We’ve wrapped up our week reviewing Motor Trend’s coverage of the new 1977 domestic cars. So now it’s time for you to choose: imagine if you were buying a new car in 1977, what would you have picked? One of the new downsized models from GM? Would a personal luxury coupe have captured your fancy? A traditional “Big American Car”? Or would you have motored away in something smaller?
As for me, let me start by saying that I was 10-years-old in 1977 and an emerging hard-core car nut. At that time, there was one car that I really, really wanted–yep, a 1977 Firebird Trans Am. My buddies and I thought Trans Ams were just the coolest cars and we were crazy for them, “Screaming Chickens” and all. Remember, we were Malaise-era kids, so our automotive expectations were much lower. Cars like the Camaro and Firebird were about as good as it got in terms of available “muscle.” I was certain that I would be a Trans Am driver (nope, never ever happened). But if it had… my pick would have basically been like the Smokey and the Bandit car, a black/gold Trans Am with a black interior and the real Pontiac 400 V8. I can just see the younger version of me beaming as I grasped the padded Formula steering wheel, gazed at my instruments housed in their “machine turned aluminum” trim panel and looked out over the long, sculpted hood…
The other cars I was infatuated with as a kid were the new downsized GM full-sized cars. These really were a big deal at the time, and generated a lot of buzz. They felt so new and smart, and it was very exciting to spot the first ones as they appeared on the streets. My Pop got a 1977 Caprice Classic sedan as a company car in January 1977, and I was absolutely crazy about it (as were my buddies–hard to imagine 10-year-old boys excited about a family sedan today…). So now, as a rational adult (most of the time at least), I would have to answer this week’s QOTD by selecting a downsized full-sized car from GM. But which one?
That is a hard question for me, because I genuinely love all of the GM full-sized cars from 1977, and would happily have owned any of them. So I’m going to cheat a bit with my answer…
For a B-Body sedan, my choice would be the Caprice. I’d want it to be very similar to the one my Pop had, Dark Blue-Green Metallic with no vinyl top, sport mirrors and sport wheel covers, Chevy 350 4V V8, F41 suspension and loaded with options. Unlike Pop’s car, which had vinyl seats, “my” Caprice would have come with the more upscale Special Custom velour interior in saddle tan.
For a B-Body Coupe, I would have a Pontiac Bonneville. Make mine Nautilus Blue, with body-colored Rally II wheels, sport mirrors and no vinyl top. Inside would be blue velour, with all the toys, including the Rally gauge cluster and built-in AM/FM CB radio. Power would come from a genuine Pontiac 400 4V V8, and handling would come courtesy of the Rally RTS package. This beauty would put personal luxury intermediates to shame!
For a B-Body wagon, my pick would be the Oldsmobile Customer Cruiser. Please give me that distinctive Olds woodgrain treatment (I love the way it wraps over the wheel arches), and since these woodgrain-trimmed wagons often seemed to come in some shade of tan or brown, I’d stick with the Light Buckskin as shown on the car pictured above. In fact, that’s exactly what my Custom Cruiser would look like, down to the tan vinyl interior and cornering lights. Under hood you’d find the Olds-made 403 4V V8 and inside would be every comfort and convenience feature Oldsmobile had on offer (including AM/FM Stereo with 8-track stereo tape player), all the better to keep the kiddies entertained and the parents relatively stress free.
Moving on the C-Body, my choice for the larger sedan would be the Buick Electra 225. While lighter colors and earth tones were all the rage in 1977, I’d have gone in a slightly different direction: my Electra would have been Black with a Black vinyl roof and a red interior. Though I am usually a top-trim-level person, in this case I’d stick with the base car for my red interior–the Limited and Park Avenue velours in red would be a bit “much” for my tastes, then or now. However, I am staying true to form on the options front–I’d add everything I could, and my Electra 225 would roll on Buick’s beautiful chrome Road Wheels. Powering my black beauty would be a Buick-built 350 4V V8.
For the C-Body 2-door, I’d definitely want to bring home a Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Since it’s a Cadillac, I’d go positively berserk with options: Astroroof, wire wheel covers, Firemist paint (make mine Cerulean Blue with a matching Cabriolet vinyl roof), Cadillac 425 V8 with Electronic Fuel Injection, 50/50 power adjustable and reclining seats in Antique Light Blue leather, plus anything that could illuminate, be power-operated or work automatically would be specified for my Coupe DeVille. Take that, Continental Mark V!
So those are my (ample) choices for 1977? What are yours?
For station wagons, I’m with ya on the Custom Cruiser speced the way you describe.
I know that 1977 was close to the nadir of Corvette performance but I’d still love a 1977 Corvette with L-82 and 4-speed manual. There isn’t a Corvette who’s styling I didn’t like and there would be something special about having one from the year of my birth.
My partner has a 1978 Corvette (with automatic). It drove well and made a great sound. And 99% of all driving a normal mature person would do never needed the “performance” of earlier and later models.
It was more of an automotive statement and/or love of its style than anything else. Also, using a 1977 Corvette’s “performance” would quickly put you at, or over, the legal limits of mature behavior.
So, a 1977 Vette would (IMHO) be fine.
BUT, he could never put that car into gear in cold weather without it stalling once. After a restart, all was well. We would leave the office together on late cold nights and when he started his engine and was waiting for it to warm up, I’d start my fuel injected 1978 280Z, and smoothly drive away. He’d put the Vette into gear and it would stall.
Every time.
I think it annoyed him.
Also, his glove box would either fall open on bumps, or not open at all.
I picked him up more than once at the dealer to have something fixed and on the ride home, he’d open and close the Z’s glove box, over and over, pondering its construction and operation.
Also, it cost a lot more than the Z.
Sounds like my Malibu. I figured it was because the car was old (’79 and I only became of driving age in ’96) but maybe that was just a “feature” of Malaise-era cars.
Whether or not I had sufficiently warmed it up was the deciding factor in whether it stalled just the once, or multiple times…
I can relate. I find these B bodies rather dull myself, yet my Partner has always had great respect for them. Being 13 years my senior, and a Certified Mechanic, as well as highly involved in classic cars, he finds that G.M.’s downsized B and C bodies were designed incredibly well, from an owners’ point of view, especially mechanically. Upon reconsidering, I wouldn’t mind a Chevrolet Bel Air coupe, with its unique “bent-glass” rear window, in red, with whitewalls, and every power accessory available, even a sunroof! Note: the Bel Air model was still available in Canada, with this window design. Shown here is the 1979 Caprice Classic Landau coupe.
You’ve got me curious: why the Bel Air rather than the Caprice? The Bel Air was the cheapest big Chev, and it was deliberately made to look like it with a much uglier, tackier front end and interior.
You can see from this angle what a truly great design this was, even with all the chrome rocker and wheel well mouldings. I loved that bent and wrapped rear window design, too. I don’t imagine there are many of these left today in either Impala or Caprice trim but as Bel-Airs? Does anyone have production figures for those?
From a looks and feature standpoint, I love the ’77 Caprice Coupe, but it’s just too big (as were the domestic intermediates).
Based on size, I’d end up with a Nova Rally 2 door equipped with the 350 V-8, four speed manual, and 9C1 handling package (if available).
It’s rather amusing that I’d spurn the newest GM product for their oldest platform (outside the Corvette), but for me size trumps all, and GM made some big improvements to the (RWD) X-body during it’s lifetime.
I did buy a 77 Nova, though I bought it used in 79. Mine was a 2 door and I bought it because it was a “nice” size and I liked the vaguely European styling. But after living with it, in and around the San Francisco area, I decided it was still a big car. The rear seat legroom was a joke, and for the size of the car it had a ridiculous amount of trunk space. Pleasant car to drive though.
A car the size of the FWD “X” bodies would have been more to my liking, if it had existed.
That’s surprising-
I enjoyed driving a Fox body Mustang for many years, and would expect the Nova size to match up closely, but upon investigation, it’s about 10 % bigger in each dimension. That’s valuable information I may use in the future.
As far as the “X” bodies go- Good in concept, but having owned an ’82 Citation X-11, the reality does not measure up.
Why wait until 1978? I’d get a 1977 and it should be pretty much the same.
One change: I’d look into rust proofing, or maybe have a winter beater.
Is that you in the picture, rlp?
I would have actually brought both the 1977 Chevrolet Nova Concours 4 Door Sedan as my everyday drive and service car and the 1977 Cadillac Seville 4 Door Sedan for special occasions.
I was 17 years old when the 77s came out, and was in prime car-nut-dom. My tastes, however, skewed older than most my age, who were all in love with Firebirds and Camaros.
There were really only 2 cars that I was in love with in 1977 – The big Lincoln and the big Chrysler. In hindsight, the Lincoln would have been the better choice. A 77 Town Coupe with a 460 – well there was simply nothing wrong with that. They had a lot of colors to chose from, but I recall a really attractive aqua.
The Chrysler would be a New Yorker 4 door hardtop that was the exact duplicate of the one I eventually owned – Russet Sunfire Metallic with beige vinyl roof and beige velour inside. It was a stunner.
I have since decided that a Mark V would be a viable option as well, which would have made this a 3 way tie, maybe to be decided by 2 out of 3 coin tosses. So you people all enjoy your GM B and C body cars. I will stretch out in a REAL full-sized car as long as they are available. 🙂
If my budget were more limited, the Volare or Aspen wagon would be nice, with the biggest engine available and in the highest trim level. The LeBaron/Diplomat wagon was an even nicer package if I could wait a bit. I like the Sportabout, but would probably have passed on the older design.
Here it was.
You did find a nice one! I test drove a ’77 NYB with a buckskin tan top over pale yellow around 1991. I was indecisive about whether I wanted another old car, or go modern. The car sold out from under me. It was the same colors as the ’76 Cutlass I had once owned, I think having another yellow car also slowed me down. Now, if I had found yours……..
The Russet Sunfire was a 1 year only color that was not often seen on these. I have never seen a color combo that I like better. In real life, it was a balance of red and copper, much like on some more recent Fords and Mazdas.
That was a very popular colour scheme here in Australia too. Back in the early-mid seventies all the big 3 had their own slight variations on this colour paint and vinyl roof treatment, on all sizes of cars.
Oh my goodness! That photo looks exactly like my first car, except mine had those amazing tufted leather seats in brown. Like you, my tastes were much older than my numerical age.
I turned 16 just as the 77’s were coming out and we all got cars for our birthday. My older brother chose a ’75 Trans Am, my younger brother picked a ’79 Datsun Z. They laughed when I chose mine, but they always wanted to borrow it for date night.
After messing with the picture.
you also have a Scamp or a Dart Swinger in the driveway if I am not mistaken
Yup, a 71 Scamp.
Oh wait . . .
+1 on the scout!!!
Solid choice! And that orange/white color combo is tough to beat. Looks great and screams ‘mid ’70’s’.
Come to think of it, the ’70’s may have sucked for ‘regular cars’, but for trucks and sport utilities this was the golden age. They were tough as nails rugged, had all the power you’d ever need and were still oriented towards the outdoorsy enthusiast and were as much leisure vehicles as hard working rigs true to their roots. No sign of gentrification, softening, or outright neutering to suit yuppies and soccer moms.
Yup, the Scout is my choice at least on the budget of normal human. Of course with no budget, an Aston Martin Vantage would be my choice….
New Yorker Brougham pulling up to a 1977 Boz Scaggs concert at the 11 second to 18 second mark…
southflorida:
A LOT of mid-1970s domestic cars were made for
that song, lol!
This aqua? (Excuse the soft focus of the photo…)
That’s the one, but on looking, I think that was a 78 or 79 choice. I’m sure I will be able to settle on something in the showroom.
Dismal year so it’s an easy choice, and to echo the author, make it a Trans Am for me as well. 4 speed withOUT T-tops please, black/gold black interior SE trim or blue/blue with black interior like my Dad’s 78.
I would have to go with the LeSabre sport coupe. But, really, any of the Bs with the upgraded suspension would have been fine.
I’m not an expert, and I am a HUGE fan of the LeSabre Sport Coupe, in fact at the moment it’s the #1 classic car I want!
That said, wasn’t the only engine choice in 1977 in the LeSabre Sport Coupe a 301 V8? It doesn’t sound that sporty to me…
Actually for 1977 you could get a Buick 350 4V V8 or an Olds-built 403 4V V8 in the LeSabre Sport Coupe, either of which would be much better than the standard 301 V8.
So what’s the best sport coupe engine in the 1977-1979 years? I don’t like the looks of the 1980 and later… Is the v6 turbo significantly lighter? Is the 403 significantly more powerful than the 350 4v? Is it heavier?
My family had an early turbo V6 in a Buick Regal. Hard pass.
The LeSabre’s pretty enough I might even take it with an Iron Duke. 😉
Wish I could afford this one! https://abetter.bid/en/27759366-1978-buick-lesabre
Now I wish I hadn’t clicked that link.
Well if I were single, which I was at 2 years old in 1977, that TA is hard to pass up. Maybe if I was driving at that time I’d feel differently. But to me those are the quintessential late-70’s car.
If I had kids, like I do today, I’d choose a Buick or Pontiac wagon.
I turned five in 1977. I was much more into Smokey and the Bandit than Star Wars (seen Smokey and the Bandit dozen of times in my life, Star Wars maybe once or twice). So a Special Edition Trans Am would be my dream ’77 car purchase. Realistically, I would purchase a F150 Super Cab in black or maybe some two tone combo.
This is tough for me, as I like a lot of 77 cars. I guess the obvious choice for me would’ve been a Mark V, Triple Black with a 460 under the hood. If I didn’t have the scratch for it, maybe a Grand Marquis Four Door in a really nice dark blue or a Ford Thunderbird in the same color with a 400. If I was to look at the GM options instead, probably an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with the 403 engine. Maybe a Firebird Trans Am without T-Tops and a Manual in SE Trim if I wanted a really nice fun car. I don’t know, I guess the dilemma is that GM had more stuff that I liked, but the stuff from Ford I did like, I liked more than the stuff from GM.
’77 Capri II Ghia, yellow
’77 VW Rabbit L 2-door, orange
’77 Caprice Coupe, 350/350, F41
Price less of an object:
’77 Seville, darker color
If it had to be a big ‘un, then I guess a Chrysler hardtop sedan. Last of the breed. In black, or at least in a dark colour. Only downside is the interior, those seats with all those buttons… *shiver*…
If I could also get a smaller car, I’d go for a Pacer. They just look like nothing else on the road. With a 4-speed stickshift, please.
You are in luck – Everyone remembers the tufts and buttons, but for 77 only, the New Yorker’s velour interior was this delightfully classic version. This was what mine had, but in beige. Let me tell you, those seats were so wonderfully firm and supportive, as comfy as any car seat I can ever recall owning.
Yowza!!
(Oh yes, the seats look pretty fantastic too.) 😉
Yes, the seats… very, very nice… seats…
he he
Thanks JP — didn’t know that, makes me want one even more. With velours seats.
That ribbed velour lived on for quite a few years in other Mopars, even quite a few lesser models. My ’82 Charger 2.2 was upholstered in a tan and brown version of it, and a gen 1 Caravan my Dad’s company owned had it in light and dark blue as an extra cost upgrade. That stuff wore like iron. It was crazy durable as well as comfortable.
The girl in the back looks like a carrot in in a salad.
Brendan wins this thread! 🙂
I have a sudden urge to eat healthy.
What exactly are those “lavaliere straps” on the inside C pillars for? Did they really make it easier getting inside or something?
Back in 1977 I wanted a new Z28, and I also liked the Capri II. That year, a guy down the street who I went to high school with had a new Datsun Z, another great choice. Looking back now, I still like the Capri, and the newly fuel injected Scirocco; these would be my picks
I was looking at trading my 71 Riviera for a new 77 Riviera. But a slightly used 76 Riviera was also available. If I had it to do over, I would go for the 77 Riviera. A Coupe DeVille with optional electronic fuel injection was also a possibility, but probably much too expensive, with a base price about $2000 more than the Riviera.
B-Car Bonneville with 400 4V. Sedan in two tone silver/gunmetal with burgundy interior. Rally wheels, rally gauges and HD suspension.
Not really a huge GM guy but this was a real low point for Ford, whereas the B-Car was beginning a strong 20 year run, making it an excellent candidate for long-term ownership with the added benefit of upgrading the beast as various components wear.
LeSabre two-door. Man those were good cars.
I was 14 in 1977. So young me wanted an El Camino or a Monza Spyder. Reality in 1979 was a 79 Nova hatchback. At least it had a 305 V8.
NOW 52 year old me would have a C body. Sedan de Ville or a Olds 98 coupe.
In ’77, I was 13, and had my doubts about those boxy GM cars. I leaned toward the older big cars, so I would have leaned toward a big Chrylser, Lincoln, or Mercury. Since the Ford products were already in my experience – we had a ’76 LTD, I probably would have gone the New Yorker Brougham route.
Getting to pick a car today, I’d probably go with some sort of Firebird / Trans Am. I ended up having a LOT of experience with the big Fords, GM A, B, and C bodies of the times, so the F body Pontiac would be a way to scratch an itch that has seldom been attended to. I had a couple of opportunities to drive a ’77 era Trans Am in the mid 1980s, and it was a lot of fun.
I would have to go with a Grand Marquis Coupe. Two tone inside and out. Over the top, in what I consider, all the right ways!
Yup, dismal year. So I’ll go big with the Cherokee Chief.
Jim Grey can give me a ride when the Cherokee breaks down and/or rusts out.
I had a lot of passenger time in a ’78 Bonneville 2-door, so a ’77 version is pretty tempting. Were the Pontiac 400s still available in the B bodies?
A Firebird (non Trans Am) with the 400 Pontiac and a 4-speed would be hard to turn down, also.
My first impulse would be to buy a Volkswagen Scirocco, since I had a 78 and really liked it. But if it was buy whatever you want, then a Porsche 911 immediately comes to mind, or a Trans-Am. On a slightly more practical level, an Audi 5000.
+1
I had a ’78 Scirocco and loved it. I picked Rabbit over Scirocco because I didn’t like the ’77 bumpers, the ’78s like we had were much nicer.
Thought about the 911 but in ’77 it suffered from serious emission issues and wasn’t very fast. It also looked weak with those big bumpers and the narrow body. The ’78 3.0 SC fixed all of that and would go to the top of my list.
I’m the same age as GN, and was obsessed in 1977. I loved the Corvette, like every other red blooded American kid, and of course the Trans Am, but the car I’d have chosen in ’77 would have undoubtedly been the Seville.
Before the downsized B Bodies, etc., the first big new car hype I can remember being a big deal as a kid was the “Baby Cadillac”. Even before the Seville was released it had been buzzed about, and once it hit the streets it was heavily scrutinized and mostly lauded. I know it wasn’t a new model in ’77, but I can recall it still being a pretty big deal. The Seville was its own one car “First Wave” of the downsizing trend at GM and throughout the industry, I remember thinking at the time and still think today that it was a very nicely executed design. Granted, it wasn’t an all new platform, per se, it didn’t bring a whole lot of new features to the table, other than standard fuel injection, but I still would love to own one.
+100
I bought a 76 Rabbit. What a diff from the family 73 Montego.
My family bought a 77 Lemans Safari in 1977 so I got a soft spot for them, I think a Lemans CanAm or GT would be cool to have owned back then.
Gremlin with 232 and 4-speed.
I know I’m supposed to choose American, But ’77 was a great year to buy a top trim Rabbit stick shift. Fuel injected 1.6 was a strong runner and durable as well, just need to make sure the valve seal recall is done. Sunroof and AC would be a must as well. Scirocco would be my first choice except not enough headroom for me. And I would have been working for the VW dealer then, so repairs would have been easy and affordable. I actually did buy a ’77 Rabbit, but this was in 1987.
I’ll take the Caprice Classic if I have to buy American Car and not allowed to buy a truck this year.
I think for sure a corvette 4 speed stick w/ T-tops and the L-82.
Or just stick with what I actually bought in ’77…a 1974 Fiat X1-9. Most fun car I’ve ever owned, like a slot car. But a total nightmare for maintenance & reliability. The old 5 foot tall Italian guy who kept her running always greeted me with a big smile, of course. I’m still on the lookout for a good southern example of the ’74 (the only year without ugly federalized bumpers). Alas, I haven’t seen one in decades…
There are a few of them in Portland. I saw one on I-5 last week late at night being driven properly 🙂
yeah, i know… its a ’78… (give or take a year or so)… always loved these cars
Yup you and I would both be a year early. That color scheme would be my pick, too.
Specialty: red W72 4 speed Trans Am with T-tops and Rallye II wheels
Personal: black over red Grand Prix SJ with T-tops and Rallye II wheels
Subcompact: blue V8 Monza
Compact: black over red Volare Premier wagon and pray it was a good one
Mid-Size: bronze Cutlass Supreme with a 403 and Super Stock wheels
Full Size: Delta 88 pace car
Wagon: white with woodgrain Colony Park or Country Squire
Pickup: green Power Wagon 250 with the graphics package
SUV: red/silver with red plaid interior Ramcharger SE 4X4 or a silver Cherokee Chief 2 door
Van: Dodge Street Van with painted murals, sidepipes and an interior made for good times
For an American car, I would pick the Toronado as a protest of the coming downsizing of expectations and the end of doing something like an oversized FWD personal luxury coupe just because we can.
If we expand to include foreign cars I would go with the last of the line Audi 100LS. The late models had added fuel injection and some luxury features like cruise control and velour interior. The later generations are better remembered but had to add another cylinder to cope with weight gain which shows some backsliding from German efficiency.
for a truck I really like the Chevy Blazer
but for everyday driving definitely the Maserati Khamsin
Gorgeous colour on a gorgeous car. I have the brochure for the ’75 (or ’74) Khamsin in my collection. I’ve seen one in the flesh, once, but not in this fantastic hue.
For 1977, if I had fleet similar to what today, it’d be as follows:
Family Car: 1977 Caprice Classic 4-door, LM1 350, F41 suspension, 3.08:1 gears
Truck: 1977 Ford F-150 (heavy half ton), 2WD Reg cab Long box 460-4V, C6
Fun Car: 1977 Trans Am 400, 4 Speed.
For ‘cars’ the choices are pretty dismal. I do like the F body Aspen/Volare but I’d hold out til ’78. They were fully sorted by then, and that’s the one year to get the one I really want: the Super Coupe. Make it a T-top with either the 4bbl 360/TF OR 318/4spd and the rest of the details can fall in place.
For ‘trucks’ OTOH…’77 has a lot to love.
The AMC era Jeeps are the ones that hooked me for life. A Cherokee Chief or J-10 Honcho equipped with the 401/ T-18 granny gear manual would be hard to top. Id probably stay true to my roots and pick a CJ-7 Renegade with that same T-18 and 304 V8. No top necessary.
The Dodge Boys have some solid picks also in the ‘Adult Toys’ section. A full tilt ’70’s Tradesman Street Van with all the requisite period goodies (slot mags, side pipes, shag carpet etc) is HIGH on my vehicular bucket list. The Power Wagon pickups were damn sharp as were the Warlocks. 4×4 preferred, but 2wd would work. Gimme a 440, manual and the stepside would be non negotiable. But I’d probably pull the trigger on a 4×4 Ramcharger or Trailduster. Make it a 440/4spd with a soft top. These things rival Jeep CJs/Wranglers as my all time favorite 4×4, but I’ve owned 5 of those, never a RC/TD.
The wild card and investment speculation pick would be a Bronco. I have a MAJOR soft spot for these things and ’77 is the last year for the old school bobtail style. 1st gen Broncos bring STUPID money nowadays so that’s nothing to take lightly.
Ooh, I forgot Dodge’s trucks, those were good. Lil Red Express for me.
Trouble is, you’d be a year early. The LRET was ’78 & 79 only. BUT, the Warlock had a similar package, 2 or 4wd just not the performance mods. LRET outperformed just about anything else you could buy in those 2 years. Warlock…well they just look bitchin.
Stumbled onto this pic…it wouldn’t take much for this beast to be my dream truck. Scrap those goofy 5-stars for 15×10 slot mags, tubular bumpers at both ends with a pre-runner style grill guard/KC lites up front and fit that big block with fenderwell headers dumping into side pipes with 8″ Cherry Bombs. It’s already a blue 4×4 with soft top which is ideal for me.
Love that soft top
I’d have to go with a 1977 Monte Carlo Landau with the 350 4V and 3:08 highway gear positraction. The 2.56 base gear would have been too low. Power everything and a/c. F40 suspension and rally wheel trim. And the swivel bucket seats.
Nice!
Monza town coupe. Just cause I like the look. Or a cutlass supreme coupe. Cause it’s a great looking car
Or for the practical side a granada sedan
This. We’re on the same page, but I’d go Sunbird 2 door notch as I think it’s better looking and Mercury Monarch for the same reason.
Yep. A B-body. Even though I’m a Fomoco-Mopar guy myself. Probably the 4 door Caprice — loaded. Otherwise a nice Grand Marquis 4 door in white or a New Yorker with a 440. I believe 1977 was GM’s year and I’d happily ride that coattail of success.
Not a very original idea, but hey, a great product should never be ignored, especially during that era.
1977 VW Scirocco – Italian Style – German Common Sense – Best of Both Worlds
No matter what you choose it’s a looser.
You can see just what the options and specifications were for some of the 1977 GM cars here:
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html
I was an “adult” in 1977 and was on active duty in the Air Force. Towards the end of the 1977 calendar year I decided that I needed to replace my used and abused ’73 Nova with something more practical. I looked at a new Camaro but found it a poor substitute for the ones from my youth. I was in my “down on big cars” phase so most of the full-size and intermediates held no appeal for me. Surprisingly I was impressed by the Ford Fairmont, which I believe debuted in late 1977 as a MY 78 offering. The Fairmont was available with the 302 V8 and was quite quick, relatively speaking, what kept me from buying one was that the 302 was only available with the automatic in California and I wanted the four speed. As regular readers of this space might remember I ended up buying a 1978 VW Rabbit in the early spring of 1978. It is hard to believe that 1977 was nearly 40 years ago.
Jeep Wagoneer and Cherokee Chief; Lincoln Town Car and Mark V; any of the Cadillacs with the exception of Coupe de Ville; Oldsmobile 88, 98, and Custom Cruiser; Pontiac Bonneville, Catalina, Safari/Grand Safari, and Firebird; Chevrolet Camaro and Caprice; Ford F-Series and Club Wagon/Econoline; and Dodge Sportsman.
Tough choice…for ’77 it’d still be a full-size, but the question is which? ’77 New Yorker brougham hardtop coupe in midnight blue over blue leather, with the polished road wheels? That standard 440 sounds quite appealing. On the Ford side of the house, the Mark V makes a persuasive argument. Bill Blass edition with moonroof and turbine alloys. Over at GM, it’s hard to ignore the LeSabre sport coupe. Silver with red cloth interior, 403 and the “performance” 3.08 axle ratio. The hot rod of the group, if less premium.
Decisions…
Hindsight being 20/20 and all that… For me there are a number of Choices in 1977. Mercedes Tops the list . Pretty much any 1977 Mercedes USA model but let’s start with 1977’s World’s Fastest 5 passenger Production Car the Mercedes 6.9 .It had a Fuel Injected 417 cubic in overhead cam V8. which was very exoctic at the time. I drove one on a after service road test with a coworker of mine. We took it around the outskirts of Tampa International Airport on Memorial Hwy ,because we couldn’t be clocked by radar due to all of the interference from the airport. We had it up to 150MPH with more throttle to go but we did not have enough road and it was as quiet as a church inside. We just held a normal conversation at 150mph. It was their Flagship. Next it would be the 450SL roadster but in reality I could only afford a Datsun (Nissan) 240Z or Toyota Celica which would be my other fine picks.
I was confining my choices to American-built cars. If we were going worldwide, the 6.9 would definitely be on my list. Saw one at a car show a couple weekends ago, still impressive after all these years.
Given that I’m dealing with a rather aged ’77 Dodge Chinook right now, I’d like to have experienced one when it was brand new.
Trans Am, and Caprice Coupe. Still would be perfectly happy with those two today.
What’s currently in my driveway, a 1977 Malibu Classic. Sure it’s an old design next to its siblings, but its kept drawing me back to them after my first exposures to cars (first ride was in a 76 Malibu Classic sedan the year before this excerise takes place.
I would find a cooperative Dodge truck dealer and put together what might be the D100 with the oddest option combination ever built.
Color: dark green.
Body: extended cab.
Bed: 8 foot.
Engine: 440.
Trans: A833 if available, 3-speed if not…if nether, 727 Loadflite.
Axle: 9.25″ wih 2.94 and Sure Grip.
Interior: work truck, vinyl seats, no carpet, only options AM FM with CB (hey, its a 1977) and cassette. Manual brakes and steering, please.
Oh, yeah…and factory air conditioning.
For 1977, trucks still had no catalysts, so all the engine would need is 3″ dual exhaust, a supertuned Thermoquad, and a recurved distributor to really rip.
’77 Olds Cutlass Salon, Black on black, no vinyl roof 403/Hydramatic. Maybe a Yellow Firebird Formula 400.
I’m with you on both, with the only exception being the color on the Cutlass, I drove a ’77 Cutlass White/white landau top with white leather interior. Draw back was it drank gas like no car I’ve ever owned!! But she rode and drove like a dream and turned heads everywhere.
Always loved the yellow Formula over the TA’s… still had to have the rear spoiler though.
I think the Porsche 928 debuted in 1977. Sure, it’s water cooled, too heavy, and has the engine in the wrong end of the car for the Porschofiles, plus it eventually became a symbol for midlife crisis. But for pre-adolescent boy in 1977, it was the coolest thing on four wheels.
I was goin for a BMW 320i (1st year for that too) however, you changed my mind. I’d ridden in a 1st gen. 928 & was in love, at first ride.