1977 Chevrolet
To those Car Lust regulars who have read many of my posts and comments, this may seem an odd choice of lust for me. While many denigrate the styling excesses (and overexcesses ) of 1970s American cars, I revel in them. Not the performance, obviously, but the look: the long hoods with their intricately curved quarter panels, huge grills, curves sweeping back to often shortened rear decks, humongous doors and
wheels, all promising a smooth, powerful, luxurious ride. . .well, two out of three isn't bad.
Is it genetic? Well, my dad certainly loved these things, and even though as a teenager I would have abhorred the idea of actually agreeing with him on anything, I discovered later we had very similar thought processes regarding proper automotive design. Cultural, perhaps? We all tend to romanticize most things in vogue during our formative (i.e., mid-late teenage) years, and I am no exception to that rule.
Whatever the reason, I love those highly -- one might say obscenely -- stylized cars with their advertising as over the top as many of the designs and will defend them to my last dying breath. So why on earth would I lust after the quintessential American car that, more than anything, signaled the end of excess and a return to simplicity of at least exterior design? Three words: Change is good.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are very few of us beholding many of these cars and finding them attractive. There has been endless discussion of the whys and wherefores of the source of the design cues that so many American cars from this period embraced. Some posit that, with the reduction in performance (mostly horsepower) that came about with rising insurance rates and mileage and
emissions controls instituted at the time, manufacturers had to do something to stand out from the crowd. Rather than rely on performance, they made the ride smoother and quieter, and chose to hark back to the 1920s and '30s for styling cues to imbue their creations with panache-by-association if not substance.
This is probably far too simplistic since automotive designs take several years to work their way to market and few could have foreseen the various factors that came into effect in the mid-1970s. And the genesis of some of these design cues can already be seen in earlier models.
Whatever the reason car designs from the period are anything but subdued. Loud? Yes. Over the top? Indeed. Demonstrate the high intelligence and refined good taste of those who appreciate them? Well, duh.
As I say, I liked them then and I like them now. But, you know, man does not live by excessive sheetmetal alone, and in 1977 the game changed for American design with the introduction of the New Chevrolet:
The new B-body design was shared by the 1977 Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, but the Chevrolet Impala and Caprice had the highest profile during the introduction. Though in earlier years these weren't quite as heavily stylized as other models such as the Monte Carlo, Buick Century, and Olds Cutlass, these two signaled a fairly radical change in direction for GM and a bellwether for future trends throughout the industry.
The 1977s were rather dramatically downsized. Weight was cut by almost 500 pounds, the wheelbase went from 121.5 to 116 inches, and total length shrank from almost 19 feet to 16.5. Despite this, interior room was actually enlarged. Engines were similarly downsized, with V-6s standard and the largest V-8 available a 350 as opposed to the venerable 454 on earlier models.
Obviously, however, the main distinction was the clean, simple lines of the 1977s. Basically a slightly
curved box, I think its appeal comes from the overall proportions. The 4-door especially is nicely balanced front-to-back with the passenger compartment sitting comfortably in between. A simple
form-following-function design with no mistaking what it's supposed to be: straightforward comfortable transportation for several adults. Sales reflected the popularity of the redesign; including wagons, the Impala and Caprice sold more tha 660,000 as opposed to almost 424,000 in 1976.
It still holds up pretty well, I think. The basic design lasted for 14 years, and they still look fresh and clean today. Many are still soldiering on as taxi cabs and, in the relatively salt-free environs of the Pacific Northwest, many are still driven today by private owners.
The top photo is of a 1976 Grand Prix, which is perhaps my favorite car from that era. The second is a 1975 Thunderbird, one of my dad's favorites. The ad is for 1978 but retains the "New Chevrolet" phrase.
--Anthony Cagle
Chris Hafner on November 12, 2008 at 01:12 PM
I love, love, love these cars. Anthony's post focuses more on the aesthetics, but I hope to tackle my lust for these cars separately before too long.
Anthony Cagle on November 12, 2008 at 01:33 PM
One thing I didn't add is that my absolute favorite from this generation is the Cadillac Seville, seen here: http://www.americandreamcars.com/1979seville042006.htm
I think it's beautiful. I can stare at one for hours. Okay, slight exaggeration, but still. . .something about that thing just blows my skirt up.
David Colborne on November 12, 2008 at 01:41 PM
I don't know if I'd call them "fresh" or "clean", but you can definitely tell that they were starting to step away from the past and started looking a little toward the future. You can definitely see how automotive designers went from that '77 Chevy to the flying wedge Civics that would become ubiquitous within the next 10 years.
Big Chris on November 12, 2008 at 02:03 PM
One of my college roommates had that green Thunderchicken. That exact one (well not the pictured one). He loved it. I hated it. I think eventually he gave it to his dad, and his dad killed it somehow on the farm. I'll stick to my early to mid-70's Chevy's - Impala's especially. No emissions, all boat!
That Car Guy on November 12, 2008 at 02:19 PM
"Now THAT's More Like It... The NEW Chevrolet!" slogan launched the 1977 models... that was as appropriate then as it should be now. To see how well-built these cars were, just go to your local demolition derby and see what survives. I hear the wagons are the most in demand for derbiers.
My favorite car from 1977 was the all-new Thunderbird. It had not one, but TWO half vinyl roofs separated by a body band, and the dual oval opera windows were a sign of the times. Inside, gauges were a-plenty, and the flip-up headlights sealed the deal. Excessive? I hope so. Gaudy? By today's standards, certainly. But please remember these cars were introduced in our Bi-Centennial (calendar) Year, Gerald Ford was Prez, and a peanut farmer from Georgia was campaigning as well.
Thanks for a great article, Anthony... I think I have that brochure!
Will on November 12, 2008 at 04:51 PM
My first car was a 1978 Impala. I have very fond memories of it. It would pass anything but a gas station, as they say.
Owen on November 12, 2008 at 06:13 PM
I had that T-bird - I needed a car for my summer job and a 10 yr old $350 beater was all I could afford. It was rusted, smashed and only mostly functional, but even with a bent rear axle and the resulting vibration, it was the smoothest and most comfortable ride you could ever imagine.
OTOH it was longer than Dad's 65 Bel-Air, but the trunk was too small to fit a picnic cooler. The only place to fit a cooler was in the back seat, with the front seat moved forward. It got 10 MPG, before I got the A/C working (I was afraid to check afterwards).
My older brother ended up taking it to Minneapolis, cameoing in "Purple Rain", and trading it on an AMC/Renault Encore.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on November 12, 2008 at 07:28 PM
At least they got rid of the vinyl roof and the vinyl rub-rail down the side. The B-bodies are still too big for my taste, but at least the design is a lot cleaner than what came before.
Tom on November 13, 2008 at 04:26 PM
I think they looked a lot better before the 5mph bumpers were mandated. That Ford is absolutely hideous. Chevy at least managed to integrate them with the bodywork a lot better than the others.
Gerald HOgan on November 13, 2008 at 04:42 PM
I owned a '75 Monte Carlo - radiator hoses blew out after three months, engine was never the same. I then bought a '77 LTD II like the one pictured. The passenger window never worked smoothly, the radio died after about six months. They were both great "looking" cars, but were really built poorly. I don't believe American car quality got any better until the late 80's. An 82 Buick and an 85 Olds were also poor quality. I have to say my current vehicles (01 F150 Harley and 01 Grand Marquis) have been so good I haven't had any inclination to buy replacements.
Paleo Pat on November 13, 2008 at 04:50 PM
As I said in another related posting. I owned a 76 Lincoln Mark IV. My Buddy Matt owned a '79 Caprice, 305 in it. My Lincoln had a 460. Another friend of mine owned a 76 Monty Carlo. That thing moved too.
Those where the days man... :)
Miles from Kansas on November 13, 2008 at 05:07 PM
As a teenager I drove my parents' 77 Caprice Classic. I left it with seed burn hole marks all over the plush blue velour split bench seats. I was such a brat. Around 1988 I bought a '75 Caprice - the old land yacht style. Both very good cars.
RR Ryan on November 13, 2008 at 05:16 PM
You hit a nerver with the Seville. I had a friend who owned one and hung onto it for years. I loved that car. He eventually traded it in for some Japanese something-or-other. Bummer.
RR Ryan on November 13, 2008 at 05:19 PM
Just a nerve, actually. But, boy, was that a nice car out of the showroom and for several years after. It was that seventies brown-bronze that just seemed right. I'll stop now.
Mike on November 13, 2008 at 05:50 PM
What drugs are you people on?
These 70's pieces of shit are neither technological nor styling standards. let alone performance!
Take any of these models and compare them to their 60's equivalent
Mikey NTH on November 13, 2008 at 05:51 PM
My buddy in high school had a '73 Caprice Classic. It had the 454 and was good for straight line drags.
We had a '77 Monte Carlo that was grandpa's. We got that Florida car in 83, and man, could it move. An acre of hood, no real backseat room (unless the front seats were moved forward, and then all the room I needed). And it could move also. Slamming the pedal to the floor would cause the gas gauge to act as if the carburetor was attached to a toilet tank flush handle, but what a ride.
Mikey NTH on November 13, 2008 at 05:57 PM
Mike - the 1970's styles were over done, very much so. But we did with what we had then. And if you were in high school in the early 1980's, 1970's cars were what were available.
A 1963 Impala was better looking than its iterations a decade later, but they were not available, at least not for the second car of a family.
Heck, anyone would have given two '83 Mustangs for one '65; but it just couldn't be done.
Mike on November 13, 2008 at 06:04 PM
I briefly owned a '75 Cougar in the early 90s, with a 351 Windsor. It had a dead cylinder, used a quart of oil and transmission fluid per *day*, and had completely non-functioning emissions controls that meant I had to get rid of it because I couldn't get it inspected and my apartment was going to tow it (after Dallas County began emissions testing). It also had the nasty habit of just shutting off while driving down the road and refusing to restart for a while (something with the ignition module, I think. I went through four of them). I still loved it and miss it terribly. I wish I could have made repairs to it, but I didn't have a couple of thousand dollars lying around. Give me a vinyl roof, opera windows, a long snout, and 5-mph bumpers (try giving a buddy a push with today's cars) and I'm a happy man.
Steevo on November 13, 2008 at 06:54 PM
I had relatives and friends who owned them, common big American. They were boats and early smog cars moving into an era of increasingly expensive pump gas. Good riddens.
Scott on November 13, 2008 at 06:54 PM
The first car I ever drove was my parents 75 Grand Prix (of course, they traded a 1969 GTO ram air IV for it. Yes, I know, there were only 400 plus 1969 GTO ram air IV's built, but let's not go there). They ended up selling the Grand Prix to a kid who lived next door to us. Later, My grand parents, in Orlando, bought a 1977 Grand Prix for my parents and me and my Dad flew down to pick it up. 19 hours from Orlando, FL to Stow, OH, and it had a sun roof. Big Block 400, 120 mph without trying. To this day, that car (the 77) is the most favorite car I have ever had (even better than the 1964 Chevy Pick up).
Frank on November 13, 2008 at 07:05 PM
My first car back in 82 was a 76 Gran Torino 2 door, brown with a tan vinyl roof and vinyl interior, 351 Windsor, a Radio Shack casette player and graphic equalizer, and the Mercury wire hubcaps off a Monarch. Still to this day it is my favorite car. It was slow, handled as if on water, but it was a smoth ride that you could steer with one finger. Once in a while I even look on E-Bay to see if I can find one worth restoring.
pete on November 13, 2008 at 07:05 PM
Owned a 70 Pontiac Catalina - 50 to 80 in a semi length - "small" 400 big block 'only a quadrajet 2bbl' - 15-18 hwy - drum fronts 'the original antilock (but the stop signs did approach quickly). Could almost follow a tight curve. Glassed the trunk leaks but the front and rear bug screen channels were rotted BAD (as in water flowing inside) and I do not weld (Plus was a 4 door hardtop) so By By. Durned Good Vehicle!
Learned to drive in a 71 Ford wagon and a 73 Impala 350 - wish I could of kept the Impala - Good Vehicle.
Driver's training in a 78 Caprice, owned a 77 Impala 305 - striping and tweeking the 77 305 made it 'not embarrassing'.
Now 460 97 F250(8500 lbs) (same body as 92-96 150) 9 mpg but SNORT - funny thing is the F250 handles S-curves (I took in both) better than a 68 412 VW Squareback.
Bob W. on November 13, 2008 at 07:40 PM
If you really like these big cars, there's good news: thanks to the bailout, you will probably end up owning a piece of the jacked up corporations that once made them. And I think Detroit is going to have a helluva comeback, once they get infused with bailout cash, too. Who knows, if enough Americans (shareholders after the bailout) pipe up, maybe the big three will bring out some updated, but retro-style models that we could all drive responsibly. I'd like to see a hybrid LTD II, or an electric Mustang II King Cobra. Awesome!
John MM on November 14, 2008 at 05:02 AM
During the second gas crisis of 79-80 my Dad had the opportunity to buy a car he always lusted after- a Cadillac. Soon we were the owners of a 73 Calais, white with a blue cloth interior. For my working-class family this car was heaven, long, luxurious, and 10 MPG from the 472.
However, I was an overly socially conscious idiot teenager and the the constant refrains of "save gas we're running out" got to me. I became embarrassed by the excesses of this car. The small rust spots that were cropping up didn't help.
Eventually it got sold for $1,000 and the cash was used for a down payment on two POS used Rabbits, one of which I drove in high school.
Every now and then I search Ebay for early 70's Cadillac's but I've never searched for a Rabbit. I'm older and wiser now.
seguin on November 14, 2008 at 12:36 PM
I also love the 77 Seville. They're really under-appreciated, I guess because some pieces on the exterior don't hold up very well (a la the plastic 5 mph bumper spacers on eighties Cadillacs).