The AMC Gremlin was a really good car, it wasn't ugly it was just different. Starting around 74 the Fed bumpers did start to kill the looks. A 71 or 72 Gremlin X with the V8 and a four speed would be a fun car today. Thanks to Adam for posting.....
@@imrytebeehyneu yes! The Pinto has quite a following. Especially the porthole wagons. The Gremlin never even really took off to start with. I'm sure the sales numbers would tell us the answer to that one.
Enjoyed the video. I had a '71 304 Hornet that I used for college during the early 80's. I really liked the car. But it had the most touchy accelerator; all I did was tap the pedal and the car would just take off. It was a very solidly built vehicle; the body panels almost seemed to have a thicker gauge metal but perhaps it was my imagination. Anyway, I miss the car and I miss all of the vehicles from this era (even the Gremlin:). To me even the ugliest of 70s cars is more attractive than most of today's cars--especially the SUVs. I just wince every time I see these color-coded, ubiquitous "things" we drive today. Anyway, thanks again for the video!:)
Natural resource departments in many states used green Hornets, probably because they were relatively inexpensive, reliable, easy to fix, not prone to rust, and very, very quiet. The sheet metal did seem thicker, maybe because of the many subtle curves in the body profile. They also had a lot of clearance from the underbody to the road. My brother had one with the straight 6, 232, and I started it twice a couple of times, because I couldn't hear the engine.
Actually, "olive green" was dubbed "avocado". Another popular color was a yellowish tone called "harvest gold". Kudos to you for handling a potentially sensitive subject with aplomb and neutrality.
"Neutrality?" I've owned more Chevrolets than anything else but none of their prodigious output of eyesores in the 70's was mentioned. My Dad worked for GM for years as a District Manager and I own two GM cars today. They have built some real stinkers.
I had to smile when you started talking about the Elite! It just happened to be THE car I wanted in high school! Then, I had to laugh when the LeBaron appeared on the list--I bought the coupe used in 1980, and after an initial computer issue (covered under warranty), it remained faithful without any problems for the next 10 years as a daily driver for me and other family members! It was great to drive the streets of San Francisco.
I had a 77 LeBaron that was brown with a lighter brown landau roof and aluminum disk rims. Other than the chitty lean burn system (Which I deleted) I Loved everything else about that car. There's my highly biased opinion.
Hi ! in the 70*s, in France, we had small cars and dreamed of the american cars we saw on TV series. The Elite seemed to be the standard bad guy car at this time and I really loved it too ! The LeBaron looks like it has taken the front grill of the Lincoln Versailles and just inverted it !
Yes! In 1974 I was a young guy working in a bank and "I" financed a couple of Elites. Man, I desperately wanted one! But being married with a newborn son and on my less than spectacular salary, I had to be satisfied with my '74 Pinto Squire Wagon. Luxury! 🤣🤣
As homely as it was, the Gremlin still puts a smile on my face. Who else but AMC would have thought to offer a V8 and Levi's inspired interior in a sub-compact car?
Ha! 😄 You always express such respect toward these older cars, which is completely understandable. But never once did I ever expect a video from you expressing any of these cars as being ugly. It certainly isn't false, regardless, memories make even the ugliest of them, desirable (for some). Thanks for keeping it real. That's why I like your videos.
I honestly think the Gremlin is good looking. I think it was a smart answer to the VW sales boom of the 60s. The unique look was a good idea as people liked the Bug for the same reason. The Gremlin looked modern and the Beetle looked classic. Back in the day, I thought it was sporty and quick (for a subcompact) and you could even get it with a V8 for more fun. It was low cost, reliable and sturdy. To this day, I find it an attractive car. BTW, I bought one brand new in 1975. It was my first car.
- early Gremlins with the small bumpers up through 1973 look okay. It's the 'interim' 1974-76 models that are quite ugly. The refreshed post 1977 front end (like the red example shown in this video) actually looks okay but to me not as good as the first 4 model years did.
@@AB-pl1ko While I see your point and agree somewhat, I very much liked my '75. AM cars grew more attractive to me as I began to see that they were very good cars with strong personalities. Money was always a problem for them which makes it a miracle that they put out such nice cars. I was disappointed that they spent what little development money they had on the Pacer and Matador. I would have thought that redoing the Hornet platform which would have allowed a wide model range, including a Gremlin variant, would have produced much better sales volume as it was already popular.
I was in college through most of the seventies. I loved the Gremlin though never owned one. I liked the look of that LeBaron, too. Good friends of mine had a Versailles but it was so cheaply done and was so obviously a Monarch with a humpy trunk. Not a bad car but sadly they didn't make a fully commitment for it. Thanks so much!
Take a peek at some of those mid-70's Chevelles. Yeah, I know that they are Chevrolets and we all must pretend they never put a foot wrong. The truth is, they were not attractive. Few cars were as Uncle Sugar took over the design reins.
@@edarcuri182 no doubt those 73 - 77 chevelles were butt ugly . I don't think even the chevy guys like them , I haven't seen one in decades , not even in magazines or at shows .
I’m a Ford Guy. But I admit that the Cadillac Seville did a MUCH better job of hiding its humble origins than the Lincoln Versailles. The Versailles looked like a Monarch with a Mark IV tire hump stuck on it. You KNEW what it was derived from
There is something beautiful about the Matador in all that ugliness: constrained by regs, economic realities and the compromises necessary for AMC to remain in business, the existence of such distinctive styles as the Gremlin, Javelin, Pacer, and, yes, the Matador represented the last gasp of a 50s design ethos of self-aware and conspicuous "swing for the moon" design. I miss em. They were beautiful in my eyes.
Bud Lindeman track tested a 1974 Matador. He said it was clumsy and lacking performance even with the 401. There is a You Tube video still floating out there.
I am not sure how the Elite made this list with all of the cars to choose from between 1970-1979. I think you missed the mark with the Elite. Good video. Enjoyed it.
I love the look of the Chrysler 2 door Lebaron. I can think of a lot worst looking cars like the Ford Maverick. Then again, I think the Gremlin and subsequent Spirit were also good looking cars. The one 70's car I keeping looking out for is a 77 or 78 Plymouth Fury Sport. I think that car really says 70's to me and is a crisp looking car.
Tom, I agree with you. I always thought the Chrysler Lebaron coupe, and it's sister, the Dodge Diplomat were good looking cars, especially in black with the Chrysler wheels. I could think of a lot of cars of that era that were far less attractive!
The first Gremlin I drove was from a rental company in Florida, and it blew my mind, small block with an awesome exhaust, AC, rims and tires, standard, with the sportiest black interior, my buddy and I fought for who's turn at the wheel, I even looked to buy one when I got home.
Other than the Citicar, these cars profiled look better than almost all vehicles built today, and clean ones are well received at car shows and cruise-ins. Now we can't even buy a new American compact or midsize car that is a 2 door.
Adam, I'm a fan of yours. Here and on Facebook. Every week I look for updates on your channel. So much of what you say resonates. That being said, this is your biggest turkey. The Versailles and Elite on your ugliest list of the '70S? Really? I'm honestly so disappointed that you chose these two. Nothing more to add except to say you might look at all the cars sold in the '70s before selecting the two above.
Speaking as someone who was actually alive and driving in the 1970s, one has to consider the context of ugliness of 70s vehicles. The entire decade of the 60s and up until 1972 American vehicles were good-looking, bulletproof vehicles. But 1973 was the beginning of the end for American vehicles. A few cars like the GM, Ford and Chrysler full-size vehicles still had pretty good bones and looks in 1973, but the mid-sized, compact and subcompact vehicles were the harbinger of what was to come for the rest of the 70s and most of the 80s. Cars like the 1973 Chevelle (Malibu) were tinny, ugly, clapped together nightmares compared to just a year earlier, as were the rest of GM mid-sized vehicles. So coming up with a worst list for a decade consisting of massive disappointments in terms of vehicles is a hard one. I take exception that AMC does not deserve picking on. This company truly had some of the ugliest cars of the 70s such as the ugly 1974-78 Matador four-door, which up until 1973 was a good-looking, tough car. All you have to do is watch any early 70s cop show and half of the cop cars were Matadors. And of the course the unbelievably hideous 1974-78 Matador coupe takes the cake in terms of ugliest car of the 1970s, hands down. The Gremlin was also an ugly car but so was the Ford Pinto two-door as well as the Chevy Vega and Pontiac Astre (two of the worst made vehicles not only of the 70s but of all time).
I had 2 Gremlins a 73 and a 75 problem with distributor popping off from back pressure, but I drove the 73 and a 70 Maverick till the wheel went square over 200 K on both. I really liked the Gremlin. Basic Reliable Transportation, like the Maverick, Vailant, Chevy II, and Falcon. I had a 63 Chevy II and dropped a 250 6 in it. I was beating a lot of cars with that badboy. Bought it as Auto and converted to stick THAT was a major task, put in bucket seats and off we go.
I drove a AMC Gremlin with the Levi package for some time and found it a fun little car. This one was rather peppy and had the 'big' motor. It rattled quite a bit and got oddly poor gas mileage in town (~16) but it was worlds better than the Vega I had before it. I deeply considered keeping it and doing some upgrading but things happened.
@@rotaxtwin Guessing from how my Gremlin handled I bet your buddies gremlin just jumped up in the air when he hit the gas and the backend did not settle back until he apologized. Hell that Gremlin I had could squeal its economy tires and it had half the horsepower that Matador engine would have given it.
For every ONE person finding the Gremlin Ugly, I think TEN Will Name the Pacer instead ( NOT My Personal View Btw ) -- The Gremlin was a success for a dozen years, and was then successfully prolonged in the Spirit - UNIQUELY Offered in TWO DIFFERENT Hatch-Back Body-Styles - One called "Sedan" ( !? ), and one called "Coupe" - AND Even available as 4 x 4 EAGLE Kammback & Liftback ! -- I Agree the Gremlin was 1 of the US' most quirky 70s cars, but 'Ugly' ? - I think you're in the minority ..
Stretching / shortening the wheelbase or floorpan of unibody platform (hence that term) cars, is a very smart & efficient way to expand a car maker's line-up. From 1953, Mercedes introduced their unibody W120 models in THREE wheelbase lengths -- PLUS a 220SL roadster on a shortened version of same floorpan, that shared the legendary 300SL Gullwing's front and rear sheetmetal, but not that car's tubular spaceframe, nor engine or drivetrain.
@@MarinCipollina Not sure I would call either of them sleek and my parents owned a Versailles when I was little kid. With all the chrome, vinyl roofs and acres of plastic" wood" inside...Not sleek or classy IMO
I love your channel Adam and your knowledge and presentation are impressive. But perhaps you are a better financier than design critic. The Ford Elite was my dream car when I was a young boy. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder I suppose. Keep up the good work.
Aging Wheels drove a Citicar for a video a while back. They're even more hilarious mechanically than they are aesthetically. I think if this were my list, I'd add a sixth slot for a whole _category_ of cars to inhabit together, namely, all those models GM put rectangular headlights on when they became legal without bothering to restyle the rest of the car. The '77 Monte Carlo, for example, which received the indignity of not two but _four_ rectangular lamps where the design still clearly expected two round ones.
As the proud owner of a year old 1973 Gremlin with Levi’s interior and raised letter tires as a High School Junior, let me say that the car and it’s odd looks was a…date…magnet. The in-line 6 was plenty spunky and squealed the tires with ease. For some reason I still have the gas cap with the Gremlin logo. I wish I still had the car. But can we not agree that 73 was the homeliest model year for all US makes.
@@gracelandone Haha nope, I think it had black vinyl buckets and the outside was puke pea green but more babyshit yellow, a very strange color. I never saw anything else like it. I liked it though. 232, three speed on the floor and would burn one tire off to the rim. I got rid of it because the leaf springs broke. I wonder why? lol Have you ever seen Jeff Dunham's AMC Gremlins on Jay Leno's Garage? One of his is a Levis edition.
I always learn something from your videos Adam. Thank you. I totally forgot or never learned about the designs of at least 3 of the cars from this era: the CitiCar, the LeBaron, & the Versailles. They may have been design failures, but they are still interesting design failures…Oh, and the Ford Elite was another fabulous failure too…I actually could live with it…Thanks for this ride into the “ugly past.” I think you’ve taught me to love all cars - even the “ugly ones.”
The Elite wasn't a failure in my opinion. While not a roaring sales success, it sold in reasonable numbers. It was actually somewhat of a trial balloon to see if people would accept the idea of a smaller, less expensive T-Bird, which they did. It paved the way for the 77 T-Bird, which WAS a roaring success.
I had a 74 Gremlin. Bought it new just out of college. Pretty basic 6 cyl white with solid black vinyl interior. No frills except for FM radio, "sports steering wheel" and luggage rack. No power steering. I actually thought the bare bones design was cool for the time oven if it did look like an orthopedic shoe. Sticker was $2,807.
I liked the looks of all those cars but the Chrysler Lebaron, though its looks didn't bother me as much as they do you. I had a classmate in the seventies whose family had a turquoise-colored Lincoln Versailles with a turquoise velour interior, a very nice car. You didn't see many of them, no, but they were still considered prestigious. I always thought the grill of its Mercury Monarch sibling looked more tasteful and elegant than the one they put on the Versailles, and I hated that they eliminated the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia trim level when they introduced the Lincoln Versailles. Ford Elites were very popular. We had family friends who owned them, invariably in shades of brown like so many seventies cars. Like you say, it was so obvious that it and the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba/Dodge Charger SE were taking their main styling themes from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, especially the 1973-75 Monte Carlo. I agree that the Ford Elite looked a little baroque, but those Monte Carlos really got ugly, too, as they adopted stacked square headlights and ungainly trim in 1976-77. AMC Gremlins were also really popular. You saw them everywhere. I had a friend in the mid-eighties who loved her early seventies Gremlin X, purple with white racing stripes, a really cool car. And I have to remind younger viewers again that those half-vinyl roofs, as odd as they may look today, were actually really popular in the seventies, called landau roofs.
The Lebaron, not a bad looking car, looked like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation. I always wondered if the Granada/Monarch hadn't been around, would the Versailles had sold better? The 1979-80 formal roofed version should've been out 1st in 1977.
Adam - the Ford Elite had the same "Twin Comfort Lounge Seats" that you love in the Grand Marquis. The Monte Carlo and it's GM stablemates were all excellent looking cars, but the Elite and it's Mercury Cougar twin had nicer interiors - plus I'd give the edge to the Fords in build quality. That said, all the mid-sized personal luxury cars were popular, including the Cordoba - and they all fetch big $$$ on the classic car market today.
My uncle had a Pacer. He loved it. I thought it was the ugliest thing ever. I hated to be seen in it. I was in my early to mid-teens at the time, so that didn't help.
Most people that owned Pacers like me loved their cars. It was refreshing to drive a car that didn't look like a box on wheels, and the '75 to '77 model years were fairly reliable.
@Dale S. I give AMC credit for trying to be different. I like several of their cars. Still, the Pacer was too out there for my taste as groundbreaking as it may have been.
I always liked the Elite body style. As for the 77-79 Lebaron, if you put a pinstripe along the body line of the coupe it would make it stand out more. Just my 2 cents. Great video, as always!!
I agree with you on the Elite. I always like the look of that car. I was going to buy a new 1974 elite when they came out in 1974. A guy in town bought a new elite, just before I was going to buy one. Then I bought a new 1974 mercury cougar, cause I wanted a car nobody else had.
I promise this is just one last thought.. The Mona Lisa when you look at her , she’s really kind of a chubby cow with no makeup on. She doesn’t even have eyebrows! But everyone considers it to be one of the most beautiful paintings in the world. So to say that anything is ugly or beautiful really is pointless because it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
My nomination for the ugliest 70s car...the '73-'77 Monte Carlo, followed closely by the subsequent Monte iteration. The Elite was no uglier than the Monte.
Personally Iike the looks of the AMC Gremlin. I owned a 78 LeBaron. I thought it was stylish. I did get burned on that car though, turned out to have been wrecked and rebuilt. I didn't catch that. Had nothing but mechanical issues the entire time I owned it. Everything was basically junk. Had shims everywhere that Chrysler products weren't supposed to have them. Transmission failed on day 2, overall not a good car, but I still liked it's appearance.
10:57 I have to stick up for the Le Baron. True, the half-vinyl roof was ugly, as half-vinyl roofs were in nearly every implementation of them, and those vinyl apron things on the doors were an option box that should have gone unchecked. But the other quirks of the car strike me as a successful way to make the boring Aspen/Volare into something distinctive. I think the coke-bottle lines of the rear side windows and fenders flow smoothly alongside the curved rear glass and the trunk bulge, giving buyers a relief from the 3-box downsized look that was taking over at the time. I can see why, in retrospect, some might equate the "upside down" front lights with the modified wagon Chevy Chase drove in "Vacation II", but they never bothered me. I can't imagine the oddities of the Le Baron being even noticeable enough to put the car in the same league with the Matador coupe, the Gremlin, or even Ford's awkward "basket handle" coupes of that era. The boxified "update" for 1980 (13:28), with the old roofline hiding obviously in the gap, actually bothers me a lot more than the embellishments of the 1970s versions.
Adam, I am not sure if you've done a video on the Checker, but I think it deserves one. It was, in my opinion, a true American classic. They even sold a few civilian cars, in one of which I got to ride as a teenager. It was great fun and not comparable to any other car on the road. Getting a Checker cab in NYC was always much better than anything else.
They were the best because they were purpose-built to be a cab. I worked on a few of those; the drivetrain in the later ones was right out of a Chevy - nothing special.
I think the Versailles is gorgeous, though you'd have to be a fool to pay a premium price for a tarted up Monarch. I actually owned the third product similar to these two: a used 1975 Ford Granada. I was young and stupid when I bought it used because I liked its looks, including a vinyl half-top with opera windows. Within a couple of years the silver paint on the hood and trunk decks completely fell off, leaving them primer pink. It was also unreliable. For a period of time in 1980 the car wouldn't start and I was too broke to get it fixed. When I got the money to do so, I discovered that some misbegotten car thief had drilled out the ignition to try and hotwired it but the darn thing wouldn't start for him, either. My next car was a Toyota Corolla!
I don't think AMC should get a pass. They styled the 1st gen Javelin/AMX which were very pretty so they knew how to make an attractive car. I don't even think the Gremlin and Pacer are all that bad. The Matador however is just awful from every angle. The last Ambassadors with the "nose" are pretty bad too.
When I got my drivers license at 16 I was given a metallic purple ‘73 Gemlin X, with a 5.0liter V8(304c.I.d,) three speed on the floor, by my mother, it would get sideways in first and second and get rubber in third, nothing at my high school could touch it up to a 110 mph where it topped out due to the gearing, very quick, fun car to drive, wish I still had it!!! 😄😄😄
My spinster aunt's had a 1978 LeBarron sedan. With all the options in a bronze color. The power locks would freeze easy in the winter. She sold it 86 because it had a stalling issue. The guy she sold it to still drove it for several more years until I heard the rear leaf springs gave way.
Aww... picking on the Gremlin, my first car. A friend of my dad said it was so ugly it was kind of cute, and I sort of agreed... sort of. It was really poorly built, and even though mine was new it had several problems during the time I owned it for three-ish years. Things like a broken exhaust pipe that fractured where it went over the rear axle and melted the carpet liner in the storage area (and warped much of my record collection), or the rear wind deflector above the hatch that cracked and fell off the car while driving on the freeway, or the mechanical choke that stopped working in the car's 2nd winter. There were other fit and finish things, but they seemed normal for that car. But it got me around the upper midwest even when parts were falling off, so it has a certain weird fondness for me.
I still have a harvest gold fridge in the garage, it's outlasted 2 new kitchen fridges. The Versailles used to be a great way to get a 9" rear with disk brakes for hot rod projects. I love the Matador coupe, but I'm kind of an AMC geek.
Great topic and thanks for sharing! I can agree on some of these, but I've never understood the hatred for the Gremlin. Frankly, given AMC's limited reproduce constraints, I always found the Gremlin to be quite clever. Our family had a '74 Gremlin with a 258 6-cyl, and the huge steel bumpers now in front and rear for the first time. It was an incredibly reliable and accommodating car, with a column mounted AT and bench seat that could actually seat three in the front, and two in the back. I would have picked the '74-78 AMC Matador sedan for this list. While the coupe was 'unique', the 'stump' in front of this model of the Matador just made no sense, particularly in the midst of the gas crisis. I'm also not a big fan of the '77-'79 Lebaron - the general front end design was meant to be 'different' for the time, but it was admittedly not executed well. But I can't say it's as ugly as the Elite, or even the Montego during the same timeframe.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with these choices. The Versailles may have been an obvious Granada sedan with a Continental-ish modified body, but it still wasn't bad looking. And it did usher in clearcoat paint, halogen headlamps, and Ford's computer engine management systems. The Ford Elite also looked good, imo. I'll take one with the rare 460! I wouldn't say the Gremlin was a horrible looking car either. If any of em came with a factory 4 speed, I'll take that! Even the Citi Car wasn't ugly in an eyesore way. It had character, and was quite entertaining with the wire hub caps, and huge bumpers. The only thing I'd change is I'd replace the electric motor with maybe a Kawasaki twin cylinder, or perhaps a Harley V-Twin! It would be a great way to get attention! That wedge shape, wire hub caps, jutting bumpers, and that iconic Harley sound! 😁 And the LeBaron may be another bland grandpa car, but it wasn't bad looking. Nope, none of those cars looked worse than the Pacer! The Matador coupe is OK. Another ugly car was the 1980 Seville. It looked like it was rammed in the end by a Mack truck! The 58 Edsel just didn't do it in the looks department. And the worst of all was a Japanese brand, the Nissan Cube. It looked like a space mutant!
I recall how popular the Cube was when it came out, cuz kids would jam giant stereo systems or gaming pods in the back and goof off in empty parking lots. Anyhow, the Versailles had lots of new tech slammed into a well used platform. Great ideas but just as the Chrysler ELB, too much too soon. 9 inch axle with disc brakes! Except the brakes would stop working, ( same with GM Eldorado etc) if 1 didn't use the parking brake often enough.. Variable Venturi Carbs...neat idea in theory, but an vacuum bladder that couldn't take the heat, and then add feedback controls for Cali models as well as 1980 federal, and yeah, Ford launched a recall to return them to a regular Motorcraft 2bbl. TFI which was great, but they mounted the module on the distributor...Adam likes to pick on Chrysler ballast resistors, but if you owned a Ford from 78 to 94ish, you better have a spare ign module in the glovebox with the proper tool to change it out. I still have 1 in my tool box. 1 thing of note.. If a Chrysler ELB/ELC computer failed, it would go into a fixed timing routine so 1 could get home, or a dealer, etc. If the internal ignition transistor failed, well, then 1 called a tow truck..
6:40 The Gremlin was actually quite popular, and considered to be attractive due to its unique styling. Even with the base 199 cubic inch inline six (first year) it provided better performance than the competing Vega and Pinto, which were themselves quicker than any version of the Volkswagen Beetle or Super Beetle. The Gremlin soldiered on after the name was retired with an airier greenhouse and the name _Spirit_ and the Spirit spun off a very capable subcompact companion to AMC's Concord-based four-wheel-drive Eagle. Both sizes of the Eagle are highly desirable models today.
As a 9 year old in 1974 and living next door to an AMC dealership, even I knew the Matador was sad. And the new car sticker and grease penciled sales messages on the windshield helped cover up the cheap interior.😂
In 1974 I was twelve and the parents of class mates of mine also owned an AMC dealership which was all of three blocks from home. I agree with you even at that time we all considered the new Matador as ghastly. It was a joke to us.
I was a teenager in 1970 and saw all of these cars running about town with the exception of the Citicar (which I agree is butt ugly). The rest of the choices I'm either okay with or really like the designs. The Gremlin, in particular, is a fun design and I still like it a lot. The one thing I didn't like about 1970's car design was the stylish fronts and rears being squared off and those 5 mph bumpers being added.
What's interesting to me is that those so called 5 mph bumpers are a battering ram in today's world. I recall in 1986 when my dad had his 1976 Cordoba, yes with the leather...and he hit a guy that ran a red light in his VW Rabbit which got bent into a U. The fireman had to cut that guy out of the car. Dad went home after the police on the scene released him with not a scratch. His car? The bumper suffered a couple scrapes, and 1 of the turn signal lenses popped out. That was it. The bumper shocks came back out about 4 hrs after the crash, as designed. Several yrs ago, a lady backed into my 79 300, again on the Cordoba platform, B body. She had an older Altima. Her car folded up at the rear enough to where she couldn't drive it. My 300 suffered broken bumper rub strips and a cracked grill, which i was very upset about! I still have it hanging in my garage. State Farm had no idea how to quote a new 1, and it took me 7 yrs to find 1 in good enough condition to replace it.
I'm right with you except for the Matador coupe. Nobody could do more with less than good ol' AMC. Though it had it's styling quirks, it had a sleek & sporty look at a time when everyone else was doing vertical lines and faux Rolls Royce grills...
Great video as always. I have to respectfully agree to disagree regarding the Ford Elite. I would say the ugliest car of the 1970's was the 1972 Dodge Polara. I do agree about the Versailles, a victim of being rushed to the market. It's a shame is was axed in 1980 as the 1981 prototype looked rather good on the Fox platform.
You and I usually agree on cars. I love all of the cars you feature. Here is where we have differing opinions. The 1977/78 Lincoln Versailles was a really nice upgrade from the Monarch. Beautiful front end, elegant interior with hand stitched leather dash pad and console. I didn't like the roofline of the 79/80 Versailles. The Elite was a competitor to the personal luxury cars of the day. It came out in February 1974 as a 1974 1/2 model under Gran Torino Elite moniker. Still sold 94,000 units in its short 1974 model year. Became just Elite in 1975. It was advertised as a trimmer car in the Thunderbird Tradition. In 1977, the Thunderbird would take that platform and, in 3 years, became the best-selling Thunderbird of all time. It hit the market before the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. All in all the Elite was not a bad looking car when you look at through a 1974 lens. In 2023 it definitely leaves one with questions about why twin opera windows or opera windows at all. The huge bumpers didn't help either. Since the Elite was basically a Montego with a Torino nameplate, Ford was trying to make the Elite look as different as possible, considering three other Ford cars were pretty much the same car. Torino, Elite, Montego, and Cougar. The Seville did a fantastic job of not looking like a Nova, at least better than Ford with the Versailles. Seville debuted as a 1975 model in May of 1975 as a 1975 model. The LeBaron is one of those cars that I can see people going wow, what were they drinking when they designed that car, especially the 2 door. I am probably one of the few out there that absolutely fell in love with that car when it debuted in April 1977. Make mine a 2 door Medallion with leather interior. Cast aluminum wheels and a 360 V-8. You could even get a floor mounted stick shift in that car. It was the car that was pretending to compete with Seville and Versailles. The LeBaron/Diplomat were prices way under both the Seville and the Versailles, but were a step above Granada, Monarch, Aspen, Volare, Nova etc. I get it with the front end of the LeBaron. It is weird, but the front of the 1977 Dodge Diplomat has a much better-looking front end than LeBaron. Basically the same car otherwise.
Adam, I own two 78 Oldsmobiles. One a rare Cutlass Salon Brougham coupe with an Olda 260 V8 and today, I acquired a 78 Olds Holiday 88 coupe with the rare Y88 option, bucket seats with console. It also has the Olds 350 V8, 48k on the odometer. At least Oldsmobile built some nice cars in the 70's. Col Steve
Adam, I have to disagree with you on this video. I loved the LeBarons, especially the coupe, and owned a 78 at the time. The trunk was really sharp looking. I also loved the Versailles and Elite! The Gremlin wasn't my cup of tea, but not bad. Perhaps you had to be a teenager then to love these cars, but I did and still do! :)
Well, no one could argue that the Matador and Pacer were just "butt ugly". The Versailles looked like a "pimpmobile". The Elite was "OK", just overstyled in an attempt to compete with Monte Carlo. The poor ol Gremlin was ugly but seemed to have a cult type following. The Lebaron was a swing and a miss as well, although the later model four door models looked OK.
The VW designed 2.0L 4-cyl engine used by AMC in later Gremlins was also used in the Porsche 924. Their later 944 (1982-91) used a totally different 2.5L 4-cyl designed by Porsche and in effect half of the 5.0L V8 used in their 928 flagship.
Also installed in AM General postal jeeps for a few years. It was a pretty decent engine, but very susceptible to cam lobe and follower wear. Frequent oil changes and valve adjustments were a must.
@@keithstudly6071 - yes, but he referred directly to it coming from Porsche and not Audi or VW. That 2.0 engine was a VW 'corporate' design shared amongst the 3 marques and sold to other automakers as well.
I found most designs of the Seventies to be quite attractive...and I generally gravitated toward the big land yachts like the Electra 225 and the New Yorker, but, however, it was the human condition that was fast becoming a joke during this decade, when patriotism was becoming a lonely word, and the masses were gravitating toward all the Toyotas and Nissans of the world!
I think the Versailles was looked at by corporate as more of a placeholder to get them into the market. The real car they came to complete with was the 82 Continental
I never had one of these cars in high school. My uncle never had one and neither did my dad when I was a kid. These cars don't bring back any memories for me. Man, am I glad for all of that.
Love the 70’s and would love a green fridge with a woodgrain handle. Better than the stuff made you know where. A cool decade for sure and, along with the late 60’s, my favourite car decade. I don’t like the malaise term. Look at what the manufacturers had to deal with.
Many of those appliances were made to last. Had a big Tappan microwave that worked great and sold it at a yard sale.regret..... Owned a Plymouth Belvedere wagon with a slant six that wouldn't die.Sold it in 1990 for 500 bucks. Regret
My mom drove a ‘73 Gremlin with the Levi interior when I was a little kid. The seats looked great (at least for the era) but on a hot summer day the brass rivets on the seat cloth sure were hot on bare legs. Ouch!
Sir, these cars (all of them) are collector cars today. In fact, not one of them are UGLY or were UGLY. Now, if you can find one of these awesome relics in mint OEM condition you will find that they are worth Thousands more that their original sale price.
Though I'm not a fan of many of these cars - or cars of the late 1970's, generally speaking - I don't really agree that they are ugly. (The one exception would be the Citicar. Those were ugly.) I especially don't agree that the Matador coupe should be an honorable mention. They were unusual looking, but I believe they had very interesting lines. The main visual problem with the Matador coupe was the mandated government bumpers that were put on them, especially in the front. I know most viewers of this channel don't like modified or customized cars - and that usually includes me, too - but I've seen cutomized Matador coupes that had the bumpers removed and they were really very striking and stylish cars. Better looking than much more popular cars that have been customized.
2:30 In the mid-'70s, I remember reading in, I believe it was Road & Track, the "Versailles is a Granada with improvements that could be summed up with one phrase, "rubber mounted." That was how they accomplished all the separation, just attach a part using a rubber mount. The Seville was a _MUCH_ better implementation of "upgrade meets downgrade."
While I agree with your 1&2 choice, I disagree with the Versailles, Elite and Gremlin. As a child of the 60s growing up in the 70s these were the cars of my time. The Gremlin was just one cool car as well as it’s siblings the Pacer and Matador. The Versailles and Elite were utmost in personal luxury. Oh, and while Avocado was an extremely popular kitchen color, grew up with it in my home, the other color was Harvest Gold. Almond was all the rage in the early 1980s back when I was an International Dance Exercise Association certified Aerobics Instructor. 😉
I like the Gremlin. If they had raised the roof if could have been a compact SUV. Compared to the styling today I don't have major complaints with any of these cars.
This is a bold statement. But aside from maybe a couple, I still think every car pictured here at least had some effort placed on unique styling during development. Sometimes a little too unique. I am beginning to despise (mainstream) new car styling. They all have a wedge shaped front end; sliver headlights with skinny LED halos; chopped sides with styling cues on the doors and panels that look like damage from a side impact. And now the brands have all changed their badging so you can barely identify it. I guess if you change the badge, folks might mistaken your Kia for a Bentley? I know I'm being a little extreme, but I just don't like the new stuff much...
That was a familiar term to most back then because of “The Treaty of Versailles. In those days, kids were actually educated in school, versus the social engineering to which kids are exposed today …
I respect that you worked in the industry and I appreciate your inside knowledge but I suddenly realize that I am also grateful you did not make design decisions. The leBaron was one of best looking cars of the seventies (they did the boat-tail much better than Buick) and the headlights were a refreshing change; also the Gremlin was really good looking until the 5 mph bumpers were attached. The ugliest car was the Matador which I believe put the final nail in the coffin for AMC. The Pinto and MGB with the later rubber bumpers (one of which I owned at the time) are tied for second ugliest. Even if we disagree on taste I do look forward to your videos for your excellent coverage of manufacturer background information.
@@RareClassicCars Dare I ask how you felt about the second gen 1980 to '83 Cordoba? 😉 A friend of mine bought new an '82 model year that was silver with red interior. It was a good looking car in that silver shade but a real miss in the various shades of browns.
The biggest issue with all these cars was those federally-mandated 5 mph front bumpers. I've seen a modified 1974 Matador sans bumper and the transformation was amazing.
The Versailles is just vanilla, I'm surprised anyone would think it's ugly. The Elite I actually like, although the Cougar of this era (of which I own a 74) is basically the same car with a different front end and looks really good in my opinion. I think some of these are cars you hate the look of rather than actually ugly. For me the Colonnade cars are in this category. I hate the way they look, especially compared to the cars they replaced but I wouldn't call them objectively ugly like the Citicar is.
I admire your perspective. The style of any automobile is, indeed, personal. I have agreed with you on so many levels and respect your opinion on the cars you selected. To me few cars were truly ugly in the 1970s. My short list would include the 1971 through 1978 Dodge Coronet 4-door sedan, 1971-1974 AMC Javelin, 1974 through 1978 AMC Matador coupe, 1977-1978 Ford LTD II, 1973-1977 Malibu. The styling winner in my opinion for the 1970s (drum roll) is the 1971-1977 AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon. Yes, there are so many great styled cars of the 1970s, but the Sportabout was the right size at the right time. The detailing was much more intricate than most realize. It was Dick Teague's finest hour.
I would add an addendum to this list that includes almost all of the 'federalized' imported cars that were sold in North America during this era. As most (except for Saab & Volvo) had never planned the incorporation of impact bumpers into their designs originally, the mashed up end results in most cases were truly hideous and tended to add a lot of weight to either end of the cars.
I actually love almost all of them. Love the unique and sporty special mention Matador, the first of the Versailles, although not as removed from its origins as the Seville, it was good looking (don’t like the second edition formal roofline)…would LOVE to own an Elite, a V8 Gremlin X, or a LeBaron coupe or wagon (nice trims and gorgeous interiors). With you on the Citicar
these are all beautiful cars in my eyes, but i suppose that's what happens when you're born in the 21st century. vehicles were designed with such prowess back then and even the "ugliest" are gems to me. suppose im just sick of the edgy blobs we have now
I wonder how many Versailles have been stolen and turned up intact minus the rear end. Also, I didn't think the Elite looked terrible. It wasn't as smooth as the concurrent Cougar, and the '77 T-Bird, which effectively replaced the Elite, also looked better. One thing the T-Bird didn't have though, was the option of a 460!
At least the Versailles had a 9" rear end w/ disc brake option
The AMC Gremlin was a really good car, it wasn't ugly it was just different. Starting around 74 the Fed bumpers did start to kill the looks. A 71 or 72 Gremlin X with the V8 and a four speed would be a fun car today. Thanks to Adam for posting.....
The Gremlin definitely looked better than the Matador.
Gremlin looks way better than those ugly Pinto Ford's
@@glennt69lol if they never had any problem with the gas tank, you would eat your words..
@@imrytebeehyneu yes! The Pinto has quite a following. Especially the porthole wagons. The Gremlin never even really took off to start with. I'm sure the sales numbers would tell us the answer to that one.
@@glennt69lol 😂😂🤣🤣
Enjoyed the video. I had a '71 304 Hornet that I used for college during the early 80's. I really liked the car. But it had the most touchy accelerator; all I did was tap the pedal and the car would just take off. It was a very solidly built vehicle; the body panels almost seemed to have a thicker gauge metal but perhaps it was my imagination. Anyway, I miss the car and I miss all of the vehicles from this era (even the Gremlin:). To me even the ugliest of 70s cars is more attractive than most of today's cars--especially the SUVs. I just wince every time I see these color-coded, ubiquitous "things" we drive today. Anyway, thanks again for the video!:)
WHO enjoyed??? never mind
At least the cars had character, unlike the look alike grey, white, and black transport pods sold to us today. zzzzzzzz.
Natural resource departments in many states used green Hornets, probably because they were relatively inexpensive, reliable, easy to fix, not prone to rust, and very, very quiet. The sheet metal did seem thicker, maybe because of the many subtle curves in the body profile. They also had a lot of clearance from the underbody to the road. My brother had one with the straight 6, 232, and I started it twice a couple of times, because I couldn't hear the engine.
U had V8 torque in a lil $hitbox. What u expect it to do? Modern cars pull timing in low gears for this reason.
Missing cars from this era is like missing Covid!
Actually, "olive green" was dubbed "avocado". Another popular color was a yellowish tone called "harvest gold".
Kudos to you for handling a potentially sensitive subject with aplomb and neutrality.
We didn't bat an eye at harvest gold or avocado appliances. Adam wasn't even born!!
Indeed, avocado, harvest gold, and almond were the stainless steel (faced) appliance fashion of their time.
I'm all for aplomb.
@@rightlanehog3151 Appliances, heck, I had a friend in grade school whose house had avocado _bathroom fixtures._ Tub, toilet, the works.
"Neutrality?" I've owned more Chevrolets than anything else but none of their prodigious output of eyesores in the 70's was mentioned. My Dad worked for GM for years as a District Manager and I own two GM cars today. They have built some real stinkers.
I had to smile when you started talking about the Elite! It just happened to be THE car I wanted in high school! Then, I had to laugh when the LeBaron appeared on the list--I bought the coupe used in 1980, and after an initial computer issue (covered under warranty), it remained faithful without any problems for the next 10 years as a daily driver for me and other family members! It was great to drive the streets of San Francisco.
He's off his rocker. Probably from sniffing too many Mercury's 😁
The Elite may not have been the best styled car, but they looked good and they rode quietly and well. I rode often in a friend's Elite. Very nice.
I had a 77 LeBaron that was brown with a lighter brown landau roof and aluminum disk rims. Other than the chitty lean burn system (Which I deleted) I Loved everything else about that car. There's my highly biased opinion.
Hi ! in the 70*s, in France, we had small cars and dreamed of the american cars we saw on TV series. The Elite seemed to be the standard bad guy car at this time and I really loved it too !
The LeBaron looks like it has taken the front grill of the Lincoln Versailles and just inverted it !
Yes! In 1974 I was a young guy working in a bank and "I" financed a couple of Elites. Man, I desperately wanted one! But being married with a newborn son and on my less than spectacular salary, I had to be satisfied with my '74 Pinto Squire Wagon. Luxury! 🤣🤣
As homely as it was, the Gremlin still puts a smile on my face. Who else but AMC would have thought to offer a V8 and Levi's inspired interior in a sub-compact car?
Adam, Please stop picking on the 1970s. Those of us who were actually there will defend that decade to the end! 😁😉😁😉
I was there too. He’s right. 😀
I agree with that. I had a 77 Lincoln Versailles. It was reliable and good looking; in my opinion.
I was there and I never defend it!! It was the worst!! Hahaha!!
They say vision is the first to go, followed by taste :p
I had a 1968 Fiat 850 Spyder. Missed it by that much! Lol!
Ha! 😄 You always express such respect toward these older cars, which is completely understandable. But never once did I ever expect a video from you expressing any of these cars as being ugly. It certainly isn't false, regardless, memories make even the ugliest of them, desirable (for some). Thanks for keeping it real. That's why I like your videos.
The Gremlin looked great from most angles. I quite like it!
I honestly think the Gremlin is good looking. I think it was a smart answer to the VW sales boom of the 60s. The unique look was a good idea as people liked the Bug for the same reason. The Gremlin looked modern and the Beetle looked classic.
Back in the day, I thought it was sporty and quick (for a subcompact) and you could even get it with a V8 for more fun. It was low cost, reliable and sturdy. To this day, I find it an attractive car. BTW, I bought one brand new in 1975. It was my first car.
- early Gremlins with the small bumpers up through 1973 look okay. It's the 'interim' 1974-76 models that are quite ugly. The refreshed post 1977 front end (like the red example shown in this video) actually looks okay but to me not as good as the first 4 model years did.
@@AB-pl1ko While I see your point and agree somewhat, I very much liked my '75. AM cars grew more attractive to me as I began to see that they were very good cars with strong personalities.
Money was always a problem for them which makes it a miracle that they put out such nice cars. I was disappointed that they spent what little development money they had on the Pacer and Matador. I would have thought that redoing the Hornet platform which would have allowed a wide model range, including a Gremlin variant, would have produced much better sales volume as it was already popular.
The Gremlin with a Levi’s interior was peak chic for my childhood :-D
I was in college through most of the seventies. I loved the Gremlin though never owned one. I liked the look of that LeBaron, too. Good friends of mine had a Versailles but it was so cheaply done and was so obviously a Monarch with a humpy trunk. Not a bad car but sadly they didn't make a fully commitment for it. Thanks so much!
The Matador was always the standard by which I judged a cars appearance. Nothing was worse until.... The Aztec.
PT Cruiser was pretty bad too
A-men! Ewwww! 🐰
Take a peek at some of those mid-70's Chevelles. Yeah, I know that they are Chevrolets and we all must pretend they never put a foot wrong. The truth is, they were not attractive. Few cars were as Uncle Sugar took over the design reins.
@@richhoule3462 hahaha pt loser 🤣🤣
@@edarcuri182 no doubt those 73 - 77 chevelles were butt ugly . I don't think even the chevy guys like them , I haven't seen one in decades , not even in magazines or at shows .
I’m a Ford Guy. But I admit that the Cadillac Seville did a MUCH better job of hiding its humble origins than the Lincoln Versailles. The Versailles looked like a Monarch with a Mark IV tire hump stuck on it. You KNEW what it was derived from
There is something beautiful about the Matador in all that ugliness: constrained by regs, economic realities and the compromises necessary for AMC to remain in business, the existence of such distinctive styles as the Gremlin, Javelin, Pacer, and, yes, the Matador represented the last gasp of a 50s design ethos of self-aware and conspicuous "swing for the moon" design. I miss em. They were beautiful in my eyes.
Bud Lindeman track tested a 1974 Matador. He said it was clumsy and lacking performance even with the 401. There is a You Tube video still floating out there.
I am not sure how the Elite made this list with all of the cars to choose from between 1970-1979.
I think you missed the mark with the Elite.
Good video. Enjoyed it.
I love the look of the Chrysler 2 door Lebaron. I can think of a lot worst looking cars like the Ford Maverick. Then again, I think the Gremlin and subsequent Spirit were also good looking cars. The one 70's car I keeping looking out for is a 77 or 78 Plymouth Fury Sport. I think that car really says 70's to me and is a crisp looking car.
Tom, I agree with you. I always thought the Chrysler Lebaron coupe, and it's sister, the Dodge Diplomat were good looking cars, especially in black with the Chrysler wheels. I could think of a lot of cars of that era that were far less attractive!
I agree except I thing the Ford Maverick was a good looking and all around good car in it’s day….
All of these cars look better than modern cars.
The first Gremlin I drove was from a rental company in Florida, and it blew my mind, small block with an awesome exhaust, AC, rims and tires, standard, with the sportiest black interior, my buddy and I fought for who's turn at the wheel, I even looked to buy one when I got home.
Other than the Citicar, these cars profiled look better than almost all vehicles built today, and clean ones are well received at car shows and cruise-ins. Now we can't even buy a new American compact or midsize car that is a 2 door.
Adam, I'm a fan of yours. Here and on Facebook. Every week I look for updates on your channel. So much of what you say resonates. That being said, this is your biggest turkey. The Versailles and Elite on your ugliest list of the '70S? Really? I'm honestly so disappointed that you chose these two. Nothing more to add except to say you might look at all the cars sold in the '70s before selecting the two above.
Exactly!
Speaking as someone who was actually alive and driving in the 1970s, one has to consider the context of ugliness of 70s vehicles. The entire decade of the 60s and up until 1972 American vehicles were good-looking, bulletproof vehicles. But 1973 was the beginning of the end for American vehicles. A few cars like the GM, Ford and Chrysler full-size vehicles still had pretty good bones and looks in 1973, but the mid-sized, compact and subcompact vehicles were the harbinger of what was to come for the rest of the 70s and most of the 80s. Cars like the 1973 Chevelle (Malibu) were tinny, ugly, clapped together nightmares compared to just a year earlier, as were the rest of GM mid-sized vehicles. So coming up with a worst list for a decade consisting of massive disappointments in terms of vehicles is a hard one. I take exception that AMC does not deserve picking on. This company truly had some of the ugliest cars of the 70s such as the ugly 1974-78 Matador four-door, which up until 1973 was a good-looking, tough car. All you have to do is watch any early 70s cop show and half of the cop cars were Matadors. And of the course the unbelievably hideous 1974-78 Matador coupe takes the cake in terms of ugliest car of the 1970s, hands down. The Gremlin was also an ugly car but so was the Ford Pinto two-door as well as the Chevy Vega and Pontiac Astre (two of the worst made vehicles not only of the 70s but of all time).
As an Aussie we never had these cars down under, those Lincoln Versailles look beautiful in my opinion 🤩
The gremlin looked like someone started making a Hornet and just got tired and said “I don’t care if I didn’t finish yet I’m going home“
I had 2 Gremlins a 73 and a 75 problem with distributor popping off from back pressure, but I drove the 73 and a 70 Maverick till the wheel went square over 200 K on both. I really liked the Gremlin. Basic Reliable Transportation, like the Maverick, Vailant, Chevy II, and Falcon. I had a 63 Chevy II and dropped a 250 6 in it. I was beating a lot of cars with that badboy. Bought it as Auto and converted to stick THAT was a major task, put in bucket seats and off we go.
I drove a AMC Gremlin with the Levi package for some time and found it a fun little car. This one was rather peppy and had the 'big' motor. It rattled quite a bit and got oddly poor gas mileage in town (~16) but it was worlds better than the Vega I had before it. I deeply considered keeping it and doing some upgrading but things happened.
Buddy had a Gremlin with a 360 4 bbl from a Matador cop car, it was hilarious and loud.
@@rotaxtwin Guessing from how my Gremlin handled I bet your buddies gremlin just jumped up in the air when he hit the gas and the backend did not settle back until he apologized. Hell that Gremlin I had could squeal its economy tires and it had half the horsepower that Matador engine would have given it.
Adam you crack me up. With the LeBaron "I just cannot get my head around how ugly this vehicle is" haha!!!
For every ONE person finding the Gremlin Ugly, I think TEN Will Name the Pacer instead ( NOT My Personal View Btw ) -- The Gremlin was a success for a dozen years, and was then successfully prolonged in the Spirit - UNIQUELY Offered in TWO DIFFERENT Hatch-Back Body-Styles - One called "Sedan" ( !? ), and one called "Coupe" - AND Even available as 4 x 4 EAGLE Kammback & Liftback ! -- I Agree the Gremlin was 1 of the US' most quirky 70s cars, but 'Ugly' ? - I think you're in the minority ..
Stretching / shortening the wheelbase or floorpan of unibody platform (hence that term) cars, is a very smart & efficient way to expand a car maker's line-up. From 1953, Mercedes introduced their unibody W120 models in THREE wheelbase lengths -- PLUS a 220SL roadster on a shortened version of same floorpan, that shared the legendary 300SL Gullwing's front and rear sheetmetal, but not that car's tubular spaceframe, nor engine or drivetrain.
The Versailles had such a narrow track while the Seville had a very powerful stance with the wide axles.
@@Rick-S-6063 I agree when compared with the Seville...and it was much more reliable than the Seville
Versailles looked bloated, while the Cadillac looked sleek.
@@MarinCipollina Not sure I would call either of them sleek and my parents owned a Versailles when I was little kid. With all the chrome, vinyl roofs and acres of plastic" wood" inside...Not sleek or classy IMO
@@MarinCipollina
The wheels tucked in so far remind me of those dusters with that parts bin differential from another model, they had that look.
One was an overpriced Nova that had a decent fuel injected Olds motor and the other was an overpriced Granada.
I love your channel Adam and your knowledge and presentation are impressive. But perhaps you are a better financier than design critic. The Ford Elite was my dream car when I was a young boy. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder I suppose. Keep up the good work.
Aging Wheels drove a Citicar for a video a while back. They're even more hilarious mechanically than they are aesthetically.
I think if this were my list, I'd add a sixth slot for a whole _category_ of cars to inhabit together, namely, all those models GM put rectangular headlights on when they became legal without bothering to restyle the rest of the car. The '77 Monte Carlo, for example, which received the indignity of not two but _four_ rectangular lamps where the design still clearly expected two round ones.
Ford and Chrysler did the same thing on the LTD II and Plodge Grand Coromonaco.....
As the proud owner of a year old 1973 Gremlin with Levi’s interior and raised letter tires as a High School Junior, let me say that the car and it’s odd looks was a…date…magnet. The in-line 6 was plenty spunky and squealed the tires with ease. For some reason I still have the gas cap with the Gremlin logo. I wish I still had the car. But can we not agree that 73 was the homeliest model year for all US makes.
I had a friend in the early 80s who had a Levi's gremlin and I rode in that car quite a bit. It was actually quite comfortable.
The Munchies drove a Gremlin in the 1980's movie that ironically spoofed the movie Gremlins.
I had a 71 Gremlin and loved it, but calling it "a…date…magnet" is a stretch and sounds like a line a standup comedian would use. lol
@@willythewave ah, but did you have the exotic Levi’s interior?
@@gracelandone Haha nope, I think it had black vinyl buckets and the outside was puke pea green but more babyshit yellow, a very strange color. I never saw anything else like it. I liked it though. 232, three speed on the floor and would burn one tire off to the rim. I got rid of it because the leaf springs broke. I wonder why? lol
Have you ever seen Jeff Dunham's AMC Gremlins on Jay Leno's Garage? One of his is a Levis edition.
I always learn something from your videos Adam. Thank you. I totally forgot or never learned about the designs of at least 3 of the cars from this era: the CitiCar, the LeBaron, & the Versailles. They may have been design failures, but they are still interesting design failures…Oh, and the Ford Elite was another fabulous failure too…I actually could live with it…Thanks for this ride into the “ugly past.” I think you’ve taught me to love all cars - even the “ugly ones.”
The Elite wasn't a failure in my opinion. While not a roaring sales success, it sold in reasonable numbers. It was actually somewhat of a trial balloon to see if people would accept the idea of a smaller, less expensive T-Bird, which they did. It paved the way for the 77 T-Bird, which WAS a roaring success.
I had a 74 Gremlin. Bought it new just out of college. Pretty basic 6 cyl white with solid black vinyl interior. No frills except for FM radio, "sports steering wheel" and luggage rack. No power steering. I actually thought the bare bones design was cool for the time oven if it did look like an orthopedic shoe. Sticker was $2,807.
I liked the looks of all those cars but the Chrysler Lebaron, though its looks didn't bother me as much as they do you.
I had a classmate in the seventies whose family had a turquoise-colored Lincoln Versailles with a turquoise velour interior, a very nice car. You didn't see many of them, no, but they were still considered prestigious. I always thought the grill of its Mercury Monarch sibling looked more tasteful and elegant than the one they put on the Versailles, and I hated that they eliminated the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia trim level when they introduced the Lincoln Versailles.
Ford Elites were very popular. We had family friends who owned them, invariably in shades of brown like so many seventies cars. Like you say, it was so obvious that it and the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba/Dodge Charger SE were taking their main styling themes from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, especially the 1973-75 Monte Carlo. I agree that the Ford Elite looked a little baroque, but those Monte Carlos really got ugly, too, as they adopted stacked square headlights and ungainly trim in 1976-77.
AMC Gremlins were also really popular. You saw them everywhere. I had a friend in the mid-eighties who loved her early seventies Gremlin X, purple with white racing stripes, a really cool car.
And I have to remind younger viewers again that those half-vinyl roofs, as odd as they may look today, were actually really popular in the seventies, called landau roofs.
I think the 73 Montes had the ugliest front ends. They became slightly more tolerable as time went on.
Yup, the Lundau roofs. My mom bought a new 1978 Chrysler Cordoba with that roof. It was a very reliable car, she loved it.
The Lebaron, not a bad looking car, looked like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation. I always wondered if the Granada/Monarch hadn't been around, would the Versailles had sold better? The 1979-80 formal roofed version should've been out 1st in 1977.
Adam - the Ford Elite had the same "Twin Comfort Lounge Seats" that you love in the Grand Marquis. The Monte Carlo and it's GM stablemates were all excellent looking cars, but the Elite and it's Mercury Cougar twin had nicer interiors - plus I'd give the edge to the Fords in build quality. That said, all the mid-sized personal luxury cars were popular, including the Cordoba - and they all fetch big $$$ on the classic car market today.
My uncle had a Pacer. He loved it. I thought it was the ugliest thing ever. I hated to be seen in it. I was in my early to mid-teens at the time, so that didn't help.
Most people that owned Pacers like me loved their cars. It was refreshing to drive a car that didn't look like a box on wheels, and the '75 to '77 model years were fairly reliable.
@Dale S. I give AMC credit for trying to be different. I like several of their cars. Still, the Pacer was too out there for my taste as groundbreaking as it may have been.
I always liked the Elite body style.
As for the 77-79 Lebaron, if you put a pinstripe along the body line of the coupe it would make it stand out more. Just my 2 cents. Great video, as always!!
I agree with you on the Elite. I always like the look of that car. I was going to buy a new 1974 elite when they came out in 1974. A guy in town bought a new elite, just before I was going to buy one. Then I bought a new 1974 mercury cougar, cause I wanted a car nobody else had.
I promise this is just one last thought.. The Mona Lisa when you look at her , she’s really kind of a chubby cow with no makeup on. She doesn’t even have eyebrows! But everyone considers it to be one of the most beautiful paintings in the world. So to say that anything is ugly or beautiful really is pointless because it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
"sketched a solution on the back of an air sickness bag" 😂LMAO come on that's gotta be folklore. That's just too damn funny to be true.
My nomination for the ugliest 70s car...the '73-'77 Monte Carlo, followed closely by the subsequent Monte iteration. The Elite was no uglier than the Monte.
Adam, I may be the only Elite fan yet I have always liked it. I keep searching for a good example of one today and so far no luck.
You are not the only Elite fan. I have no idea how it would get on a list like this.
When you proclaim the Pontiac Aztek as the ugliest vehicle of all time, I will agree with you completely and wholeheartedly. Thank you,
I'd 100% drive a Gremlin, Matador, or Pacer just because of how interesting and quirky they are. Plus those AMC engines are pretty reliable.
Personally Iike the looks of the AMC Gremlin. I owned a 78 LeBaron. I thought it was stylish. I did get burned on that car though, turned out to have been wrecked and rebuilt. I didn't catch that. Had nothing but mechanical issues the entire time I owned it. Everything was basically junk. Had shims everywhere that Chrysler products weren't supposed to have them. Transmission failed on day 2, overall not a good car, but I still liked it's appearance.
10:57 I have to stick up for the Le Baron. True, the half-vinyl roof was ugly, as half-vinyl roofs were in nearly every implementation of them, and those vinyl apron things on the doors were an option box that should have gone unchecked. But the other quirks of the car strike me as a successful way to make the boring Aspen/Volare into something distinctive. I think the coke-bottle lines of the rear side windows and fenders flow smoothly alongside the curved rear glass and the trunk bulge, giving buyers a relief from the 3-box downsized look that was taking over at the time. I can see why, in retrospect, some might equate the "upside down" front lights with the modified wagon Chevy Chase drove in "Vacation II", but they never bothered me. I can't imagine the oddities of the Le Baron being even noticeable enough to put the car in the same league with the Matador coupe, the Gremlin, or even Ford's awkward "basket handle" coupes of that era. The boxified "update" for 1980 (13:28), with the old roofline hiding obviously in the gap, actually bothers me a lot more than the embellishments of the 1970s versions.
Adam, I am not sure if you've done a video on the Checker, but I think it deserves one. It was, in my opinion, a true American classic. They even sold a few civilian cars, in one of which I got to ride as a teenager. It was great fun and not comparable to any other car on the road. Getting a Checker cab in NYC was always much better than anything else.
They were the best because they were purpose-built to be a cab. I worked on a few of those; the drivetrain in the later ones was right out of a Chevy - nothing special.
@@sking2173 Nothing special mechanically, that's for sure, but great to ride in.
I had a couple of checker vids pop in my feed lately. Good stuff, at least I got to ride in one 2-3 times as a kid.
I enjoyed your list, Adam, though I do have a soft spot for the Versailles. FYI, its best sales year was 1979 with 21,007 sold.
I think the Versailles is gorgeous, though you'd have to be a fool to pay a premium price for a tarted up Monarch. I actually owned the third product similar to these two: a used 1975 Ford Granada. I was young and stupid when I bought it used because I liked its looks, including a vinyl half-top with opera windows. Within a couple of years the silver paint on the hood and trunk decks completely fell off, leaving them primer pink. It was also unreliable. For a period of time in 1980 the car wouldn't start and I was too broke to get it fixed. When I got the money to do so, I discovered that some misbegotten car thief had drilled out the ignition to try and hotwired it but the darn thing wouldn't start for him, either. My next car was a Toyota Corolla!
I knew you’d be upset ;)
@@RareClassicCars LOL, you know me well!
I don't think AMC should get a pass. They styled the 1st gen Javelin/AMX which were very pretty so they knew how to make an attractive car. I don't even think the Gremlin and Pacer are all that bad. The Matador however is just awful from every angle. The last Ambassadors with the "nose" are pretty bad too.
When I got my drivers license at 16 I was given a metallic purple ‘73 Gemlin X, with a 5.0liter V8(304c.I.d,) three speed on the floor, by my mother, it would get sideways in first and second and get rubber in third, nothing at my high school could touch it up to a 110 mph where it topped out due to the gearing, very quick, fun car to drive, wish I still had it!!! 😄😄😄
My spinster aunt's had a 1978 LeBarron sedan. With all the options in a bronze color. The power locks would freeze easy in the winter. She sold it 86 because it had a stalling issue. The guy she sold it to still drove it for several more years until I heard the rear leaf springs gave way.
Aww... picking on the Gremlin, my first car. A friend of my dad said it was so ugly it was kind of cute, and I sort of agreed... sort of. It was really poorly built, and even though mine was new it had several problems during the time I owned it for three-ish years. Things like a broken exhaust pipe that fractured where it went over the rear axle and melted the carpet liner in the storage area (and warped much of my record collection), or the rear wind deflector above the hatch that cracked and fell off the car while driving on the freeway, or the mechanical choke that stopped working in the car's 2nd winter. There were other fit and finish things, but they seemed normal for that car. But it got me around the upper midwest even when parts were falling off, so it has a certain weird fondness for me.
I still have a harvest gold fridge in the garage, it's outlasted 2 new kitchen fridges.
The Versailles used to be a great way to get a 9" rear with disk brakes for hot rod projects.
I love the Matador coupe, but I'm kind of an AMC geek.
Great topic and thanks for sharing! I can agree on some of these, but I've never understood the hatred for the Gremlin. Frankly, given AMC's limited reproduce constraints, I always found the Gremlin to be quite clever. Our family had a '74 Gremlin with a 258 6-cyl, and the huge steel bumpers now in front and rear for the first time. It was an incredibly reliable and accommodating car, with a column mounted AT and bench seat that could actually seat three in the front, and two in the back. I would have picked the '74-78 AMC Matador sedan for this list. While the coupe was 'unique', the 'stump' in front of this model of the Matador just made no sense, particularly in the midst of the gas crisis. I'm also not a big fan of the '77-'79 Lebaron - the general front end design was meant to be 'different' for the time, but it was admittedly not executed well. But I can't say it's as ugly as the Elite, or even the Montego during the same timeframe.
The Ford Elite looks boss to me. Also have grown to love the Gremlin.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with these choices. The Versailles may have been an obvious Granada sedan with a Continental-ish modified body, but it still wasn't bad looking. And it did usher in clearcoat paint, halogen headlamps, and Ford's computer engine management systems. The Ford Elite also looked good, imo. I'll take one with the rare 460! I wouldn't say the Gremlin was a horrible looking car either. If any of em came with a factory 4 speed, I'll take that! Even the Citi Car wasn't ugly in an eyesore way. It had character, and was quite entertaining with the wire hub caps, and huge bumpers. The only thing I'd change is I'd replace the electric motor with maybe a Kawasaki twin cylinder, or perhaps a Harley V-Twin! It would be a great way to get attention! That wedge shape, wire hub caps, jutting bumpers, and that iconic Harley sound! 😁 And the LeBaron may be another bland grandpa car, but it wasn't bad looking. Nope, none of those cars looked worse than the Pacer! The Matador coupe is OK. Another ugly car was the 1980 Seville. It looked like it was rammed in the end by a Mack truck! The 58 Edsel just didn't do it in the looks department. And the worst of all was a Japanese brand, the Nissan Cube. It looked like a space mutant!
I recall how popular the Cube was when it came out, cuz kids would jam giant stereo systems or gaming pods in the back and goof off in empty parking lots. Anyhow, the Versailles had lots of new tech slammed into a well used platform. Great ideas but just as the Chrysler ELB, too much too soon. 9 inch axle with disc brakes! Except the brakes would stop working, ( same with GM Eldorado etc) if 1 didn't use the parking brake often enough.. Variable Venturi Carbs...neat idea in theory, but an vacuum bladder that couldn't take the heat, and then add feedback controls for Cali models as well as 1980 federal, and yeah, Ford launched a recall to return them to a regular Motorcraft 2bbl. TFI which was great, but they mounted the module on the distributor...Adam likes to pick on Chrysler ballast resistors, but if you owned a Ford from 78 to 94ish, you better have a spare ign module in the glovebox with the proper tool to change it out. I still have 1 in my tool box.
1 thing of note.. If a Chrysler ELB/ELC computer failed, it would go into a fixed timing routine so 1 could get home, or a dealer, etc. If the internal ignition transistor failed, well, then 1 called a tow truck..
Parent had an Elite with the 460, Canada-spec emissions with dual exhaust, no converters. Went very well and could smoke the tires at will.
I agree with you in regard to the CUBE. Completely ugly. It looks like a Box with wheels, melting.
These opinions come from someone who has seemingly cornered the market on 74 Mercurys, so there is that.
The Ford Elite spawned the later ‘70’s Thunderbird. I always liked it.
6:40 The Gremlin was actually quite popular, and considered to be attractive due to its unique styling. Even with the base 199 cubic inch inline six (first year) it provided better performance than the competing Vega and Pinto, which were themselves quicker than any version of the Volkswagen Beetle or Super Beetle.
The Gremlin soldiered on after the name was retired with an airier greenhouse and the name _Spirit_ and the Spirit spun off a very capable subcompact companion to AMC's Concord-based four-wheel-drive Eagle. Both sizes of the Eagle are highly desirable models today.
As a 9 year old in 1974 and living next door to an AMC dealership, even I knew the Matador was sad. And the new car sticker and grease penciled sales messages on the windshield helped cover up the cheap interior.😂
In 1974 I was twelve and the parents of class mates of mine also owned an AMC dealership which was all of three blocks from home. I agree with you even at that time we all considered the new Matador as ghastly. It was a joke to us.
I remember drawing pictures of the Matador when I was 9 and I did a damn good job of capturing it .😄
Oh man! I, too, as a child, thought the Matador was the ugliest car I'd ever seen!
I was a teenager in 1970 and saw all of these cars running about town with the exception of the Citicar (which I agree is butt ugly). The rest of the choices I'm either okay with or really like the designs. The Gremlin, in particular, is a fun design and I still like it a lot. The one thing I didn't like about 1970's car design was the stylish fronts and rears being squared off and those 5 mph bumpers being added.
What's interesting to me is that those so called 5 mph bumpers are a battering ram in today's world. I recall in 1986 when my dad had his 1976 Cordoba, yes with the leather...and he hit a guy that ran a red light in his VW Rabbit which got bent into a U. The fireman had to cut that guy out of the car. Dad went home after the police on the scene released him with not a scratch. His car? The bumper suffered a couple scrapes, and 1 of the turn signal lenses popped out. That was it. The bumper shocks came back out about 4 hrs after the crash, as designed. Several yrs ago, a lady backed into my 79 300, again on the Cordoba platform, B body. She had an older Altima. Her car folded up at the rear enough to where she couldn't drive it. My 300 suffered broken bumper rub strips and a cracked grill, which i was very upset about! I still have it hanging in my garage. State Farm had no idea how to quote a new 1, and it took me 7 yrs to find 1 in good enough condition to replace it.
I'm right with you except for the Matador coupe.
Nobody could do more with less than good ol' AMC.
Though it had it's styling quirks, it had a sleek & sporty look at a time when everyone else was doing vertical lines and faux Rolls Royce grills...
They are almost all better than any bland modern car... Everything is gray/silver/white and have no personality
The Gremlin is an icon. You should never have included it.
Great video as always. I have to respectfully agree to disagree regarding the Ford Elite. I would say the ugliest car of the 1970's was the 1972 Dodge Polara. I do agree about the Versailles, a victim of being rushed to the market. It's a shame is was axed in 1980 as the 1981 prototype looked rather good on the Fox platform.
I’m amazed you didn’t choose the AMC Pacer
To me the Chrysler always looked like it took the headlight section from the Cadillac fleetwood and flipped them upside down.
You and I usually agree on cars. I love all of the cars you feature. Here is where we have differing opinions. The 1977/78 Lincoln Versailles was a really nice upgrade from the Monarch. Beautiful front end, elegant interior with hand stitched leather dash pad and console. I didn't like the roofline of the 79/80 Versailles. The Elite was a competitor to the personal luxury cars of the day. It came out in February 1974 as a 1974 1/2 model under Gran Torino Elite moniker. Still sold 94,000 units in its short 1974 model year. Became just Elite in 1975. It was advertised as a trimmer car in the Thunderbird Tradition. In 1977, the Thunderbird would take that platform and, in 3 years, became the best-selling Thunderbird of all time. It hit the market before the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. All in all the Elite was not a bad looking car when you look at through a 1974 lens. In 2023 it definitely leaves one with questions about why twin opera windows or opera windows at all. The huge bumpers didn't help either. Since the Elite was basically a Montego with a Torino nameplate, Ford was trying to make the Elite look as different as possible, considering three other Ford cars were pretty much the same car. Torino, Elite, Montego, and Cougar. The Seville did a fantastic job of not looking like a Nova, at least better than Ford with the Versailles. Seville debuted as a 1975 model in May of 1975 as a 1975 model. The LeBaron is one of those cars that I can see people going wow, what were they drinking when they designed that car, especially the 2 door. I am probably one of the few out there that absolutely fell in love with that car when it debuted in April 1977. Make mine a 2 door Medallion with leather interior. Cast aluminum wheels and a 360 V-8. You could even get a floor mounted stick shift in that car. It was the car that was pretending to compete with Seville and Versailles. The LeBaron/Diplomat were prices way under both the Seville and the Versailles, but were a step above Granada, Monarch, Aspen, Volare, Nova etc. I get it with the front end of the LeBaron. It is weird, but the front of the 1977 Dodge Diplomat has a much better-looking front end than LeBaron. Basically the same car otherwise.
Well said.
Gremlin wasn’t a bad looking car, they sold pretty well
Adam, I own two 78 Oldsmobiles. One a rare Cutlass Salon Brougham coupe with an Olda 260 V8 and today, I acquired a 78 Olds Holiday 88 coupe with the rare Y88 option, bucket seats with console. It also has the Olds 350 V8, 48k on the odometer. At least Oldsmobile built some nice cars in the 70's. Col Steve
The Cutlass was the hottest car of the 1970's. I have owned 4 of them during my lifetime.
Almond is an '80s color. You are referring to the '70s color called "harvest gold."
This video loses all credibility when he mentions the 1974 to 76 Ford Elite. They are beautiful and well designed. :)
Adam,
I have to disagree with you on this video. I loved the LeBarons, especially the coupe, and owned a 78 at the time. The trunk was really sharp looking. I also loved the Versailles and Elite! The Gremlin wasn't my cup of tea, but not bad. Perhaps you had to be a teenager then to love these cars, but I did and still do! :)
Well, no one could argue that the Matador and Pacer were just "butt ugly". The Versailles looked like a "pimpmobile". The Elite was "OK", just overstyled in an attempt to compete with Monte Carlo. The poor ol Gremlin was ugly but seemed to have a cult type following. The Lebaron was a swing and a miss as well, although the later model four door models looked OK.
The VW designed 2.0L 4-cyl engine used by AMC in later Gremlins was also used in the Porsche 924. Their later 944 (1982-91) used a totally different 2.5L 4-cyl designed by Porsche and in effect half of the 5.0L V8 used in their 928 flagship.
If memory serves me right that engine started out as the engine in the Audi 100.
Also installed in AM General postal jeeps for a few years. It was a pretty decent engine, but very susceptible to cam lobe and follower wear. Frequent oil changes and valve adjustments were a must.
@@keithstudly6071 - yes, but he referred directly to it coming from Porsche and not Audi or VW. That 2.0 engine was a VW 'corporate' design shared amongst the 3 marques and sold to other automakers as well.
I found most designs of the Seventies to be quite attractive...and I generally gravitated toward the big land yachts like the Electra 225 and the New Yorker, but, however, it was the human condition that was fast becoming a joke during this decade, when patriotism was becoming a lonely word, and the masses were gravitating toward all the Toyotas and Nissans of the world!
I think the Versailles was looked at by corporate as more of a placeholder to get them into the market. The real car they came to complete with was the 82 Continental
I never had one of these cars in high school. My uncle never had one and neither did my dad when I was a kid. These cars don't bring back any memories for me. Man, am I glad for all of that.
Same here.
Love the 70’s and would love a green fridge with a woodgrain handle. Better than the stuff made you know where. A cool decade for sure and, along with the late 60’s, my favourite car decade. I don’t like the malaise term. Look at what the manufacturers had to deal with.
Many of those appliances were made to last. Had a big Tappan microwave that worked great and sold it at a yard sale.regret.....
Owned a Plymouth Belvedere wagon with a slant six that wouldn't die.Sold it in 1990 for 500 bucks. Regret
I hear you brother.
My mom drove a ‘73 Gremlin with the Levi interior when I was a little kid. The seats looked great (at least for the era) but on a hot summer day the brass rivets on the seat cloth sure were hot on bare legs. Ouch!
Sir, these cars (all of them) are collector cars today. In fact, not one of them are UGLY or were UGLY. Now, if you can find one of these awesome relics in mint OEM condition you will find that they are worth Thousands more that their original sale price.
Though I'm not a fan of many of these cars - or cars of the late 1970's, generally speaking - I don't really agree that they are ugly. (The one exception would be the Citicar. Those were ugly.) I especially don't agree that the Matador coupe should be an honorable mention. They were unusual looking, but I believe they had very interesting lines. The main visual problem with the Matador coupe was the mandated government bumpers that were put on them, especially in the front. I know most viewers of this channel don't like modified or customized cars - and that usually includes me, too - but I've seen cutomized Matador coupes that had the bumpers removed and they were really very striking and stylish cars. Better looking than much more popular cars that have been customized.
2:30 In the mid-'70s, I remember reading in, I believe it was Road & Track, the "Versailles is a Granada with improvements that could be summed up with one phrase, "rubber mounted."
That was how they accomplished all the separation, just attach a part using a rubber mount. The Seville was a _MUCH_ better implementation of "upgrade meets downgrade."
While I agree with your 1&2 choice, I disagree with the Versailles, Elite and Gremlin. As a child of the 60s growing up in the 70s these were the cars of my time. The Gremlin was just one cool car as well as it’s siblings the Pacer and Matador. The Versailles and Elite were utmost in personal luxury. Oh, and while Avocado was an extremely popular kitchen color, grew up with it in my home, the other color was Harvest Gold. Almond was all the rage in the early 1980s back when I was an International Dance Exercise Association certified Aerobics Instructor. 😉
I like the Gremlin. If they had raised the roof if could have been a compact SUV. Compared to the styling today I don't have major complaints with any of these cars.
Thats what the eagle was
I bet Ford had special materials for the dealerships to teach salesman how to pronounce "Versailles"
Ver Say Lees?
Exactly you know how many people I know and see on UA-cam pronounce Cadillac Eldorado’s Biarritz (correctly pronounced Bar-ITZ) “B-uh-Ritz”
This is a bold statement. But aside from maybe a couple, I still think every car pictured here at least had some effort placed on unique styling during development. Sometimes a little too unique. I am beginning to despise (mainstream) new car styling. They all have a wedge shaped front end; sliver headlights with skinny LED halos; chopped sides with styling cues on the doors and panels that look like damage from a side impact. And now the brands have all changed their badging so you can barely identify it. I guess if you change the badge, folks might mistaken your Kia for a Bentley? I know I'm being a little extreme, but I just don't like the new stuff much...
That was a familiar term to most back then because of “The Treaty of Versailles.
In those days, kids were actually educated in school, versus the social engineering to which kids are exposed today …
That’s right Alexander…And it’s Chevrolet Ka Pree Che…Must be Italian!
You are so far off on the Elite. Nice looking car - many better/worse choices
I respect that you worked in the industry and I appreciate your inside knowledge but I suddenly realize that I am also grateful you did not make design decisions. The leBaron was one of best looking cars of the seventies (they did the boat-tail much better than Buick) and the headlights were a refreshing change; also the Gremlin was really good looking until the 5 mph bumpers were attached. The ugliest car was the Matador which I believe put the final nail in the coffin for AMC. The Pinto and MGB with the later rubber bumpers (one of which I owned at the time) are tied for second ugliest. Even if we disagree on taste I do look forward to your videos for your excellent coverage of manufacturer background information.
Ha. It’s only my opinion and I reserve the right to be wrong. I hate the Lebaron!!!
@@RareClassicCars Dare I ask how you felt about the second gen 1980 to '83 Cordoba? 😉 A friend of mine bought new an '82 model year that was silver with red interior. It was a good looking car in that silver shade but a real miss in the various shades of browns.
@@SchwarzeTulpe not my favorite, but I didn’t find it ugly
Remove that LeanBurn junk from that Lebaron and it would have run as well as a GM V-8 from the same era.
Sadly, the Ford’s all ran like crap …
@@sking2173 This. The desmogged Ford Fe 390 V8 was stupidly awful.
😀Actually that Cadillac Seville wasn’t pretty until they gave it the Gremlin back end! Lol
After reading some of the comments, I see a lot of mixed opinions about the AMC Matador. Personally, I love the design.
The biggest issue with all these cars was those federally-mandated 5 mph front bumpers. I've seen a modified 1974 Matador sans bumper and the transformation was amazing.
The Versailles is just vanilla, I'm surprised anyone would think it's ugly. The Elite I actually like, although the Cougar of this era (of which I own a 74) is basically the same car with a different front end and looks really good in my opinion.
I think some of these are cars you hate the look of rather than actually ugly. For me the Colonnade cars are in this category. I hate the way they look, especially compared to the cars they replaced but I wouldn't call them objectively ugly like the Citicar is.
I admire your perspective. The style of any automobile is, indeed, personal. I have agreed with you on so many levels and respect your opinion on the cars you selected.
To me few cars were truly ugly in the 1970s. My short list would include the 1971 through 1978 Dodge Coronet 4-door sedan,
1971-1974 AMC Javelin, 1974 through 1978 AMC Matador coupe,
1977-1978 Ford LTD II, 1973-1977 Malibu.
The styling winner in my opinion for the 1970s (drum roll) is the 1971-1977 AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon. Yes, there are so many great styled cars of the 1970s, but the Sportabout was the right size at the right time. The detailing was much more intricate than most realize. It was Dick Teague's finest hour.
The ‘71-‘74 Javelin is what the ‘71-‘73 Ford Mustang wished it could have been.
IMO, beautiful car …
I agree most with the Malibu. It was pretty awful. I love the 71/2 Javelin.
I would add an addendum to this list that includes almost all of the 'federalized' imported cars that were sold in North America during this era. As most (except for Saab & Volvo) had never planned the incorporation of impact bumpers into their designs originally, the mashed up end results in most cases were truly hideous and tended to add a lot of weight to either end of the cars.
I actually love almost all of them. Love the unique and sporty special mention Matador, the first of the Versailles, although not as removed from its origins as the Seville, it was good looking (don’t like the second edition formal roofline)…would LOVE to own an Elite, a V8 Gremlin X, or a LeBaron coupe or wagon (nice trims and gorgeous interiors). With you on the Citicar
these are all beautiful cars in my eyes, but i suppose that's what happens when you're born in the 21st century. vehicles were designed with such prowess back then and even the "ugliest" are gems to me. suppose im just sick of the edgy blobs we have now
Id say 70s full size pontiacs with that giant split grill schnoz tops the list.
Gremlins were not ugly, I love AMC gremlins!
Spotted a Citicar car about 10 years ago at Target.
Then later that year we caught one randomly in the driveway in my hometown of an EV enthusiast.
I wonder how many Versailles have been stolen and turned up intact minus the rear end. Also, I didn't think the Elite looked terrible. It wasn't as smooth as the concurrent Cougar, and the '77 T-Bird, which effectively replaced the Elite, also looked better.
One thing the T-Bird didn't have though, was the option of a 460!
Had both a 74 Cougar and a 77 T-Bird. Really liked both of them, and they liked gas!
The LTD II replaced the Elite in 1977 which was essentially the exact same car as the Thunderbird.