We just love hatchbacks.
The 3 liter,V6 that had a top speed of 120 MPH in the Gran Turismo styled, lightweight fiberglass bodied 1970 Reliant Scimitar GTE is the reason for the three jets in this image I suppose. It was available in a manual or automatic and had a starting MRSP of just £1,875. Pretty cool looking little ride.
1970 Reliant Scimitar GTE
The front-wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage is still around today, but this generation was produced from 1978 to 1983. It had a maximum of 72 HP. In 1979, they added a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine producing 105 HP. I for one, like (this design) better. (image source: Mitsubishi)
1978 Mitsubishi Mirage
The 1800 and 1802 Touring models were early hatchbacks, designed by Michelotti and had the 1.8 liter engine. BMW started selling these in April of 1971. They featured split folding rear seats, making the large rear hatch extremely useful. Produced until April of 1974, by then, 30,206 were produced.
(image and info courtesy of Classic and Vintage BMW)
1971 BMW 1800 Touring
This 1973 Bertone Innocenti Mini M120L was fetaured as a BaT Exclusive on January 24th of 2013 and I except it will sell fast since it is believed to be one of about five such cars in North America. Penned by Luigi Innocenti of Bertone and was featured in the December 2008 issue of Mini Magazine.
1973 Bertone Innocenti Mini M120L
1974 Ford Pinto 3-door Runabout was a basic car with further improvements to the engine (now with 2000 cc – with an option of 2300 cc), the brakes, (now with front disc brakes as standard) for more efficient fade-resistant braking with little pedal effort and the more refined front and rear suspension. With rack and pinion steering, front bucket seats, 4-speed synchromesh transmission and a welded unitized body, it was America’s best selling economy car. These days, they are hard to come by, but check out the 1973 Ford Pinto Runabout on eBay Motors in this post.
1974 Ford Pinto 3-door Runabout
The 1979 Plymouth Horizon TC3 was an entirely new sports coupe (hatchback) with real road feel and joined the best selling 5-door Horizon. Car and Driver even rated it as one of the most aerodynamically perfect cars built in North America and one of the shortest stopping cars around. Its sleek design using galvanized steel and aluminum alloys also fought corrosion. Standard equipment including an AM/FM Radio, contour front bucket seats, fold down rear seat, radial tires, positive rack and pinion steering, front wheel drive, front disc brakes, and column mounted controls. You even had optional choices like air conditioning, power steering and power brakes, TorqueFlite automatic transmission and a removable glass sunroof.
1979 Plymouth Horizon TC3
Volvo sold its first 1800 in 1961. Since then, the car had gone through thousands of engineering refinements and three designation changes, from the P-1800 to 1800S and in 1970 to the 1800E. In 1971, Volvo introduced the 1800ES. While the shape and style was new, the engineering inside was not and was the result of an 11 year evolutionary process.
In 1970, Volvo replaced the carburetors in their sports cars with an electronic fuel injection system. Coupled with a computer unit under the dashboard, the system metered out the exact amount of fuel the engine required to work at peak efficiency. The result was a cleaner exhaust and cleaner air and in 1971, they made the engine run on 91-octane gasoline which increaser gas mileage and performance and produces even cleaner air.
The B20F four-cylinder, fuel injected engine was bench tested to the equivalent of 90 MPH for 60,000 miles without braking. It has five-main-bearing crankshaft, electronic fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and overflow sensor and a full-flow oil filter. Its 121 cubic inch displacement, with a bore of 3.50 in. and a stroke of 3.15 in. produced an maximum output of 125 HP SAE at 6,000 RPM with 123 lb ft. of torque at 3,500 RPM.
It had a four-speed manual transmission, fully synchronized with remote control linkage and electronically operated overdrive on fourth gear. It was also available with an optional three-speed fully automatic transmission with floor mounted P-R-N-D-2-1 shift quadrant.
The 1800ES roofline was extended to the tail of the car, creating 35 cubic feet of trunk space behind the front seats. Volvo only produced 1657 of this model for the American market.
(source: Volvo)
1971 Volvo 1800ES
Peugeot launched the 104 ZS in 1976. It was powered by a 66 horsepower 1,124cc four-cylinder engine. But the brand was interested in Group 2 racing and in 1979 , launched the Pininfarina designed ZS2. Its power was from a 1,361cc engine developing 93 HP. It was front wheel drive and had a manual transmission. The ZS 2 was only available in 1979 and cost 38,000 Francs. It is a real beauty and, I for one, would buy it today. (thanks to Ran When Parked)
1979 Peugeot 104 ZS2
1976 Mercury Bobcat 3-Door Runabout “Woody” featured a striking new simulated woodgrain option applique of simulated cherry woodgrain on the side and back panels with bright surround moldings. The interior was special too, with standard body-countored bucket seats. Backrests have been designed to give comfortable support as you drive. We ride was smooth, quiet and wide-stanced. A 2.3 liter OHC 4-cylinder engine performed briskly with extensive use of sound deadeners and insulation for a quiet ride. Even the underside of the hood was blanketed with fiberglass to help hush the engine sound. It had rack and pinion steering, front disc brakes and a standard manual. Among other options to help you personalize your Bobcat were a sunroof, forged aluminum wheels and sports vinyl roof.
1976 Mercury Bobcat 3-Door Runabout
For 1978 and 1979, the station wagon from the discontinued Astre series was added to the Sunbird line, as seen here in this 1979 Pontiac Sunbird Sport Safari Station Wagon example. They continued to use the same front fascia as the Astre with Sunbird badging. The 2.3 L engine was simultaneously discontinued.
For the 1979 model year, the Chevrolet‘s 5.0 L (305 cid) V8 engine was made optional in the notchback and hatchback, while the Sunbird Safari wagon continued for its final year with a revised vertical styled grill. The 1979 engine options included the 305-V8, 3.8L-V6 and an 2.5L-I4. (image source: coconv)
1979 Pontiac Sunbird Sport Safari Station Wagon
The 1976 AMC Pacer was the second year of its production, which lasted until 1980. The design explorations for this vehicle started back in 1971 by Richard Teague that Car & Driver magazine called The Flying Fishbowl, and AMC promoted it in 1975 as the first small wide car. Check out this very informative in-depth documentary which tells the true story of the AMC Pacer.
1976 AMC Pacer
Golf Mk1 – 1974 to 1983.
The first full-production Golf rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in March 1974 and was in Volkswagen dealerships that May. In those showrooms, where for decades the Beetle and thus rear-mounted engines and rear-wheel drive had dominated the scene, a new era had thus dawned: that of the transversely mounted front engine and front-wheel drive. This trend had been heralded a short time earlier by the Scirocco and – as the first Volkswagen front-wheel drive car, based on the K70 taken over from NSU – the Passat, launched in 1973. With the launch of the Golf, the highest volume vehicle category had now also been switched to the new technology.
As the successor to the legendary Beetle, of which over 21.5 million units were made, the Golf Mk1 designed by Giorgio Giugiaro had to live up to the great expectations of continuing the success story of what until then was the world’s most successful car. In the spring of 1974, nobody could really be sure that this would indeed be achieved. However, the modern and reliable drive system, the spacious internal layout with a tailgate and fold-down rear seat and ultimately the design as well won over the market to such an extent that production of the one-millionth Golf was already being celebrated in October 1976.
Volkswagen wrote at that time about the new car: “The Golf offers maximum luggage space and safety. It is laid out uncompromisingly for practical use. The low beltline provides clarity, the sloping bonnet allows a clear view of the road right up to just in front of the car and the low rear window makes reversing easy.” And that applies to this day.
Like every Golf thereafter, the first generation too was already a reflection of the progress and automotive trends of its era. Thus, for example, in launching the first Golf GTI (in 1976) Volkswagen heralded the introduction of greater dynamism in this class, while the Golf D (naturally aspirated diesel engine, 1976) and the later Golf GTD (turbodiesel, 1982) marked the breakthrough for diesel cars in the compact segment. In 1979, with the Golf Cabriolet – at times the world’s best-selling open-top car – Volkswagen brought a breath of fresh air into a vehicle category that by that time had long been simply called the ‘Golf class’. 6.72 million units of the first generation Golf, including all derivatives and the Jetta (at that time based on the same body), were sold across every continent of the globe – the Golf had proved itself a worthy successor to the Beetle. (source: Volkswagen)
1974 Volkswagen Golf (Mk1)
The 1978 Ford Fiesta Ghia was engineered and built to exacting standards by Ford of Germany and achieved excellent EPA fuel economy ratings of 46 MPG highway and 34 MPG in the city. Front wheel drive and a transverse-mouned 1.6 liter OHV engine put more over the driving wheels to help improve traction. Its drivability was enhanced by rack-and-pinion steering for more precise control and a MacPherson strut front suspension system for improved directional stability. It had Michelin steel-belted radial tires, front discs brakes, carpeting and a fold-down rear seat. The 3-door Fiesta hatchback was a beautiful value.
1978 Ford Fiesta Ghia
This 1976 AMC Pacer X has the “X” Package, which was available from 1975-1978 in coupe form and consisted of vinyl bucket seats, sports steering wheel and custom trim, as well as a floor-mounted gear shift and front sway bar. The model received exterior chrome features, styled road wheels, Pacer X decals on the doors, and other package identification. It was renamed “Sport” in 1978 and subsequently eliminated.
1976 AMC Pacer X
1976 Ford Pinto Runabout Squire 3-door hatchback was a small, fun and economical car that was fun to drive. The Runabout went on sale five days after it was shown at the 1971 Chicago Auto Show, and has an MSRP of $2,062.
1976 Ford Pinto Runabout Squire