Market Watch: Roll Back The Years With These Cool 70s Cars

It might be tough to even imagine a new car not fitted with Apple CarPlay nowadays. Admittedly, this is part of a convenience feature most could still do without. Back in the 70s, people had to grapple with the fact that some cars did not come with electric windows and intermittent shield wipers. And Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) was only introduced in the early 70s.

It’s refreshing to recognise that these features still stay relevant today to work alongside blind spot monitoring systems and Rear Cross Traffic Alerts (RCTA), but only time will tell if modern safety features can match the longevity of yesteryear innovations. The point we’re attempting to drive across is that cars, if specced and built with agenda and pure passion, can truly withstand the test of time. These three cars represent peak 70s motoring, defying tech onslaughts.

1979 Toyota Land Cruiser (BJ40)

It’s almost a game in itself to keep track of every iteration of Toyota’s Land Cruiser, which goes to show the flexibility of its platform. From 2 and 4 door body styles (truck, SUV and convertible form factors - and we’re only getting started), to no less than eight petrol and diesel configurations, it’s created to tread paths less explored.

Little did Toyota know that this concept realised in the 50s went on to sell 10 million units worldwide, and it's the brand’s longest running series. This BJ40 is powered by a 3.0-litre 4 pot diesel that pushed more than 80bhp and close to 200Nm - plenty for one that weighs 600kg less than the 2024 Land Cruiser 79 Series.

1978 Mercedes-Benz 280S (W116)

While other manufacturers gave free reign to designers and engineers to brew something exciting, Mercedes-Benz, with the W116, concocted one of the safest mass market vehicles in the 70s.

All these were world firsts: padded door trims and steering wheel, headrests with a centre depression, asymmetric windshield wipers, rounded body styling especially on top of the front fenders to soften front pedestrian impact, ribbed rear tail lamps that prevented dirt formation - attention to detail was on another level.

This 280S is propelled by a 2.8-litre straight six, tuned to be equally at home tackling cobbled streets and freeways.

1975 Volkswagen Beetle (1200)

We can argue that the Beetle nameplate is as recognisable as Volkswagen itself - no surprises then given that during its lifespan, it received close to an astounding 80,000 incremental updates. Directives back in the mid 30s were simple - to build a car to fit two adults and three children, while not using more than 14km/l.

Ferdinand Porsche took up the challenge, and if there’s a measurement for success, just take a look at how many Beetles were sold - surpassing 20 million.

Even though the most sought after Bugs belonged to the pre-war era, this mid 70s example looks in fine fettle with new shocks and bushes, along with a juicy number plate. Prolong this bug’s life and live the air-cooled dream.

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