That would honestly be a cool collection. Not as valuable as others, but some are definitely more rare. At 55 years of age the 70's & 80's are the cars that I grew up. Great job as always Kevin!
I love the malaise Era there just isn't lot there to grab value from except the looks so it's great way to get a cool looking car and throw a top end on and hold on buddy
I had to come and support this video. Malaise Era "Muscle Cars" were my outlet to classic cars, because they were so cheap and accessible. The cool part about these is that they can be built to go fast. The rwd v8 package is there.
I just bought a 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo Landau from the deceased owners 74 year old daughter. The car has sat in their family garage since 1995 and only has 14,500 original miles on it. The interior still even has kind of a "new" smell to it. It's fully loaded with options and a 400 CID small block.
Goodday Kevin, Thank you for a beautiful presentation all we can do is watch you from Australia. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
RE: The Mustang SVOs; on the left is an 85.5 (first year of the composite headlights) and on the right, an '86. The '86 had fender badges and a CHIMSL. Both cars shown are rare Comp Prep cars with radio delete, A/C delete and roll-up windows (PW were standard) . They were designed in Allen Park and Dearborn by a team led German-born Michael Kranefuss and inspired by European designs, not in Germany.
@@vee950 The Merkurs sold in the US used this motor, the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe engine, but did not get the intercooler or fuel selector switch the SVO got.
Eventhough the Collonades do not get the love they really derserve, the last iteration of the A-body are probably the best driving intermediates.. Unfortunately they also had the worst built quality and perished over night. I had a 1973 Buick Century that I made into a "gran sport" tribute with a 1970 Buick 455 and THM 400, this made for an awesome driver with very good performance...
Hello Kevin, thank you for a time capsule video........"WOW".......Now that's a trip down memory lane with so many beautiful cars from my childhood. The Dodge Mirada concept car went in production in 1980 for the public. The maroon magnum GT with the cool disco ball dangling off the rear view mirror was replaced in 1980 with the all new Mirada , as the all new Chrysler Cordoba for 1980 shared the same body style but with a lot more chrome trim and luxury Again, thank you for a extraordinary video and showing the world when cars had beautiful styling.
I love these cars best. Grew up in the rust belt and started driving in the mid 80s. By that time around here the garden variety muscle cars were pretty much in the junkyard like the Pontiac LeMans and standard Olds Cutlass and Chevy Malibu. The early malaise era cars were the typical high school fodder by then and even they were beginning to get ragged. The remaining GTOs, 442s, Chevelles etc that weren’t total roaches were already climbing to prices beyond what a typical high school student could afford. I knew early on that they shared basically the same drivetrain as the previous generation muscle cars but in a detuned state. Even though they lacked HP they still produced a crap ton of torque. I guess it’s what you grew up with is what you like. A big block 454 out of a truck would fit quite nicely in a malaise era Malibu or Monte Carlo. Most of the upper end Pontiacs like the GP and Grand Ams already had at least a 400 to start with. The F bodies were always pretty much out of my price range here as even the late 70s T/As always held their value until they were roached out. I liked the Pontiacs best especially the GPs because they were plentiful. Most were kinda well taken care of because they were expensive when new.
I have a 1979 Ranchero GT. It's jade green with gold GT stripes. Has the same front end and chassis of that blue LTD II! It's a California car with a documented mileage of 25K and according to its Marti report, it's a one of one. I love it and it gets tons of attention. I've had many other cars that were faster but people really love my Ranchero.
Kevin, this really takes me back to the time when muscle cars were on the decline in H.P. but still something to be desired. For those of us who were teenagers in the late 1970s, a big Thank You for bringing back those memories and the thrill of the slow but steady rise to the marvellous cars to follow. I recall with fondness my buddie's mother's 305 4-speed Chevy Monza. I got to drive it one day...wonderful engine note....
The biggest drop off in power was due to the phasing out of leaded gas, and car companies had to lower the engine compression from 12-15:1 to between 8-9.5:1 to run unleaded gas, and have hardened valve seats in the cast iron heads since lead acted like a dampener between the valves and valve seats of the older engines, so that was a common sight for garages installing hardened valve seats. Aluminum heads already had them installed.
Thank you for posting this. It's an era that is too often disregarded, but still relevant as it is all part of the cumulative history of American Muscle. I would love to own a super nice mid seventies Cutlass. Nice cruisers.
Great posting. Brings back a lot of memories. These cars are very rare to find today. That 1975 Road Runner can't be very many of them. I knew a guy who had one my senior year of high school.
These were scrapped without a thought. Amazing to see so many cars that we thought pathetic at the time! I had a slant-6 Dodge Aspen with the louvers and spoilers. It looked pretty cool in black with dog dish hubcaps.
Great video! Best friend had a 73 grand am 400ci in Champaign also another good friend had what I believe was a 72 gto 455 ci in black! The video bring's back great memories.
Thank you for spending some time with these cars and sharing them. It should be noted, a weekend of wrenching, and many of these cars would really wake up. It was a different, some would say odd, time but the years have a way of making these fond memories too. ~ Chuck
A neat collection of Malaise Era cars for sure. Today many of these cars are extremely rare as few wanted to preserve them due to dismal performance. Never even knew that some of these models existed such as the 75 Road Runner and the LTD II Sport. If I'm not mistaken by 1977 the Pontiac's that came with the 6.6 Liter engine were actually Olds 403 engines if they had an auto trans. Only 4 speed Pontiac's got a real 400 engine.
The 77 Can Ams came with Pontiac 400 engines with automatic. Only Can Ams sold in California came with 403 Olds engines. There were no 4 speed Can Ams. As far as the engines used in 4 speeds and automatics, you may be thinking of the 79 Trans Am. 79 was the last year for the Pontiac 400, with a limited number of 400's available, because they were what was left over from the stockpiled 400's from 1978. They decided to make the 400 only available in 4 speed TA's and Formulas, until the supply of 400's ran out. The vast majority of 79 TA's and Formulas were automatics and got the 403 Olds engine. By the way, they sold more TA's in 1979 than any year in history.
Hi Kevin, I worked with Bob Ashton for over a year putting together this feature, so I was really thrilled Saturday morning of the show when Ralph, the owner of the LTD II, texted me a link of this video! We’d originally thought we’d have 12-15 cars in the display, but the concept really took off and we ended up getting 34 prime example cars in it. I loved the part where you noticed the disco ball I hung on my Magnums mirror! That is an inside joke. I was 16 in 1978, and I was the skinny outcast type with long hair wearing a Rush T shirt and driving a Challenger T/A rear end jacked up with air shocks. I hated disco! Still no fan of disco, wish I still had the hair. I still have the T/A, now a trailer queen, but now also have grown fond of many of the 70s to mid 80s cars I didn’t pay any attention to in my youth. And pleased to find so many others have similar feelings to me! Sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you, but thanks again for the video and hope to meet you at MCACN 2023!
Hey Brad! Thanks for the note, and thank you for working to put this feature together! It's obviously very popular, as many of us connect with this era of cars from our youth. It was my pleasure to share them in video. Keep up the great work, and we will meet at MCACN 2023! Thanks again!
Hey Kevin, great job on the MCACN video as always we look forward to these great cars that are featured. Wish you would have did a feature on the 1973 Montego Gt that was at the end of this video.. Thanks again...
I'll be happy to make room in my barn for the 1973 Montego GT, 77 LTD II, the Magnum or the Mustang II King Cobra. Getting my license in the 70's these were the cars I saw. I constantly look for any of these to add to the collection someday. Wish I had known of the display. Thanks
I,m an old Mopar lover but what you shown are some Iconic examples of the last of an Era of Automotive Americana,thanks for that,what we have now is boring and laughable
Awesome group of cars. That Dodge Aspen reminds me of the 1977 Plymouth Volare Premiere I had. The slant six was a great engine. Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to seeing more! 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
Your presentations never cease to amaze me both in detailed descriptions, prototype and very low numbered production models not to mention American muscle cars that I never even knew existed! I always learn something new from your good selves. Let this be the new start of many more videos to come and please don't disappear. Co-vid was a bad series of lockdowns for everyone! Thanks Guys at MCOTW!!!!!!
Nice to see you again Kevin. Hope you're doing well. That era was certainly a downer after the hell-bent-for-leather 50's and 60's. Interesting for sure but thankfully technology got us back into another hell-bent-for-leather era. This time an even better one. rock on brother.
that's the first thing a lot of hot rodders say about these cars, NO POWER. true, from the factory. but most of them came with the needed building blocks to make power. big cubic inch V8s. cam, intake, carb, heads, headers, dual exhaust, rear gears, would sometimes triple the HP from the factory. still not gonna hang with a 70 454 Chevelle, a hemi Cuda, or a 69 Mach 1. but you could definitely make tire shredders out of them. just took a few bucks and the willingness to turn a wrench.
@@kyle8952 never said it was worth it to everyone. just saying it can be done. and usually way cheaper than a crate. you actually have to enjoy turning a wrench and take pride in what you build. instead of paying someone else to do it for you.
You’re absolutely correct. I remember sometime back a car magazine like Hot Rod took a mid 70s Pontiac (one with the horrible pellet type catalytic converter) and removed it with the single exhaust and replaced it with dual exhaust and a cheap set of headers and gained 40HP. It was still a low output because it had a wimpy cam and like 7.6:1 compression. But as stated by many others, with the aftermarket performance industry the pathetic 200HP 455 can be made into a 500+HP monster without a whole lot of effort. The rest of the drivetrain was pretty stout although most were automatics. THM350 minimum most others that had a 400 or 455 were THM400 and most had the 8.5” 10 bolt. Plus these cars outhandled their muscle car counterparts and were a lot more comfortable. Even though a lot of people dislike the chrome plated railroad tie bumpers, they were more durable and could absorb impact better with much less damage. Also by this time front disc brakes were pretty much standard. Muscle cars were cool but stopping with 4 wheel drums with 400HP on today’s crowded and outdated roads are a scary thought.
I'd still take everyone of those!!! Looking forward to hopefully more coverage of the MCACN!!! Lou from My Car Story is covering it too perhaps you can interview him!
Oh wow, I'm looking at the '75 Cutlass interior, and remembering that my own '76 Cutlass S (my first car) had that same all white interior with the swivel seats! That really brings back the memories. For those of us in high school in the early to mid 80s, the early to mid-70s malaise era cars were what we drove back then as easy to afford used cars. They were cheap, easy to maintain, and still had somewhat fun styling, but yeah, the performance was lacking to say the least. :) Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I had forgotten how cool that disco era interior was on my old Cutlass.
What, that cool '73 Montego GT gets no love?! It could of had a 351 CJ and a 4 spd. Quick car for that Era! I would love to have any car in that collection. Even that '79- 80 Century Turbo Coupe. These were the Cars of my teens and twenties... Thanks. 😊❤️
1972-76 Montego's could be ordered with the 351 Cj and the 429 4V which was still a tourqe monster till the end of the models run.. Great looking cars all around..
What you forgot to mention is that these cars can now be made to put out more power than any '60s or early '70s muscle car. I have a 1974 Nova (SS clone) that originally came with a 307, and barely had enough power to get out of its own way. Other than the SS badging, it still looks stock, including its 14 inch rally wheels with real tires. Only now it makes just over 420 rwhp, and it does so with a normally aspirated carbureted bored and stroked small block with a number of other modifications. It is still very streetable. That's actually more than a 1970 426 Hemi 'Cuda put out. Since these are all considered collector cars now, they can be insured and registered as collector cars, which exempts them from emissions testing, so you can do what you want with them. Just PLEASE don't put GHETTO wheels or a computer engine in them.
Love those cars I was a kid at that time so they were everywhere. Love those LTDIIs neighbors down the street bought a brand new one that was black with those stripes. They would pass our house everyday. I was 10 at the time.
I am 62 years old, and I just want to say that in the 1970s and early 1980s, GM, Ford and Chrysler could have done a better job of squeezing more horsepower out of these emission controlled engines. Do you remember the 350 L-82 engine option found in the late '70s Corvette? Or how about the 5.0 liter "High Output" engine found in the 1982 Mustang GT? These engines where NOT computer controlled. Please reply. Dave...
It's great to see many of these cars in "as new" condition, since they aren't as popular to keep or restore. A lot of interesting styling and option choices in this era, when luxury was emphasized over performance.
There were several cars from that era that I liked the looks of but hated how anemic their performance was. But with some work and changes of engine components, they could be made to go.
I still have my (unrestored)1980 Camaro Z28 Black w Red Carmine interior T-Tops with original LM1" Malaise Motor". Owned since 1988 bought in HS. AHH yes.. good times!!!
Most of those were not even close to muscle cars but many of those are extremely rare, all of those are a perfect representation of the evolution of the American auto industry.
Nononono! kevin, you dun skipped that bright yellow '73 Montego GT in the front of row one! Aaaaargh! I have one in white with a 429 TJ engine. I now have no choice but to throw myself in front of a donkey cart on a drunken bender. Once again....Aaaaargh!
My favorites! The Chevy laguna with the 454 package .my brother had the full package.with the swivel buckets. Full factory sound .4 speed Trans rare for that car . I believe it did say s4 on it dual exhaust. You name it factory it had it! Cool video.!😁👍
0:20 I had a Mercury Montgego like this one, it had the 351 Cobra Jet, auto. Front an rear sway bars, I use to punch that thing and it would break loose an come around sideways and stay completely level no lean in her. Man I wish I still had that, along with my 1966 Mustang GT, and my 1965 2+2 that I put a 351c engine in. 😥
Should have pointed out the Montego gt yellow car it and it’s sister the gran Torino. IMO with the 351 cj was the last breath of power from fomoco. More radical styling then there competitors Gm Chevelle and Monte Carlo in 72-73 😊
@@Scalihoo 73 is the yellow covered on my car story a year ago or later. My dad owned a ford dark blue metallic 74 with the 351CJ but his memories of the cj in those years are far off the power they actually made
Had an LTD II two door but without the graphics. White with burgundy top. Was not popular compared to the thunderbirds or monte carlos but was a good car for it's day. It had a 351 M with 165 horse power. Meanwhile my kia soul from a few years ago had a 2.0 with 164 hp and got more than twice the milage. But I loved it as a car of my youth.
Lots of good running cars before catalytic converters, the 73-74 SD Trans Ams would outrun many 60's muscle cars, even the standard 455 was strong. And saw a magazine road test where a 74 454 4-spd Vette (3.70 axle no A/C car) ran 14 flat at 100 mph and that would have taken care of many so called fast cars back in the day. So they're not all bad.
The SVO Mustang also had 5 lug wheels instead of 4 like the other Mustangs. And I believe rear disc brakes. Was almost as fast as a GT, but handled better.
Great display of cars but wish you would have talked about the yellow 73 Montego GT behind you right at the start of the video! I am a big fan of the ford/mercury midsize cars from 72-79.
@@tomboone201 Not saying you’re wrong but I’ve never seen a 442 without a 4bbl except maybe the FWD garbage they stuck the stickers on. They don’t count in my book. If you could give me an example of a V8 RWD 442 that didn’t have a 4bbl. All I’ve seen had 400, 455, 350 and 307 but all had 4bbl. Unless it was the year or 2 they used SBC engines in them or maybe in the People’s Republic of California. I’m not doubting you. I’ve just never seen it. Thanks.
They might have not been too potent bone stock but with just a cam swap, headers, at least a 3.73 gear, an 11" converter would help, it wasnt that difficult to get a low compression big block down into the low 13s. I took a 77 442, 350 Olds with a W31 replica cam back in 1981, 4.10 gear, headers, holly street dominator intake, 10" converter (from a chevy vega, $50) and with sitcky mickeys, 13.80s.
I had 2 SVOs, an 85 and an 85.5. They handled exceptionally well and had a higher top speed than the 5.0 cars. The 85.5 had 205 horsepower which was only 20 less than the 5.0 HO.
@@Scalihoo Yep. 4 wheel disc, a switch that upped timing and boost when using premium fuel, Koni shocks and struts, control arms off the Lincoln Mark VII (I believe it was the VII), World Class T5, 3.73 traction lok 7.5" rear, polyurethane bushings on the sway bar up front, liquid cooled turbo on the 85.5 and 86...it was an awesome package from the factory. I loved the ones I owned.
What an awesome era of cars. ✌️🙌
Finally!!! Video about malaise era cars! love it
That would honestly be a cool collection. Not as valuable as others, but some are definitely more rare. At 55 years of age the 70's & 80's are the cars that I grew up. Great job as always Kevin!
You could buy some awesome cars, for cheap, in the 80's. I bought a '69 Plymouth GTX for $1750 in 1984. Kept that car for 18 years.
@@RaceCar21 So true, I keep old classified ad's from the 80's. Stuff like "69 Hemi Coronet R/T, straight, new clutch 2200 obo" lol
W×
I love the malaise Era there just isn't lot there to grab value from except the looks so it's great way to get a cool looking car and throw a top end on and hold on buddy
I had to come and support this video. Malaise Era "Muscle Cars" were my outlet to classic cars, because they were so cheap and accessible. The cool part about these is that they can be built to go fast. The rwd v8 package is there.
I just bought a 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo Landau from the deceased owners 74 year old daughter. The car has sat in their family garage since 1995 and only has 14,500 original miles on it. The interior still even has kind of a "new" smell to it. It's fully loaded with options and a 400 CID small block.
They may not be fast, but they're so charming. I love malaise era cars. Just don't take them too seriously, enjoy them for what they are.
To those of us who grew up with those cars, that era will always be special.
Goodday Kevin,
Thank you for a beautiful presentation all we can do is watch you from Australia.
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Fantastic collection of very rarely seen cool cars. Thanks for sharing
Love each and every one.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t care if HP was low there were some cool body styles in that era.
My dad had a black 74' Grand Am. I remember listening to "Hot rod Lincoln" on the 8 track sitting in the back seat with my brother.
RE: The Mustang SVOs; on the left is an 85.5 (first year of the composite headlights) and on the right, an '86. The '86 had fender badges and a CHIMSL. Both cars shown are rare Comp Prep cars with radio delete, A/C delete and roll-up windows (PW were standard) . They were designed in Allen Park and Dearborn by a team led German-born Michael Kranefuss and inspired by European designs, not in Germany.
I wonder why they used to roll up windows instead of power windows. The assembly for a power window weighs less than a crank up window
Exactly. Dude knows GM, Ford not so much….
Those 2.3 turbo motors are the same as the Ford Merkur right the German fords i use to want a Merkur
@@vee950 The Merkurs sold in the US used this motor, the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe engine, but did not get the intercooler or fuel selector switch the SVO got.
The SVO still looks good !
They might not be muscle cars we all love but they were cool. And now is there time to shine. Every car is someone's dream car.
Eventhough the Collonades do not get the love they really derserve, the last iteration of the A-body are probably the best driving intermediates..
Unfortunately they also had the worst built quality and perished over night.
I had a 1973 Buick Century that I made into a "gran sport" tribute with a 1970 Buick 455 and THM 400, this made for an awesome driver with very good performance...
Hello Kevin, thank you for a time capsule video........"WOW".......Now that's a trip down memory lane with so many beautiful cars from my childhood.
The Dodge Mirada concept car went in production in 1980 for the public.
The maroon magnum GT with the cool disco ball dangling off the rear view mirror was replaced in 1980 with the all new Mirada , as the all new Chrysler Cordoba for 1980 shared the same body style but with a lot more chrome trim and luxury
Again, thank you for a extraordinary video and showing the world when cars had beautiful styling.
I love these cars best. Grew up in the rust belt and started driving in the mid 80s. By that time around here the garden variety muscle cars were pretty much in the junkyard like the Pontiac LeMans and standard Olds Cutlass and Chevy Malibu. The early malaise era cars were the typical high school fodder by then and even they were beginning to get ragged. The remaining GTOs, 442s, Chevelles etc that weren’t total roaches were already climbing to prices beyond what a typical high school student could afford. I knew early on that they shared basically the same drivetrain as the previous generation muscle cars but in a detuned state. Even though they lacked HP they still produced a crap ton of torque. I guess it’s what you grew up with is what you like. A big block 454 out of a truck would fit quite nicely in a malaise era Malibu or Monte Carlo. Most of the upper end Pontiacs like the GP and Grand Ams already had at least a 400 to start with. The F bodies were always pretty much out of my price range here as even the late 70s T/As always held their value until they were roached out. I liked the Pontiacs best especially the GPs because they were plentiful. Most were kinda well taken care of because they were expensive when new.
Takes me back to my youth. My first car was a 77 Camaro Type LT Rally Sport!!!
I started selling Pontiacs in 1977, we had 2 White Can Ams on the lot, they took forever to sell !!!
Great segment.
Love the early and mid 70s muscle cars . Don't see many LTD Sports or Montego GT.
Great video, when car companies made the best of working inside of the safety and furl economy regulations. Thanks for sharing!
I have a 1979 Ranchero GT. It's jade green with gold GT stripes. Has the same front end and chassis of that blue LTD II! It's a California car with a documented mileage of 25K and according to its Marti report, it's a one of one. I love it and it gets tons of attention. I've had many other cars that were faster but people really love my Ranchero.
Very cool!
Awesome display and descriptions. Wish you'd gotten to the yellow Montego as well. Maybe a future video?
My dad bought a bran new 1975 lemans GT, Roman red black half top scooped hood,very beautiful car .
Very cool display. I’m glad these rides got the love they deserve. Very transitional era in U.S. automotive history.
Very surprised at the low number of 73-77 Oldsmobiles. I've got a 77 442 and love it! Great driving cars and not many of them left!
Kevin, this really takes me back to the time when muscle cars were on the decline in H.P. but still something to be desired. For those of us who were teenagers in the late 1970s, a big Thank You for bringing back those memories and the thrill of the slow but steady rise to the marvellous cars to follow. I recall with fondness my buddie's mother's 305 4-speed Chevy Monza. I got to drive it one day...wonderful engine note....
The biggest drop off in power was due to the phasing out of leaded gas, and car companies had to lower the engine compression from 12-15:1 to between 8-9.5:1 to run unleaded gas, and have hardened valve seats in the cast iron heads since lead acted like a dampener between the valves and valve seats of the older engines, so that was a common sight for garages installing hardened valve seats. Aluminum heads already had them installed.
Nice to see this era of cars get some love.
I love 'em all.The '75 Hurst Olds was real nice.
Thank you for posting this. It's an era that is too often disregarded, but still relevant as it is all part of the cumulative history of American Muscle. I would love to own a super nice mid seventies Cutlass. Nice cruisers.
Great posting. Brings back a lot of memories. These cars are very rare to find today. That 1975 Road Runner can't be very many of them. I knew a guy who had one my senior year of high school.
great job doing the quick walk thru. first but not last one of your videos.
These were scrapped without a thought. Amazing to see so many cars that we thought pathetic at the time! I had a slant-6 Dodge Aspen with the louvers and spoilers. It looked pretty cool in black with dog dish hubcaps.
Great show. I enjoy the trip every year..
Great video! Best friend had a 73 grand am 400ci in Champaign also another good friend had what I believe was a 72 gto 455 ci in black! The video bring's back great memories.
Thank you for spending some time with these cars and sharing them. It should be noted, a weekend of wrenching, and many of these cars would really wake up. It was a different, some would say odd, time but the years have a way of making these fond memories too. ~ Chuck
Good show as always. Certainly glad my wife and I went.
Oh my so many memories for me there great tour great cars bravo killer content sirs
Glad to see you back, missed your garage updates.
Ford LTD II and sport car is NOT meant to be used in the same sentence.
A neat collection of Malaise Era cars for sure. Today many of these cars are extremely rare as few wanted to preserve them due to dismal performance. Never even knew that some of these models existed such as the 75 Road Runner and the LTD II Sport. If I'm not mistaken by 1977 the Pontiac's that came with the 6.6 Liter engine were actually Olds 403 engines if they had an auto trans. Only 4 speed Pontiac's got a real 400 engine.
The 77 Can Ams came with Pontiac 400 engines with automatic. Only Can Ams sold in California came with 403 Olds engines. There were no 4 speed Can Ams. As far as the engines used in 4 speeds and automatics, you may be thinking of the 79 Trans Am. 79 was the last year for the Pontiac 400, with a limited number of 400's available, because they were what was left over from the stockpiled 400's from 1978. They decided to make the 400 only available in 4 speed TA's and Formulas, until the supply of 400's ran out. The vast majority of 79 TA's and Formulas were automatics and got the 403 Olds engine. By the way, they sold more TA's in 1979 than any year in history.
Hi Kevin, I worked with Bob Ashton for over a year putting together this feature, so I was really thrilled Saturday morning of the show when Ralph, the owner of the LTD II, texted me a link of this video!
We’d originally thought we’d have 12-15 cars in the display, but the concept really took off and we ended up getting 34 prime example cars in it.
I loved the part where you noticed the disco ball I hung on my Magnums mirror! That is an inside joke. I was 16 in 1978, and I was the skinny outcast type with long hair wearing a Rush T shirt and driving a Challenger T/A rear end jacked up with air shocks. I hated disco! Still no fan of disco, wish I still had the hair. I still have the T/A, now a trailer queen, but now also have grown fond of many of the 70s to mid 80s cars I didn’t pay any attention to in my youth. And pleased to find so many others have similar feelings to me!
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you, but thanks again for the video and hope to meet you at MCACN 2023!
Hey Brad! Thanks for the note, and thank you for working to put this feature together! It's obviously very popular, as many of us connect with this era of cars from our youth. It was my pleasure to share them in video. Keep up the great work, and we will meet at MCACN 2023! Thanks again!
Hey Kevin, great job on the MCACN video as always we look forward to these great cars that are featured. Wish you would have did a feature on the 1973 Montego Gt that was at the end of this video.. Thanks again...
Damn this might be my favourite TH-cam car video ever!! Thanks for posting!! ))
Wow, thanks!
I remember seeing a Buick Free Spirit in the mid 70's in my neighborhood as a kid and it was graffic ya never forget.
Awesome to see another upload. Great to see you're well. Fantastic cars!
I'll be happy to make room in my barn for the 1973 Montego GT, 77 LTD II, the Magnum or the Mustang II King Cobra. Getting my license in the 70's these were the cars I saw. I constantly look for any of these to add to the collection someday. Wish I had known of the display. Thanks
Thanks for making video, really enjoy seeing all of GM colanaide cars , especially the Can Am,Buick Pace car very rare
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mostly all show no go but pretty sharp designs suppose you could throw a nice motor in it nowadays
I,m an old Mopar lover but what you shown are some Iconic examples of the last of an Era of Automotive Americana,thanks for that,what we have now is boring and laughable
I was a teen in the 70's so these cars really resonate with me. That's what we were driving back then.
Thanks Kevin, really enjoyed this 👍
Glad to hear it!
Awesome group of cars. That Dodge Aspen reminds me of the 1977 Plymouth Volare Premiere I had. The slant six was a great engine. Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to seeing more! 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
Magnum for the win, I'm rebuilding a 78 magnum ttop roof and sail panels. Love these cars
Your presentations never cease to amaze me both in detailed descriptions, prototype and very low numbered production models not to mention American muscle cars that I never even knew existed! I always learn something new from your good selves. Let this be the new start of many more videos to come and please don't disappear. Co-vid was a bad series of lockdowns for everyone! Thanks Guys at MCOTW!!!!!!
Nice to see you again Kevin. Hope you're doing well. That era was certainly a downer after the hell-bent-for-leather 50's and 60's. Interesting for sure but thankfully technology got us back into another hell-bent-for-leather era. This time an even better one. rock on brother.
Most definitely an interesting display of cars very nice
It sure is!
That was an awesome tour please do some more of the show
Really been missing your great and knowledgeable presentations.
The best display at MCACN!
I took drivers ed in a Dodge Aspen coupe. It was not a Super Coupe but it did the job. 😁
that's the first thing a lot of hot rodders say about these cars, NO POWER. true, from the factory. but most of them came with the needed building blocks to make power. big cubic inch V8s. cam, intake, carb, heads, headers, dual exhaust, rear gears, would sometimes triple the HP from the factory. still not gonna hang with a 70 454 Chevelle, a hemi Cuda, or a 69 Mach 1. but you could definitely make tire shredders out of them. just took a few bucks and the willingness to turn a wrench.
The crappy gearing made them slow. My old cutlass had 260 rear gear.
@@BruceLee-xn3nn probably the most expensive of the mods but damn well worth it. go from a 2.60 to a 3.73 was much needed.
So in other words they needed stripping down to a shortblock and everything else tossed in the trash and replaced. Not exactly a stunning defense.
@@kyle8952 never said it was worth it to everyone. just saying it can be done. and usually way cheaper than a crate. you actually have to enjoy turning a wrench and take pride in what you build. instead of paying someone else to do it for you.
You’re absolutely correct. I remember sometime back a car magazine like Hot Rod took a mid 70s Pontiac (one with the horrible pellet type catalytic converter) and removed it with the single exhaust and replaced it with dual exhaust and a cheap set of headers and gained 40HP. It was still a low output because it had a wimpy cam and like 7.6:1 compression. But as stated by many others, with the aftermarket performance industry the pathetic 200HP 455 can be made into a 500+HP monster without a whole lot of effort. The rest of the drivetrain was pretty stout although most were automatics. THM350 minimum most others that had a 400 or 455 were THM400 and most had the 8.5” 10 bolt. Plus these cars outhandled their muscle car counterparts and were a lot more comfortable. Even though a lot of people dislike the chrome plated railroad tie bumpers, they were more durable and could absorb impact better with much less damage. Also by this time front disc brakes were pretty much standard. Muscle cars were cool but stopping with 4 wheel drums with 400HP on today’s crowded and outdated roads are a scary thought.
I'd still take everyone of those!!!
Looking forward to hopefully more coverage of the MCACN!!! Lou from My Car Story is covering it too perhaps you can interview him!
Oh wow, I'm looking at the '75 Cutlass interior, and remembering that my own '76 Cutlass S (my first car) had that same all white interior with the swivel seats! That really brings back the memories. For those of us in high school in the early to mid 80s, the early to mid-70s malaise era cars were what we drove back then as easy to afford used cars. They were cheap, easy to maintain, and still had somewhat fun styling, but yeah, the performance was lacking to say the least. :) Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I had forgotten how cool that disco era interior was on my old Cutlass.
What, that cool '73 Montego GT gets no love?! It could of had a 351 CJ and a 4 spd. Quick car for that Era!
I would love to have any car in that collection. Even that '79- 80 Century Turbo Coupe. These were the Cars of my teens and twenties... Thanks. 😊❤️
That Montego is cool.
1972-76 Montego's could be ordered with the 351 Cj and the 429 4V which was still a tourqe monster till the end of the models run.. Great looking cars all around..
You missed the 1972' Mercury Montego GT in Yellow behind the Camaros sadly !!
Yes, that's what I was thinking. I have never seen one in person.
@@markg7030 Two years only 1972-73'
Now this was entertaining!!! Always hood documenting the highs and lows of automotive history. Great vid Kevin and everyone at MCOTW.
What you forgot to mention is that these cars can now be made to put out more power than any '60s or early '70s muscle car. I have a 1974 Nova (SS clone) that originally came with a 307, and barely had enough power to get out of its own way. Other than the SS badging, it still looks stock, including its 14 inch rally wheels with real tires. Only now it makes just over 420 rwhp, and it does so with a normally aspirated carbureted bored and stroked small block with a number of other modifications. It is still very streetable. That's actually more than a 1970 426 Hemi 'Cuda put out. Since these are all considered collector cars now, they can be insured and registered as collector cars, which exempts them from emissions testing, so you can do what you want with them. Just PLEASE don't put GHETTO wheels or a computer engine in them.
Damm this weekend is gonna be lit! I had a 1977 Charger SE white with the blue velour interior!💯🐟
Good Stuff!!! Oh Boy...the memories!!!
Love it
Love those cars I was a kid at that time so they were everywhere. Love those LTDIIs neighbors down the street bought a brand new one that was black with those stripes. They would pass our house everyday. I was 10 at the time.
I was just there today! It was super cool
I am 62 years old, and I just want to say that in the 1970s and early 1980s, GM, Ford and Chrysler could have done a better job of squeezing more horsepower out of these emission controlled engines. Do you remember the 350 L-82 engine option found in the late '70s Corvette? Or how about the 5.0 liter "High Output" engine found in the 1982 Mustang GT? These engines where NOT computer controlled. Please reply. Dave...
Dave, great observation, and this is a good topic for another video. Stay tuned!
@@MuscleCarOfTheWeek Absolutely! Dave...
It's great to see many of these cars in "as new" condition, since they aren't as popular to keep or restore. A lot of interesting styling and option choices in this era, when luxury was emphasized over performance.
This was interesting, nice new take on a subject.
There were several cars from that era that I liked the looks of but hated how anemic their performance was. But with some work and changes of engine components, they could be made to go.
Too me, most of them were too big and ugly. The '74 GTO was a definite exception. The Dodge Aspen Super Coupes weren't bad either.
I still have my (unrestored)1980 Camaro Z28 Black w Red Carmine interior T-Tops with original LM1" Malaise Motor". Owned since 1988 bought in HS. AHH yes.. good times!!!
Most of those were not even close to muscle cars but many of those are extremely rare, all of those are a perfect representation of the evolution of the American auto industry.
Nononono! kevin, you dun skipped that bright yellow '73 Montego GT in the front of row one! Aaaaargh! I have one in white with a 429 TJ engine. I now have no choice but to throw myself in front of a donkey cart on a drunken bender. Once again....Aaaaargh!
Very cool! A cool car is a cool car! Don't really care which era it's from! I still wish I could find a nice Vega or Monza to tinker with!
My favorites! The Chevy laguna with the 454 package .my brother had the full package.with the swivel buckets. Full factory sound .4 speed Trans rare for that car . I believe it did say s4 on it dual exhaust. You name it factory it had it! Cool video.!😁👍
Outstanding video.
0:20 I had a Mercury Montgego like this one, it had the 351 Cobra Jet, auto. Front an rear sway bars, I use to punch that thing and it would break loose an come around sideways and stay completely level no lean in her. Man I wish I still had that, along with my 1966 Mustang GT, and my 1965 2+2 that I put a 351c engine in. 😥
Should have pointed out the Montego gt yellow car it and it’s sister the gran Torino. IMO with the 351 cj was the last breath of power from fomoco. More radical styling then there competitors Gm Chevelle and Monte Carlo in 72-73 😊
@@Scalihoo I have a down payment on a 72
@@Scalihoo 73 is the yellow covered on my car story a year ago or later. My dad owned a ford dark blue metallic 74 with the 351CJ but his memories of the cj in those years are far off the power they actually made
I loved this video. These cars are cool for a much different reason than 70 LS-6 is, but, because they're so unique they're cool.
Had an LTD II two door but without the graphics. White with burgundy top. Was not popular compared to the thunderbirds or monte carlos but was a good car for it's day. It had a 351 M with 165 horse power. Meanwhile my kia soul from a few years ago had a 2.0 with 164 hp and got more than twice the milage. But I loved it as a car of my youth.
Lots of good running cars before catalytic converters, the 73-74 SD Trans Ams would outrun many 60's muscle cars, even the standard 455 was strong. And saw a magazine road test where a 74 454 4-spd Vette (3.70 axle no A/C car) ran 14 flat at 100 mph and that would have taken care of many so called fast cars back in the day. So they're not all bad.
The 1973 Pontiac SD 455 motor at 310 NET horsepower was higher than some of the NET ratings of it's 1960's counterparts
Awesome feature
In Chicago they'd call that LTD 2 a Chicago Bears special because its pretty much the team colors ....and for the Cubs too!
thanks! it is my car and I am from the Chicagoland area!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the share
These were in my price range when I was thumbing through Autotrader looking for my first car in the late 80s. Base models of course.
Man you can keep the rest I'll take that blue Ford💡
The SVO Mustang also had 5 lug wheels instead of 4 like the other Mustangs. And I believe rear disc brakes. Was almost as fast as a GT, but handled better.
I loved the 70s my fave decade we all drive 60s hot rods anyways 😄
Great display of cars but wish you would have talked about the yellow 73 Montego GT behind you right at the start of the video! I am a big fan of the ford/mercury midsize cars from 72-79.
Wow! My very first car was a 77 Ltd ll . Two door! 351 midlin 400! 👍
We named the late 70's 442 of that era a 2a1 .. 2 barrel, automatic, single exhaust it was just eye candy
No they may not have had a lot of performance and a most if not all were automatics but I’m pretty sure the 442s all had a 4bbl carb.
Nope
@@tomboone201 Not saying you’re wrong but I’ve never seen a 442 without a 4bbl except maybe the FWD garbage they stuck the stickers on. They don’t count in my book. If you could give me an example of a V8 RWD 442 that didn’t have a 4bbl. All I’ve seen had 400, 455, 350 and 307 but all had 4bbl. Unless it was the year or 2 they used SBC engines in them or maybe in the People’s Republic of California. I’m not doubting you. I’ve just never seen it. Thanks.
I hope there's a '77 AMC Hornet AMX in there, I had two of them, both in Sunshine Yellow! 🌞
Not to mention the Sprit GT and Spirit AMX 304 V8...
@@audieconrad8995 Don't forget both the '78 Concord AMX & Gremlin GT! 🧏♂️
@@sportsterray66 ✔️👈🏼
They might have not been too potent bone stock but with just a cam swap, headers, at least a 3.73 gear, an 11" converter would help, it wasnt that difficult to get a low compression big block down into the low 13s. I took a 77 442, 350 Olds with a W31 replica cam back in 1981, 4.10 gear, headers, holly street dominator intake, 10" converter (from a chevy vega, $50) and with sitcky mickeys, 13.80s.
I had 2 SVOs, an 85 and an 85.5. They handled exceptionally well and had a higher top speed than the 5.0 cars. The 85.5 had 205 horsepower which was only 20 less than the 5.0 HO.
@@Scalihoo
Yep. 4 wheel disc, a switch that upped timing and boost when using premium fuel, Koni shocks and struts, control arms off the Lincoln Mark VII (I believe it was the VII), World Class T5, 3.73 traction lok 7.5" rear, polyurethane bushings on the sway bar up front, liquid cooled turbo on the 85.5 and 86...it was an awesome package from the factory. I loved the ones I owned.
@@Scalihoo
And they were 5 lug.
@@Scalihoo
1993 Cobra R...the pinnacle of the SVT program. IMHO anyway...lol
The oldsmobile cutlass at 6:00 looks like the FE3-X concept.
That it is!