The automotive Dark Age lasted from the Oil Crisis of 1973 arguably up until the mid-1990s. The darkest time of the Dark Age, often known as the Malaise Era, lasted from 1974 until 1985 and was a time when some truly terrible cars rolled out of factories across the world.
A few good cars did manage to sneak out, cars like the Porsche 911, BMW M1, and Buick Regal Grand National. Against the odds, all three were fun to drive, stylish, and are cars we’d still love to own today. That brings us to today’s Thread of the Day, which is inspired by ChaiLatte, who wants to know what your favorite car from that era is. A couple favorites thrown around the forums right now include the Alfa Romeo Montreal and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am of Smokey and the Bandit fame.
What’s your favorite car of the automotive Dark Age? Sound off with your favorite car built between 1974 and 1985 in the comments below.
Top Three Car From The Dark Ages:
1. 67 Chevrolet Camaro
2. 67 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
3. 70 Chevelle SS
3 cars, that really got me into cars when I was a kid. 1. Porsche 911 Turbo 2. Ferrari GTO 3. Lamborghini Countach.
5. 1977-79 Thunderbird, t-top, sports gauge cluster, with buckets, and a 400 cid V8
4. 1984-85 Lincoln Mark VII LSC
3. 1985 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, 5-speed
2. Jaguar XJS convertible
1. 1980 Excalibur w/ 460 cid V8
i miss my old 75 dodge dart. honkin big v8 with decent power and considering its age, awesome gas consumption. I still regret selling it but i sold it for my second favorate car which turn me into a nissan/datsun loyalist, a ’82 datsun 510 hatchback.
there’s quite a few good cars from that era… this topic brought those up XD
I’m gonna go with a couple Oddballs, I’ve come to like the Pacer! and if you put a built 350 in a Vega NOTHING is going to touch you! but I think i’ll go with the 1974-1989 C/K Series trucks, Suburbans and Blazers.
Exactly. Just because the cars from this era didn’t offer the performance of the muscle cars of the 60s and early 70s, there still were some great vehicles during the 70s and 80s.
This era often times gets overlooked, despite that there are still a lot of vehicles from this period that have quite a following among enthusiasts to this day.
Some examples include 5.0 Mustangs, K5 Blazers, Jeep Cherokees, BMW 3-Series, and GM G-Bodies such as the Grand National, Monte Carlo SS. One doesn’t even need to mention the exotics of the day.
The cars of the time may not have offered the raw performance of their predecessors from the 60s and early 70s, but they still had potential.
1978 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Carrera with the 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z (G92 with either the 190 horsepower L69 305 H.O. 5-speed or the 215 horsepower 305 TPI automatic and NO T-Tops) and 1985 & 1/2 Ford SVO Mustang rounding out my podium (an honorable mention goes out to the 1985 Corvette Z51 with the cantankerous 4+3 manual keeping it from glory).
Probably the 1987-1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. They’re quick and comfortable with distinct styling. Which is exactly why I bought one! Haha
Did you not read this, “Sound off with your favorite car built between 1974 and 1985 in the comments below.”
If my comment wasn’t still waiting moderation, you would have read that my 1986 Iroc-Z would have been my pick but it was one year past the range allotted.
So I went with my 1985 Buick Skyhawk T-Type Turbo instead.
“The automotive Dark Age lasted from the Oil Crisis of 1973 arguably up until the mid-1990s.”
And plus the basic design of that model started in 1983. But I just like the refresh better.
1985 thunderbird Turbo’s were nice cars too. Didn’t have the intercooler on the turbo, but still ran well, out handled nearly everything back in the day, and got great gas mileage.
Oh no!!!
My comment is still awaiting moderation.
There are no swearing words, what on earth could need to be moderated!?!
Not being able to comment in a real-time environment ruins the user experience for me.
If all my comments are going to be filtered, I’m just going to stop making comments.
I find it insulting and disrespectful.
Late 80′s early 90′s Ford 5.0L Mustangs, and Datsun 280zx 260z I really like those cars.
I remember my parents buying a 1982 pontiac 6000. I was 4. i can remember my parents liking the styling and the way it drove and handled. They got one with the v6, prob the 2.8. I can remember the interior ripping and falling apart in two years. Engine overheating and leaving us stranded at one of the Carlile auto events close to our home in PA. Computer and electrical problems. Dad traded it in after 3 and half years. Till this day will not even think of buying a GM. Myself i loved the early 80′s Alfa GTV coupe. I first seen it in the 90′s and fell in love. As an 80′s kid i loved the mustang GT, my aunts Iroc Z, and even wanted a cavalier Z24 when i grew up lol.
That gorgeous Alfa GTV has build quality and reliability issues that make the worst GM lemon seem like a late model Camry by comparison. As far as the 6000, you have pretty clear memories of a car bought when you were 4 years old (in fairness I clearly remember car shopping when I was 6). The Pontiac 6000 was the most reliable car made by Pontiac at the end of its’ life (1990) but obviously not at the beginning (1982 was the first year of production and the 6000 would have been an excellent car to wait for the second year before buying). The STE version was one of the first domestic cars to offer truly European road manners, and for that GM and their fallen warrior Pontiac deserve thanks .
Ah, but the sound of the 1980′s GTV6 is worth it to me, though the looks are rather ungainly compared to the 1974 Giulietta 2000 GTV which, by the way, had minimal smog equipment even for the year. It’s regarded as one of the finer handling cars made, and one of the best sounding four-cylinders. Both an ’85 GTV6 and a ’74 GTV are on my list for sure.
I loved my ’79 Datsun 280ZX.
The 77 trans am 72-80 Dodge trucks, grandnational, or 69-82 stingray.
I agree with CKourouklis, good choices. I would also add the Lancia Stratos and 0037 Rally, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Aston-Martin V8 Vantage, Porsche 911 2.7 RS, Turbo, 928 and 924 Carerra GT/S.
Likewise, Mr F – Lancias and Lotus most particularly!
In 1973, I bought a 1973 Pontiac Grand Am…6.5L engine (I think it was 440 cu in in American terms), and like most U.S. cars was a coupe, not a family hauler 4 door. But it got horrible mileage…12 mpg was the best I could get…African Crossfire Mahogany instrument panel and great handling. It had a rubber nose…mid-sized but bigger than today’s misnamed “full sized” cars. Cost $4800 which was very expensive. By then, gas had gone up 35 cents a gallon, too.
I think you mean 396, Dodge had the 440.(just sayin)
The 1973 (cover of September 1972 Motor Trend) to 1975 Pontiac Grand Am was available with 400-cubic-inch (6.5 L) and 455-cubic-inch V8s. I prefer the pre-catalytic converter model years (1973 and 1974) ever since I read about it in the May 1973 issue of Popular Science. I recall that Motor Trend ran an article comparing it, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Buick Century and Oldsmobile Cutlass to a Mercedes-Benz.
I thought the 6.6l was the 400.
You are correct. I had the 400 cu in V8…it was the smaller one. That car was mid-sized then but larger than today’s Charger/Chrysler 300. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Grand National
Mercedes-Benz managed to put good cars on the market– the W126 for instance, I would love to own. As for their contemporaries, they can –and will– rot in the junkyard.
I would have said the Volvo P1800ES but it went out of production in ’73.
I guess I’ll go with the Jaguar E-Type, that stopped in ’74.
Ford RS 200. 0-60 in 3.5 sec? yes please.
Very simply, any Saab Turbo. 99 Turbo. 900 Turbo. 9000 Aero. All were epic.
Well, the Countach made its bones smack in the middle of this era, didn’t it?
Ferrari 308GTB/S was nice to look at at least, and if you want to reach a little before the malaise era as we do with the Countach, the BB512 was noteworthy too. 288GTO sneaked in at the end of that dark age, as did the less lovely but far more iconic Testarossa.
U. S. pickin’s were pathetic. The Mustang finally started finding its way back with the advent of the ’79 FOX, but it would take years for it to reach its potential. The ’82 GM F-cars would need a similar gestation, and only the ’84 Corvette offered sophistication of any kind – and even THAT wasn’t entirely right in the first model year. ’74 – ’78 models from a US manufacturer? Fuggeddabouddit.
There are several 1974-’78 U.S. cars that offered strong performance, including the 1974 Trans Am 455 SD (Super Duty), 1974 Dodge Charger Rallye and Plymouth Road Runner with the 440, all of which only need minor tuning to run with the big boys. On the other end of that truly dark period we have the 1977 Dodge Aspen R/T and Plymouth Volare Road Runner with the 360 V8, the 1977 or ’78 Corvette L-82 with Gymkana suspension and the 1978 W72 Trans Am WS-6, which all offered strong performance for the era (and for any era with minor modifications). The true dark ages for U.S. performance were 1980-’81 when a V8 Mustang offered 115 horsepower and a WS6 Trans Am was a 16 second (if you were lucky) 1/4 mile slug with a Barney Rubble (or is it Fife? apologies to Hanna Barbera and Mayberry) turbo set up.
That would be a yes, the green face is still being moderated which is totally unfair!!! 
Source : wot[dot]motortrend[dot]com
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