5 Ugly But Fun 1970s Cars

The 1970s decade for automobiles was one of the most interesting and radical in terms of change than any other decade before it. Here's the list of the top 5 ugly but fun 1970s cars.

[davidbaker]

Loved my gremlin. Wish I still had it. I abused it for years doing everything from taking it off road to jumping a hill dukes of hazard style (with 5 ppl in it which broke my transmission in 2) but not still ran. It was unstoppable.

[dihydrotestosterone]

The grand am doesn't belong on the list.. 🎉

[dannyg]

The Grand Am was attractive in two or four door. I liked the looks of the Bricklin. Its bumpers were way too large, but I forgive them as they were a tiny manufacturer with very limited resources, trying to meet the new 5 mph bumper laws. The Espada was odd looking, exotic and fast. The Gremlin and Thing were both so homely, they were also sort of cute.

[michiganmotorsports]

It was a good time to be into cars for me.
I was born in '64 and was a car encyclopedia by age 12. Could tell the make of the car by the exhaust sound driving by my house. My parents had me check out all their new cars in the '70s and '80s before they bought them.

[patrickmcgoldrick]

I disagree, I think the 4 door Gran Am was a good looking car whose style is still contemporary today. Great engines, good transmission options., and great handling.A very underated car at the time.

[chrisclermont]

The AMC Gremlin was an incredibly fun car to drive. It would smoke many other cars in its class with it's torquey inline 6. The V8 version was insane!!!

[MrJayrock]

I’m pretty sure the VW Thing was based of the Kubelwagen from WW2, or at very least it’s successor.

[pjcornell]

My Father order and purchased a 1973 4 door white Grand Am with the 455ci engine. He had Von Dutch put a custom paint job on it in 1974... What a Hot car in Scottsdale Arizona back then. And ironically the Bricklin was used as our Scottsdale Police cars in the mid 1970's...

[stanleysteemr]

The cars I thought were ugly back in the day seem much more attractive now. My attitude and vision has changed 64 years later. How did that happen.? lol

[alphawoolf]

Aside from the Pontiac, you were off-base with your picks of ugly cars. The Bricklin, in particular, was a beautiful car.

[draggonsgate]

My Mom had a '74 Gremlin, in this funky blue color that looked lavender/orchid-ish in the shade, with denim interior. It had the 304 with an auto tranny, manual steering and brakes. Oh, and an AM radio. That thing was a beast! My Mom loved that car! It was totaled in '82 when she got hit head on by a Buick Electra and walked away. She bought a loaded '83 Spirit, which she absolutely hated. She traded it the next year for a Daytona Turbo.

[pauldolan]

I learned to drive in a 1973 4 door Garnd Am 400 small block. Corduroy inserts on the front buckets, console shifter, what a sweet ride she was !

[mudman]

The big Lincoln’s were some of the most beautiful cars ever made. They were certainly the most comfortable as well. Rolls Royce luxury took a distant backseat to both Cadillac and Lincoln. The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was gorgeous as well. As was the new Seville.

[richarda]

1972 Gremlin with the 258 straight six and automatic cost $2600 out the door. It had towed a 1000# camper 75 mph down intrastate 10 getting 26 mpg. It was a great all around vehicle.

[vintageflatulence]

Great video. I never owned any of these cars, but I really liked seeing the Grand Ams, Gremlins, and Things. I had a VW Beatle convertible that was great fun, and I have wished many times that I still had that car.

[grandam]

They didn't call it a Gremlin for nothing :-) . But at least it wasn't bland, and if looking for cheap and practical, it was pretty good.

[terry]

Say what you will, but my '77 Buick Century got me through grad school with nothing more than a minor coolant leak. And so comfortable!

[lancerevell]

VW Thing was the civilian version of a West German Army vehicle, basically their equivalent to our Jeep. Essentially a modernized Kubelwagen from WWII.

[unarammer]

I remember a Chevrolet truck commercial in the 1980's "DONT YOU BUY NO UGLY TRUCK!!!"classic...

[kznte]

I used to have a 1975 AMC Gremlin X :) I loved driving that little car because of all the funny looks I got with it, especially on the interstates :) Can you imagine a car like that keeping up with the new modern cars of the time doing 65 mph on the interstates? I loved that car and miss it to this day :)