There's a part 2 to this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aNdgp915zLOam6s.html I include all the cars I missed from this video. Errata: Volvo made 6-cylinder engines before the Second World War.

Really big fan of this format of covering a market segment over a specific time period, I hope you’ll continue to do more of these!

In Australia, Holden grafted the opel senator front onto rekord body and significantly re-engineered the chassis to accept local 6 & V8's which became the Holden Commodore. This vehicle was stronger than anything out of Europe- it had to be in order to cope with poor outback roads.

The Opel Rekord and Ford Granada each had a huge influence on the design of the two top-selling Australian cars going into the 1980s and even beyond. The Opel Rekord was a loose template for the nascent VB Holden Commodore released at the end of 1978, still using the pushrod inline sixes and V8s from previous Holdens, whilst the design of the Granada was draped over the existing Ford Falcon floorpan to create the XD Falcon, released in early 1979. These two dominant models in Australia signified the shift away from the previously American-dominated design and handling models and instead providing more European-influenced vehicles. RIP The Australian Car Industry 😪

To me, it seems ironic that one of the main things customers were looking for in that market segment in those days - reliability - is also the one thing that seems to have been forgotten, or is not considered as important these days.

I’m sad this class has all but evaporated.. my Dad had almost all of them at some stage. Great memories, but the Granada will always be my favourite.

As a new driver in the mid eighties I could only afford 70's cars and after my fathers experience with BL motors ( unreliable ) I opted for a fiat 132 with the 2.0l engine ( insurance wasn't what is now thankfully ) . You could watch it rust but you could also go sideways with rear wheel drive in the wet . Good times !

You knew you had made it when you were given a Ford Cortina with a cassette radio and vinyl roof.

Finally someone talks about the Citroen CX being launched and shows the original "drum-speeds" rather than the later more conventional ones. I had an estate (Safari?) and boy was it wierd ... a real experience but scary on traffic jammed roundabouts if you forget the self-centering steering. Loved this video... so many memeories

The first new car my father bought was an Opel Rekord station wagon in 1964. Then he bought an Austin 1800, 2x VW K70, Dodge Dart, before he bought his first Audi 100 in 1974. After that he only drove Audis, about 15 total, petrol, diesel, Quattro etc. His brother was a keen Saab fan, with 99 EMS, 99 turbo, 900 turbo etc. Great video that brings back many memories of my growing up with a family with a great interest in cars.

The W123 was a very popular choice among taxi drivers in Greece as well, and the same should said of the Audi 80 B2, and Datsun/Nissan Bluebird (more specifically, the 910, U11, and T12).

That was a trip down memory lane. In the 1960s a schoolmates Father had a BMW saloon which seemed very exotic back then. In the 1970s my best friends mother had a Mercedes, then a Citroen DS23 estate which I went in twice a week. The school headmaster had a Rover P6 while his secretary had a Lotus Eclat How did that happen ? Finally a mention for the Austin 18-22. The first time I saw one was while waiting for the school coach. I guess it was a company car as it was being driven like one with no regards for running in, more testing the performance. It really did look impressively futuristic back then. Regarding reliability, there were also problems with rust, which would eventually finish off the Lancia brand in the U.K. As people said you can bolt on new parts except for the body. Did anyone ever have a 1970s Ford that didn't need the suspension mounts welding before it reached ten years old ? p.s. A Lancia in the U.K. video would be good. Were they really as bad as the urban myths made out ?

In 1990 after graduating from Uni I was in the market for a cheap car. My cousin had a 1978 Ford Granada "Ghia. It was absolutely beautiful to me anyways. I later bought an Opel senator also known as the Vauxhall....... something 😀. The Opels 3.0 was a variant of the powerplant in the Opel Monza. Very potent indeed

The other problem with the Lancia Gamma was the engine, using full lock could break the timing belt to one of the banks of cylinders. The steering pump was driven off the camshaft on one side (flat 4 engine).

As a dependent of an US Army civilian in the late '80s, I bought an '82 Granada 2.8i. It was cheap. I Kept it until I returned to the States for college. Great on the Autobahn. Recaro seats. Had some flaws, but I miss that car.

My 2nd car at 18 was a Renault 30 TX 2.7 V6i manual. For the time it was an amazing car. Super comfortable and the UN1 manual box was bliss. Was not bad on fuel either. I was the envy of many at college with my 155bhp Luxobarge as they called it. From what i remember it was really reliable, never had any issues. I just changed oil and plugs. My Dad had a R20 TX 2.2. They were basically the same car as the R30 but with a 4cyl engine and slightly less options.

everyone forgets the Chrysler 180/2L... not surprising it's the rarest car in the UK. (it looks like a big Avenger with big diamond shaped rear lights). my friends father had one and it was the smoothest car i'd ever ridden in for the time.

Many thanks for this look back. Your dad had great taste by sticking to the Audi 100 and then 200. My father also briefly owned an NSU Ro 80. The car my father owned longest was an Opel Caravan registered in 1959 and lasted over 15 years.

This is like my father’s wish list from the 1970s rather than what he actually drove. Although always ‘British’ (mostly Ford) and our next door neighbour who always had a Renault (school teachers who spent the summer holidays camping in France) was thought of as rather eccentric.

The Rover SD1 was great for building the Audi brand in the UK. Everyone I knew wiith an SD1 had so much reliability trouble they moved on, and it was to an Audi in every case.

Before the Opel Senator/Monza, there was the 6 cylinder Commodore B in saloon and coupe form which ran from '72 till '77. Very stylish and in manual 160bhp fuel injected form was a match for a V8 Rover P6 3500S!

A video actually worth making,no one talks about the 70's

Great video! As an American kid growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I envied the variety of European offerings in this class. To my eyes, the first-generation BMW 5 series is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced.

Love all your videos. Great insights and no histrionics as per other KZfaqrs more please! . My dad had a Granada . Happy memories ❤

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s Wales, there weren’t many BMW’s, there was the odd Audi and VW, but there was a lot of Fords and Vauxhalls, cars like the Granada mk2, the Carlton and then later the Ford Granada Scorpio. I think Rover cars were only aspirational executive cars before they got sucked into British Leyland, the SD1 was a cool car but quickly fell out of favour due to build quality issues. Great informative video again sir, I did wonder when exactly the German brands started attracting more British buyers.

My dad had a 1985 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia and I was 7 years old. It had rear headrests which was amazing back then

My father had a used car dealership in the 80’s..luckily I’ve owned/ driven most of these…thanks for the memories..( current Volvo owner)…my 76 Audi was a fave & my Saab 900 ( paid my 72 Merc)..( US)…even a Rover3500 & a few Peugeots..they were dirt cheap then

Great video. Clearly I love your usual format of deep diving on one cars story, but I really enjoyed this switch up in format to more covering a whole segment of history.

Well, according to ThamesTV some Japanese cars were considered luxurious enough to be pure "executive car" in late 70's.

@6:59 I see Wartburg 353 (East German car) in the background. My favourite executive cars from the 1970s are Mercedes-Benz W123, Audi 100/200 (C2), Ford Granada MkII, and Opel Senator (facelifted A2).

Lovely video that captured so many memories of my childhood! Like your Dad, mine changed cars every 2-3 years. The 70’s started with a TR4a, sold (to accommodate me) for a Triumph 2000 estate, followed by the Vauxhall Victor FE estate, Citroen CX (I’ve never been more excited by a car), Peugeot 505, and ending with an Audi 100. I think it was all this variety that sparked my obsession with cars!

The first generation Holden Commodore (from 1978) was based on the Opel Commodore, so there's no surprise in their likeness. But what is amazing is how alike the second generation Ford Granada and the Ford Australia XD (& XE) Falcon are. When you put that picture of the two on screen together towards the end, it could have easily been the Falcon vs the Commodore! As far as I know the Granada and XD Falcon platforms are completely different, and the XD Falcon is larger. I believe the XD chassis was still largely related to that of the XR Falcon of 1966.

European middle class is dead. So is executive cars class. No more Omega, Scorpio, 605, XM, 166, Thema and so on.

The Peugeot 504 had a recent moment in the sun as it was the car of Martin Short's character in the Disney+ show 'Only Murders in the Building'. I think it was to suggest he was big in the '70s. I don't think Peugeot have been on sale in the US for a while.

Ford Granada was never seen in Australia. It's clear though that the XD Falcon (1978) took styling cues from the mk2 Granada. Around the same time, Holden (nee Opel) Commodore was a top seller - not only in the executive market.

This has made me think I’d love to see a video about model suffixes like GTI, GSI, CL, GL etc, what they were all supposed to stand for and represent. I’m sure you’ve touched on some of this in what I’ve seen, but I think a deep dive would be great. Thanks for your lovely work!

I can remember being round your house in Walsall, when your Dad stuck is head in and asked you to ‘move cars’ on the drive, he must’ve needed to get out early each day ? From that era, I can also remember: - my first flight to the US started with being chauffeured to Heathrow T1 in an Senator 3L which was probably the poshest car I’d been in at that point (1994) . Shout out to Peter MacL whose borrowed his wife’s car and driver to make this happen - very thoughtful indeed as this was my first international flight and I was nervous… - my grandfather had 2 Opel Mantas , a 2L T reg (1977?) and a 1.8L B reg (1984)… he was convinced that a car couldn’t be ‘sporty’ if it didn’t have a hatched back … - around 1995 I started getting a lift to work in a Citroen CX estate, which seemed hugely long and low … Citroen was daring to be different again. - later I would have my own Citroen Xsara and Renault Scenic and while both were ok, the reliability issues were still very much there… I didn’t have any more French cars after that.

I love this format of your videos. In other words, different car models related to market position and price/class. This video is like my childhood in my father's cars. I was born when my father had a Mercedes-Benz W110 190 ("Heckflosse"). It was a 1964 model and thus already 3 years old when I was born. Three years later in 1970, the Mercedes was replaced by an Audi 100 and my father got 10 extra horsepower to play with. We kept this car for 5 years when my father bought a Volvo 245 (station wagon) in 1975 and thus had 7 extra horsepower to play with (now a total of 97 horses). He must have been happy about this because 5 years later he bought a Peugeot 505 and it had 96 horsepower. He still had this car when I moved away from home in 1985. Incidentally, my first car a couple of years later was a well-used Mercedes-Benz W201 190E with 122 horsepower and a four-speed manual gearbox which was actually well optimized for the traffic of the time.

Great video! British Leyland designed an estate SD1 concept but chose not to put it into production. It must have been good though as BL Chairman Sir Michael Edwardes used it as his personal car. It's on display at the British Motor Museum now.

You are one of the best ones out there. Thank you for this!

As usual brilliantly researched and presented. A lot of memories for me in there. Many thanks.

I love this 😍 please make more of these 'decade by decade' videos 💛

I love your content, and this format is extremely enjoyable! Kudos!

I really enjoyed this and hope to see other segments covered in future videos. Great format. Thanks.

Growing up in South Africa in the late 70s and early 80s, the two cars that were luxury kings were the Mercedes W124 and Ford Granada. My grandad had quite a few Granadas - the V6s were uprated to 3.0 rather than 2.8 because of the heat and a company in Johannesburg did a factory approved V8 Mustang engine conversion too! They also sold a 3.0 V6 Cortina and Sierra XR8 - again with that lovely 5.0 litre Mustang engine but was a factory built model. By the time he moved back to the UK in 1990 he was a big Volvo fan… I am too now being on my 11th! Great video.

Always love to see a new video on the best car channel on YT. Thank you!

One thing has me giggling: You introduce the German made cars of the era as the pinnacle of quality and luxury. My first car was a Volvo 244 GL black leather, tinted windows, automatic transmission, made 1977. I loved it for its smooth engine. The Borg-Warner BW55 automatic transmission also was used by Jaguar and Rolls Royce, wasn't it? It did however change gears superbly smoothly and was an absolute gem! I got my 244 when it was 14 years old. It was in pretty much mint condition! If you do the math, that puts that purchase into the early Nineties, so not too long after the wall in Germany had come down, and friends of my gran finally had scratched up enough money to replace their 2 stroke cardboard-car with something real. It was a white BMW 520, around the same age as my Volvo. The poor beamer had rust all over, was deafeningly loud and the ZF automatic shifted so bumpy and reluctantly, it was a pain! They had bought the car near ours and I delivered the car to them, some 400 Kms of drive. It was tinitus-inducing noise in there! From how I remember the era, the Audi 100 engines often were ridiculously weak, under 100hp for cars that big, they corroded away like sand castles (I did take a look at some before getting my Volvo, but their state of decay usually was so bad, I never even test-drove them). The reason Audi introduced zink galvanized bodies was that they were about to destroy their (not really brilliant) reputation with the poor durability of their cars. (Volvo had started that with their 100 series models in 1962, by the way. By another way, the 200 was not a new design, it was little more than a facelift of the 100 with a different front and rear. The inline-six of the 164 was replaced with the Peugeot/Volvo/Renault V6 in the 264 and the red block four cylinder had its camshaft moved to the cylinder head and slightly bigger bores, That was it, the model was basically ready to be one of the best buys for the next 19 years!) Mercedes were overpriced yet quite good with their corrosion resistance but the seats were a joke and again, that ZF transmission or the crazy loud and wimpy Diesel engines… Nah! 🥴 My father used to buy the big Opels, Admiral and Diplomat. He died when I was 12, so we never got to the Senator, but I remember at least 4 of them and brief switches to Mercedes (an older S-class, didn't last long with us. I vaguely remember that the maintenance was to pricey for his liking and its interior's smell made my sister throw up) and a Granada Turnier which was announced a total after a TÜV- examination not too long after we had bought it. Thing is, I owned my Volvo for longer than I had my father. Actually my good old 244GL sits in a friend's shed waiting for its restoration nowadays. Won't be too much work, and if I had the means, I would do it myself! This was the quality level of the German cars back then, in such a short time, my father went through so many of them. Yes, he never bought them new, he preferred to let others pay the drop in value of the first 5 years, but still. They weren't too impressing in quality after all! Oh, and the fantastic Citrôën CX was missing in your list! The E34 model was when the BMW 5-series became good. Still, when they had automatic transmission, they behaved weirdly. An uncle of mine got one of them when I already had my Volvo. Before his beamer, he had a Ford Scorpio 2.9 Ghia. Despite quite liking the E34's looks, I thought that both his Scorpio and my 244GL were comfier rides than his new car. …and more reliable… 😊 That beamer was one expensive mess! But it was fast, I'll give it that.

As always it's a great video with amazing narration.

Very enjoyable! Thanks for making this.

When I was in 6th grade, my Dad began looking for a replacement for our failure-prone 74 Chevy Nova sedan. He seemed very impressed with the 4-speed manual Audi Fox he test-drove. In the end, though, the Nova was traded for a new 76 Ford Torino coupe with the 351M V8.

Very few people bought Exec cars with their own money in the 70s. They were a tax dodge due to the high income tax (upto 98% tax band). Most cars were bought by Company Fleets and were used to define job grades L, GL, GLS, Ghia etc. My Father changed cars frequently due job moves, cars such a Hilman Hunter, Humber Sceptre, Capri, Cortina THEN he moved to Audis, he had maybe 5 of those. I now lease a car and change every 5 years and get hammered by the BIK.

I love this channal, brings me back to my youth....all those beautiful cars.

Dad had the Viscount, with its (faux?) wood accents and articulating map light , then the Victor and Ventora (eventually getting an estate version of the latter), closing out the decade with VX 4/90. Mom always had Viva estates, but to close out the ‘70s, got the Chevette hatchback. Somewhere along the way, we had a Cavalier. That must’ve been Mom’s car, but before the Chevette. The only other car that we had in that decade was a 1971 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk IV, which we bought used in ‘74 and which I began to drive in ‘75.

Again, what a great video! Thanks for that 😊

British Leyland (or rather BMC) did actually launch a new luxury car after 1963 (in1967) - it was the Austin 3-Litre. But it was quite a failure and only on sale for a few years. Whoever thought it was a good idea to to reuse the doors from the Landcrab? It made the car look almost identical to the Landcrab to the untrained eye.

Yet another brilliant video, thank you

Ford Granadas and Opel Commodores as luxury executive cars in the UK, widened/lengthened variants with big 6 and V8 motors as family hacks and taxis in Australia. 5.0-5.8L high performance V8 versions underpinned the glory days of Australian Touring Car racing.

Wonderful topic. Thank you!

Great video as always thank you

I think Alfa Romeo's Alfetta saloon should have got a mention, it was a good rival to the BMW 5 series.

Thanks for another excellent material. It was a pleasure to drink a beer and listen to you.

On a different note - It's good to see LEGO 853 and 8860 taking pride of place on your shelving in the background.

It's funny how in Australia the commodore executive was the base trim spec. So a lot think that an exec is a lower spec car. But actually it's supposed to be more elite.

Terrific work! Loved it! 😊

Thanks for such a great summary of 70s large family and executive cars. I adored following all the new car releases back then and had boxes of brochures, including all the 18/22 marques prior to the model becoming the Princess. Such a shame BL failed so badly and we ultimately lost our home owned motor industry. I loved the German cars back then, heightened by a couple of exchange visits there. It was a long while before I could afford anything upmarket. I bought my first BMW in the mid 90s - a 4 year old ex company 3 series, and currently have several of their cars (& bikes), though none are the exec class covered here. I'd happily buy British but there's just no options, indeed finding any non SUV cars seems tough these days. The 2/3/4 series BMWs plus several of the Skoda models are just about the only things left on the market that I like now. Sad times.

Volvo 164 was the first 6 cyl since 1958. Except for the 444/544 and 210 "Duett" almost Volvos from the 30's and onwards was a 3.6-3.7 L straight 6. (There was a 3.5 L V8 prototype) The YT comment section a blessing and a curse 😅 Keep up the good work!

2 minutes walk from my house there are a pair of Fiat 130 saloons sitting on a driveway, they've been there at least 20 years and it's a miracle they have survived at all but one doesn't look too bad. Can't be many around

My late parents owned a couple of 1970s executive cars: the first was a '76 Granada 2000 L and after that was a' 79 Vauxhall Royale 2800. They weren`t brand new cars as we were very working class. Granada was bought in 1980, Royale was bought in 1985. I was 7 going on 8 years old when the latter was acquired. I recall seeing a few Audi 100 Avants (C2?) in the mid 1980s and the Ford and Vauxhall looked positively ancient compared to one of those.

I think one of my new favourite videos. Some of my favourite cars are the RWD European exec cars from the 60s - 80s, hence the episodes about the Volvo 200/700/900 series are highlights for me I personally prefer the German models - especially the Merc W114/W123, and BMW 3 and 5 series, though may be interested in the Peugeot 504/505, and certain British models as well.

I relate to so many of these. Thank you!! After watching this video, I tried to find a good official definition of "Executive Car" and ... I haven't yet.

Great work! I was owner of Fiat 850, BMW 1600, Citroen BX19, Opel Ascona, Daewoo Cielo, Peugeot 405, Dacia Sandero, Suzuki Vitara and I like the fact that you cover in part my history!

My Primary Head-Teacher Mr. Hughes had a Rover P5 in the early 70's. Brown & Cream if I remember correctly. I used to just stare at it from the playground on breaks I have a 1 Series Beemer sitting in the drive-way that has all the bells and whistles that the P5 didn't have. It has no soul. That P5 was designed with love, built with love and my BMW was built to make money. Cheers Mr. Hughes, you taught me to appreciate beauty. I hope my grammar was OK.

"Today its not unheard of for people to keep cars for 10 years or so" - that made me spit out my tea! Difference in continents (largely due to corrosion and running costs I expect). The average fleet age in Australia has sat at around 10.6 years for the last decade - this is far less than it used to be. During the 70's, 80's and 90's, it used to be around 15 years. from the 50's up to that point, our market had been dominated by large American style 6 and 8 cyl engines. With cheap fuel and less corrosion, and possibly better reliability (or maybe that should be longevity) I suppose there's less incentive to upgrade at times.

Great vlog as always! From 1976-1982 we had a VW K-70, the grandfather of the VW Passat. Great car! Keep up the good work!

Well presented and great content.

Fun fact, the Audi 100 would go as far as China and Russia, where it served as the basis for Hongqi cars and the GAZ-3105 respectively. The Hongqi replaced the previous Hongqi CA770 limousines, which were based on their predecessor, the Hongqi CA72, which was a copy of the 1955 Chrysler Imperial, while the GAZ-3105 replaced the GAZ-14 limousine, which was basically a rebodied GAZ-13 limousine, which in turn was a version of the 1956 Packard Patrician. Obviously, the Audi based cars were much smaller and lighter than these previous vehicles. What a crazy story of "exotic-developed" vehicles.

Love this class of car so individual unlike the current SUV trend, like all trends I hope this one dissapears as soon as possible.

I had a Renault 30tx V6. It was fabulous, like driving in your favourite armchair. I had it from new for 3 years and never had one problem with it. It was ice blue with a tan leather interior. Bought LHD when I was in the forces in Germany in 1979.

Great montage, enjoyed it thoroughly....

Loved this video as it was all the cars from my era growing up a kid in Leicester and my parents were starting to get richer. They had cars like the Herald and Morris Minor but ended up with Granadas and big Vauxhalls much to the annoyance of the neighbours who couldn't keep up. Cars were just so much better then.....

Your dad had great taste in his cars - love the Audi 200! Fabulous video. Cheers from Brisbane

These videos are a work of art...❤😊

Great video, thank you!

Wonderful video! Cannot wait for the sequel and then a massive hot hatch video (please)

Wonderful trip down memory lane!

I'd like to see a video on Peugeot 505. My dad bought 1st get 1983 2.0 petrol 505 in US spec in 1997 (in Poland there were 2 or 3 of tose at the time), I learned to drive it at age 12 and eventually used it as my own when I got my license. It was at this time pretty worn out, rusted and I had to sell it. Now, 20 years later I still think how I'd want to save it, but didn't have the resources for it.

Really enjoyed this. 17 minutes flew by!

My parents bought a BMW 2500 in 1972. This particular model was sold in the US as the 'Bavaria' and it had fuel-injection. As I remember it, that was the car's undoing. My Dad loved the car but it was unreliable. After about 18 months, they got rid of the car and bought a Mercedes 250. Nothing could stop that thing. They drove that one for 7 years.

Brilliant show to get info, i watched all the videos, relaxing and good info for a car enthusiast. And i can relate to these cars, the german ones at least.

This is a great video. My Dad had a Rekord back in the 70s in Ireland. I always aspired to own a Senator. They looked so cool.

Much appreciated! I learned to drive with 1970's cars, owned a few too (Swedish, German & Italian ones).

I liked this a lot, felt like a magazine review from the time, well done.

Reminds me of my Ford Falcon XE in Australia. Similar shape and design but with smaller engines, compared to Ozzy straight sixes 3.3 and 4.1 as well as v8s 4.9 and 5.8

I can remember clearly visiting my late dads cousin who was the sales manager at the Keithley co -op Renault garage an seeing the new out 30 ts on a slowly rotating turntable in the centre of the showroom, looked very nice.

My memories of my dad's cars were having a succession of unreliable British Leyland cars (and a hillman hunter) before defecting to Japanese cars in the mid 70s and even back then they never went wrong. Maybe missing from the list was the datsun 200/240 laurel and the mitsubishi sigma/gallant.

Wow, what an overdose of some of my favourite cars. Not many here may agree, but I absolutely loved the MK4 Ford Zodiac, in Executive trim of course. The Granada was a giant leap forward, and a very impressive car for 1972. Our doctor had three P6 Rovers on the trot, then went for a Peugeot 505. Having owned a Rover P6, I think they were one of the greatest cars ever put on tarmac. Great idea to do this format. Really enjoyed, and thanks.

Really enjoyed this 👍

Very good analysis of the cars of these years ( a french supporter of your videos)🚙

I feel like these cars have been replaced by things like the Lexus RX, Mercedes GLE, BMW X5. I find it strange how back in the day these buyers were against hatchbacks but found the impractical trunk more luxurious. It seems extra practicality is why they moved to crossovers. And it definitely seems like the German reputation for reliability as evaporated as well. It's a huge joke here in the US. Even people I have met who work for BMW say they would never own one out of warranty.

Pleased you featured the Series 1 Audi 100! My parents had an LS automatic in white from 1973. They’d had a couple of P6s before that. And then we had a Series 1 Granada L automatic in the famous caramel brown metallic.