Best cars of the 1970s

THE release of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Gimme Shelter” signaled the end of the Swinging Sixties, and the beginning of a new era. Gone was the optimism of the sixties, replaced by a decade of uncertainty and change, and few songs captured the mood quite like the Stones’ number.

Darkness was certainly descending on the British car industry. The events of the previous decade had put the country at the centre of the motoring world, with the Jaguar E-Type and Mini global hits. Yet it was to be a false dawn.

Although UK car production peaked at 1.92 million vehicles in 1972, a period of rapid decline, government bail-outs, industrial unrest and turmoil followed. The quality of British cars was, at best, patchy, as production was interrupted by strikes. Yet there were a few high points. The Range Rover encapsulated all that was good about the British car industry, while emphasising the inadequacies of cars like the Morris Marina and Austin Allegro.

Then there’s the Rover SD1, a model good enough to scoop the European Car of the Year award in 1977. It was terrific to look at, blessed with a fine interior and, in the case of the 3500 V8, powered by a fabulous engine. But the car was riddled with issues, which tainted its image from the outset, and the SD1 never recovered.

The sad reality is that imported cars were more advanced, their quality better and they were more likely to start on a damp morning. Tellingly, in 1979 British Leyland signed a deal with Honda that would kickstart the Japanese invasion.

Set against that backdrop, we’ve put together a list of some of the best cars of the seventies.

30 Caterham Super Seven

CATERHAM’S decision to secure the rights to the Lotus 7 was a stroke of genius. Although it dated back to 1957, Caterham