It’s honestly kind of impressive how quickly the automotive industry went from putting out wall-to-wall heaters in the 1970s to boxy buckets of bolts just a few years later in the 80s. This list pairs up 11 of the most iconic muscle cars of the sporty 70s alongside their less exciting younger siblings.
Take these comparisons for a spin, and think about whether you’d rather have a boring, compact everyday drive from the 80s, or a stylish, sleek, sports car from the 70s. Actually, don’t bother thinking about that, because it’s pretty obvious.
1
1970 Buick Skylark vs 1980 Buick Skylark
The 1970 Skylark is a powerful collectible, while the same model from 10 years later suffered recalls and major quality issues.
2
Chevrolet Monte Carlo vs Chevrolet Citation
Just a few years saw Chevy go from stylish luxury to boxy, low-quality junk.
3
Pontiac Firebird vs Pontiac Phoenix
You could forgive someone who didn’t know anything about cars for getting the names of these two mixed up; they’re very similar. But even someone with zero car knowledge could tell there’s a big difference just looking at them.
4
Oldsmobile 442 vs Oldsmobile Omega
When you hear the name Oldsmobile you think of a muscle car icon, not the rebadged compact that followed.
5
Cadillac Coupe de Ville vs Cadillac Cimarron
The Coupe de Ville is synonymous with luxury, one of the main reasons the name Cadillac holds such prestige. The Cimarron tried its hardest to drag that name through the dirt.
6
Alfa Romeo Montreal vs Alfa Romeo Arna
The Montreal is a cult classic and it’s not hard to see why. The Arna was co-developed with Nissan, and ended up being the worst of both worlds.
7
Ford Mustang vs Ford Bronco II
You can’t bring up muscle cars without mentioning the Mustang. And you can’t bring up the Bronco II without mentioning the fact it constantly rolled over.
8
Datsun 240Z vs Alfa Romeo Arna
Since the Arna was both a Nissan and Alfa Romeo, we’ll let it pull double duty. Maybe it’s not fair to beat on it so much, but when you compare it to the Datsun 240Z, Nissan’s iconic sports car, it pales in comparison.
9
Maserati Bora vs Maserati Biturbo
The Bora was a sports car masterpiece, exotic and prized. The Biturbo was a step into more predictable and accessible territory– not the worst thing ever, but a step back from 70s royalty.
10
Dodge Charger vs Dodge Aries
The Charger is a symbol of American muscle cars. The Aries was practical but bland, and signaled the end of the sporty muscle car era.
11
Chrysler Cordoba vs Chrysler Imperial
The Imperial wasn’t necessarily fully junk in the same way some of the other 80s cars on this list were, but it was no Ricardo Montalban Corinthian leather masterpiece.
