40 ’70s Muscle Cars That Failed To Justify The Hype

Cameron Eittreim July 15, 2020

5: Ford Mustang Mach 1

Right on the heels of the Pinto-based Mustang II ,the Mach 1 was released to ignite a final bit of fire into the Mustang lineup. The hype that surrounded this Mustang model was immense because there hadn’t been a special edition model in a while. The result was a car that was lacking in power and had a bunch of bolt-ons. Ford made the Mach-1 look good but performance was lacking.

The values of these Mach-1 models have been steadily increasing. Although this isn’t the best Mach-1 Ford has released, it still has a good deal of nostalgia for it. If you wanted to enjoy a performance ride in the early ’70s. the Mach-1 was a status symbol. The new smog regulations were affecting all performance cars and the Mustang was no exception.

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4: 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The 1970 Monte Carlo is one of the most desirable two-door coupes on the market today. With the V8 engine and a look similar to the Chevelle the Monte Carlo was everything done right. The 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo looked like a mixture of a Cadillac and a Chevy Caprice. The next generation Monte Carlo was overhyped.

There were a lot of benefits to the car such as a luxurious interior and a host of luxury features. But sadly, this Monte Carlo never lived up to the expectations of the second generation. The car had a lot of reliability issues and the design was questionable at best. Because the fuel efficiency was so important during this period, the Monte Carlo tanked.

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3: 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix

There are very few GM cars that were hyped as much as the next Grand Prix was during this period. The 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix is downright ugly. The car was based on the same platform as the Monte Carlo and a host of other GM two-doors. Because cars were suffering from the new fuel regulations around this period, the Grand Prix just couldn’t gain leverage.

Pontiac was the performance division of the GM brand portfolio at the time. The Grand Prix was a lackluster offering and the car pretty much went downhill from here. As time went on, Pontiac was relegated to a rebranded status among the GM lineup. The Grand Prix had a lot of potential to take Pontiac to the next level. We just can’t figure out what the designers were thinking with that nose job.

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2: 1976 Chrysler Cordoba

The ’70s were a tough time for all domestic automakers. Rising gas prices and smog regulations were choking automakers in terms of revenue and horsepower. The problem with the new smog regulations was that the cars were weighed down by heavy bodies and a lack of power. The 1976 Chrysler Cordoba was designed to compete with the Monte Carlo, but the actual car was a mixture of recycled parts.

Although the Cordoba could have built on the success of previous Chrysler performance vehicles, the actual vehicle was lackluster at best. The Cordoba didn’t last very long and the nameplate was retired all together before the turn of the decades. The V8 was notoriously unreliable and the transmission in these cars would go out prematurely as well.

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1: 1974 Plymouth Fury II

Plymouth was one of the innovating brands during the original muscle car era. So when the Fury was reintroduced during the ’70s things got a little interesting. The styling of the car wasn’t that bad to look at, but performance was lacking. The smog regulations didn’t help and the car was overweight. There were a few interesting aspects to the car such as a luxurious interior.

There were quite a few Plymouth coupes that were released during the period. But, the Fury stood out as it shared its platform with the Chrysler Cordoba. Both cars were overhyped at the time and you’d be better off just passing on one altogether. But don’t let the name “fury” fool you because this car is far from furious on the road.

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40 ’70s Muscle Cars That Failed To Justify The Hype

5: Ford Mustang Mach 1

4: 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

3: 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix

2: 1976 Chrysler Cordoba

1: 1974 Plymouth Fury II

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