As a decade, the 1970s offered us some ups and downs in the automotive industry. Building upon the previous decade brought us several cars that we were easily able to admire and enjoy, while the oil crisis that took place in the middle of the decade, coupled with new emissions regulations, halted some of the performance development that we admire. With these thoughts in mind, here are some of the fastest cars from the 1970s.
1971 Chevrolet Corvette LS5
This car was a bit of an enigma for the Corvette name. Mired by overheating at high speeds, you couldn’t run it for very long at speeds of 140 mph, but this car was able to reach sixty mph in only 5.7 seconds, which lands it on the list as one of the top performers of the decade. It wasn’t unusual to have some personality flaws in sports cars at this time.
1970 Pontiac Trans Am
This car was one that gave us the excitement and the hard muscle build we want to admire and enjoy when it hit the road. The quarter-mile time for the Trans Am was an exhilarating 14.1 seconds at 103.2 mph while the time to reach sixty mph only took 5.7 seconds. This car is one that invokes the feeling of speed and was easily one of the best on the track.
1978 Porsche 911SC
Porsche had made a serious name for itself by this time and has been one of the premier racing brands on the market for a lot of years. This performance car is one that was able to give us the fun and active drive desired including a sprint to sixty mph that only took 5.5 seconds to complete.
1972 Jaguar E-Type V12
This car is still admired as one of the most potent Jaguar models ever to be built. This impressive model had the sleek style and the attractive features that made it feel like the sexiest car on the market. At the same time, this was a car that was capable of reaching the sixty mph mark in only 5.5 seconds to give you the sprint you want to enjoy.
1971 De Tomaso Pantera
Here is a gorgeous example of a car with a new name that makes sense and gives you a glorious performance to enjoy. When the accelerator is pressed to the floor, this car was able to reach the sixty mph mark in only 5.5 seconds to be one of the fastest cars of the decade. This was a car that everyone wanted to drive and it was easily the hottest of the year.
1979 Porsche 911 Turbo
Before the end of the 1970s, Porsche marked its name once again with the 911 Turbo that was able to give us a fast sprint and the style and handling we’d come to expect from the brand by that time. This car was capable of a run to sixty mph in only 5.4 seconds to be a car that could get up and get things moving.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454
The 454 plaque on the side of this car offered us the information we needed. That told us there was a massive engine under the hood and that this amazing car would be one to get to the end of a fast run with ease. This big beast was capable of making the run to sixty mph in only 5.4 seconds despite its size and incredible weight.
1971 Chevrolet Corvette LS6
This version of the Corvette from 1971 was the performance model desired by all and one that could handle the drive at 140 mph without flinching. The sprint to sixty mph takes only 5.3 seconds in this Corvette and it has the ability to race around the track with a performance package that’s made to leave others behind.
1978 Porsche 911 Turbo
Amazingly, by the end of the 1970s, we were able to see cars that could make the sprint to sixty mph in less than five seconds. This was one of them and the Porsche 911 Turbo from 1978 raced to sixty mph in only 4.9 seconds, which is still a fast time today. This incredible car was a racers delight and one that many still seek today.
1975 Porsche 911 Turbo
Another car that left others in the dust is this Porsche which was capable of reaching the sixty mph mark in as little as 4.9 seconds to offer one of the fastest times of the decade. This car also had the chops to reach 158 mph and never blink an eye as a skilled driver took it around the track to let it show off what it had to offer.
Heart set on a newer model? Opt for the powerful, sleek new Chevrolet Camaro.
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