10 BEST SPORTS CARS OF THE 1970S

One thing that can get a muscle car person on the defensive faster than calling a Firebird a sports car is to group a Ford Mustang with a Porsche 911. You may have noticed over the years that things like this have been happening for a while now because the car industry has forgotten that there are different categories for each of the cars on the market.

For example, the classic big block car, such as the 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS, is a muscle car, the 1972 Nissan 240Z is a sports car, and the Lamborghini Miura is the first supercar. Still, many car lovers seem to mix and match them all into one group.

No matter how you like to categorize them all, the definitions are clear, so for the sake of argument, let's stick with the fact that sports cars are high-performance cars designed for quick performance and exceptional handling, and supercars are sports cars that produce more than 500 horsepower and can exceed a top speed of 200+ mph.

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Porsche 911 Carrera

When you are talking about sports cars, one of the first that will always come to mind is Porsche, even though, as of late, they have been building supercars rather than basic sports versions. But, back in the '70s, if you wanted one of the best, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS was the way to go.

Engine Specs And Peformance

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS (Racing Sport) was the creation of engineers and aerodynamic specialists that had one goal: to bring their losing streak on the racetracks to an end. The Carrera RS was built from the previous Porsche platform, switching out the 2.4L boxer-6 for a more powerful 2.7L boxer-6 that could push out over 200 horses, propelling the car from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds. The biggest difference, the one that made history for the Porsche nameplate, was the ducktail rear spoiler that significantly improved the aerodynamics of the Porsche.

Datsun 240Z

Since the Porsche is the sports car everyone dreams about, the mini Corvette is the car everyone rushes out to buy. The Datsun 240z, and its bigger siblings, the 260Z and the 280Z, were some of the most sought-after sports cars in the 70s because they not only looked like a high-profile vehicle (the 'Vette) they drove like one (the Porsche).

Engine Specs And Peformance

0 to 60 mpf in 8.0 seconds may not seem like much fun if you have been behind the wheel of any of today's high-performance cars, but the Z-cars take it to a whole new level. If you take the time to chat with current owners, they will tell you that the car can corner like it is on rails while still offering a safe and comfortable ride. To top it off, the vehicle is designed to drive cross country with the reliability and ease of your average touring sedan.

Chevrolet Corvette

There is no point in speaking about the mini-Corvette without mentioning the real thing. Unfortunately, since the Corvette can stand toe-to-toe with the big displacement quarter-mile racers, some people like to confuse it for a muscle car. To be fair, it can be depending upon how it has been built. For the most part, though, a 'Vette is a sports car by nature.

Engine Specs And Peformance

1978 was a special year for the Corvette because it hit 25 years of production. For the 25th anniversary, the company designed and built a special edition car that was a silver car featuring unique emblems on the nose and fuel door. The fastback style that had come in demand made the Corvette look even more aerodynamic and dramatic, but overall it gave the 'Vette a new look that was so badly needed.

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Triumph TR7

The Triumph TR7 is another British-made car that made it onto the top of the global sports car radar. The original four-cylinder did not give the car very much pep off the line, but the design of the vehicle allowed it to hug the corners as it cruised through the hillsides, so when the big V-8 landed under the hood, it was not much of a stretch for Triumph to get people to convert over.

Engine Specs And Peformance

Like many cars in the '60s and '70s, companies tried to fit the biggest engines they could under the hood because, in North America, one saying ruled the land "There is no replacement for displacement." Of course, that has been proven to be a false statement today with all the new innovative technology, but back in the day, bigger was better. These V-8-powered cars were called the Triumph TR-8, but to many, they are still considered part of the TR-7 lineup.

Mazda RX-7

Too often, the unique and fun-to-drive Mazda RX-7 gets confused with the Z-cars produced by Datsun/Nissan. Granted, they do look the same, and they even drive the same, but once you pop the hood, every semblance of being related goes out the window because the Mazda has always used the Wankel rotary engine as the power plant for the RX-7.

Engine Specs And Peformance

There were a couple iterations of the rotary engine that could be found in the 1978 and 1979 Mazda RX-7, but they were all under 1.5L, so the Japanese people that bought them did not have to pay any yearly road taxes on the displacement amounts. The RX-7 was definitely more of a sports car, designed to take the curved roads of the world on at full speed but in a straight line, all the RX-7 could muster was 0 to 60 in 9.4 seconds and an entire quarter-mile run in over 18.5 seconds.

Toyota Celica

The Toyota Celica has been around for a long time, being first designed and produced for the market in Japan in 1970. It spread out to national markets and continued to be sold until 2006, winning the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 1976 as it won the hearts of the American youth.

Engine Specs And Peformance

The pony car revolution gained traction in North America throughout the end of the '60s and 70s until the new emissions regulation ended the classic era of big displacement engines. The next best thing to a beefy muscle car was a small sports car that still had power but could pass the emissions regulations. The Toyota Celica was the answer to the call for the Japanese car maker, and for many years it was a go-to for people around the world wanting a pony car that could stay under the radar.

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MG MGB

When the MG MGB first became an idea back in the '50s, it was by far an innovative design. A car that all British people could be proud of, not just the people that had been a part of the design team. The MGB was one of the very first cars to design side crumble zones within the car to keep the occupants safer in the event of an accident.

Engine Specs And Peformance

The MGB started with a very simple electrical system made up of toggles and switches that controlled each specific car component. The batteries that controlled the system did not even start out as a 12-volt. They were two 6-volt batteries combined in one circuit, eventually replaced with one 12-volt battery, as were all the toggles and switches. But, if you want an old-school sports car that leaves everything up to the driver, the early '70s MG MGB is the sports car for you.

Fiat X1/9

The Fiat X1/9 was the first Fiat to ever meet U.S. emissions standards in the '70s from start to finish without having to be revised. That was an accomplishment back in the days when the rules were changing so much that muscle cars were pushed off the market, creating an opening for sports cars from all over the world to take center stage.

Engine Specs And Peformance

Unfortunately, the Fiat X1/9 was not the sports car that would take over the industry, but people sure had fun driving these cars that were primarily known for their balanced weight distribution, storage areas in the front and back of the vehicle, and the lightweight removable top that opened up the world to all the occupants wanting to cruise in the fresh air of the countryside.

Triumph Spitfire

Even though the Triumph Spitfire was a small British sports car designed for two, it was not as popular in the States as you may have thought it would be. Maybe that is because it was initially intended to stay in the U.K. to take on the Austin-Healey Sprite.

Engine Specs And Peformance

If that was all it was designed for, it did very well by selling around 315,000 cars in 18 years of production. But that is not the accomplishment that the Spitfire will be remembered for the most. The little vehicle will stay in the hearts of many simply because, during its early times in the '60s, it was part of the winning team in the SCCA National Sports Car Championship, Tour De France Rally, the Geneva Rally, and the Alpine Rally.

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Lotus Esprit

The wedge-shaped design of the Lotus Espirit was a unique one introduced to the market three years before production actually started for the 1976 model year. It was among the first of the "folded paper" designs by the now-famous Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.

Engine Specs And Peformance

The four-cylinder engine was the car's staple up until 1996 when Lotus decided to go with a V-8 under the hood, but for a 70's sports car, the smaller inline four-cylinder was the perfect choice. It could rev up to higher RPM levels for better performance when on the open road, and since it had anti-roll bars in the front and coil-over shocks in the back, it had more performance than power, which may be why the company finally went with an eight-cylinder in the later models.

2023-06-04T23:38:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd