The Cars of the ‘70s

The Cars of the 70s is the third and final book in this series by AMC contributor Gavin Farmer, following on from books cover the 1950s and ‘60s.

Like the earlier books, The Cars of the 70s is a reminder of what was – a vibrant local manufacturing industry with the majority of cars sold in Australia either being fully manufactured here or CKD assembled.

The ‘70s was a golden era for the Australian muscle car, giving us legendary machines like the XY Falcon GT-HO Phase II and III, HG Holden Monaro GTS 350, Torana XU-1, L34 and A9X, Chrysler’s Hemi 245 Pacer and the Charger E38 and E49 that followed.

But it was also a time change, upheaval and uncertainty. There was the 1973 energy crisis that led to a sudden downsizing of cars, widespread industrial disputes in the car industry amid rising inflation, and the emergence of Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi.

The book is a terrific record of the history of the industry in that decade, and the cars that were made here. The same goes for the 1950s and ‘60s books – it’s worth getting all three to get full picture. The Cars of the 70s is available from all good bookstores for $59.99 or online at www.newhollandpublishers.com