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some cars looked fine with those huge bumpers, others the bumpers looked out of place. for instance on an LTD the bumpers were fine, but similar bumpers on the pinto were horrible.
Not that the corresponding rear bumpers (which were mandated for the 1974 cars) helped the Pinto's main problem very much. But that's another discussion.
I wouldn't say all models with those larger bumpers were ugly, there were a few exceptions. LOL.. Now I'm hearing Ricardo Montalban's voice in those Chrysler Cordoba commercials for some reason, talking about the "Fine Corinthian Leather".
My mom had a couple of Cordobas in the '70s. First a '76, then she got a '78 a year-and-a-half later. They both rode okay but did not last very long. And both had velour interiors; that "fine Corinthian leather" held too much heat in those Houston summers.
They did their job though. Even small cars had substantial bumpers. I had a '76 Civic in college with the chrome bumpers mounted on hydraulic tubes also with huge rubber "bumper guards" mounted on the front. I rear ended another Civic of similar vintage with the same bumpers at about 15 mph once and it didn't even phase either car! We both got out (I, of course profusely apologized) and marveled at the effectiveness of those ugly bumpers.
They did their job though. Even small cars had substantial bumpers. I had a '76 Civic in college with the chrome bumpers mounted on hydraulic tubes also with huge rubber "bumper guards" mounted on the front. I rear ended another Civic of similar vintage with the same bumpers at about 15 mph once and it didn't even phase either car! We both got out (I, of course profusely apologized) and marveled at the effectiveness of those ugly bumpers.
Right on..with most vehicles today traveling at that speed there would be major damage and of course the
the other driver suing you for "neck pain"...lol
They were ugly, but they were better than some of the "tin can" bumpers on cars before them--especially when some of the cars were designed so that the hood would hit an object before the bumper. How dumb was that?
The worst thing about the '73 cars (and for a lot of years afterward) is that the emission controls made them perform badly, run horribly, AND get ridiculously bad fuel economy. That really didn't change until the mid- to late-1980's when electronic fuel injection became the norm. In those regards, the decade from 1973 until 1983 was pretty much a lost decade for cars as far as I'm concerned. I have no nostalgia for most any of the junk that I drove during those years.
There were cars in that era that ran well and got good fuel economy. But most of the big 3 brands were terrible. The carmakers spent most of their time complaining about the laws instead of getting their engineers to do something useful.
My college roommate had a Caprice of that era. It was one of the crappiest running vehicles I have ever been in. At the same time another roommate had a German Mercury Capri - a fantastic sporty car at the time.
There were cars in that era that ran well and got good fuel economy. But most of the big 3 brands were terrible. The carmakers spent most of their time complaining about the laws instead of getting their engineers to do something useful.
My college roommate had a Caprice of that era. It was one of the crappiest running vehicles I have ever been in. At the same time another roommate had a German Mercury Capri - a fantastic sporty car at the time.
I had a old caprice too, but it was a police interceptor model with the 350 v8, quite the rocket!
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