine!
Yah thanks for destroying the world boomer.
@@BanjoLuke1 I remember being able to fill my mini up from empty to full for £5 in the 80's. Filling my current car costs £115 :(
@@johnj3577 wow, taxed to death? Of course how much oil does the UK actually have? Drill baby DRILL!
Fun fact,David Bowie had a Lincoln Continental
Gary Numan said it well CaRs!!??
In my experience you can normally better the official fuel consumption figure on these boats, thanks to the larger U.K. gallon. The big v8s are so unstressed that they’re hardly working at all on a steady motorway cruise. Driven gently 16-18 mpg is possible, while later 1980s v8s will see 25+mpg. When you consider that plenty of folk think nothing of running a big 4x4 with that kind of economy, it’s not too shabby...the ‘73 Range Rover was a 15 mpg machine even in Britain.
"In my experience you can normally better the official fuel consumption figure on these boats, thanks to the larger U.K. gallon." That would mean not bettering the fuel consumption AT ALL. US gallons being smaller. What was the point of your comment exactly?
@@stratfordbaby...that you get more miles to the gallon?
I'd take the Cadillac .. or maybe the Lincoln. Still, here in the UK I couldn't find a parking space for either LOL.
Wonderful bit of automotive history. Fortunately in USA in 1973 the Japanese imports were quite good and so you could buy a smaller car that got 2, 3 or 4 times the mpg as these American cars. As people who know automotive history or owned cars in the 70s know, the typical full-size car was too heavy, too long, and under powered with poor economy due to the difficulty of controlling emissions. It was not until size and weight reduction was incorporated into styling and the development of computer controlled fuel injection and emissions equipment meant a return of horsepower and increased gas mileage. RIP Mercury and AMC. Mustangs are built with right hand drive for the countries that drive on the left and are one of the most popular exported American cars, so there is a silver lining to this story. Hooray for technology.
Disappointing, not a single mention of the best in American luxury: the Chrysler Imperial and other beautiful 'Fuselage style' bodies from Chrysler and Dodge.
As an American this is hilarious to me. I agree with the whole emissions hampered power though, those Cadillacs lost half their power in six years to detuning to meet emissions requirements; 400HP and 550ft.lb to 190HP and 360ft.lb
Don't forget the switch from gross hp to net hp in '72. Even if they lost little power they appeared to lose a lot just because of the different standard.
Yes I've seen 185 bhp V8 Mustangs an worse
Dodge 318 huffing 140 hp out of a one barrel carb in the early 80s.
I have owned a 73 Eldorado since I was 16, I am 23 now and I have to say the 235 HP it was rated at is more than enough. Though mine might have a slight advantage over a truly stock since I had the catalytic converters removed dual 24 inch cherry bombs installed. About a year and a half ago I bought a 69 Eldorado with the high compression, emission free 472 which was rated at 350 HP and 500 Lb-ft of torque. Have not gotten to play with it much yet though. needs a lot of work.
James Zamora Your '73 could not have had a cat converter, since they weren't mandatory until '75. Also, your '69 Caddy 472 had 375 gross hp, and 525 ft/lbs torque. Same engine across all models.
They typical cars in England at the time were little more than motorized peddle cars if they could afford it.
nofrackingzone but at least they could go around corners unlike American cars.
@Sean Gavin and making poop for tq...
Sean Gavin Take a hike euro moron
Sean Gavin...so what you are saying is that one stat disproves the fact that the vast majority of British cars at the time weren't horrible wretched rustbucket pisspots?
And remember, those were Imperial Gallons. It was probably in the single digits for US gallons.
I love how they pronounce Marquis like it's spelled and we in America pronounce it markee, and it's a beautiful car. I always liked the Marquis which later became the Grand Marquis, the sister car to the LTD/Crown Victoria. I also love that Matador Station Wagon. Give me the old cars any day over a modern computerized piece of plastic garbage that IS NOT built to last.
You mean built to be rebuilt after about 100,000 miles. Back in the day 100k miles was a lot on a car like that. Nowadays 300k isn't uncommon. And, unless you lived in the desert or a dry climate the bodies on those old boats were rusting through pretty quick too. We had a 71 dodge cabover pickup that we kept until about 1988. Yeah, it ran with 300,000 miles on it but it used a quart of oil every 20 miles, had rust holes in the floor big enough to throw a cat through and the rear side panels were completely gone. That and ya had to climb underneath it with a screwdriver to start it, lol.
@ferkemall My '88 Fleetwood Cadillac had 333,000 miles on it and had a gasoline 307 cid in it and was still running when I got rid of it. My 2008 Trailblazer has a 4.2l inline 6 gasoline engine in it and has 180,000 miles on it right now and still runs great and my 1998 Ford Ranger with it's 2.5l inline 4 has 140,000 on it and still runs like a top too and all gasoline engines. We had loads of vehicles from the 60's & 70's too and here in Indiana they rusted out. Perhaps if you live in a dry climate they wouldn't, but here they sure did. Our 1971 Dodge truck with it's 318 cid V-8 gasoline engine had well over 300,000 miles on it when we sold it and it did still run (even though it burned a quart of oil every 20 miles, lol), but half the sides of the bed were rusted away, completely gone and there were holes in the floor big enough to throw a cat through.
That’s an Ambassador Brougham wagon rather than a Matador!
Everytime I hear that intro, I think I'm about to watch Benny Hill
And unlike the mini it’s still runs over 40 years later, where as the Mini will be lucky to make it past 40,000 miles, total piece of crap.
We Americans love our big cars then and still now...lol
Now we love our SUV's
Yeah you guys are the cause of global warming, still proud?
obese asses as well
C R E D I T lol
Boot Lick ....Yes ‘we’ do know just about 130 Americans try there guns successfully on themselfs.
Probably ‘they’ are not so proud.
Reminds me of Kevin Kline's Lincoln in A Fish Called Wanda.
Seed_drill asssssssshhhhoooooollllllllleeeeeee....good flick
I know it is pure sentimental that i say this, but still, kinda sad to see them go.
"Big 15 inch radials" lol
Lovely cars but our roads really aren't made for them. I've driven down roads in England barely wide enough for a Hyundai i10.
A Mercury "Markwiz"?
Jude F. That made me cringe.
Markwiz Browham no less.
That was driving me nuts when he was mispronounced the model name of the Mercury.
Marquess is a noble aristocratic title, and the British say it the way he did. The US pronunciation Mar-KEY is spelled Marquee, and refers to a large tent used for social functions.
Jude F. @0:10 how about the "Cadillac Eldorodo coo pay". I guess England can't pronounce "coupe" as coop
this genuinely was a very good insight into the problems and greats of those cars. nowadays all you hear is "old v8 era cars couldn't turn", but not *why*.
and hearing him say a lincoln was new is so weird. that and that the engines were choked by emissions standards. i guess even then, even in small and slow england, people complained about it. i always thought the complaints came after the heavy restrictions in the 90s
1973 was one of the lowest year for American car manufacturers. By this time, all cars produced in America were subject to new emissions and safety laws. 3 mph bumpers, catalytic converters, smog pumps, reduced compression, relaxed valve timing and reduced ignition timing. These had the effect of greatly increasing weight, while at the same time great reducing power. That '73 Z-28 Camaro came with only half the horsepower the '70 model had.
The '73 AMC wagon was a turd by anyone's definition, and it was said that the worker who put assembled AMC cars had been selected by the other automakers and charged with making cars as poorly as possible. When the AMC Javelin was tested by Road and Track magazine, some of the metal trim became detached while driving, and during an acceleration test, one of the rear wheels actually broke off.
'74 was an even worse year, when GM began using cheaper steel in order to save money (which it was losing hand-over-fist), and the steel was such poor quality that it began rusting even before cars left the car dealerships.
These cars were suitable for American roads. I had a '70 Cadillac El Dorado (these were designed by John Delorean), and loved it. Despite having an 8 liter engine, it could average 18 miles per gallon, and when driving 2020 miles each way to visit my mother, it gave a splendid ride on the interstate highways. It was easy to maintain, parts were plentiful, and, unlike a Mini, you could drive it without bumping shoulders with a passenger, or bumping your knees on the panels.
My favorite car of that era was a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. It was "sublime" green, with a white top, white stripes, and a white interior. It came with all the power options, but the heart was the 440 magnum V8 engine, and the driveline with the "super track pack" which included a Dana 60 differential with 4.10 gears, and three times as much power as a '73 Camaro Z-28.
An Ad for the new Escalade played immediately after this video. I don’t think we’ve come that far
The Lincoln Navigator executes luxury far better than the Caddy.
Tony Bastable is an unsung legend!
Those 70s cars were stylish though.
Some were but that Mustang is one ugly heap of a bad handling boat.
The most stylish US cars then were the Oldsmobile's, Buick's and Pontiacs though a lot of the Fords had striking looks and features too. These cars were much more comfortable to ride in than any modern vehicle and even the mercury would have surpassed a Daimler for comfort then.
@@MonkeyHunch1 the Mustang II looked very dumpy, then again it was kinda shoved into the Pinto's platform (and the Pinto itself wasn't a looker)
@@NazbolCaliphDonaldaddeenTrump Very true !
Styled after blocks of wood, maybe.
8.2l v8 and fwd. that’s madness
My parents had a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. 8 mpg in town 12 on the HWY.
James Varela if I can do 12 mpg in total how much 70 dollars to fill the tank again
That last comment was accurate even in America until about the late 1990s, when the SUVs started getting popular.
I never realized actually how big those cars are in real life, until they drove the Lincoln by the camera.
Remember... Oil embargo of 1973! Maybe why this was a big deal back then!
And at the same time the british produced ... what?.. the AUSTIN ALLEGRO!.. my god.
Exactly LOL.
Funny thing, seems people slagging off the Allegro are always people who've never even been inside one, while those who've actually owned one say it was a perfectly functional car no worse than any other decent family sedan of the period. But guess it's just a popular thing to go with the sheep with no actual first hand evidence to support these statements.
But we also made the mini, one of the most popular and iconic cars ever built. Everyone has their good days and bad days
@@JBuddis That may be true in most cases but my mother owned one back in the day and she absolutely hated it, said it was like a coffin.
Range Rover.....off road really good, on road better than any of these cars.
The Gentleman's club owner vehicles of choice in the UK , all came equipped with a rolled gold chain and medallion ensemble and complimentary Brut 33 after shave .
That cadillac is equal to 98,338.80 USD in 2018.
Jesus.
isnt that kinda appropriate though? i dont know the price of the most expensive caddilac now, but its propably around the same - maybe even more.
For an SUV, maybe. For a sedan? No.
well a modern caddi sedan is propably not as ridicoulsly big and heavy as an old eldorado, so the new SUV seems more appropriate. because those are exactly that.
Right now the most expensive Cadillac is the LWB Escalade SUV and it close to U$100K, some Lincoln Navigator L's (Ford's equivalent) pass the "six digit mark" in Black Label guise.
You can actually see the fuel gauge move down as you drive on most of the early 70's cars .
too be fair, you could also do that on my grandpas old bmw 3 series wagon.
My 65 Impala had that feature!!
Absolutely beautiful cars. Very elegant design, great comfort and lots of standard equipment. I dont think anyone who was able to afford one of these in the UK had to worry about fuel consumption anyway. And ironically, despite their weight, they were much faster than most European cars. They really won out in almost every aspect except cost. Now, were they as nimble as a 70s MG? No. But they also didn't fall apart like a 70s MG.
Very few people in the uk would be interested in these barges. They couldn't even be bothered to convert to rhd.
Prescient, the dinosaur analogy was spot on and he really nailed the timing
3:10 So that's where the Honda Ridgeline got its tailgate design from!
Actually that kind of dual opening tailgate has been common in American wagons / estates since the '60s, but not all of them had it. What is uncommon is for a pickup truck (full BOF or unibody) to have one...
that camaro is quite a collectors item these days, that mustang however...
Ygg Drassil Hate the Mustang 2 all you want but its the 6th best selling Mustang.
The Mustang II is actually starting to raise in value.
@InfiniteMushroom the 73 mustang weighed 4000 fucking lbs...IT WAS A SLOUCH. the mustang ii was not a fucking pinto. nothing but the suspension changes. the mustang ii had a far better suspension, was lighter(2600 lbs. suck on that) and even came with a v8 from 75-78. all you had to do was put aftermarket stuff on the v8 mustang ii and not many cars could touch that featherweight. i bet you wont talk about the fucking pathetic performing fox bodies lol. got that ass whooped by almost every other production car.
@@blanktemplate4415 Guys are putting coyote engines and turbo thrusters in em'.
They picked about the darkest time for the American auto industry to do this piece. Performance was dead, with the Trans-Am being the exception, emissions were about to get even tighter with the catalytic converter coming, and instead of restrictions/regulations being engineered into the vehicle, the automakers had to add them on the fly as a stop gap because the U.S. government hit with environmental and safety regulations all at once and mandated they had to be met within 1-2 years. By 1975, all performance was dead and many models had serious quality problems due to the fact the automakers couldn't focus on quality or innovation just so they could meet the guidelines. 1974 (Not 1971) was the absolute last model year for any real performance left in U.S. cars.
1983jblack. Here in California any car model year 1978 or older doesn't need a smog check. You can legally strip every single smog device off the car and be legal. I have a 1965 Ford Econoline van with a freshly rebuilt 240 ci 6 in it. Drove it to Portland & back , must have got 25 mpg easily.
Even the largest euro cars of this era were small enough to have virtually no headroom and the passenger and driver were rubbing shoulders. The big US motors seemed absurdly large in comparison yet now they appear very low and sleek compared to current vehicles.
Well, not exactly. There were exceptions like the Mercedes 600, which is every bit as big as the cars shown here, with even more power and gadgets.
Kind of funny how all those cars he reviewed were way better 2-3 model years prior before the safety bumpers and federal emissions regs killed the horsepower.
Still the guy is a tosser. Yeah American cars were kind of sliding into crap by 1973 but compare it to utter rubbish the brits were building like the Morris Marina or the square steering wheel Austin Allegro. We were LIGHT YEARS ahead of them in terms of quality and features on our cars.
Sure, british cars of the time were not great, but he never really said that american cars were bad in the first place. he only said they are made for a drifferent environment- whih is understandable.
I don't think he was that hard on them; his main emphasis was on the fact that they were unsuitable for British roads, and they were. Funny that he didn't mention the added burden of driving on the left side of the car.
Frank Cannon had a Lincoln Continental .
With a mobile phone!
I am American but growing up was embarrassed everytime I rode in those non handling beasts. Today's trucks and SUVs show not much has changed.
upside downdog Well go try a new Camaro or Mustang, you'll find out they handle very well
Other than the intro, this seems way ahead of its time especially with the audio, I would have guessed he was showcasing a car from the 70s in a 90s show series.
This is eye opening so even in these days people were aware of how crazy (I love it tho) these car were I thought they thought it was normal
Cars got larger in the very late 60’s and into the 70’s since safety regulations were beginning to creep in. In 1966, it was mandated all new cars were to have factory installed seat belts (California mandated all new cars sold in California to have seat belts installed), a year later in 1967 it was mandatory for a dual circuit master cylinder along with collapsible steering column, in 1969 it was mandatory for all full sized cars to have lap and shoulder belts along with being able to absorb impacts at moderate speeds and those were the early form of crumble zones. In 1971 and 1972, they lowered the compression ratio to reduce emissions which worked to a degree but a consequence of that was increased fuel consumption, 1973 is when the 5 mph bumpers were mandatory along with more emissions equipment.
I love the land yachts.
2 tons of mercury in 1 car... they really don't built them like they used to!
love that mercury markwis. LOL. most people on the planet would give their left nut to be able to have the cars we used to take for granted.
When boxers in Britain follow "The Marquis of Queens-bury Rules" it is pronounced "Markwis" lol. It's another one of them French words I think the Brits love to mispronounce.
luckily for me, being a michigan native, there's old cars like that all over the place, many of them fully restored. When I have enough money saved up, I plan to buy a '61 Thunderbird, I see most restored ones go for $20,000 - $30,000, so not too bad
Josh Duvall '61 Birds are HOT. Good goal, man! '61 Continentals are also sweet.
@@billolsen4360 I've read that the '61 Continental (which most people associate with the JFK assassination) was actually based on the same platform as the '61 T-Bird, even though it was longer and much heavier. The '61 Continental was over a foot shorter than the 1960, part of a "downsizing" wave that set in after oil imports were banned during the Suez crisis. Buyers immediately started complaining about legroom, so they stretched the wheelbase a few years later. The suicide doors were a little impractical, but totally cool.
12 miles to the gallon, that's insane.
That's far better than the Jaguar XJ12 of the same vintage, a car that weighed less, and had a smaller engine and interior. Those big American V-8's would go 100,000 miles with nothing more than oil changes and spark plugs. The valve covers would never have to come off. And the rear brakes would take about 45 minutes to replace - compared to the stupid Jaguar inboard brake system of the XJ.
Insane yes. But the worst car tested in those years was a Ferrari Daytona - 4.4 litres of engine getting 7 MPG. Below insane.
Same as a fullsize SUV
Thats not so bad! My car old second gets about 8 miles per gallon, or smiles per gallon!
these beauties probably throw less pollution as modern diesel and gas shitrides. i drive an old 97 ZJ and its emission test is BETTER then a 2017 Clio for eg.
especially when you test the emission without OBD and fake em Software that almost every brand has nowadays
Ditzy Clouds Everything is fake nowdays. Fake engine noise from the speakers, more like a vagina system.
Truly awful cars
You have bad taste my man!
What was THREE STAR fuel? I assume that was just base grade petrol?
i think there was 2 star and up to 5 star.
1:54 The headlight doors never worked simultaneously even when they were NEW!
They didn't like ice storms.
It looked like it was drunk as it came behind you. One halfway shut, with a lazy eye.
I love how Tony presents these American cars as being slightly ridiculous; "This car offers an almost embarrassing number of extras, which the Americans regard as absolute necessities!" He then uses the simple ignition buzzer as an example. Surely a good Brit doesn't need such extravagant luxuries! What would old Tony say about today's cars with massaging seats, lane departure warnings, blind spot alerts, and internet conductivity? Americans are a silly bunch of softies, aren't we Tony?
Lol... yeah be curious. But in this day and age tech is cheap. You can do absolutely anything with a microchip. Those luxuries in those days had logic circuits and of course vacuum lines galore. Far more intimate and worrying delicate with maintenance to boot.
When something is that much better by comparison you then have to resort to ridicule.