Cars (1970s): Books - History and Models

A-Z of Cars of the 1970s (Classic and Sports Car Magazine)

From AC to Zagato, this A-Z offers the enthusiast and invaluable guide to all 1970s models sold in Britain, and Graham Robson's text also makes fascinating reading. An increasing number of Japanese cars came on the scene and as in any period there was the usual complement of doomed enterprises, now forgotten. More than 700 models are dealt with, and all are illustrated.

Firmly established as the most comprehensive illustrated reference works available on the subject, the books in the Classic and Sports Car A-Z series provide unique individual coverage and analysis of every make and model of car sold in Britain, with:
- Photographs of all models
- Production dates and numbers
- Specifications and body types
- Descriptions and recognition features
- Historical notes on all makes.

Information

Author:	Graham Robson
Details:	184 pages, 26 x 19 x 1.5 cm / 10.25 x 7.5 x 0.59 in, paperback
Illustrations:	700 b&w photos
Publisher:	Herridge & Sons Ltd (GB, 2010)
ISBN:	9781906133276

Cars We Loved in the 1970s

The 1970s saw some ground-breaking new metal in British showrooms: the Renault 5 established the new 'supermini' class, the Volkswagen Golf gave the average family car a hatchback and top quality, the Ford Capri made sporty cars available to everyone and, despite all of this, that old favourite the Ford Cortina continued to rule the sales charts.

It was a funny old time to be a driver, and Britain started to experience a love/hate relationship with the four-wheeled machine that previously symbolised nothing but speed and freedom.
The economic rollercoaster sent fuel prices soaring, while the country's roads left something to be desire, and then there was the issue of those cars themselves: it seemed British manufacturers, beset by striking workers and falling quality standards, were stalling as Japan's Datsuns and Toyotas cruised off with contented customers.

Giles Chapman documents the whole turbulent decade stunningly illustrated book, from the cars that dominated our motoring lives to the much-maligned Morris Marina and Reliant Robin actually helped drivers out of a jam.

Information

Author:	Giles Chapman
Details:	160 pages, 15 x 18 x 1 cm / 5.9 x 7.1 x 0.39 in, paperback
Illustrations:	150 colour photos
Publisher:	The History Press Ltd (GB, 2013)
ISBN:	9780752494326

American Cars, 1973-1980 - Every Model, Year by Year

The 1973 oil crisis forced the American automotive industry into a period of dramatic change, marked by stiff foreign competition, tougher product regulations and suddenly altered consumer demand.
With gas prices soaring and the economy in a veritable tailspin, muscle cars and the massive "need-for-speed" engines of the late '60s were out, and fuel efficient compacts were in. By 1980, American manufacturers were churning out some of the most feature laden, yet smallest and most fuel efficient cars they had ever built.

This exhaustive reference work details every model from each of the major American manufacturers from model years 1973 through 1980, including various "captive imports" (e.g. Dodge's Colt, built by Mitsubishi.)
Within each model year, it reports on each manufacturer's significant news and details every model offered: its specifications, powertrain offerings, prices, standard features, major options, and production figures, among other facts. The work is heavily illustrated with approximately 1,300 photographs.

Information

Author:	J."Kelly" Flory
Details:	959 pages, 28 x 20.5 x 5.3 cm / 11 x 8.1 x 2.09 in, hardback
Illustrations:	1381 photos
Publisher:	McFarland & Co Inc (USA, 2010)
ISBN:	9780786443529

Voitures de collection des années 1970

The 1970s marked a turning point in the history of the automobile: awareness of pollution and road safety, and restrictions linked to the oil crisis forced a rethink of engines and led to the design of more economical models.

From the atypical Citroën SM to the astonishing Cadillac Seville, from the spartan Triumph Spitfire to the very popular Renault 5, this book offers collectors a wealth of practical information (ratings, period prices, production figures, technical characteristics) and historical anecdotes on the cars that marked this decade.

Information

Author:	Patrick Lesueur
Details:	256 pages, 26 x 20 cm / 10.25 x 7.9 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Editions E/P/A (F, 2017)
ISBN:	9782851209085

Génération 70 en 70 voitures

Take the wheel of seventy cars from this unique decade. Models that you may have owned or that have made you dream: from the Renault 5 or the Fiat 127 to the DS 23 and the Renault 30 TX, via the Peugeot 304 or the Renault 12 and the Simca 1100. Why not sports cars with the Alpine A310, the Porsche 911 S and the Dino Ferrari 2.4 liters?

The 1970s marked a brutal break between the optimism of the previous decade and the questions of the next. In these pages, you will find the scent of these years adorned with bright colors certainly intended to make us forget the grayness of the events that almost made the automobile disappear.

Information

Author:	Patrice Vergès
Details:	208 pages, 30 x 25 x 2.2 cm / 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.87 in, paperback
Illustrations:	300 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2022)
ISBN:	9791028305314

Les Voitures des Années 1970

A book about cars from the 1970s, when the automobile industry had to reinvent itself. After thirty years of strong growth, the global economy was taking a break: people were talking about the end of the Trente Glorieuses. Car manufacturers had to be creative and modern to maintain demand driven by a public that was still fond of automobiles, but also very knowledgeable.
The offer had never been so vast, with a very strong push from Japanese brands which, as in the motorcycle sector, offered innovative technological solutions combined with high-level manufacturing quality and attractive prices.

Faced with competition that has become global, Europe and France have no choice but to react to stay in the race. Rising road traffic, safety standards, limiting pollutant emissions, particularly in America, the missions of the designers of four-wheelers in the 1970s are not easy, but will give birth to some treasures of ingenuity, performance and design, such as the legendary Renault 5, Peugeot 604, Citroën SM, Range Rover, Mercedes SL...

Finally, the double oil crisis announces a dark future for the automobile, in this industrial society that has become so dependent on black gold!
If the most fragile brands will not resist it, the passion for cars remains no less alive, as demonstrated by the public's enthusiasm for motor racing as well as some colorful productions, including those badged with three letters that have become magical, GTI!

Information

Author:	Jean-Pierre Foucault
Details:	175 pages, 30 x 20.5 x 2.2 cm / 11.8 x 8.1 x 0.87 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Editions Michel Lafon (F, 2014)
ISBN:	9782749923253

Kultautos: Klassiker der 70er und 80er Jahre

Yesterday they were just plain used cars, today they are cult. What used to be bourgeois cars and normal sleds ("Oh dear, my dad had one of those") have arrived in the classic world and are really hip. There are also eternally cool dream cars from the colorful and trendy 70s and 80s.

This book simply contains all the classics of the 1970s and 1980s. No wish is left unfulfilled! Whether you have driven one, always wanted to drive one or just want to learn something about the cars of that time, everyone will get their money's worth with this book.

• A celebration for all car fans from Ascona to Taunus. More than 200 different models from over 70 manufacturers
• Unique foray through two extraordinary automobile decades
• Wonderful piece of contemporary history between the moon flight, disco fever and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Information

Author:	Roland Löwisch
Details:	224 pages, 27.5 x 22 x 2.5 cm / 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.98 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous colour photos
Publisher:	Heel-Verlag GmbH (D, 2018)
ISBN:	9783958436923

Alle Autos der 70er Jahre - 231 PKW-Marken aus 34 Ländern

This magnificent volume presents, with around 950 black and white images, all the cars of the 1970s that have had a decisive influence on the automotive preferences of today's 50+ generation.
The author not only awakens memories, he also describes the history of the vehicles in detail and explains why some of them became dream cars and others did not.

Youngtimer fans and anyone interested in automobile history will find all models from 1971 to 1980 from 34 countries here. In total, this internationally unique compilation contains 231 brands, including a list of the original prices for Germany and Switzerland.

Information

Author:	Roger Gloor
Details:	424 pages, 28.5 x 22 x 2 cm / 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.79 in, paperback
Illustrations:	950 b&w photos
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2022)
ISBN:	9783613044692