(first posted 6/27/2013) For whatever reason, I’ve seen some vehicles recently that have me contemplating the road not taken (ha ha). Here I shall speak of three icons of the Great Brougham Epoch, that I never much cared for back in their heyday but find inexplicably appealing, in a slightly dirty way, now. “Personal Luxury”, how it rolls off the tongue. What sparked this reverie was a momentary glimpse of a well-maintained 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite, seen on the I-45 feeder road just south of the Woodlands, TX, in February of this year.
I was on my way to work, with the sun just coming up, when a dazzling flash off a vast expanse of chromium in the opposing left turn lane caught my attention. I got ahead and pulled into the forecourt of a convenience store long enough to snap off a shot, then marveled at what the camera captured. A Torino with pretensions. Not quite Grand, maybe, but certainly Gran. Nice condition, innit? If you want to know more, JPCavanaugh has a fine writeup on the Elite here.
Considerably less pristine is this example of the car the Elite was built to compete against: the ’73-‘77 Chevy Monte Carlo. The pictured car was found on a side street in Port Arthur, TX, and in case you have never been there, an unfortunately large proportion of the town has just that sort of hard-times look to it.
Finally, here is a somewhat careworn representative of the Elite’s direct successor: a 1977-79 Thunderbird, seen exiting the parking lot of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport. I had just time enough to get a couple shots as the middle-aged driver left the premises. I didn’t want to get too close; the driver seemed in a bit of a hurry and that dog-catching kink in the rear bumper seemed a clear statement that he didn’t much care what got in his way.
Now, to put things in context a bit, none of these were cars I would have ever considered owning when they were new. I hoovered up everything Car & Driver told me in those days, and what it told me, mostly, was that European style and efficiency was where it was at. Thus, during the period represented by these vehicles, my ride of choice was a ’75 Volkswagen Rabbit.
‘Secretly praising’ a lightweight, front-drive three-box sedan Detroit’s engineers may have been, but they certainly weren’t trying too hard to emulate it. My Wascally Wabbit was about as different a car from the parade-float Elite as one could possibly find in vehicles that shared a two-door configuration. It probably weighed half as much, handled rather than wallowed, and although it admittedly turned into a breakdown-prone money sink before it was three years old, it was never less than a complete hoot to drive. The cabin was more office than boudoir, but that was exactly the point, wasn’t it?
Rabbit
Elite – Girls just wanna have fun, obviously
Nevertheless, as I edge ever closer to doddering decrepitude, I’ve developed slightly more of an appreciation for the over-the-top wildness of the vinyl-encrusted, opera-windowed sex machines exemplified here. So, I ask you: assuming I wanted to get my disco chains on, which of these old beasts (if any) would I want in my driveway? To be perfectly honest, it might be one that’s conspicuous by its absence: a ’77 Mercury Cougar. Specifically, one in dark blue, with a mirror-smooth finish that perfectly reflects the lights lining the wet, glistening nighttime streets. One that looks more or less like this:
found at flickr
I’m so ashamed. Well, not really.
Doesn’t matter anyway; I haven’t seen one of these Cougars in years, in any condition. Of the cars actually spotted, clearly the Elite is in the best shape, by miles. Problem is, I just can’t get over how irredeemably ugly it is: a turret-topped cartoon of a vehicle, a festival of unresolved lines and pointless, baroque filigree, looking like a notional owner who spends way too much time on the buffet line. It does have twice the number of opera windows as the others, though.
Although the Monte Carlo probably had the best chassis and drivetrain when new, the one I photographed is just a bit too far gone, and the stacked-headlight versions just don’t do it for me anyway. And not even a half-vinyl top, for cryin’ out loud. It’s positively naked.
Thus my vote would go to the Thunderbird. While based (like my object-of-lust Cougar) on an updated version of the weak-kneed platform under the Elite, and not all that wildly different thematically, it seems considerably leaner and less busy, even if it really isn’t. I’ll take it. That rear bumper seriously needs fixing, though.
I’m open to argument, however. I know there are similar vehicles from the ’74-77 period, such as Cordobas and Grands Prix, that haven’t been mentioned (I haven’t seen any to photograph recently, that’s why). So, what say you? Elite, Monte or T-Bird (or something else entirely)?
If choosing from 1977, it would be a Thunderbird first with a Cordoba and Cougar competing for second.
Chalk it up to watching Charlie’s Angel’s wayyy too much; luckily, it didn’t induce a fever pitch for any Pinto derivative.
Monte Carlo or Grand Prix for me…i’ve always loved the swank of these disco boats compared to the crude tuna cans we’ve got in here in the same times…the fact that these were considered mid-sized cars only boosts the ironic factor 😀 !!
Maybe it’s just the moody twilight-at-speed photo, but I take the Elite from this bunch. Its theme is “chromed-up, big-hipped convertible with top up,” which is what hardtops traditionally were. The T-Bird has that goofy basket handle penalty box, and the Monte’s greenhouse is pining for whatever compact car it was stolen from.
Ugh, now I feel slightly dirty too. 🙂
My parents had a Elite (1976) that they leased new for 2 years.
Absolutely vile automobile!
The suspension was diabolical. Very soft springs and flaccid shock control.
The slightest undulations while cornering would cause the front end to completely wash out and plow ahead. At high speeds, the front would bob up and down like a dipping bird ornament, and the steering felt like the shaft had come adrift of the steering box. It didn’t have the available handling package, which included a rear sway bar and uprated springs and shocks. I don’t know how much this would have helped, but it must have made some difference. It couldn’t be much worse. This package should have been standard, and when they turned these into the ’77 T-Bird, it was.
It was also oddly equipped, having Auto-temp AC, tilt and cruise but no power equipment, stereo ,or really strangely, a rear defroster, this being a Canadian market car.
All in all, this would have been a highly forgettable car, except for one thing. Under that overly long and too heavy-for-the-hinge-springs hood, resided a 460. A Canadian-spec 460. This meant full dual exhaust with no catalyst, and not even resonators. At full song just before the upshift, the pipes emitted a lovely sound. And torque? This thing could burn rubber like no tomorrow, despite it’s 2.75 rear axle. I took it out one day and ran it flat out, pinning the 120 MPH speedo. I have no idea how fast it was going. I remember timing it 0-60 with a stopwatch and taking under 8 seconds. I also remember surprising a fair number of Malaise-era “muscle cars” such as Trans-Ams with it. V8 Mustang IIs (Cobra poohs) it would munch for lunch.
I remember my dad being baffled at the early demise of his rear tires, and getting upset when the penny finally dropped. He hated this car, constantly cussing at it’s 7-9 MPG city fuel economy. Curiously enough, this increased to 22-23 MPG on highway trips at sane speeds (meaning I wasn’t driving).
As far as quality control went, it wasn’t too bad, the only notably defect being the drivers window that fell into the door.It was better put together than the 1978 LeBaron that replaced it. Said replacement necessitated by my dad running it into a pole and the Ford dealers body shop making a botch of the repair.
Aha — There had been a discussion somewhere else once about whether any of those 460 Elites got built and what they were like. It sounds like the answer is, they go like stink, but that’s about it.
IMO the best choice is to forget all these and get a Grand Prix or a Cutlass coupe, or a Cordoba/Magnum/’79 Chrysler 300. I owned a ’77 T-Bird once. I will admit, I was sucked in by the disco-tastic looks. I still think it looks great. However, the driving position (without power seat) gave me back pain, the 302 made it woefully slow, and it has to be one of the least space-efficient cars ever made.
Well, we got none of them new, so I’m going to have to judge from afar, basing my judgement on their aesthetics.
* I don’t normally care for Gran Torinos, but the pictured one looks pretty smart.
* That shape Monte Carlo is quite reasonable looking in other colours and without the stacked headlights – but the pictured one is not a good example.
* T-Birds are hit or miss stylewise for me, depending on generation. The ’77-’79 is in the middle, kind of meh, but the pictured one has a good looking low stance and I like the wheels.
* The ’77 Cougars are okay from the front and side, but around the back the squared off continental-spare bulge just ruins them. Pictured one’s a gorgeous colour though.
If it was me though, I’d be rollin’ in a Lincoln Mark V. Why? Because of the great-looking crisp sharp-edged 80s-esque styling. And also, if I was going to have a 2-door car, I may as well get the most space-inefficient one out there!
+1 on the Mark V
I have a soft spot for the downsized Monte Carlo Paul posted in his article yesterday.
None of these Ford boats appeals to me. The big Monte, maybe.
If we are going to get all dirty and into a Broughamance, I say go big or go home. So it’s the Elite for me. I would have to go out and find some white shoes and a white belt to wear while driving it.
At the time, I would have picked the TBird. I always preferred the straighter lines than the overly voluptuous Elite. The Elite’s use of Cougar rear quarter panels always made the car look a little too hippy.
Agreed that the Monte (or any colonnade) is the best driver of the bunch, but I never warmed up to the cartoonish fender sweeps on those. Also, these did not feel as heavy or as luxurious as the Fords, who did Brougham better than anyone. So, without a Cordoba in the mix, gotta be the Elite. After all, the only reason to choose any of these is to do a full-immersion 70s experience, and the Elite is nothing but.
As long as it’s a 460, or possibly the 1974 only and rare Q-code 351-CJ
When I was very young I remember my grandparents having what I thought was a gran torino. I distinctly remember quad square headlights but I cant find a pic anywhere. Does anyone know what car this is that Im remembering?? I thought it was a mid seventies gran with side by side(not stacked) headlights, it was the same body style as the car in the first pic just with a different nose. Maybe it was a Canadian model of maybe even a mercury model, or it could be that my memories are smashing all the grandparent memories together and making the mental image slightly skewed.
Sounds like a Cougar.
Nope. With stacked quads the closest thing to a Gran Torino would have been its successor the LTD II.
Well the LTD II had the stacked headlights though I could see Ford of Canada continuing with the Gran Torino name instead of adopting the LTD II moniker. So it sounds like a 77-9 Cougar as the only midsize with exposed side by side rectangular headlights. It did have a roof line similar to that used on the Gran Torino and Montego.
It definatly was not a cougar. It definatly had side by side headlights, and it was green with green vinyl roof. This was the first car I remember as a kid and I also remember it because in 84-85 after the transmission went they gave it to my mother and step dad and it sat at the end of our driveway on the dirt road for probably two years before my step dad sold it.
” a turret-topped cartoon of a vehicle, a festival of unresolved lines and pointless, baroque filigree, looking like a notional owner who spends way too much time on the buffet line. “
You write this like it’s a bad thing. If I’m buying an American 70s coupe, I’m going all in.
So Ford Elite.
My choice? Just about anything BUT a Monte Carlo, Thunderbird, Elite, or any other wallowing, pathetic pieces of vinyl roofed fake-luxury encrusted piece of Detroit crap at the time. You’ve just made the Chevy Citation look like a piece of brilliance.
Your just a freaking ray of sunshine aren’t you?
If you dont want to participate…..don’t comment.
If the question was “what Europeon crap wagon would you like spend time with broken down on the side of the road?” and I didn’t have anything nice to say, then I wouldn’t comment, please practice the same courtesy.
This is why I seldom view European car threads or those written by staff I don’t particularly care for — it keeps me from spewing such childish drivel.
My first car was a used 74 Gran Torino – bought for $800 when I was senior in HS in 82. Had it for 4 years during college and sold it for $200.
It was a great first car – it had a few problems – but it always started – even in freezing weather.
So my vote is for the Torino!
Dude, hold out for the Cougar. My parents purchased one of them new in ’77. Gold (not wussy metallic beige, but Bright Gold), chamois 1/2 padded vinyl roof, Bordello Gold interior, 351 Windsor. It drove (and sucked gas) like a pig, but it was SO 70s fabulous!
Why does it seem that every last Elite that I see still moving under its own power is wearing chrome mod wheels? We were tempted by the 77 T Bird in a very seventies pinkish beige silver color that never lasted longer than the payments. My dad bought a beige Monte Carlo instead. That was a pretty good car.
A few months ago I actually saw an Elite on the road and what was it wearing? Chrome mod wheels of course.
Of the ones listed I would have to take the T-Bird. Something about the name more than anything else. Of the cars in that market segment at that time then my choice would be a Grand Prix.
My dad swapped out his 73 Impala for a 76 Rabbit after gas crisis #2. Fun car to drive but probably worst car for dependability ever in the family. Worse than a 80 Citation even. I was in College at time but he had looked at the Datsuns and Toyotas and said they had the power of a riding lawnmower, the drive of the Rabbit sold him on it. A mistake and his, as well as, both me and my brothers only owned foreign branded car.
I’d go with a Cordoba, and considering that in most places it has aged out for smog check, power it with a 440 six barrel. Hey, it’s not like you are going to get mileage anyway.
We had a 73 Monte Carlo, & a 74 Mercury Cougar. The Monte was bought new and kept for about 10 years. It was the first car I remember, our family car and I have very fond memories of it. But my Uncle who was driving an Elite was harsh on it calling it a “Poor man’s Eldorado”, I guess he didnt see the irony while driving a “poor man’s Mark IV”. That Elite was lipstick red with white vinyl roof and a red and white vinyl interior, I mean it was pretty wild looking. Our Monte was metallic baby blue first with a midnight blue vinyl roof, and then when that shredded away in the breeze it was replaced with a white vinyl roof. The interior was midnight blue cloth, my Mother had plastic seat covers installed, and the seats shredded and rot away under the plastic in plain view. So white vinyl seats were eventually sourced for a junk yard and installed in the car. I shudder to think how this all happened less than 10 years after being built. I guess the 74 Cougar was a better car, we got in 1987 and it was in excellent condition. It was lemon meringue yellow with a white vinyl landau roof. The seats were white vinyl over black shag/monkey fur carpet. We kept that car until the wheels fell off trading it in for a used 94 Ford Escort wagon in 1997. Someone said it best about the stable mate Elite..the car wallowed, the front end felt like it was all over the place, and the steering wheel felt like it was not connected to the wheels, It was a frightening car to drive because there was no feedback, sure it went where you pointed it, but you wouldnt know it by holding the steering wheel. At the time I didnt care, I was just learning how to drive, but since I have since driven many more modern cars It’s funny to think back on what isolation chambers these cars were.
I always wanted a 77 Thunderbird, either that or a Mark V.
I would go with the Monte Carlo (or its cousin the Grand Prix) first, and then a big gap down to the Thunderbird/Cougar. I wouldn’t consider the Torino at all, I still remember how they wallowed, even when driven in a straight line. I’m like GGH06 in that I would have never considered any of these when they were knew. I traded a ’73 Nova in on a new Rabbit early in 1978 and it was one of the best cars I have ever owned. I drove the Rabbit until early 1985 and it had something like 115k miles at that point. Other than having to replace the brake master cylinder about 6 months before I got rid of it, the only other things replaced were wear items like pads and batteries. The Rabbit was extremely light and this, more than its 80-90 hp, made it fun to drive. I don’t think I would want to drive a 1970’s Rabbit now but it was certainly fun back then. I know that I am probably in the minority but I think the colonnade Montes look better than the Gen I version. I think a square headlight Monte Carlo would make an excellent “cruising” vehicle.
I remember driving the Rabbit for the first time from Cambridge to Boston, as part of a one night stand I’d guess. Going through tunnels it was so handle-able like nothing i’d driven before. It shifted easier than other manuals, and it accelerated out of turns so nicely. When it came time to buy , i settled on the all new GLC from Mazda in 1981, it was 6 vs. 8,ooo.
Ah, the halcyon, post-Watergate, pre-Ayatollah, malaise-era days of the seventies. Choosing between a poorly constructed Rabbit and a domestic, brougham-tastic, personal luxo-barge would have been a tough call.
With choices like that, it’s not particularly difficult to understand how the Demming-method, suddenly well-built Toyotas and Hondas got their foothold in the US market during this time. Boring? Yeah, but anvil-reliable in getting you from point A to point B.
I had an Elite the twin of the one in the photo. As already pointed out it was a wallowy barge.
I remember seeing quite a few of those overly angular T-birds as a kid in Houston twenty years ago. In about the same condition as the one in the picture. Even though they looked incredibly ugly to a kid from Europe, there was this near-pathological fascination with those mean-looking brutes… yeah, I’d recommend the ‘bird. The permanently open headlights and bent bumper suit it just fine.
I like my midsize personal luxury barge with some sporting ambitions, so I would go with the 1976 Grand Prix LJ or SJ, last year for the 455, throw the Pontiac 50th Anniversary 2 tone gold package, full gauges, leather and some Hurst Hatches on it while your at it, oh and don’t forget the honeycomb wheels please.
I’ll be down at the jewlery store trying on some pinky rings and gold chains, call me when its washed and ready!
Is that a Pentastar hanging over that Grand Prix? Sacriledge, replace it with a Magnum or Cordoba immediately!
I know, but it was a really good picture, dump the pentagram and get a nice arrow head on that wall!
Call me crazy but I have suspected the front end on this car and the overall vibe recall the original Lincoln Continental…even the trunk lid has a bulge theme. Now I know the GP is suposed to be Duessenburg-ish and I buy that on the earlier version but here I have thought it had more of a Zephyr front end. That red carpet would go nice with the a neon Chief Pontiac in place of that pentastar.
If forced to choose something from that era, I’d be thinking down similar lines. But then – in all reality, if this were 1976, I’d probably be browsing the used car lots for my next ride. Then and now, money don’t grow on trees!
Good thing they’d be stuffed with late ’60s and early ’70s models, ripe for the picking. Nice as it is, I’d take a ’67 GP over that ’76 any day 🙂
Agree: if I have to choose a boat from this era, might as well power it with a Poncho 455!
’77 T-Bird would be the pick for me. I actually liked the crisp styling introduced that year (seriously, much better than the Barge Birds). Plus, who could resist hidden headlights? Or the T-Bird logo emblazoned on the small “Opera Windows”? And it had “Coach Windows” too!
The Elite is one of my least favorite cars of the entire era. Just a bad brougham.
Grand Torino wins. For the time period , the Torino best walked the line between too much and not enough style wise. IMO They were rust buckets for sure, But , the Torino made a impression of tasteful class ….again , taken as it should be for the times.
+1 on the 77 TBird. Not only the crisp styling and popups, but also the much lower price too! It was advertised then at $5,434, a price that included a vinyl roof and even color keyed (!) seatbelts. I bet the 302 was a bit of a dog in it, but what wasn’t back then? Also the advertised Polar White/red roof and interior was really a sharp combo. For some reason white paint with a red interior has always been one of my favorite color combinations.
If I agree to a 77 Thunderbird, I will insist that it be painted Rose Glow. Screw resale.
No idea why I suddenly remembered this color on these. A small town Ford Dealer owned a lake cottage next door to my Dad’s and had a Mark V in this color one summer.
That’s a great color I think pink cars can look great.
I love some of the mid to late 70’s colors, real throwbacks to the late 50’s early 60’s. Some Lincolns have beautiful sea foam greens with matching interiors. Cadillacs with powder blues, I’m so bored with silver, black, white of today.
I had forgotten that these Thunderbirds were pretty nice looking cars, despite how far they had fallen from the days of “Unique in All the World.” That color looks great. My Dad’s 1978 Mark V Cartier was Light Champagne, one of the nicest colors Ford produced during that era.
It is amazing how limited car colors are today. A friend just bought a new top of the line Kia Sorento and that model comes in only three color choices: white, black, or silver.
I love that color! I remember the shade on the Mark V (it was part of the Red/Rose Luxury Group, as I recall), but never knew it was available on the T-Bird too. I really like those wheels too; my Aunt Candy had a ’78 in midnight blue with chamois interior and those wheels. It even had buckets and a console!
Sadly, she loaned it to her idiot niece (on my uncle’s side) and she promptly totalled it. It was replaced with an ice-blue metallic ’86 Park Avenue, which she still has, though she stopped driving about ten years ago.
With the 400M, Car and Driver got a 1978 TBird to go 111 MPH.
Yeah but I bet only in a straight line
Definitely a red over white any year Monte Carlo!
Nevertheless, as I edge ever closer to doddering decrepitude, I’ve developed slightly more of an appreciation for the over-the-top wildness of the vinyl-encrusted, opera-windowed sex machines exemplified here.
Is this what I have to look forward to? Someone hand me a gun, please. 😉
If you only knew the power of the Brougham Side!
Now, now, now. What better way to travel to the Early Bird special at the buffet in West Palm Beach, than in a Pink Brougham with vinyl and opera slits? And coach lamps, in case you lose track of time..
meaning, fall asleep in your soup
…and don’t get going until after dark. Oh, you have a whole WORLD of discovery awaiting you! Shuffleboard…Geritol…Hometown Buffet…Broughammobiles.
Can I opt for the one year only 1975 Plymouth Road Runner with the 400 4-bbl and Star Wars looking “Road Runner” decal on the back of the trunklid? If that’s not brougham-tastic enough, my first choice would one of the Cordoba variants, as long as it still has a big block under the hood, or an AMC Matador coupe.
Of the 3 cars in the article itself, I’ll take the Monte Carlo, well maybe not THAT Monte Carlo. How about Chris Green’s car?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/my-curbside-classic-1976-chevrolet-monte-carlo-landau-hope-you-like-green/
+1 for the 75-76 “Small Fury,” though I’ve never seen the RR package you describe. I need to find some pics of my Dad’s 76 coupe. Metallic blue, white vinyl half-top, white interior with leopard-ish velour inserts.
I like Chris’s car too. Its great condition and that kandy kolor somehow tie everything together, whereas the sad blue MC above looks like a collection of unrelated parts.
Here’s a close-up of the RR trunklid decal I’m talking about.
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2011/01/22/15/28/1975_plymouth_road_runner-pic-1113808374069933114.jpeg
Whoa! Guy who designed that must have left for Atari soon after. 🙂
Holy crap that is cool! That one feature is enough to make me want one of those cars.
None of the above, I would go Euro with either a Capri (still German at the time) or a Scirocco since 77-78 were the years of VW’s SCCA dominance.
My friend had a German 2.3L V6 capri very fast though severely over geared for our speed limit it would have been awesome on a US highway but we didnt have those.
I’ve actaully driven 70’s Monte Carlos and 77 era T-Birds back then, and it’s Chevy all the way. More road feel and better handing overall. But don’t compare to any modern cars.
Drove buddy’s 75 MC a lot, and then was a porter for Budget and hated their T-Birds. I scratched one trying to park it!
My girlfriend in college had a ’76 Monte Carlo that I very much enjoyed driving. However, I would choose a Cutlass Supreme Brougham for its brougham-tastic interior.
Sorry, we must deduct Brougham-points because this interior is not red. 🙁
It’s ok, red is defacto, but green is an acceptable substitute.
That interior is the cats brougham though….very much like a cloth version of the 77-78 Eldorado Biarritz interior, but the Cutlass had it earlier than the Eldo,
As you wish, sir:
The Cutlass is also much more restrained on the outside than the rather tacky Monte Carlo (although I still kinda like the Monte).
That’s a real pretty one. Love the wheels.
GORGEOUS! That’s me right there! Green metallic, white vinyl top, Brougham interior in GREEN: wow. I guess this is a ’77 so it could have a 403 in it.
+1 I think this looks awesome, and I’m not really the biggest fan of these types of cars either!
I would have to point out that the Rabbit’s interior has no pretty girl in a tennis outfit mesmerized by the center console so….
Elite > Rabbit
“Thats right kitten, you go take the Elite to the tennis lessons in the morning, then to the disco dancing classes and then we’ll meet back at my townouse for some Chambord and fondue while we watch some Cannon…..and bring me back a pack of More 120’s if you stop by the AM-PM”
Nice! Though with that diet, she should also grab him some Listerine and Glade while she’s out.
It has to be the Elite for me, I loved them when new and many in the small town I lived in did too. Despite the fact that there was a Pontiac-Olds-Cadillac-GMC dealer in town the Elite was much more popular than the Cutlass or any of the A body specials. The mid size Ford of the era was better than the Colonnades, the interior didn’t fall apart and the doors didn’t start sagging the day after you drove it off the lot.
If I had to chose between the A body specials then it would have to be the Buick Century Luxus/Regal.
While the 5mph bumpers ruined the look of the Grand Torino that looked so good to me in 72 the Elite made them work as good as any from the era.
The downsized T-birds were a let down to me, going from sharing a platform and many styling elements with the Mark to the replacement for the Elite just didn’t do it for me.
Elite more popular than a Cutlass? Where did you live? Dearborn?
Kansas.
I liked the styling of the Cutlass Supreme and Grand Prix best, but the Ford offerings seemed to be much better trimmed inside and better assembled outside.
From what I’ve read, GM’s High Energy Ignition system was the best of the domestics (and most imports, too) during the late 1970s when it came to reliable starting and smooth driveability, so I’d probably go with the Cutlass Supreme first, followed by the Grand Prix.
The non-Lean Burn Chrysler system was the most reliable electronic ignition system from the start. All the others were plagued by failure if the key was left on for any length of time w/o the engine running. GM and Ford did fix that problem after the first year though. The HEI module being mounted in the distributor with the coil meant that a bad spark plug or plug wire would kill the module and using the distributor at engine temp as a heat sink didn’t contribute to their longevity. The material used for the rotors on early HEI and many aftermarket replacements also was not up to the task of the higher voltage so burn through and occasional spot welding the advance weights in place but more commonly no start was common early on. So the HEI was at the bottom of the pack for long term reliability with Chrysler at the top.
Having a rear-mounted distributor makes it aggravating, especially on the Pontiac: those distributors seem to be the “deepest/lowest” mounted..or maybe it’s the high-rising intake that makes the distributors so hard to get to. I have to actually lay across the fender to work on them…even on the Grand Prix.
In the late Seventies my mother had a 74 Cougar which is the stablemate to the Elite. I enjoyed the car because I didn’t try to make it do what it was never intended to do (well, mostly lol. Hey i was a teen). I will agree that the car is visually hideous as a whole, but it abounds with interesting details. The sweep of a fender, the curve of a quarter, and so on.
As for the 77-79 Cougars, they can be found in any condition you want but you do have to haunt CL and be prepared to accept a variation on your desired options. The then-popular chamois over midnight blue has virtually disappeared along with the also popular silvers. Mostly what get listed are the various greens and browns with a few reds now and again
The only one of those Monte Carlos Ive seen had been warmed up and driven enthusiasticly by a local he’d driven it like we do and gone backwards into a large tree he had bought another back half from the US and was going to put it back the way GM had planned he lost this thing at 60mph on a corner I regularly took at 70mph in a Humber 80.
Skyliner you are spoiled with the smooth straight roads that didnt exist up north on the Orewa to Wellsford stretch of HWY one. A Nissan Laurel like yours a late one blew me away on a roundabout yesterday no not a diesel he was bogan black, wides, fins, the lot .First one like that Ive seen his BOV lit off just as I reached up to 11th he had a RB25 label I was 21 tonnes of Certified in a Henogood FM, thats logged and alarmed and recorded so no it wasnt a race. ( Try bing Paul) He was way too fast for my camera
We have a 76 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 in the shop now, it was originally a California car (yet sold new in Las Vegas) owner drove it across country when he relocated here a number of years ago. We are converting it to Federal emissions to clear up some of the drivability gremlins. White with dark red 442 striping, white swivel buckets (that were put there to access the back seat since the seat did not fold up). The owner is the original owner and Japanese!
Swivel buckets are so cool. However you’ve got it backwards, they didn’t fold because you could access the back seat when they swiveled and they swiveled because it was cool.
Ah so not like early captains chairs, yeah swivel is cool the one I saw had been gutted ready to cut and shut so no seats at all.
I’ll take a 1977 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe with Olds 403 power. Or is that cheating?
It kinda is cheating. Which makes me realize — Ford and Chrysler didn’t have anything comparable to a LeSabre Sport Coupe or Delta 88 Holiday in the late ’70s, did they? As in, sport version of the regular full-size car. I suppose the closest might be some variant of the LTD II.
I suppose that’s what the Thunderbird was supposed to be.
If thats cheating, I guess my second choice would be a ’76 Grand Prix.
T-tops, bucket seats, console with floor shifter and tach cluster were all available on the Thunderbird. Few were ordered with these options but they were indeed available!
Hertz had loads of Torino/Montego four door sedans and then the later Elites joined the fleet. Bulbous rear and cabin but the newer, more angular front clip seemed odd then and does still.
The Elite front clip became that for the ’77 LTD II/Cougar (though not the XR-7 Cougar; that was a T-Bird).
My choice of the three would be the Bird but of all the derivatives of the Torino I’d now love to have a ’77 Cougar Villager wagon with the plaid cloth interior!
That’s actually an interesting observation…or one worth revisiting. Back a decade earlier, mix-n-match with front and rear sheetmetal was common. For a time, Rambler had a tradition of: first redoing the front clip; then the rear quarters; then the greenhouse and beltline. Look at the 1957-62 Rebel/Classic and tell me I’m wrong.
Other car lines did it, too, less obviously; although examples escape me. Cadillac, with the Eldorado sheetmetal presaging the Fleetwood by a few years.
Anyway…it was no secret that the 1970s were stressful times for the manufacturers. Emissions demanded technology that didn’t exist yet. CAFE was being debated. And fewer people had disposable cash for new cars; and those that did, demanded NEW! and FRESH!
Lido tried to play the old game. Doubtless he took a page from the stressed builders of the 1960s…and tried to make the Coke-bottle Torino shell last through the Great Brougham Era. Hang a new front clip on a Montego shell and call it the Elite. Square off the greenhouse; give it rectangular stacked quad lights and call it the LTD II. Hide the lamps, give it the basket-handle treatment; put opera windows on it and call it the Bird.
Indicative of how tight was money in those days was that the old Gran Torino instrument panel and dash survived to the last Thunderbird.
It was a mixed bag; but it seduced enough buyers to keep Ford going for another decade.
It certainly was the case that emissions compliance was sucking much of the effort and money from the big 3’s bank account. So yeah they had to keep milking the old product for all they could to stay in the game. In the past they could keep offering the exact same engine for a long time w/o investing any money in it so they had the cash to spend on the body and interior. The fact that the market had become so segmented and new players had entered the game also meant that things like body tooling were not amortized nor wore out as quickly as when they were cranking out hundreds of thousands of the same car every year.
Out of these three? 77 Thunderbird, no contest. I prefer the 77 Cougar over it though and I prefer the Grand Prix over all of them.
The Elite is such a half assed car. Same with the 74-76 Cougars (although I do prefer them to the Elite). They all shared the same 1972 Montego bodyshell and the only differences are where they put the side moldings. Really it was these that set the precedent the Versailles; take a complete car, add tinsel and padding and charge a premium.
The 77-79 Thunderbirds and Cougar XR7s that replaced them were much better. They still showed their intermediate roots but at least the rooflines and front and rear styling cues were distinctly unique to them, which was much more inline with GMs personal luxury cars. The interchangeable dashboards are still a let down though.
I’ve owned my ’76 Monte Carlo for a number of years now. I also owned a ’77 Grand Prix, ’76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, and a ’78 Thunderbird for a while (as “semi-classics”, not when anywhere near new). As noted above, the GMs indeed handle much better and have a much better turning radius. The Thunderbird had a smoother, quieter ride, and seemed much better put together — no failing bumper fillers, no sagging doors that are hard to close, and the interior parts seem hardier. It also felt much less sporty, and more cavelike inside with its massive shelflike dash. One weak point on the Ford is the steering wheel (shared on everything from a Pinto to a Mark V) — extremely delicate plastic parts that are almost always broken on surviving cars. The ’77-79 Thunderbird is a very pretty car, and that’s why I wanted it. But which one do I still have? The Monte. The GP was awesome too, and the Pontiac 400 definitely has more oomph than the Chevy 350. GM was the winner in the ’70s personal semi-luxury coupe game, as far as I’m concerned.
Agreed. I had a ’77 Cougar for a few years, and I still love the styling. But it wasn’t much fun to drive, required lots of attention since it had no connection to the road. It also sucked gas like nobody’s business- mine was the 351-2bbl. As for reliability, I think it was the worst car I have ever owned. But I still love that view over the LONG hood with the cat emblem out front. I would take a ’78 Regal Limited with a V8. Nice styling, much more fun to drive, and those pillow velour seats.
Ford did offer a date-clock on the Cougars & Thunderbirds which is pretty cool…but it wasn’t available with the instrumentation package.
My grandmother’s ’77 had that clock. It was a base model, not a Town Landau, but was loaded with options.
Are people getting over some fear of professing to like cars that aren’t a Sport Sedan in black or silver? It wasn’t that long ago that a subject such as this one, brought up anywhere, would have produced scorn and derision for both the vehicles and anyone unfortunate enough to mention even a passing interest. Now it seems that while there are some detractors the majority are positive
Hey, a newbie. 🙂 There are a few regular posters here that are really into Brougham-era cars, and a bunch of us that like to play “what if…” as in: If I was spending my money on a car from this era and market segment, what would I pick?
It’s a phenomenon peculiar to Curbside Classic. The same question on Jalopnik would elect the response you expect….and maybe that’s one reason I’m here everyday and barely read Jalopnik anymore.
Naw, it’s not just here. I’ve seen it on various forums and blogs with increasing frequency which is why I posted. Hardly a scientific study and I’m not sure what’s behind it but people do seem to be thawing towards the cars of the Seventies.
I was like a year old in 1977, but if I was looking to buy then and wanted to be stylin’ and profilin’ I would probably go with a 77 Cougar like this:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/6370049027_d731829739.jpg
A nice two tone paint in a light color make the car look less imposing and fun to drive.
I’d take the Monte Carlo. I’m partial to them since my parents had a ’74. That car lost its life due to a fuel leak and subsequent engine fire sometime during the early 90’s. I still pine for that car to this day.
Finally I can post here again!!!
I have been trying to log on since Lincoln Week and I couldn’t get the site to let me post.
Anyways, It goes without saying that this story caught my interest 🙂
I suppose that I would have to pick the Cutlass Supreme Brougham first, a 77-78 Cougar XR-7 second, and a 75-77 Cordoba third.
I am sooo posting this at The Brougham Society!!!
facebook.com/TheBroughamSociety
All of your typical trash-talking got you banned? 🙂 That’ll teach you!
Probably the Monte Carlo, even though I’m more of a classic Ford guy.
Although anything with super pillow top mattress seats and ultra overboost power steering and I’m driving on interstate heaven!
Cougar XR-7, with factory fake leather straps on the trunk lid.
The Ford’s seem to have a little more sophistication than the GM models but the thick blocky styling is a turn off for me. I like the wacky, sweeping lines of the Monte Carlo but I have a feeling they were everywhere back then. I’d say either a ’73-75 Luxury LeMans in white with matching top and rally wheels with a blue interior and swivel buckets or ’76-77 Grand Prix in dark blue/white top with rally wheels and blue and/or white interior. Either t-tops or sunroof on them. I’d probably strongly consider a Cutlass too if I could swing it, but those too were pretty common.
Of the models pictured, i’d be torn between the Monte and the Thunderbird. It all boils down to how each of them were optioned. I find the ’77-’79 Thunderbirds to be very attractive cars and the plethora of color and option combinations interests me.
The hidden headlights and “crystal” front turn signal lenses are so classy: even the itty-bitty grille extension under the front bumper is a nice touch. Etched “Thunderbirds” in the opera glass, the standard dished wheelcovers and huge taillights make me think that Ford went all-out on these cars: the sales figures reflected how popular these were.
Some nice options are the body-colored turbine wheels, Analog clock with date and the Quadrasonic Stereo. My favorite shade is of course the dark green.
As much as I like the Thunderbird…it would be tough to pick a favorite if say…its competion was Chris’ Green Monte Carlo.
Wow the best CC ever and I missed it! Always fascinated by the Elites…thought they way-out broughamed the Monte.
If I had an extended choice, I would go a little smaller with the Faimont Futura or Dodge Diplomat; if I had to stay same-sized the Elite or Cougar. Or a Regal!
I spotted this late 70s Cougar (I do not know how you tell the difference between 77-79 T-Bird/Cougar beyond the VIN or door tag). Quite attractive in light green metallic with white vinyl interior and what appears to be 50/50 seats. No floor console not quite buckets but two person seats, much like my Imperial, with only two seat belts.
Interior:
I see chrome surrounds on the taillights which marks it as 77-78 since the 79’s dispensed with that. 79’s also added body color vertical strips in the grille where this one has the thicker chrome bars.
Would be nice if the owner would step it up on his whitewall cleaning methods though. Marks him as either too old to be able to do it anymore, or too young to know what it takes
Very, VERY late to the party, but give me the T-Bird. My Grandma Ruby bought a ’77 T-Bird brand new. It was black with a red pinstripe, black vinyl roof, white bucket-seat interior with red dash, console and carpet, full wheel covers and factory CB radio. I so wanted it for my first car, but she sold it in about 1991, when I was eleven.
Both it and my Aunt Candy’s “basket handle” T-Birds had the console and buckets. It was not until the last 3-4 years that I realized how rare that was, and that most of them had the bench seat.
I once saw a silver one of these with T-tops, bucket seats, console, and full instrumentation: the tops were out and it was parked on the main drag in front of where my stepmother worked in Geneva, IL. This was over twenty years ago.
This beautiful green would be my color choice hands-down.
I love that FoMoCo emerald green too, but Grammy’s ’77 in that black/white/red color combo was super sharp!
I have both. I have a 74 Montego that’s been in the family since new and I also drive a 79 Thunderbird. I am looking for a 78 or 79 Monte Carlo.
I’m a little late here…but i’d go for the t-bird first. I’m bias as i own a 79, but it’s a nice car. Some of the comments are true, like interior room and understeer etc..but u don’t buy one of these cars for those things…you buy for the fun you have driving them. I like the Grand Prix or Mark V also or even a 79 Eldorado… Nice size and advanced engineering. This my T-Bird, t-top and sport pkg.
lets try this again…oh, and no matter what you buy…go for the best original you can find. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!
I’d take the Torino Elite hands down over anything else on the road at the time. Of course it had a heavy front end so I wouldn’t go with more than the normal 351W engine or less. The C-4 transmission is also preferrable. Mine could round a 90 degree corner without even squealing a tire so if you had the right engine and shocks that were decent and you weren’t trying to make it jump off the ground it usually did just fine and without any rear sway bar. Also the parts were a decent price so unlike most all the other cars you could afford to drive it and work on it. The front bumper bar behind the chrome was immense and weighed over 100 pounds easily when new however many are in decrepit condition becasue the bumper bars were steel and unpainted for some reason making them hard to find in decent shape. But on the bright side at least you had none of the classic axle and engine problems of the Chevys and if you got in a wreck you wouldn’t be flattened like a bug as I’ve seen one too many times with cheap compact cars. That coupled with not so outrageously priced parts and the ability to go over 120 MPH and have a place to sleep at night – it’s a car you can actually appreciate,live in and drive. But as with all old cars you’ll have to replace some suspension rubber bushings by now unless you find someone who actually did some of the hard work.
I read here about how floating and unstable the 74 ford Torino Elite was. I must have had a lemon. I had the suspension looked at, repaired and aligned, front and rear, and all I can say is it was about the most comfortable town car, road car that I’ve owned, with the exception of a 1997 Ford F-150 Ext Cab, long box truck. Now there was a ride! Back to the Torino: It was the car I let my daughter drive to and from school and school events. She had an attraction for the car, and it was “HER CAR”. If she had to drive our 85 Pontiac Grand Prix (my wife’s car) it was with reluctance.
I drove it to Camp LeJeune, NC. Now there was an awesome journey. It drove nicely, handled all of the mountain curves, not like a real sports car, but very adequate. It was the 400 M engine, Auto Trans, A/C, and for 1974 standards, did well on the road with 14 to 19 mpg, never worked on the 5 to 6 Percent grades. Like I said, I must have had a lemon. One thing I never would have had done was to have allowed my 14 year old daughter in something that was unstable to drive. She drove it in the wet, the snow, the slick with perfect harmony. Good tires, front and rear are essential in the handling process. Having the suspension inspected and cared for are also an essential. But we made Lemonade from our Torino Elite lemon.
Thanks for the forum,
Dale
Is this still open for discussion? If so, I’d like to throw in my 5 p, too…
It started back in 1985, when I saw that car resting at a gas station. I just had to have it, although it was way too expensive for the young man I used to be then. And I had to convince my parents, as I still lived at their home at that time. I suppose, I was very convincing (or, maybe, annoying, your guess), so the story ended with me owning the car. Other cars came and went, but this beauty stayed for 26 years, and I sold it to a good new home because it was in need of restoratation work that I could not provide.
Ah, the car… It was a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ Golden Anniversary Edition with 400 4bbl engine. You can believe me, there were not many around of them in my home country, Switzerland.
Michael
I would choose the Elite now, back then probably the Cougar my wife and I bought one of the new 84s, loved it. I know that the Elite was just dolled up Torino but I liked the body shape and the front and rear views. Never driven one though. A black Elite was featured in the TV show “Khan” which featured an Asian private eye. I would probably wwnt a GP now they were better optioned with a much nicer standard interior while Chevy spent all the money on the MCs sheet metal. Maybe a 77-78 Regal reall classy.
funny how there always seems to be a trash can in the background when there is a car that is kind of past its prime :). That Monte would have been a nice ride when it was new
For me the 1977 Cutlass Supreme would have been the choice with the Grand Prix close behind. A good friend had the 77 Thunderbird and it was a fine car, just not my style. He loved it and kept it a long time. I know it is not part of this discussion but a 77 Caprice with the F-41 suspension would have been just perfect.
I’m shocked by how little mention the Cordoba received on this post considering it’s popularity. Hell, we all still make “Rich Corinthian Leather” jokes to this day.
Of the three Broughams I’d choose the steel roof Monte Carlo as the sleekest option but given my predilections what I’d really want is the coupe version of the Rabbit since the 77 Scirocco is the last year of the original front end and the second year of fuel injection. of course if I had the money there’s a good chance I’d have sprung for a BMW since the E24 Sharknose came out in 76.
Out of these three I would definitely choose the Thunderbird. The Elite just has too much applique work going on – chrome here, vinyl there, chrome and vinyl on the sides – and the underlying shape does nothing for me. Those funky swoopy curlicues on the Monte’s sides are just awful, and stacked quads ruin anything. That said, if we’d found a GP instead of the Monte, I might well choose that.
Interesting timing on this being posted. This morning I was talking to the local appliance repair guy who was working across the street. I’ve known him for years. He actually owns and sometimes drives a ’74 Elite. It is more of a street machine vibe than you would expect. He built it in the late ’80’s and sold it when he started his business. A couple of years ago he hunted it down on the east coast and bought it back. He had to find a new hood for it as the last owner had a tunnel ram sticking out of it. He said that hood was very hard to find. Then I come inside and get on the computer and find this.
I read a lot above about how the Torino wallows and is very vague steering. I once owned the “truck” version, AKA Ranchero and didn’t find that to really be the case with mine, a ’73. Maybe that was because it lacked power steering. It also had air shocks ( you know, with the rear end slightly up in the air) which may have stiffened the suspension. Of course, I didn’t try to do any road racing with it either. I sure miss that truck.
So, my choice would be “none of the above”. However, a Ranchero, yes.
Omni-Horizon.
If I must pick one of these, then it’ll grudgingly be the Monte Carlo, but I’d much prefer a Caprice or other B-body with four doors and thoughtfully-selected equipment and specifications.
I had a 78 T-Bird; it was my first new car. It was a base model – no a/c, white with red bench seat interior, roll-up windows and AM radio. The nice thing about these was that you could configure them in so many ways. There were seemingly endless interior & exterior upgrades, so that almost no two cars were the same. The downside – interior space was laughable especially the back seat, and it sucked gas. The 302 V8 was a dog, and I was lucky when I got 360 km per tank (Canadian car). But I loved it just the same, and will always have fond memories of it.
None of these cars are my type, but as I worked for Hertz as a transporter in ’77 and ’78 I’ve driven the Thunderbird (several times) and although not the Monte Carlo, I did drive a ’77 Gran Prix which is at least related. Never drove an Elite, think they came out around the time the car I was driving at the time (’74 Datsun 710) but only were offered a few years. Also drove the Mercury Cougar (including a Cougar Wagon, probably in ’78).
My parents owned a ’73 Ranch Wagon back then, so I was used to the Fords (plus Hertz rented mostly Fords back then at least at our location). These were a bit smaller than the Ranch Wagon, but nowdays would be considered large. More than once took a Thunderbird from Dorval airport (maybe did the other way too, or could have been an LTDII)…I was a young guy driving a current model year car with no passengers so I was used to being stopped at the border and having them check the trunk (probably should have checked it myself before leaving to make sure it was empty as it should be).
If I was to get something like these, I’d prefer a Dodge Magnum, which our location had (only one).
A few years later, but similar to the author I owned an A1 VW (a Scirocco rather than a Rabbit) and since then have not strayed from VW having owned 3 in a row including my current (’00) Golf, so you can probably figure out the type of car I prefer…the other VW I owned was an ’86 GTi..