We’re not sure what America’s greatest era for big cars was but the early 1970s has to be up there in the ranking, right? If you have ever ridden in one of the softly spring, wheelbase for days, wide as an ocean liner behemoths that Detroit made back then you know what we’re talking about. Cars today, even “big cars” don’t offer anywhere near the experience that these cars do. Unlike the truck driven profit model of today, there was still a lot of money to be made in these big cars for the Detroit Three back then. That’s why promotional videos like this were important. Comparing the Chrysler Newport, the Oldsmobile 88, and the Buick LeSabre to set the Mopar apart was a way to sway potential buyers into their corner.
While things got cartoony by the time the 1975 and 1976 model years rolled around and after 1977 everyone started making stuff smaller, these cars of the 1970-1973 era are good looking, stately, and still had enough horsepower to be reasonable movers, especially when punched on the highway at 55mph!
Companies just don’t make comparison videos like this anymore. Maybe they do but they have not leaked out yet? We know it is propaganda but the approach and the language used is fun to watch and fun to follow along with.
Long live the land yachts!
74 models…….
To be fair, the full size (remember when that was a thing?) Newport was Chrysler’s entry level car. The other two are not Buick’s and Olds’s entry level models. The LeSabre and 88 had upscale features and options while the Newport was deliberately denied them.
P.S. I have a soft spot for the ’73 Newport sedan just as the BS author does. Was my first car and I still regret selling it when gas went over $1/gallon.