Loved my gremlin. Wish I still had it. I abused it for years doing everything from taking it off road to jumping a hill dukes of hazard style (with 5 ppl in it which broke my transmission in 2) but not still ran. It was unstoppable.

The Grand Am was attractive in two or four door. I liked the looks of the Bricklin. Its bumpers were way too large, but I forgive them as they were a tiny manufacturer with very limited resources, trying to meet the new 5 mph bumper laws. The Espada was odd looking, exotic and fast. The Gremlin and Thing were both so homely, they were also sort of cute.

It was a good time to be into cars for me. I was born in '64 and was a car encyclopedia by age 12. Could tell the make of the car by the exhaust sound driving by my house. My parents had me check out all their new cars in the '70s and '80s before they bought them.

My Father order and purchased a 1973 4 door white Grand Am with the 455ci engine. He had Von Dutch put a custom paint job on it in 1974... What a Hot car in Scottsdale Arizona back then. And ironically the Bricklin was used as our Scottsdale Police cars in the mid 1970's...

The AMC Gremlin was an incredibly fun car to drive. It would smoke many other cars in its class with it's torquey inline 6. The V8 version was insane!!!

1972 Gremlin with the 258 straight six and automatic cost $2600 out the door. It had towed a 1000# camper 75 mph down intrastate 10 getting 26 mpg. It was a great all around vehicle.

Great video. I never owned any of these cars, but I really liked seeing the Grand Ams, Gremlins, and Things. I had a VW Beatle convertible that was great fun, and I have wished many times that I still had that car.

I’m pretty sure the VW Thing was based of the Kubelwagen from WW2, or at very least it’s successor.

The big Lincoln’s were some of the most beautiful cars ever made. They were certainly the most comfortable as well. Rolls Royce luxury took a distant backseat to both Cadillac and Lincoln. The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was gorgeous as well. As was the new Seville.

My Mom had a '74 Gremlin, in this funky blue color that looked lavender/orchid-ish in the shade, with denim interior. It had the 304 with an auto tranny, manual steering and brakes. Oh, and an AM radio. That thing was a beast! My Mom loved that car! It was totaled in '82 when she got hit head on by a Buick Electra and walked away. She bought a loaded '83 Spirit, which she absolutely hated. She traded it the next year for a Daytona Turbo.

I learned to drive in a 1973 4 door Garnd Am 400 small block. Corduroy inserts on the front buckets, console shifter , what a sweet ride she was !

Say what you will, but my '77 Buick Century got me through grad school with nothing more than a minor coolant leak. And so comfortable!

VW Thing was the civilian version of a West German Army vehicle, basically their equivalent to our Jeep. Essentially a modernized Kubelwagen from WWII.

I used to have a 1975 AMC Gremlin X :) I loved driving that little car because of all the funny looks I got with it, especially on the interstates :) Can you imagine a car like that keeping up with the new modern cars of the time doing 65 mph on the interstates? I loved that car and miss it to this day :)

A friend of mine in high school (1973) got a brand new GREMLIN with the LEVI option trim package. It had denim seats, which included copper buttons and the LEVI tags sewn into the seat stitching. Not a great car (it kind of fell apart within 5 years) but it served a purpose back then. It was made here in WISCONSIN, when AMC was a big thing in Milwaukee and Kenosha.

I disagree, I think the 4 door Gran Am was a good looking car whose style is still contemporary today. Great engines,good transmission options.,and great handling.A very underated car at the time.

The cars I thought were ugly back in the day seem much more attractive now. My attitude and vision has changed 64 years later. How did that happen.? lol

Thanks for this. Most people class the Espada as a 4 seater instead of a 2+2. That's one reason for the front overhang - to push the V-12 away from the passenger compartment.

I actually love the look of the Grand Am sedan.

I remember a Chevrolet truck commercial in the 1980's "DONT YOU BUY NO UGLY TRUCK!!!"classic...

The grand am doesn't belong on the list.. 🎉

They didn't call it a Gremlin for nothing :-) . But at least it wasn't bland, and if looking for cheap and practical, it was pretty good.

Could not disagree more about the Pontiac Grand Am 4 Door. Really beautiful sedan with the honeycomb wheels. The lines were much better than the 2 door.

1st. I like these cars there not ugly their just different

I was very young when the thing came out. My dad had a 68 bug so VW was something I kept up with. I remember the things release and TV commercials well. For the longest time i thought everytime you drove it under a bridge overpass or behind a tree or building it changed colors and got covered in some pattern such as polkadots or stripes. Thought it was awesome and more than once tried to convince my parents we needed one.

I had a Gremlin with the V8. It was a blast to drive, I enjoyed it more the 75 Corvette I had at the time. The Bricklin was a classic example of trying to make the government happy rather than car buyers. Plus it competed with the Ford Pantera which was a beautiful car.

I think the Pontiac is a stretch - the rest of these cars . . Well I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder huh !

Taste is subjective, I always admired the 4 door Grand Am and it's longer wheebase. The body colored flexible nose was ahead of it's time compared to the huge bumpers fitted on most cars to comply with new government bumper regulations. Enjoyed the video.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Gremlin was soooo out there along with the Pacer. Love them both!

The '74 GTO was actually a good seller with decent performance, they should had kept it on the Ventura. The Firebird was the "GTO" of the late '70s and beyond..

The Bricklin ugly ? Still a great car in my book and it handled very well. Drove one at a dealer I worked at. I still want one today.

The AMC Pacer looked like a fish bowl

The Buick Apollo was pretty out there as well!

I had a brand new Gremlin X in 1973. Inline 6 with manual trans. I was stationed at Ft. Hood and lived in Houston, and went home almost every weekend. Put almost 50,000 miles on it in a little over 2 years. Not one problem, never left me stuck on the side of the road.

That white on burgundy GrandAm coupe is a sweet looking package

I must say the Espada has always been my favourite Lambo! I even prefer it to the also fantastic Countach and Miura.

Always wanted a VW thing. Hahaha. Great video!

Small Correction: The US called "Thing" was used Since WW II, not since Western Germany. It was the VW type 82 "Kübelwagen". "Kübelwagen is a contraction of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning 'bucket-seat car (Wikipedia quote)"

This channel is so interesting for so many reasons. I've got to be honest and say I'm addicted to it and am always ready for the next one. I enjoy and respect your opinions. Keep em coming!✌ Stay Safe & Be Well

That 2-door Grand-Am was our Drivers Ed car in 1975. Kitchen counter green. Good times.

Great vid, really enjoyed!! 👍👍

I always liked the AMC Gremlin. I thought it was a fine looking car, albeit a bit unconventional.

In the late 80's when I was in High School (and these were all just used cars), my buddy bought the ugly Cutlass and while it had no HP it still had torque. We had dirt roads all over and made a track and it was a fantastic drifter with extended reverse lock tail out action. Loads of fun for the HP dollar. Also in S FL there's a guy with a Bricklin that goes to the car shows. He's a fanatic for sure.

The problem with the Bricklin was the old school engine choices in a time of very high fuel prices, not the bumpers. I owed the Datsun at the time. It was totally gutless by then, but at least the fuel economy was acceptable. Also, the Bricklin was really expensive.

Thank you! That was a real fun video to watch. Hey, would you ever do a video on the sub compact cars of the '70s like the Dodge arrow?

I had a 1972 Gremlin X that came stock with a 304 V8 and 3spd manual. It was fast and fun. Then I pulled the engine and Trans, and installed a 360 4bbl and torqueflite 727 auto. Then the Gremlin became stupid fast and hard to stop with manual drum brakes...

Your videos are fantastic. I really enjoy them!

I had the 4×4 version of the Gremlin called the Kammback, it was fun and great in winter.

The AMC Pacer, Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega should have also been on this list.

I really liked the submarine doors and “colonnade” styling of the mid 70’s GMs. Of course the Grand Am coupe was sexier but the sedan was no wallflower.

Thanks for creating this list. I had a '74 Gremlin, blue with gold accent stripes and Levis interior. Loved that car!

Bricklin was built in New Brunswick, not your Detroit of Canada. I remember seeing this in Montreal in the day, but that was rare.

Four doors was a HUGE IMPROVEMENT to the Grand Am's looks, since it deleted those fugly window louvers! GM only had one attractive quarter window treatment for the Colonnade coupes, the thin-pillared triangular ones that were clearly the original intent, and as the run progressed it was more and more restricted to the base models only.

They may be called ugly today, but they sure look better than today's cars and trucks!

The Grand Am also came in a Police Package for a few years. Rutgers University Police used them for a couple of years. They looked sharp in their bright white paint with red and black markings and a red Twinsonic light bar up top.

My first car was a 73 Grand Am two door. Even tho emissions had choked horsepower the 7.4L 3 speed, it laid rubber in 2nd gear at 70 mph. Loved that car!

For sure driving a vw thing is such fun! Without the roof and folded down the windshield, is like driving a bathtub in wheels… 😂😂 1976 VW Thing owner… thanks for share!

Thx for the Memories 🎯🤙🏄‍♂️😎

My first car was a '73 Gremlin. I paid a Benjamin for it.

Fun Video! I never thought the Gremlin was ugly, but the Thing, yes it was ugly! My neighbor had an Orange one. It sounded EXACTLY like a Beetle (same engine and transmission, I believe...).

Fun fact in 74-75 Eugenie Street in Saint Boniface (Winnipeg MB Canada sub division) had all five cars on the street, although the Lamborghini only drove for about 6 weeks and broke down and parts were unavailable for it. It was owned by an Italian doctor who brought from Italy when he did a training program at the Saint Boniface Hospital. It was a great time for an eight year old car nut. Another car that could have made this list was the first generation 64 to 66 Plymouth Barracuda. The original design was designed more like the 2nd generation, but the bean counters weren't convinced that there was much of a market for a nimble smaller pony car and okayed production but insisted that they hed to use as much body panels as they could from the Valient. The result was a car that looked odd from certain angles.

Aside from the Pontiac, you were waaaaay off-base with your picks of ugly cars. The Bricklin, in particular, was a beautiful car.

I love the Espada.

Great content. Thanks.

That's a beautiful color on the 4 door GTO! I wish we could see more of the interior of these classics.

I had forgotten how attractive those early 2 door Grand Am's really were.

The Grand Am was awesome my best friend got one back when we were in college maybe 86 it was rough on the outside but the performance was like a rocket or something you would never imagine.

The VW Thing was super popular in exotic places as a vehicle rental , usually arranged through the hotels ..... and especially in the Caribbean and Central America and the South Pacific islands too ....

The ‘75 Grand Am 4 door looks a bit like my first car. A 1976 Olds Cutlass sedan. I bought that Cutlass in ‘82 and drove it until it started falling apart in ‘93. 😂

Excellent video especially about the gremlin with the 252 inline 6 is the same motor that's in my Jeep Grand Cherokee 1998 250.000 Mi and running like a clock

Loved this video thanks. Have you done a 70’s Thunderbird video?

Hey I had a 74 Grand am, very cool car the endurance front end was its downfall. No replacement parts.

We had a `74 LeMans that my grandparents had bought in `75 as a leftover. They gave it to us in 1980. I remember that water went in the trunk when it rained... I remember hearing about Bricklins, but never saw one. I actually saw a VW Thing a couple years ago. Very cool. The guy has a strange way of talking, but I enjoy these videos anyway.🙂

Grandpa had a73 GA, 4dr, endura, 400, buckets & console in FUGLY green

When I was a kid, my parents had a Beetle. I really didn't like that car. Than my parents decided to sell it and I was very happy! But not for long, they bought another Beetle. Thank goodness Thing wasn't available in my country! 😅

The Gremlin was my first car

I actually think l the front of the Bricklin looked really good. Agreed on the back,it would've been OK if it was just a little smaller. I would love to drive a stick shift 304 gremmy.

My Grandpa had a '74 Gremlin with the 304 V8. He would always point out that it had a 3-spd manual that was "3 on the tree", which was Not an option on that car for any model year. I don't know the full story as to how he got it that way. I just know he swore it was a one of a kind. I rode in it several times and it indeed had a three speed column shift manual transmission.

My buddy has a 74 in early 80s highschool his dad and us painting it .had the 400 in it fun times in Illinois

I had several 73 to 75 GRAND AM's INCLUDING a NEW 75 2 door with every option including a moon roof. I HATED it because the 455 couldn't get out of It's own way due too catalytic converter and single exhaust. After that I got a used 4 DOOR 74 G.A. with a 455, FAST reliable great handling. DEFINITELY a sleeper. The giveaway was the 7.4 Liter emblem on the deck lid. IF it didn't get totaled, parked on the street, I would still own it today along with my 74 S.D Trans AM I still own !!

I, for one, would be PROUD to be seen driving one of those mid-70s Pontiac Grand Ams--coupe or sedan! I LOVE their body shape! They remind me of a "flying saucer on wheels"!

My dad had a 73 4 door Pontiac Lemans. I knew a guy with a AMC Gremlin. We used to make fun of those along with the Pacer.

The SV1 always confused me. It was supposed to be safe, but those doors don't work with the slightest dent. The also don't work if you're upside down. I'd still love to have one ( with some modifications)

I had a V8 Gremlin with a stick. after I blew up the 304 I picked up a 401 out of a LAPD patrol car. It went right in and with a set of headers, a beefier rear end, and other mods for handling and intake it flew ! I used to blow by "Hot" Camaro's and Mustangs. Great fun.

That Espada is a must own and its own unique entity. A true man's car

I had a 74' Grand Am 4 dr, I loved it....it was metallic Green with a white vinyl top and a 455 c.i.d.

I drove a close cousin to the Grand Am...a two door Pontiac Luxury LeMans. Blue body white interior and vinyl top and rear fender skirts. Bought new, drove it for 33 years. Nice car to drive.

Old Grand Am looks kinda cool today. Looks real good. Man that Turbo Z was one of my dream cars.

Awesome thanks 👍

The '72 Gremlin was our family car, the only car bought new by my Grandparents I6 Mom sold it to enthusiasts c1983, mint condition. I myself had two '70s cars, '72 Dart sedan, 318, '77 LeSabre sedan, Olds 350, $100 & $200 cars.

Ugly is strictly subjective! I love ALL these cars! I would own any of them!!

I once found a 4 Dr 73 Grand Am with a 400 4spd in the wrecking yard ,with front buckets gold on gold Wish I saved it but I do have a 73 Lemans build that is a Pro Street blown and tubbed car now and she's one of a kind that I've owned for 40 years and love this style 😎

We had a Gremlin. Loved it. Only sold it to help pay for my sister's wedding. I was a kid, never drove it but no one had a complaint about it.

Uh-oh. I love the 1973-1975 Pontiac Grand Am. I like the styling! I liked the two-door better...but I like the four-door too.

Such a great vid. I want a Gremlin now!

You are a true car historian and I really enjoy all of your videos thank you!!!!

Had a Grand Am - great car! Had a 400cid engine…fantastic handling!

I like the Gremlin's styling. The Gremlin X equipped with a V8 and manual transmission is a classic "hot hatch". Seeing a Gremlin can fit big V8s, a barn find would make a great street car. The 1977-1979 Thunderbird and its siblings had what I'd call hideous exterior looks.

Remember it like yesterday my dad my uncle and myself all were at Moody Pontiac in Ft Lauderdale. Thought that it was a good car back in the day. Good times

iI had a 73 4dr grand am with a 400 cbi in it, loved it and even with 4 doors it look great