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OUTSTANDSING photos! My first high school car was a 68 Impala SS. I remember my next door neighbor had a 1970 Fury III that was orange-red in color. Boy, was it a big beauty.
I had a 72 Kingswood 9 passenger wagon that I got rid of in 1986. I wish I still had that green machine.The cars today can't compare to the ones in the 70's, that is for sure.
I recently bought a 96 Chevy Lumina APV in mint condition that is a 7 passenger. Not quite that old, but it will do!
For all you fans of early 70's Mopars, especially police cars, check out Steven Spielberg's film "The Sugarland Express". The movie is like one long commercial for 1973 Dodge Polara police cruisers. Been awhile since I've seen it but I think they used Plymouth Furys in the movie also.
Well, I stand corrected.... it was a 1973 road test and it actually said that the Lincoln actually had the softest ride and the quietest interior, then the Cadillac. Then it clearly stated that the Imperial had the harshest ride (against the Caddy/Lincoln), but still rode better than most cars and it also had the noisiest interior of the three.... here is a link...
I have never rode in a early-mid 70s Mopar, but I read too where they had a harsher ride than GM/Ford. I had a 1975 road test against a Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac DeVille and Chrysler Imperial. It said that the Imperial had the harshest ride of the three, but was by no means uncomfortable. It was just not as cushy as Cadillac or Lincoln. I think it said Cadillac had the softest ride, but the trade-off was that the Imperial had the best handling because of the stiffer suspension.
I have that Imperial club page downloaded onto my desktop on my home computer and i know that particular review! I love those old road tests. Consumer Reports also had the same opinion that just about all the Mopars rode harsher and noisier than the GM/Ford competitors. They used to assign subjective descriptors such as "noisy, fairly noisy, fairly quiet and quiet. Usually the Ford Torinos and full sized GM cars got the "quiet" awards(backed up by objectively measured sound level measurements in "sones" rather than decibels) but oddly the full sized Fords only got "fairly quiet" ratings; the full sized Mopars and even the big Chryslers only got fairly quiet ratings; I recall a few of the Chrysler mid sizes (Coronet) occasionally got fairly noisy ratings.
But like I mentioned a few weeks ago, by '76 even the mid sized Chrysler products were riding quietly. I don't know what changed, maybe they started reading CR's and they started to sound proof the cars better.
But really, I always wondered if one was to ride in a '73 Chrysler New Yorker and then a Mercury Marquis and Buick Electra back in those days, would one really actually notice a difference in sound?
if the Imperial had the harshest ride, then what type of car would it's ride be comparable to? A lesser Chevy or Ford of the time or better? it's ride quality would hopefully be better than a mid sized car?! I can't picture this. We rented a '72 AND '73 Fury on vacations (as well as rode in a '72 Fury station wagon) and the cars rode like clouds without a care in the world.
I have that Imperial club page downloaded onto my desktop on my home computer and i know that particular review! I love those old road tests. Consumer Reports also had the same opinion that just about all the Mopars rode harsher and noisier than the GM/Ford competitors. They used to assign subjective descriptors such as "noisy, fairly noisy, fairly quiet and quiet. Usually the Ford Torinos and full sized GM cars got the "quiet" awards(backed up by objectively measured sound level measurements in "sones" rather than decibels) but oddly the full sized Fords only got "fairly quiet" ratings; the full sized Mopars and even the big Chryslers only got fairly quiet ratings; I recall a few of the Chrysler mid sizes (Coronet) occasionally got fairly noisy ratings.
But like I mentioned a few weeks ago, by '76 even the mid sized Chrysler products were riding quietly. I don't know what changed, maybe they started reading CR's and they started to sound proof the cars better.
But really, I always wondered if one was to ride in a '73 Chrysler New Yorker and then a Mercury Marquis and Buick Electra back in those days, would one really actually notice a difference in sound?
a comparison of the Ford Gran Torino, the quietest riding mid sized car of that year was 18, 24, 30, 37
so do you think the Chrysler was significantly noisier than those other cars or was the difference slight?
Yes, I loved this little road test. I also have one somewhere I think for the 1975 models. Thats where I was confused. This 73' was online and I have a 75' magazine with it.
I have never ridden in a early 70s Chrysler, so I cannot comment on them. I have rode in many early 70s GM cars though.
We had a 72' and 76' Lincoln back in the 80s and I recall super quiet rides.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlrl
if the Imperial had the harshest ride, then what type of car would it's ride be comparable to? A lesser Chevy or Ford of the time or better? it's ride quality would hopefully be better than a mid sized car?! I can't picture this. We rented a '72 AND '73 Fury on vacations (as well as rode in a '72 Fury station wagon) and the cars rode like clouds without a care in the world.
Well I wish I had of taken a ride in an early 70s Chrysler. I know in the mid-late 50s, Chrysler would boast about a "blvd" or feather soft rides, but I think that leaf springs may be one reason the early 70s Chryslers rated lower.
I had a 72' Buick Electra and it had a feather soft ride, as did my old 69' and 71' Caprice sedans.
My 73' Pontiac Grand Ville also has a smooth and cushy ride, but it was the "luxury" Pontiac for 73', so it should be expected. Its also based on the same chassis. My car is very old though and I think new springs would help alot.
I had a 72 Kingswood 9 passenger wagon that I got rid of in 1986. I wish I still had that green machine.The cars today can't compare to the ones in the 70's, that is for sure.
I love these. So you had the Impala Kingswood? I have a 72' Kingswood Estate 9-passenger, which is the Caprice wagon (which had the wood siding, fancier interior, etc). Here were alot of these around in the 80s, but now these cars are hard to find.
had kept a 73 impala, mustard color and in perfect condition parked on the side of my workplace for awhile
I also recently saw a 73 Caprice classic convertible in a great color cross between burgundy and red (chartreuse maybe?) the interior was immaculate you could tell the owner must be proud. i swear those 73 caprices looked like Cadillacs
Yeah, starting in 1971, the Caprice really did take on the look of a Caddy, but even moreso in 1973.
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Tenesee
