The Year that was 1975

Michael Schlee

With the American Auto Industry in a crisis like it has never faced before, I thought we could take a look back at the past 100 years of American Vehicles to see the highlights (and lowlights) of an industry on the edge of collapse.

Chevrolet Corvette

This is a new feature that will become a regular segment for this blog.

Key Developments 1975:
• The Gas Crisis is letting up in 1975, but fuel economy is still a huge focus for new cars.
• Catalytic convertors become more common place in vehicles.
• Convertibles go on hiatus after this year due to slow sales and increased government regulation.
• The trend towards smaller vehicles continues.

Top 5 New Models:
• AMC Pacer – Originally designed to house a rotary engine, it was a small but tall and wide car.
• Cadillac Seville – Newest model is much smaller then previous version. Aimed at European car buyers. 180HP 5.7L V8 was standard.
• Chevrolet Cosworth Vega – A sporty sub-compact featured a 2.0L Twincam 4 cylinder with 110HP.
• Chrysler Cordoba – New midsize Chrysler featured 5.2L, 5.9L and 6.6L V8s.
• Ford Granada – Huge seller in 1975 with over 300 000 units sold. Had European styling.

Top 5 ‘Hottest’ Models:
• Bricklin SV1 – The only Canadian designed and built car continued on for a second year. It switched to a 5.8L Ford V8 in 1975.
• Chevrolet Corvette – The last year for Convertible Corvettes for several years. Two 5.7L V8s are available.
• Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds Cutlass Supreme – Still had the muscle car spirit and looks, could be had with a choice of V8s.
• Plymouth Fury – Still looked like a muscle car and could still be had with a 7.2L V8.
• Pontiac Firebird – Although not as powerful as previous models, you could still choose from a large assortment of engines. 4.1L I6, 5.7L V8, 6.6L V8, 7.5L V8