Even MORE 1970s Executive Cars!

I thought I covered all the executive cars from the 1970s in my last video, but as always you’re very knowledgeable, and you spotted a few cars that I missed! If you haven’t seen that video, I’d recommend you watch that first, and there’s a link above. I also said I wasn’t going to talk about Jaguar because it was a little too premium in my opinion, but hey, while we’re talking about other cars why not throw that into the mix as well?
Link to part 1: • The 1970s Executive Ca...
Thanks to Carl Statham for letting me know about the Chrysler Valiant.
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[@BigCar2]

Link to part 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJS9l2pqi6ipmNk

[@doommonger7784]

The British cars rusted just as bad as the Japanese. At that time the anti Japanese British motoring press overdid the negatives against the positives of the Japanese cars. Not until they opened car manufacturing in the UK did the motoring press change tack.🥰

[@DrWhom]

little remark from grammar nazi corner: we say waxing lyrical, not waxing lyrically. For the same reason, in essence, that we say we paint the door red, and not paint the door redly (there is a "hidden copula": so as to _become_ ). What is funny is that this is an education-induced error, as the brain vaguely recalls an English teacher who appeared to say that words modifying verbs must end in -ly.

[@onlyonewhyphy]

1970s Executive Luxury be like: _Have a Headrest!_ ✨✨✨

[@gerarduspoppel2831]

It was a different time😂

[@jonathanperry4189]

TWO wing mirrors 😊

[@Fanboy1222]

It was more about the handling and the the suspension

[@onlyonewhyphy]

@@jonathanperry4189 🤯

[@portnaluinge]

…and plusher velour!

[@marcusnolte7476]

Fun Fact: In Germany, RO 80 owners greeted each other by holding up a number of fingers showing how many exchange engines they had so far

[@TotallyNotASpy1]

This comment nearly made me choke on my tea 😂

[@zweispurmopped]

@@TotallyNotASpy1 Then you know how RO 80 owners felt about repair bills!

[@Akabei01]

@@zweispurmopped Actually, NSU paid the repair bills for replacement engines to save their reputation. Well, it didn't help.

[@zweispurmopped]

@@Akabei01 It did however inspire Audi 80´s wedge-shape of the late Eighties, which undeniably was a really good car, probably the best Audi ever made, and got them away from the grandparents mobility image.

[@Akabei01]

@@zweispurmopped NSU even managed to get the rotary engine reliable after two or three years but the damage was already done. Nobody wanted to buy the car anymore. Yes the Audi 80 B3 and B4 took some design clues from the RO 80. Not the worst choice since the NSU still looked modern in the eighties. ^^

[@Foxonian]

Fun fact. If VW hadn't absorbed NSU, thy would never have been able to develop the Golf and it's successors so quickly since it relied on a lot of NSU front drive tech and VW had been rear engine/rear drive since its inception.

[@pcno2832]

Chrysler's future was saved in a similarly accidental way. While they owned Hillman and Simca, they had Roots designers working on the replacement for the Hillman Avenger and the Simca 1100 and 1200 series, using the mechanical and suspension pieces from the existing Simcas. The Golf-like design from Roots was so appealing, they used an identical shape for the U.S. Omni and Horizon models, despite a totally different strut suspension, different body-panel boundaries to suit their existing American plants and, at first, a VW engine. During their darkest days (after they had already sold off their European operations), the cars were used as the basis for the slightly larger K-car platform that carried them through the 1980s, being worked into minivans, convertibles and a limousine.

[@jonathanperry4189]

I use to love car brochures in early 80's . My dad was traffic police, he'd bring home interesting things they were testing, but even a regular motorway car had me with my face pressed against the window. Happy happy times cars and the memories bring

[@MrDuncl]

How many upmarket brochures and adverts featured a glider aircraft ? In the real world the only glider pilot I know spent all his money on that and drives a Ford B-Max

[@christophetardivat234]

To add more pubfacts, the K70 explanation K = Kolben = piston & 70 kw vs ro 80, rotor = rotary & kw! love the videos, so many memories of this era & its cars!

[@BOABModels]

It's interesting to look at a class of cars from a decade to compare them like this. I'd love a look at saloon cars from the '90s. My friends and I followed the British Touring Car Championship at the time and supported whichever car our dads drove. My dad drove a Vectra so my team was Vauxhall.

[@T.E.S.S.]

John Cleland ftw!

[@BungleBare]

@@T.E.S.S. Subject of Murray Walker’s “he’s going for first!” commentary. 🤣

[@Jay_Speed]

I had a Toyota Crown wagon in Belgium in the seventies, very good car but it rusted away. Even then it never failed me and kept on running.

[@Seltsamisierend]

Damn, a video about executive cars without the GAZ 24 Volga? I like both your videos, they give an interesting look at the market at the time! For most people, the world consists of America, UK, Western Europe, Japan and Australia. There is a lot of underappreciated car culture out there!

[@MrDuncl]

One difference was that anyone in one of those countries could go and buy one of these cars and get delivery without a long wait. No different from a Tesla Model 3 today.

[@gteixeira]

@@MrDuncl Not true, you can buy a Tesla ready for delivery. Only if you want to customize that you need to wait for the factory to build it.

[@MrDuncl]

@@gteixeira My point was that in America, UK, Western Europe, Japan and Australia (the original posters list) you could go in a dealer and easily buy a car (just like a Tesla today). Could the average person in the USSR go in a GAZ showroom and say "I'd like one of those and want to pick it up on Friday" which incidentally you actually could with Russian made Ladas back in 1980s Britain. Cancel Reply

[@gteixeira]

@@MrDuncl Things have moved on quite a bit ever since. If you were the type to have that much money to buy a Volga, you surely would get it on spot. Ladas were the hardest to get, there would be a very long wait, even years. The ZAZ and Moskvitchs were also readily available, but quite crappy even on Soviet standards.

[@GryphLane]

9:23 My mum had one of these and I loved it as a child. The 900cc engine (such as it was) was bulletproof but you could almost see it rusting

[@phrayzar]

My dad had an XJ6, I absolutely loved it. Axminster carpet, quiet, roomy, warm in winter and thirsty as all get go.

[@r.markclayton4821]

I only ever saw one NSU RO 80, in ~1980, it passed me like I was standing still on the M62 near Warrington.

[@cde6505]

I passed my driving test in a Chrysler 180. We had a 1.8 manual and our neighbour oddly enough had a 2.0 auto. Both cars suffered from severe corrosion of the front chassis runners. Ours was welded and repaired twice to my knowledge. Ours burnt a valve out while on holiday.. and we limped home. The viscous fan coupling also failed causing it to overheat.. those were the days..😂

[@area51isreal71]

Ford Australia began exporting Falcons and Fairmonts as well to the UK in 1967. Exports continued up to the late seventies although by that stage I think it was only the luxury LTD. Chrysler Australia also exported a luxury version of the Charger to the UK called the 770. Very enjoyable video mate, thanks for posting.

[@Macoosy]

Wow I’m really surprised to hear this.I’ve had an interest in these cars since I travelled to Australia years ago but had no idea they were sold in uk.I wonder how many are left?

[@area51isreal71]

It would be interesting to find out.@@Macoosy

[@johnd8892]

A vid on the tube called Australia Day at the ACE Cafe ... Shows lots of the survivors as well as more recent rebadged cars. As well as a few Chargers there is also a Chrysler by Chrysler which is rare to find in Australia. 70s Fairlane is another.

[@droningonandonandon]

I had a neighbour when I was a child who was 'high' up in Chrysler/Rootes and I remember really clearly some of the amazing cars he would drive as company cars. One that particularly comes to mind was his bright yellow Chrysler 2 Litre with Black vinyl roof. Compared to all the morris minors and minis and other basic cars on our street, this thing just looked space age. Love your videos. Thank you for making them.

[@peterdixon7975]

Love the trailing of an XJ40 deep dive. The XJ40 is one of the most complete & well developed cars ever to come out of the ashes of BL. Jim Randle & his team achieved truly great things there.

[@jagman84]

The XJ40 was deliberately designed to not allow the V8 engine from Rover to be fitted. It obviously meant that a V12 was a non-starter as well! Hence the complete redesign of the front end to allow it in later cars. The Daimler Double Six soldiered on 'til 1992. It gave me many hours of weekend overtime, working on such a handsome vehicle.

[@davidhinkson8856]

I must say I enjoyed the first part of this video as it brought back memories of my time in the UK and a lot of the cars I loved, like the Granada, Rovers and the other big cars featured. My father actually owned a Peugeot 504 which he replaced with one of those Japanese executive cars, a Toyota Cressida, which became my first car.

[@JuanAlvarez-km6dx]

Would love the same from 80s and 90s (Senator, Omega, R25 and Safrane, 605, XM, Saab 9000, Alfa 164, Lancia Thema, the germans, of course, Rover 800, etc.

[@BigCar2]

Yeah, I'd like to do that.

[@telewiza]

yeah that woulld be nice. In those days the complanes tried to make that kind of cars, nowadays they all gave up. because is buying German cars or Volvos.

[@manofweed1]

Always thought the 2.5 Triumph PI was a very worthy contender in this class of car. One of the few.

[@gwheregwhizz]

The AMC (Rambler) Ambassador was officially sold in the UK until around 1974 and was RHD. They also sold the AMC Pacer for a time, least said about that the better.

[@markhealey9409]

Wow! I never knew any AMC cars were marketed in Britain! 😳😳

[@gwheregwhizz]

Indeed the predecessors; Hudson and Nash (later Rambler) had sold cars in the UK for almost as long as they had been in existence. At one point before WW2, Hudson even assembled cars at Brentford but later decided to make refrigerators here instead! By the 70s, their entire range was available; some like the Matador and Ambassador were advertised as the only American factory built RHD cars sold in the UK (considering AMC sent CKD kits to Australia for local assembly that were RHD and provided RHD cars to the US postal service this was economical for AMC to do). The Ambassador cost around £3100 in 1973, the Matador a bit less so executive prices but by UK standards huge cars for the money. AMC left the UK around 1977/78 shortly after trying to sell the Pacer with no success. There's a famous Motor magazine review where the heading was something like "We road test the Pacer... and wished we hadn't". AMC and the predecessors in the UK would make a great video as the story is both fascinating and bizarre having sold cars here for over 60 years in numbers that made it worthwhile but today the cars are almost forgotten.

[@markhealey9409]

​@@gwheregwhizz interesting! I am English,born here in 1967,but my Mum & I emigrated to Pennsylvania when I was 5 years old,in 1972. I moved back to England alone in 1986,when I was 19. I have always been 'car mad',but didn't realize AMC sold cars here in the 60s & 70s....A guy here in Grantham had a purple AMC Javelin here years ago,but it was left hand drive...that's the only AMC car I ever remember seeing here in Britain. He now has an early 70s Corvette. He had a land yacht Mercury Montclair,I think it was called at one point...even quite a rare car Stateside. I did know Nash built & sold Metropolitans here in Britain & in North America in the 50s & i did know quite a few American cars were sold here pre war & post war...but my knowledge of pre 50s cars is not very good....thanks for the info.

[@johnd8892]

​@@markhealey9409lots of AMC cars sold in Australia too. Australian assembly gave them much higher market share than an US imports. Assembled by long established Australian Motor Industries (AMI). Too similar to AMC so they all kept being called Ramblers. Eg Rambler Javelin, Hornet and Matador. Toyota liked how AMI assembled Toyota's so much they bought the company to concentrate on Toyota's only.

[@markhealey9409]

@@johnd8892 interesting,thanks!

[@martinneumann7783]

Mom and dad didn’t have a driver’s licence. My brother and me grew up without any family car. One spot less where our parents could smoke… Rest in peace, M&P.

[@michaelwitas9482]

I liked how the Jaguar XJ Series 3 was refined and improved but that it did not lose its good looks. It was an old design by the 1980's but it had a style and luxuriousness that the other fine cars lacked. Even though the XJs were not a common sight in the US, I think they sold reasonably well for what they were. The vinyl topped coupe was particularly striking but I saw mostly XJ sedans driving around my area of the US midwest. Many of the cars in this latest Executive Car video were not sold in the USA or we got renamed versions of them for our market. The early Mazda 929 appears to be similar to the RX-4 sold in the US. The Mazda Luce was sold here in the early 1970's but I have never seen one on the road. I don't believe the NSU RO 80 or the VW K80 were sold in the US although its possible that a few could have trickled in. The 1968 US safety standards, and the increasing exhaust emissions standards, made it much harder, going forward, to import lower production foreign cars into the US. VW put its US marketing efforts behind the first generation Audi 100 which sold reasonably well but had a reputation for reliability problems.

[@stephendavies6949]

NSU Ro80: I grew up in the small (but infamous) South Wales mining village of Aberfan. One of my dad's coal-mining mates bought an Ro80: at the time, it turned more heads than the Jenson Interceptor, which the local "big wig" owned!

[@rabit818]

Our neighbor had the 70s Crown, it was fabulous and has unique styling. The Crown is back in the US for 2024 sans the funky style.

[@dubster8086]

Cybertruck of its day? I have to disagree as the RO80 doesn’t look like a 4 year old has designed it! Otherwise great video as always

[@hoedenbesteller]

** WHOOSH** *missing the point*

[@TCO-Peace-harmony-man]

I would rather have a RO80 instead of a cyber what ever

[@seanhershey3390]

The British auto industry is fascinating..thank you for your in depth work…

[@1969Risky]

I remember as a kid that my grandfather's Toyota Crown had cigarette lighters & ashtrays in the back but we as kids never played with them. I bet today's kids would be branding themselves & sticking their tongues on the cigarette lighters with a large section of the car's handbook telling them in large diagrams not to stick it in your mouth.

[@jd_the_cat]

It’s the latest TikTok trend.

[@1969Risky]

@@jd_the_cat Just proves that Gen-X wasn't stupid!

[@jd_the_cat]

@@1969Risky I doubt that there weren’t any people who did that, it’s probably just that the internet didn’t exist yet for it to be publicized.

[@d-d-i]

This kinda makes me hope that you could do video about the Opel's executive lineup, starting from the post-WW2 Kapitän and going all the way thru Admiral-Olympia-Diplomat lineup, ending with the last Senator model in the mid 90's.

[@Fanboy1222]

I love the style of all these cars they look so rough just how a car should look like

[@rome0610]

In 1971 or '72 my father bought a VW K70 (90 hp). The perfect car for a family of five. So it's hard for me to classify this car as an executive car. 😉 I don't want to know how (not if!) overloaded we were as we did our first trip to Scandinavia for vacation with a trunk (boot) full of staff and a big tent borrowed from relatives on the roof...😂

[@robertmarsh3588]

Great video. Thank you. Really makes me nostalgic for such times and reminds me of how car mad I was as a child.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Always loved the RO80. Far ahead of it's time, and reliability problems aside, it was a great car and very enjoyable to drive. Even today, it feels very contemporary. It's a great shame that VAG Group never used a VW or Audi engine in place of the Wankel. With a more conventional powerplant, it could, and should have been a whole lot more successful than it was.

[@edgarbeat2851]

Audi fitted KKM871 motors to 20 prototype audi 100 saloons have a Google. They also built converted a fully loaded Audi 200 79/ 80 with a KKM871 rotoary engine it still survives. Dr Wankels personal car gifted to him. I wish they produced more. I own a very early C2 saloon R prefix I believe built within 6months of C2 production. Its older and more original than audi traditions 78 saloon. I commented further up in the comments and provided link to pics.

[@edgarbeat2851]

I did toy with the idea of building a replica of a Rotor powered c2 100 as parts for my C2 are hard to find. I love have the Audi 100 has that Ro/80 feel and is surprisingly well built. I'd love to try an Ro/80 I'm 39 but was always fascinated by them.

[@maxheadroom22and26]

In a german vintage car magazine i read years ago that there was a large number (at least more than 100) of Ro80s converted to V4 engines from Ford when the wankel engine appeared to be unreliable.

[@edgarbeat2851]

@@maxheadroom22and26 A shame considering Mazda got it right.

[@millinutz]

If you've never highlighted the RO 80 in a video of its own, I would be very interested to see you do so.... please!

[@BigCar2]

One day!

[@donmarfil9986]

@@BigCar2 if you do so and i'm looking forward to it, have a little nitpick: Nobody (in Germany at least) called it the "r-o 80", but the "Ro 80", Keep up the great work!

[@seizebreizh]

Hello, thanks for those two videos. I live in France and I am the owner of a Renault 16 TL from 1974. I just want to add this precision from France. I saw that you mentioned the DS (a legend) and the Peugeot 504, released in 1968. And then for the 70s the Renault 30/20. The difference between those companies is that when Citroen was part of the executive market with the DS and then the CX, Peugeot and Renault in the end of the 60s had one car both for workers and for executives. Two uncles of mine, who were workers, had a Renault 16 TL. Executives went for Renault 16 TS and then after 1973 the Renault 16 TX was their choice, with all the features you can get in a modern car. For example, the TX was the first to get a central locking in France. For Peugeot you could get a 504 low end (is it OK ?) or a 504 "Injection" which was for executive people. When Peugeot choose to put the big 604 on the market it was a big decision. Renault (a public company at that time decided to reproduce the R16 scheme with the Renault 30 and then the lower Renault 20, with different versions to offer plenty of choices. The R16 was so popular that it was produce until 1980, but in a lower version, clearly cheaper. I made a blog (in french) 10 years ago on the R16 (renault16.wordpress.com/) with a world map of the R16 owners... Congrats for you channel. I never miss a video. Take care. Bruno

[@abandonedtube]

My Dad owned a Datsun C210 Coupé "Skyline GT". It had the 2.4l straight 6. He fitted 240z alloy wheels to it. He had it from new and kept it all the way up till his death this year. I have many happy memories of being driven in that car.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Do you now have it...or another member of the family?

[@abandonedtube]

We unfortunately had to sell it.

[@RCmadness888]

A brilliant show! Thank you!

[@ekim000]

Love your stuff. Been watching your content for some time and whilst it's always satisfied in terms of research and information delivery it keeps getting more entertaining. Thanks!

[@timcameron9023]

RO80 always was, always will be gorgeous

[@te71se]

this is why you are one of my favourite YT channels!

[@MrLurchsThings]

Just on a side note, there wasn’t much left of the Vauxhall Viceroy by the time Holden released it as the Commodore.

[@sutherlandA1]

And the only part the xd shared with the euro Granada were the headlights and front indicators. The rest was Australian designed and based on the archaic USA compact falcon platform

[@gilesflower]

While we're doing accuracy on the Australian cars, the base V8 in those big post-VH Valiants was a 5.2 Litre (318ci), not a 5 Litre.

[@BlueMonk25]

The late 70s Japanese Saloons, particularly the Crown and 280 are fantastic. The 2.4 I6 in the crown was so drivable. Surprisingly responsive. Not to mention how comfortable the car was.

[@NLBassist]

What a great sequal. So cool you take the comments to mind and come with this, I'm made in '75 and born in '76 and I can slightly remember most cars. It's depressing seeing cars from my youth as classic cars now haha! It hurts!

[@warren6899]

From South Africa I grew up with first a Humber super snipe, and later a Jaguar 420 G Later as a young independent bloke, I foolishly traded a 1972 XJ 6, 4.2 manual for the Daimler double 6 The fuel consumption was astounding.... my XJ 6 was a FANTASTIC car to drive, and grunt ! Like nothing flip the electronic overdrive on the top of the gearleaver know, foot on the gas, she kinda squatted down at the back ant took of like a rocket on a mission to Mars. And yes it had the fault of fatigued front pillars.... They all had that...

[@evo271]

I hope you do more of these packed cars videos, because they are really nice to watch.

[@BigCar2]

Definitely!

[@ermv]

I would love to see a Big Car video about the VW Gol. It was a model sold around the world (with a different name, of course) for many years. It also had station wagon, sedan and pick-up variations (the Saveiro still on sale).

[@michaelcaldwell5786]

Well done you. I'm well impressed with your knowledge 🎉

[@BigCar2]

Well, from things that viewers reminded me of, and from researching those cars on the web. Reading the brochures brings so many interesting things to light.

[@SunShine-dk6rk]

Great vid, Whilst working in American car spares in "Little Wolf American Auto's" in the early 80's I got a ride in a 74 Chrysler Valiant/Charger 360ci, it was logo'd as "The Guzzlin Goosebury" due to it's mid metallic green colour, reg started with WLY and there was one on The Sweeney also with WLY reg,Very comfy car. Best Christmas wishes to the uploader,family,friends and fellow viewers ❤❤❤.

[@Tiger351]

Great follow up to the first video, I definitely appreciated the additional information about the Australian connections. I was very surprised to learn the Australian built Valiant was exported to the UK, I knew about the Chrysler 180 coming here as the Centura (it was available here with a 4 litre straight 6 from the Valiant as the top spec) but never knew the Valiant was exportef to the UK (btw the V8 was 5.2 litres (318 ci) and not 5 litres). Over here the Toyota Crown was more popular than the equivalent Datsuns but still well behind the locally produced Ford/GM/Chrysler cars.

[@johnd8892]

There are some well looked after survivor cars in a vid on the tube called Australia Day at the ACE Cafe ... Shows lots of the survivors as well as more recent rebadged cars. As well as a few Chargers there is also a Chrysler by Chrysler which is rare to find in Australia. 70s Fairlane is another.

[@vulcanhammerinfo]

I owned a 1979 Jaguar XJ6L. It was a really magnificent car, my favourite. The biggest change they made to address the reliability issues was replacing the SU carburettors with Lucas-Bosch fuel injection. They also used Borg-Warner air conditioning and transmission. The air conditioning was a major advantage over the German competition; their systems were woefully inadequate for American Southern states. The problems I had were more irritating than anything else, compounded by lack of knowledgeable service and parts.

[@Sdblahm67]

Chrysler Simca 180 was sold in Australia as the Chrysler Centaura - 20k sold in 3 years, local CKD assembly. With a 4.0 litre hemi slant six shoehorned into a lengthened nose they had interesting performance

[@jayartz8562]

They were good for frying rear tyres.

[@mikevale3620]

Ahem! It was Centura and the Slant 6 was NOT a HEMI. Two entirely different engines. The slant 6 from the US was replaced by the powerful HEMI 6 which was developed in Australia.

[@johnd8892]

The four cylinder Centura models did not sell well, so the standard was the 215 hemi with the 245 four litre optional.

[@matthewcochran3325]

Another banger, brother. I don't know what it is about your videos. I watch a lot of car videos but I look forward to yours the most. I nerd out over the details and events surrounding the production of regular cars more than reviews of supercars 😂 If I'm having a tough day, it always makes things better to see one of your videos on something like the fabric and colors of saloon cars in the 1970s 😂 Keep up the great work, buddy.

[@BigCar2]

Glad you enjoy then Matthew.

[@mattjacomos2795]

I grew up in the city thay built the Chrysler Valiant in Australia and this was the first time that I heard about UK exports of the car! Big, heavy and thirsty. I cant imagine why they didn't succeed...

[@johnd8892]

A vid on the tube called Australia Day at the ACE Cafe ... Shows some of the survivors as well as more recent rebadged cars. As well as a few Chargers there is also a Chrysler by Chrysler which is rare to find in Australia. 70s Fairlane is another. Not much bigger or thirstier than Jags.

[@paulschneider9286]

Fantastic video! I was born in 1978 so to see all these cars is something I’m grateful for! To be fair, the first (silver) Mazda shown looks gorgeous in my opinion and hats off to Toyota - I’d thought the first aerial integrated in a window was at the rear in the Ford Orion! The only thing I really dislike about the Toyotas are the wing mirrors (I much prefer door mirrors). Shame they rotted, I’m certain they must have been very reliable cars! ❤

[@edmundhodgson2572]

This was a good one. I grew up in Norfolk between the ages of 9 to 19 (I'm 55) and never saw a luxury Japanese car other than a mk1 Celica.

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always! The case in Scandinavia and the UK. In the high end maked the US big three dominated from after the war but in the late 60s the US cars was a no sell. After the K-70 my father bought a 1978 Dodge Aspen wagon. It had the smallest engine, a streight six, a 2,8L and a three on tree it some time to other motorisks. It rusted faster than all of our Fiat combined. Lol! Merry. Christmas from Norway! The last car my father had was a MB 500SEL 1984 incl the kitchen sink. We loved that car! My father always wanted a Jaguar, until he found out you could not fit even one set of golf clubs in the trunk. Lol! He also had a Rover P5 1968 that he bought in 1971 I think.

[@grolfe3210]

Around 1977 our area manage had a Granada which we all rather liked. One day he pulled up in his new Datsun 260. The whole place burst into laughter as he opened the door to show it off.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Had they been rust proofed or galvanised/ galv dipped...he would have been laughing at them now...and still driving the car.

[@grolfe3210]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq In that case I would still be in my Lancia!

[@jono.pom-downunder]

I had the sigma coupé (Mitsubishi scorpion) with a 2.6 astron engine and auto box a great car but thirsty as buggery, you could spin the wheels with relative ease, without much right foot application. The estate (wagon version was popular here in Aus. It had a high slope roof going rearward giving a great load space and rear head room.

[@steved3702]

Saw one at Knox yesterday - a true survivor! Must have been one of the last, before the wagon version of the Magna was ready.

[@seanfinlay7393]

Always enjoy your videos. Thanks!

[@Petelmrg]

I worked at a VW/NSU Dealership when the Ro80 was launched; everyone was stunned by its looks and performance but 13 mpg and about 13 miles per pint of oil soon brought early customers back. We also sold the VW Type 3 411 which was truly awful in every way (but not quite as unreliable) - at least the Beetle was still selling....

[@paulqueripel3493]

Toyota would have fitted front seat belts to the Crown in the 1970s in the UK, it was a legal requirement from 1968.

[@bobhill3941]

Excellent video and a marvelous follow up. Well researched and concisely presented as always. I never knew Chrysler tried to sell cars in Europe. I haven't heard the name Peggy Schuyler since I watched Hamilton and I got the reference. Thanks for confirming NSU used the Wankel first and was bought by Volkswagen and Audi. Merry Christmas and a happy 2024 to you and your wife❤

[@paulmaryon9088]

As always an interesting and quality video, thank you

[@7quidstudio]

Keep up the good work as always brother 💯

[@AledPritchard]

I love your videos. Only recently-ish discovered this channel and have delighted from watching your back catalogue of videos. Looking forward to the 90’s and 00’s Executive Car Story videos too 👌🏻

[@petertullemans]

Love all your videos! Some of these Japanese luxe saloons I remember seeing as a young boy in the 80s but sadly don’t seem them anymore except for the occasional Toyota cressida here in Australia #nostalgia

[@Masood1810]

Please make a video on the evolution of the Honda Accord

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

You could have mentioned the (Mitsubishi) Colt Sapporo which was incredible for its time

[@AtheistOrphan]

Was that classed as an Executive Car?

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

@@AtheistOrphanIn 1989 worked in a garage that sold ‘Colt’ cars. It was certainly marketed as one…

[@andunabu3238]

I’m likely one of the few viewers who have ridden in a K70. I actually thought I’d dreamt it up. Our neighbours had one that replaced their Hillman Hunter. My best friends Dad was an Undertaker, he had what I thought was a was a Toyota Super Saloon, could that be right? It was black, too if the range and a lovely car for funerals…😮

[@stevelanghorn1407]

Another great video Andy. Happy Christmas!

[@rappers5719]

I was an apprentice when the 180 & 200's came in. I leant against the back door and it buckled. I think someone got a sink plunger and pulled it out.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

The 200 was a 180 with 20 more faults....

[@rappers5719]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq 😅👌

[@sak1339]

Chrysler Valiant sold well in South Africa. As did the Ford Grenada mentioned in your earlier vlog. I seem to recall the Datsun 240C as well in SA. Jaguars were favored by the rich (along with Mercedes) in South Africa. Most British owned or originated companies supplied Jags as company cars, like Consolidated Goldfields . . .

[@friendlypiranha774]

@sak1339 - Foschini's head office in Parow in the late 1970s had more Jaguars than I would see at the Leyland assembly plant in Blackheath. That was one fancy car park back in the day.

[@johnd8892]

Australians seek out the Ford Fairmont exported and sold in South Africa especially the GT models. A more affordable way of getting a classic Australian Falcon collector car.

[@seanhershey3390]

Sweet…I just rewatched the first one last night..I had a 78 Audi 100 in high school.. I loved it

[@xmanhoe]

Excellent work

[@DavidLee-df888]

Wow! I never thought that anyone would ever talk about the VW K70. My dad bought 1 in '72, an L reg. Oh, and by the way, it's pronounced "row" as "row, row, row your boat". It's the German spelling of the 17th Greek letter of the alphabet, which in English is Rho.

[@tomanderson6335]

11:53 It's ironic that while the Cedric and Crown were very much Detroit-inspired in their styling and interior appointments, both were almost entirely absent from our market! Imports of Crowns ended after 1973 and didn't resume until this past year with the new crossover-sedan-thingamabob version replacing the retired Avalon, while our first and only taste of the Cedric (and Gloria) didn't come until 2002 when the final generation Y34 came over as the V8-powered Infiniti M45.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

The problem with the Chrysler 180 was that it looked like a large Morris Marina.

[@aveedub7403]

I agree, I also saw a Vauxhall Viva lurking in there too!

[@cowantom]

@@aveedub7403 yes that's what i saw in it too

[@BungleBare]

It was a kind of larger, blander, mix of Cortina/Taunus, Viva, or Avenger. All cars from at least a market segment lower. Cars in the executive class weren’t really styled like their smaller siblings, as a rule. Unlike today when Audi’s saloon versions of the A3, A4, A6 and A8 are basically the same design at different scales.

[@firenza74]

I remember my neighbour going to the Peugeot/Talbot dealer in 1981 with the plan to buy a new Alpine.The salesman persuaded him to buy a heavily discounted Chrysler 2 litre instead that they couldn't shift.It was the newest and only Talbot badged one I ever saw and not long before the launch of their even more disastrous replacement,The Tagora..

[@luusim]

The NSU RO 80 was not unreliable. The car repair shops have not been sufficiently trained to offer the right service for this car. Most buyers were also unable to correctly classify the engine sounds. The car was ahead of its time. It was only 20 years later that this design was reintroduced into the street scene with the Audi 80 and 100. Der NSU RO 80 war nicht unzuverlässig. Die Autowerkstätten wurden nicht ausreichend geschult um für dieses Auto, den richtigen Service anzubieten. Auch die meisten Käufer waren überfordert die Motorklänge richtig einzuordnen. Das Auto war seiner Zeit voraus erst 20 Jahre später wurde dieses Design durch Audi 80 und 100 wieder ins StraßeBild eingefügt.

[@john1703]

I don't agree. The tip seal technology was not sufficiently developed for mass market release of the engine to ordinary people. Even Mazda gave up mainstream use of the engine after the RX8 in 2012.

[@matt_hayward]

That Chrysler 180 looks like the Chrysler Centura we had in Australia. Although ours definitely was not forgettable. Because we had a six cylinder hemi 245 motor that was capable of chassis bending torque. One of the scariest, most unintentionally overpowered cars I've ever been in!

[@johnd8892]

The 180 was the basis of the Centura. Some early model Centuras had the 180 four cylinder motors. But the more popular 215 and 245 hemi sixes soon became the standard and optional motors.

[@HistoryNeedsYou]

I was happily surprised to see the environs of York Minster as a backdrop to the Humber Sceptre (4.21). That must be the only time a Sceptre was seen in York!

[@warmstrong5612]

Now you need a part 3 to talk about the American luxo-barges that were imported to the UK. They sold over seventy 1973 or '74 Cadillac Eldorado's in the UK as an example IIRC. Who was buying these things in Great Britain is what I wanna know.

[@shiftfocus1]

The Eldo was the most ridiculous and wasteful application of FWD in history. Why anyone outside the US would want one is beyond me.

[@shiftfocus1]

Kudos for the unexpected Hamilton reference! Bravo!!!

[@BigCar2]

Hamilton rocks.

[@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl]

After my second sister was born it became clear that a VW Beetle wasn't really big enough for a family of five. With a heavy heart the Beetle was sold and a bright yellow K70 became the first family car. Despite my problems with being driven on longer journeys it was a great car, lots of space for people and luggage. Big windows which was great when we were driving through beautiful landscapes in the Alps, the Black Forrest or the Swabian Alb. The only disadvantage of the big windows could be felt in summer: you really had to find a parking place with enough shadow. In the early 1980ies the number of defects started to rise. Corrosion was another issue. Originally I tried to convince my father to buy a station wagon, but then the brnad new Audi 100 with 0.30 drag coefficient and an improved corrosion protection became available and it turned out to be an excellent choice.

[@theblackhand6485]

@Big Car: Talking about SIMCA; the SIMCA 1000 'Rallye' was a fenominom! I'll bet there was a from ABARTH derived engine build in.

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

70s cars are gorgeous, why can't we bring this back 😢

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Safety requirements....

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq ok, but address that aka; airbags, sips, crumple zones, cheap horrible plastics.... .....THEN why can't we bring these back? The sad pathetic shapes of our domestic appliances on wheels absolutely saddens me.

[@nigelcreighton2411]

The Jaguar XJ6 series 3 was more than just a mild refresh. The roof line was totally changed to a more upright design increasing backseat headroom, 5 mph compliant bumpers front and rear. Updates to the engines, electrics and transmissions.

[@Rom3_29]

I worked at BMC car import dealership at Vancouver, Canada end of 1980. Old style 4door Jaguar was selling extremely well before 1987 stock crash. Dealership made a big deal about the new Jag was introduced. It didn't sell nearly as well as the old style. New model had lots bugs. One of the biggest was some had bad batteries. You couldn't just unhook the old battery and install new one. Car had to be connected to dishwasher sized computer. It was a big hassle and headache. Cars were towed in because owners unable to jumpstart them. Get expensive computer hookup and new battery exchanged. New Jaguar was a Lemon.

[@anorthernsoul5600]

I remember being about six years old in the back of my parents dark blue Audi 100 in the early 1970's. I was the youngest so I was in the middle whilst both my older sisters sat either side of me. We played the game "yellow car", whenever you see a yellow car you shout "yellow Car" and punch the person next to you in the arm. I was at an obvious disadvantage, being shorter than my siblings and in the middle. So my arms were usually black and blue by the end of the journey having been hit from being both sides. I distinctly remember a K-70 kept overtaking us and then dad would overtake it on the M6, and it was yellow! So of course my arms took another beating. But that wasn't the worst of it, a few weeks later dad traded in the Audi for a YELLOW K-70, I f**king hated that car because both my sisters would charge into my bedroom, look out the window and shout yellow car and whack me on the arms. But my dad ended up hating that car too, it turned out be a right heap. One of the best days of my childhood was seeing that yellow monstrosity go and the replacement was another Audi, this time an Audi 80 B1 in an orange colour thankfully. My arms did eventually recover.

[@ronmccullock1407]

Fantastic video

[@JURASSICDIVERUK]

Great video.... would love to see you do one on the 1974 Datsun Skyline 240K GT (C110)

[@user-ih7gc7dt9l]

Funny, I was thinking of that exact same car!

[@nowind37]

Can you make the story of Opel Vectra the successor of Cavalier

[@lordred4116]

When Datsun started selling in the uk, it was a novelty to get a radio, heated rear window and decent seats as standard.

[@BigCar2]

The radio was still an option on Mercedes cars in the UK in the 80s!

[@theowaigel8588]

another fun fact: the VW 411 got the nickname "Nasenbär" (Deepl tells me that would be "coati" in English) because of its rather long bonnet, which was necessary as the engine was still in the back and people wanted more luggage space in the 70s

[@mvm9407]

Just a small correction. NSU wasn't an executive car maker. Until the launch of the Ro80 they made small, rear-engined cars, such as the several models in the Prinz range. That said I have fond memories of the NSU brand. My father's first car was an NSU Prinz, and the Ro80 was an astonishing sight back in the day. It was a car like no other, and its design came to inspire the Audis of the 1980s. Saying something was "ahead of its time" is an exasperating cliché, but that's what the Ro80 was.

[@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl]

Before the Ro 80 NSU was also well known for its motorbikes and motorcycles. Maybe they were even producing bicycles for some time.

[@jagman84]

The barrier for Japanese imports was the strict quotas imposed on such cars. Some marques were limited to 2000 units per annum. The dealers frequently had to barter with each other for the limited stock that each one held.

[@BotsisAnargyros]

Pls make a video for the Citroen Ami, the Silense with the removable batteries and generally micro cars

[@cozduntow9346]

Great video (series at this point?) BUT, I’d like to point out a vehicle missing from this, and more importantly, the Mitsubishi story video. If the Galant was a little too small, try the Mitsubishi Debonair. It’s got an interesting development history of essentially nicking a GM designer, and also stayed in production from 1964-1986 with only one minor facelift, and a few more mechanical changes. While a JDM exclusive, I still think it might be worth a mention, especially in the Mitsubishi story video as it’s their first ever big car. Otherwise, keep up the good work!

[@BigCar2]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've tried to limit myself to cars being sold in the UK at the time, and I didn't see a record of the Debonair being sold there. If you have different info, please send me a link to the source.

[@cozduntow9346]

@@BigCar2 Ah ok that makes a lot of sense. It was never sold in the UK, and there was only one example here briefly about 20 years ago, which I assume was brought over by a Japanese diplomat as it was here for 4 years.

[@studiohamfar]

SUPERB ! ! !

[@GrandadTinkerer]

My Father bought a used K70 in around 1978. I only drove the thing once, and was almost caught out by its near wrist snapping torque-steer. It went to its grave, after the rear suspension collapsed when returning from a family holiday in Scotland.

[@steveunderwood3683]

The Toyota Crown Estate was in the UK before 1971. I remember a few of those in the late 60s, although I never saw a saloon version. They were quite luxurious cars, that people regarded as desirable when most Japanese cars were still regarded as cheap and nasty.

[@MrOrtmeier]

Before we got the Audi 200SE we had a Jaguar XJS for a while. It was an older car, definitely second hand for us to be able to afford it. One day mum was driving and my brother and I were in the back seat, on the way to the shops. There was traffic and we were stopped at the back of the queue. Suddenly there was a massive bang! from behind - someone had driven into us at what felt like 50 km/h at least. We got out to take a look and check on the driver. It was a woman, she was distraught but fine physically. Her car was a Toyota Corolla and the entire front of her car was smashed in up to the windshield! Totally wrecked! How she didn't break her legs I'll never know. And the Jaguar? Not a scratch!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! No visible damage at all. That was either a real miracle or that was one tough car! After everything was settled we carried on our journey and did our grocery shopping without a care in the world. 😊