1970 Models

This was the point in time that the muscle car market took the cartoonish step off the cliff.  It was no longer on solid ground, but like a cartoon figure, hadn’t started the plummet to earth because it hadn’t looked down yet.

GM said “Aw, what the hell” and allowed the new Mark IV 454cid V8 to be put into most bodies, corporate responsibility be damned.  Both Chrysler and Chevrolet saw healthy declines this year, far in excess of the industry average.  Chevrolet had experienced a two-month strike, which accounts for their sales decline.  Chrysler was struggling with new management and quality issues.  All-in-all, industry sales were well within the margin of the ‘sine wave’ increase/decrease the market seemed to experience.

Total Sales: 7,921,000; change: -9.3%.

1970 Noteworthy Events

• Chevrolet – 454!  Restyled Chevelle; Monte Carlo.
• Buick – Gran Sport 455!
• Dodge – Challenger!
• Ford – 351 Cleveland introduced.
• Mercury – Cougar and Comet receive front-end restyling.
• Oldsmobile – 4-4-2 gets 455cid V8.
• Plymouth –Super Bird.
• Pontiac – Firebird/TA get new bodies; 455 arrives.

It was a good year for Ford, up almost 15%, while Chevy saw losses of twice that amount. Plymouth, Buick and Olds saw minor sales changes, while everyone else experienced declines up to 30%. Ford took the sales title by a wide margin.

Chevrolet

Chevy saw larger sales declines than anyone this year, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an exciting year.  There was a lot to be excited about, including the redesigned Chevelle, the 454cid Mark IV big-block, now available in mid-sized cars, and the all-new Monte Carlo.  This isn’t to ignore the Camaro, which now sported a stunning new body. 

All of the GM companies were greatly affected by the Sept. 14 to Nov. 23, 1970, UAW strike.  Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile fared well enough, but Chevy and Pontiac saw sales reductions of 30% and 20%, respectively.  The 67-day strike is estimated to have cost General Motors from $50M to $100M per day!

Approximate Sales: 1,451,000; change: -30.6%.; industry rank: 2^nd.

Chevelle

The newly redesigned Chevelle was a looker, for sure!  The front look was much different than before, with an attractive horizontally split grille nestled between the two sets of dual headlights and blunted fenders.  The ‘peak’ at the front got more pronounced, as did the horizontal grille partition. 

In back, the taillights were now integrated into the bumper, not the rear fenders.  The side rear quarter windows on the ‘70s were now a bit more square; attractive, but not quite as cool as the ’69.

Maybe it could be said that the ’70 just looked more muscular than the ’69.  It certainly did get more muscular, in the form of the 454 LS6.  Thankfully, the 396 engines remained available, for those of us without bank accounts that would support the upgrade cost for the monster engines.

The look of the grille on the ’70 Chevelle was a lot like the ’69 here. The headlight area was restyled, now with each headlight being surrounded by body color, and with the swept-back leading edge of the front fenders becoming a bit more conventional.

Where the ’69 had its taillights in the rear fenders, the ’70 saw them moved down to the bumpers. The general shape remained squarish.

Chevelle LS6

This is the car/engine that held the record for the highest factory horsepower rating of the muscle car era.  No, we’re not ignoring the Corvette with the same engine, rated at 10 hp higher.  We’re going by the definition of ‘muscle car’, which excludes such vehicles as Corvettes and Shelby 427 Cobras.

This engine was rated at 450hp, which should be regarded as an honest rating.  It had all of the goodies: forged everything, high compression ratio, huge ports and valves, aluminum intake, Holley carb, solid cam; the works.  A well-geared LS6 that could find traction didn’t need to back away from anything (except possibly the afore-mentioned hot ‘Vette or Cobra!).

It’s no surprise that an LS6 car holds a special place of honor among all things 454.  It’s deserved.

Here’s a bit of a Chevy performance family portrait. Nicely done.

Print Image: (Select Landscape)

This is just a bit like some of the Olds 4-4-2 advertising. Chevy is using a huge rope to tie up the beast, rather than the chains that Olds used for their 4-4-2.

Print Image: (Select Landscape)

A Couple of Sweet Engine Options

The wonderful Chevrolet 454 in its high-output configuration, with two snorkels on the air breather.

The 360/370hp 350cid LT1 was the replacement for the 302 in the Z28. This might not have been as brutal or hard-edged as the DZ 302, but it made more torque and power, handily exceeding the magic 1hp/cu in. Yeah, this could be a threat to any big block car.

I think if I owned a ’70 Chevelle, it would almost have to be red with black stripes.  This is one gorgeous car.

I like this advertisement, implying that other cars are toys.  The first sentence in the text asks the reader to remember when they put stuff on their bikes when they were kids.

Do you remember the saying in the last sentence: ‘Putting you first keeps us first’?

The second-generation Camaro was one helluva looker!

Camaro

Camaro was regarded as being a ’70 ½ model, given its late introduction in February of ’70.  The hardtop sport coupe was the sole model, and its semi-fastback, short deck, long hood look was eye-catching.  The front grille, with its egg-crate insert and pointed shape, had a real contemporary look, especially with the almost nonexistent front split bumper.  Some thought it might be a bit unfortunate that rear quarter windows were designed out.  This was a sign of things to come for many hardtop bodies as we pushed into the Seventies. Z/28 sported a 360hp 350cid V8 and had an option price of $572.95.

Sales of Camaro were down sharply from 1969, but a lot of this was due to the late introduction.

The Z/28 model also received a new powerplant, the LT1 350.  This was a 360hp, high compression version of the new 350cid V8, with aluminum intake, forged internals and solid lifter cam.  The thing could perform, and more than a few big-block cars realized too late that they had bitten off more than they could chew in picking on a ‘small block’ Z/28!  See Muscle Car Era Engines for information on the LT1 350.

A Contemporary Perspective of Z/28

From Car and Driver’s first road test of the 1970 1/2 Z/28:  “Somehow, though, the Z/28 is not as thrilling as it once was. It’s more tolerant to driving techniques now, more mature in its behavior. All things considered, it’s a better engine now, but the loss of a care­free and irrepressible adolescent spirit can never be witnessed without some regret. And although the Z/28 seems much tamer now than it once did, the transformation is more a function of the car than of the increase in displacement.”

This same sentiment would be voiced some two decades later when comparing the ‘second gen’ Ford Taurus SHO with the original 1989 model.

Why the Camaro Mid-Year Introduction?

Some of the Camaro’s new sheet metal was causing real issues for the metal workers at Chevy.  All body panels start off as flat stock, of course, and there are limits to the extent that the sheets can be deformed without creasing or tearing.  The new body had some body surfaces and curves that were both gorgeous, as well as challenging to manufacture.  There were other issues, too, but this seems to be the one issue that killed the normal late-summer introduction.  I don’t think the historic 67-day GM strike played a big part in this slipped schedule, as it started in September, well after Camaro should have been in production.

The first-generation Camaro was only around for three brief years.  It had a short two-and-a-half-year development period, being a response to the Ford Mustang.  This also applies to the Firebird, of course.  Chevrolet decided in 1967 that the next gen Camaro would not be hampered with a forced timeline, and planning for it commenced at that time.  Inspiration for the second-generation Camaro came from Corvette, as well as from Italian sport cars.

What Do You Get with a 0.030″ Bored 396?

The answer is ‘More GM dumbassery’!  Chevrolet decided to bore the 396 by an additional 0.030 in. which resulted in 402 cubic inches.  And they kinda referred to it as a ‘402’, but not really.  Why?

I have never read anything definitive as to why Chevy did this.  The engine was still often referred to as a ‘396’.  And why not?  The 396 had earned a marvelous reputation.  Maybe it had something to do with the upcoming ‘meh’ 400 small-block?  I dunno.  All I do know is that it was dumb, dumb, dumb!

Well, this picture tells me that GM was likely planning convertible and hardtop versions of both Camaro and Firebird. In light of this, it’s very reasonable to accept that GM was truly planning two-seat fastback versions of Camaro and Firebird at one time.

What? Camaro a Two-Seat Coupe?

The June 1969, edition of Popular Science had their usual preview of the upcoming fall automotive models for 1970. Amid the usual stuff you’d expect is a gem of failed reporting or maybe having fallen for a ruse.

The article “Sneak Preview” The ’70 Cars”, in talking about the new restyled Camaro and Firebird, states: “Unlike the Mustang, but similar to the AMX, the new fastbacks have no rear seats. One Pontiac official explained the decision to eliminate the rear seat on this model by pointing out that Mustang’s fastback has so little rear-seat room that it is nearly useless for adults.” This is Camaro and Firebird, folks! It also refers to three models of each car, hardtop, convertible and fastback. Well, as we already know, there was only one model, a fastback. What the crap happened?

I’m not entirely sure, but above is a picture of a pre-production model Camaro that’s not a fastback.

Nova SS

The little ‘Chevy II’, now Nova, graduated to the big leagues this year.  With up to 375 big-block horsepower on tap, a well setup Nova 396 SS was a threat to anything.

Hey, wasn’t this original ‘muscle car formula’ Pontiac introduced a half a decade ago?  Smallish car with a large-ish engine?  Heck, yeah!  With the Nova you could get all the ‘go-fast’ you wanted, without having to come up with the additional cash a Chevelle or Camaro would cost you.  No, it wasn’t available in a cool hardtop model, in keeping with its ‘smaller car’ roots, but you got plenty of bang for the buck. The Z26 Nova SS upgrade cost $290, with the L34 350hp 396 being an additional $184. Want to step up to 375hp? The $184 becomes $316.

The following block is a brief detour through the world of astronomy, as we look at the objects this car is named after. In the 1962 model year section there’s a box that addresses the fallacy of the word ‘nova’ in Spanish.

What Exactly is a ‘Nova’?

Entire books have been written about astronomical phenomena such as these. The astronomer Tycho Brahe observed a nova in 1572, writing about it in his book De nova stella (Concerning the new star), hence the name ‘nova’. He understood that being so bright, this ‘new star’ should be close, yet it showed no motion relative to the fixed stars.

In the last century or so we’ve learned much about the nature of novae (plural). The typical scenario is a white dwarf star orbiting another ‘common’ type of star. The dwarf star is difficult to view, given its small size and the glare of its companion. A few are visible in small telescopes.

The white dwarf has the mass of a star like our sun but has only one-millionth of the volume. One cubic foot of its material would be so dense as not to be composed of normal atoms and would weigh 28,000 tons! The enormous gravity of the dwarf pulls hydrogen from the other star, and when enough of it accumulates, an explosive fusion can occur. Neither star is destroyed in the process, which can repeat at intervals of many years. RS Ophiuchi has flared in 1898, 1933, 1958, 1967, 1985, and 2006. Wikipedia.org

This bit of info was also on the 1962 page, but we’re going to put it here again. It’s really interesting, and still being repeated today!

‘Nova’ = ‘No Go’?

For years now there’s been a story illustrating ‘stupid American companies’ in the form of an account of GM and Chevrolet marketing the Nova in some unnamed Latin American country. The only problem is that it never happened!

The story goes that Nova was a failure in this unnamed country because Chevy/GM management was too stupid to know that Nova’ in Spanish translates to ‘no go’. Some of us have long suspected that this was a little bit of fiction, and Snopes.com has verified this to my satisfaction. If you speak Spanish (I don’t) you might realize that the way you would say ‘it doesn’t go’ or ‘the car doesn’t go’ does not sound like the car name. More importantly, was there no Spanish speaker in Chevy or GM who would flag this? U.S. companies marketing abroad work with people in those countries, of course, and I’d ask the same question as above.

The story doesn’t stand up under any sort of scrutiny, and thanks to sites like Snopes we can put this to rest. This bit of fiction has actually been taught in marketing classes! Don’t we have enough problems without making up crap like this?

Caprice

The Chevrolet ‘Big Cars’ ditched the ‘69 front bumper that encircled the grille, opting for one a bit more conventional. 

In back, where the taillights had been horizontally aligned, they were now vertical slots, three per side.  I liked the rear change, but was kinda partial to the ’69 front end.

The ’69 Caprice had its headlights more located within the grille. For 1970 the headlights became visually located in the front of the fenders, with the grille extending between the two sets of headlights.

The six horizontal tail lights of ’69 became six vertical tail lights in 1970.

The tagline is kind of cool. All of this luxury could be had for a mere $200 or so over the cost of the entry level Biscayne.

Monte Carlo

Mont Carlo was a nice surprise this year.  It was based on the same 116” wheelbase platform as the Grand Prix (GP: 118”), and was a similar concept of ‘luxury sport’.  The Pontiac Grand Prix was a successful series, and more than one automaker tried to field a car to compete with it; it usually wasn’t one if the other GM companies, though.

The Monte was styled on the popular short deck/long hood concept, and actually had the longest hood in the business.  The engine fan shroud was insanely long, as required to bridge the gap between the fan and the radiator.

The long hood and the C pillar were inspired by the Pontiac Grand Prix and its gorgeous lines.

About two and a half percent of the Monte Carlos sold in 1970 were fitted with the LS5 360hp 454, and a mere handful with the LS6.  I guess this makes some sense, as the Grand Prix offered engines with 350hp, 375hp and 390hp.

Monte Carlo (The place, not the car…)

Monte Carlo, the namesake of the car, is a part of the principality of Monaco.  Monaco is a microstate on the French Riviera (another car name), home to some 38,000 residents, all living within the 8/10ths of a square mile that compromises the country.  Talk about small!

This is obviously not a location where ‘normal people’ live, being ultra-exclusive (read ‘expensive’).  Made a great name for a car.

This ad features Jean-Claude Killy of France. He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist in 1968 as well as a six-time World Championship gold medalist.

1970 Monte Carlo Brochure

GM Dumbassery

What happened to the GM Horsepower Mandate?

Yeah, remember that?  The “Look at us, being so responsible!  No racing—it’s evil!  No really big engines, either; someone might get hurt!”  From that, to “Screw it!  Do whatever you want!”  Well, it was fun for the one year that it lasted, until the muscle car bubble burst and there was a big flushing sound of performance going down the toilet with emaciated compression ratios and other compromises.  Seemingly overnight, ‘high horsepower’ became a dirty word (actually, two…).

Yeah, GM showed up at the party with a fresh keg, just as most of the party goers were headed out the door.  If only that were the last dumbass thing GM did…

Here’s Chevy telling what a value the Monte Carlo is.  They may have had a point.

The main issue I have with this advert is the color of the car.  It’s a bit sedate, but maybe that’s what they were going for.  Red for me, please.

Things like flow-through power ventilation we might take for granted now.  There was a time, though, where if the car wasn’t moving, there wasn’t any ventilation.

The reference to ‘at this time’ is a reference to the mid-year introduction of the new Camaro.  I’m not sure how planed this was, or if the strike was to blame.

Needless to say, the new Camaro was strikingly different than the first generation.  It made quite an impact.

I like this ad, with its 1960’s era artwork. The title line is great: “Now our competitors know how the captain of the Titanic felt.”

This red-on-black theme is striking!

1970 Chevrolet Full Size Models

Corvette

This year Corvette adopted the latest Mark IV big-block, the 454.  This was an entirely logical move, and they couldn’t have stayed with the 427.  Which is too bad.

The 427 has a marvelous race-bred legacy that the 454 doesn’t share.  To be fair, the 396 wasn’t a part of this legacy, either.  (Maybe this is just a bit like the difference between a Ford 427 and 428?)  The 427 didn’t need the extra cubes.  Many ‘car guys’ would take a performance 427 over the 454, if given the choice.  I know; it’s kinda hard to explain and hard to understand, too.  More of a good thing isn’t necessarily better, especially if the original ‘good thing’ happened to be legendary.

The 454 that Corvette used didn’t have any counterparts to the L88 or L89 427s.  The LS6 was plenty healthy, at 460hp, but the 500+ horsepower fire-breathers were history.  The 55% drop from 1969 needs to be explained. First, the 1969 model year was extended into early November of ’69. This contributed to the record 1969 sales, and reduced the sales that would have otherwise been of 1970 models. 

Approximate sales: 17,300; change: -55%.

The wheel flares were a wee bit larger on the ’70 Corvette. The grille, which in ’69 had been horizontal slats, became egg-crate style this year.

I Want a 4-Speed!

For the first time, the Corvette had a 4-speed manual trans as standard equipment!  No more 3-speed manual that virtually everyone upgraded from.  The 4-speed was a wide-ratio unit, but the fine folks at Chevrolet would let you upgrade to a close-ratio at no cost!  For the ‘Gee, I don’t know how to work a clutch, waa, waa, waa!’ crowd, the automatic could be had for no cost, as well.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the fabulous LT1 Corvette.  Yep, this was the same high-output 350cid V8 as found in the Z/28 Camaro, but with ten extra horsepower, for a total of 370.

Feast your eyes on the mighty LS7 (same engine in Chevelle was LS6). This was the highest factory horsepower rating of the era. 460hp in Corvette and 450hp in Chevelle. You can read more about it in Muscle Car Era Engines.

1970 Corvette Brochure

The car is posed nicely in this advertisement.  I don’t know why they chose those wheels, though.  Corvette had some nice-looking wheels, but these weren’t them! (Not sure but I think these are the same sucky wheels Camaro used in the advertisement above.)

It seems that Corvette debuted rectangular shaped exhaust tips this year, despite the fact that many existing ‘70’s don’t have the original style tips anymore.  Maybe some of you hardcore ‘Vette types can provide some clarity here.

This advert has the car posed the same way as the one above.

I think this advertisement has more going for it than the one above.

Buick

Buick surprised the muscle car market with one of the best cars to be had.  This was the GS 455 outfitted with the optional Stage 1 engine.  As the exclamation point at the end of the sentence was the ‘GSX’ option. Buick followed the lead of Oldsmobile in killing their 400cid V8 when their 455cid V8 became available.  Of course, Chevy kept their 396 (‘402’?) and Pontiac kept their 400.  It doesn’t appear that Buick was terribly impacted by the UAW/GM strike, certainly not like Chevy was.

Approximate sales: 666,000; change: +0.2%; industry rank: 5^th.

Buick Gran Sport GSX

The GSX was a lot like the GTO Judge that debuted last year. It was regarded as the upper tier of the Buick Gran Sport, and in a sense it was, but not entirely. It came standard with the 350hp 455, the Stage I being optional. The GTO Judge did have an upgrade engine, rather than the base engine. Both cars came with no special performance equipment, other than what their ‘parent’ series provided.

In other words, if you ordered a ‘base’ Gran Sport GSX, you didn’t get a 4-speed manual or automatic trans, power steering, power disc brakes, limited-slip differential, or performance gearing. Those items were specified separately. Few people ordered their GSX without specifying at least some of the above. Same for The Judge. GSX was a lot more exclusive than The Judge, selling in far lower numbers. This makes sense if you consider that GTO vastly outsold Gran Sport.

Again, you have to say that this sub-model borrowed a page from the GTO Judge.  The GSX had a similar wing and striping.  It also featured a blackout hood, hood-mounted tach standard, special badges, wing, and chin spoiler.  A special suspension and 3.64 Posi-traction rear-end was used.  Your choice of colors, as long as it was Apollo White or Saturn Yellow.  The GSX option added roughly $1,200 to the cost of a Gran Sport 455, which represented some 36%!  Worth it? Hell Yeah!

The fun really started if you got the Stage 1 engine upgrade.  This engine was truly more than the sum of its parts.  It had the low-end umph of a grocery-getter big-block, but with generous high rpm breathing ability.  Truly a rare combination.  This was one luxurious, smooth driving, attention getting ride that could go like stink when called upon to do so. 

Buick came up to bat, and the outfield moved in, not expecting much.  Buick then hit the ball all the way out of the park.

Not all, but most advertisements featured the Saturn Yellow version of the GSX.  The only other color was Apollo White, and given the pop the yellow car has, it being featured makes sense.

The positioning of the GSX in this advertisement is wonderful, showing off the rear wing and body-side stripe.

Behold!  One of the absolute coolest muscle car badges of all time!  Oh, so cool!

Oh, my! Just look at all the cool stuff that comes with GSX!

Print Image: (Select Landscape)

1970 GSX Brochure

Stage 1

The GS 455 Stage 1. “Stage 1. Stage…1. Stage 1”; just the sound of it evokes awe and respect. This engine, perhaps more than any other, was far more than the sum of its parts. It had the low-end grunt of a huge grocery-getter big block, while at the same time good high-rpm power. A gorgeous engine whose appearance was greatly added to by the presence of the air breather assembly that sealed it to the underside of the hood.

“Light Your Fire” was a Buick advertising slogan at this time.  Gotta say, it was brilliant, especially for a company angling for a younger clientele.  If any of you don’t know this reference, I am very, very disappointed in you.  ‘Light My Fire’ was a hit Doors song from 1967.  It was a monster hit, and my recollection is that Rolling Stone magazine (used to read, don’t anymore…) called it ‘the anthem of a generation, until Gimme Shelter came along’.

If you haven’t heard ‘Light My Fire’ (or ‘Gimme Shelter’, for that matter…) I’d recommend you stop now and at least check it out on Youtube, if not something of higher fidelity.

More Light Your Fire fun from Buick! This time the Opal GT is featured with the GS 455. It certainly was an attention-getting small car. It’s said that some seventy-thousand GTs made it to the US over the years made.

Sweet Badges

The ‘ordinary’ Gran Sport 455 Stage 1 cars featured badging like this.  Pretty cool.

I’ve always wondered about the Buick logo, with the three shields.  I found out that David Dunbar Buick was Scottish, and that in the late 1930’s a GM researcher discovered a written description of the Buick family coat of arms.  This resulted in a logo consisting of a single shield.  It was in 1959 that this was changed to the logo with three shields.  They were said to represent LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra.  The logo later lost its red, white and blue colors.

Stage 2

The mere thought of the Stage 2 option makes a Buick guy’s heart race.  This was maybe the least ‘Buick’ kind of option you could think of.  This was a dealer-installed option that included Stage 2 heads, cam, high-compression pistons (12.0:1), Edelbrock manifold, Holley carb, Mickey Thompson headers, and (wait for it…) 4.78:1 gears.  Holy Crap, Martha!

The Gran Sport was pretty much the epitome of style and performance.  It was attractive, even though it might have seemed a bit subdued.  Not quite as in-your-face as a GTO, Chevelle or 4-4-2, but this subtlety disguised the fact that it could go like stink if called to.  Come to think of it, in terms of subtlety, it was kind of the polar opposite of many of the fine Mopar models!

Even though the rear styling of Gran Sport didn’t change much for 1970, it remained the essence of Buick elegance.

The front of Gran Sport was nicely updated, while retaining the same general feel as that of the ’69.

The most obvious change from the ’69 front to the ’70 was the deletion of the horizontal grill bar, and the appearance of a vertical divider.

The rear of Gran Sport didn’t change as much as the rest of the car for 1970.

Riviera

The Riviera was still an attractive car, but this particular 1970 model just doesn’t have the uniqueness Riviera had always exhibited.

Riviera was redesigned, especially from the front.  The bumper that previously encircled the entire grille was replaced by one far more conventional.  Also, where the head lights had been integrated into the grille, they were now conventionally positioned, and they were no longer hidden.  It wasn’t an unattractive look, but it certainly lacked the uniqueness of the ’69.

The front of the ’69 Riviera was cool and attractive. It was worthy of the uniqueness that was Riviera. Not so for the ’70 front, at least in my opinion.

Even the rear of the new ’70 was a bit odd. I’ll take the elegance of the ’69 rear look over the pointed ’70 any day.

Now, wouldn’t you really rather have a 1970 Buick. This seemed more like a statement than a question, didn’t it?

I’m not sure the addition of the man and woman added much. I’m sure they are of the demographic Buick was targeting with the Electra Limited.

Opel was a General Motors of Europe make, manufactured in Germany. Opel Automobile GmbH had its roots in the latter part of the 19th century, manufacturing sewing machines and bicycles. Car manufacturing began in 1899. The company became subsidiary of General Motors in 1931, and Opel products began being offered by Buick in 1958. By 1976 or so the Opels sold here were actually manufactured by Isuzu!

Oldsmobile

The 4-4-2 got tweaked this year, but the biggest thing by far was the availability of the great 455cid V8.  4-4-2 didn’t get the highest output 455s (375, 390, 400hp)₁, having to make do with 365 or 370hp.  That’s okay, since 4-4-2 didn’t have 4,000+ lb. to haul around, either.  Olds and Buick both retired their 400cid engines when their 455 engines could be put into the midsized bodies.  Of course, the Hurst/Olds concept became superfluous this year, as the 455 was more widely available, which defeated the whole concept.  It left its mark, though.

1 – Oldsmobile wasn’t as honest about their 455 engine ratings as most of us have accepted in the past. Long-story-short, the 4-4-2 engines were hotter than rated. See Horsepower and Torque. Also, see additional 455 information in the Pontiac section below.

Even though the 4-4-2 lines were much the same as ’69, there were some changes.  The taillights went from one on each side in ’69 to two this year.  They were also fully enclosed by the rear bumper, not extending into the body area as in ’69.  The front grille became less obtrusive, as well.  I always liked the ’69 look.  Still, it was attractive.

Toronado got some updating, too.  The very fronts of the front fenders were now capped with chromed pieces and the heavy vertical divider was removed.  Significantly, the hidden headlights were no longer ‘hidden’. 

Approximate sales: 634,000; change: -0.2%; industry rank: 6^th.

4-4-2

Olds’ performance torchbearer was undoubtedly 4-4-2. While always a good performer, 4-4-2 came into its own in 1970, particularly in the guise of the W-30 option. Note the color-coded Rallye wheels.

4-4-2 was attractive from any angle. The large rear bumper flows smoothly into the trunk deck and rear fenders, with two taillights on each side inset into the bumpers. The flared exhaust tips passing through cutouts in the bumper added to the look.

The ’70 grille and bumper were restyled versions of the ’69, retaining much of the same styling elements. The center bumper piece no longer was as tall as the ’69. The grille now had strong vertical elements, and the headlights pair were surrounded by chrome.

What were single vertical taillights on each side in ’69 became dual in 1970.

Here is the Olds 455 W-30 ‘Elephant Engine’. This moniker led to one of the most creative and memorable marketing campaigns of the entire muscle car era. If you’ve never done so, I invite you to take a good look at some of these advertisements.

Cutlass Rallye 350

Only 3,547 Rallye 350’s found homes in 1970. That’s too bad. It was a dynamite package, which included dual sport mirrors, sport steering wheel and special suspension and fiberglass hood in addition to the obvious cool color scheme and 310hp 350cid V8. All were Sebring Yellow.

Very few, if any, Rallye 350’s were ordered by customers, with most having been dealer ordered or ordered by zone representatives.

The W-45 Rallye 350 option could be had on F-85 or Cutlass ‘S’ coupes.

Print Image: (Select Landscape)

The Rallye 350 was the little brother to 4-4-2 and was one hell of an attractive package. This was the W-45 option package, which included the W-31 engine. Most of the chrome, including the bumpers, were covered in Sebring Yellow paint, the only color that was available. The black accents were not only on the hood, but also around the rear window and down the top of the rear fenders. The look was modern, unique and absolutely eye-catching. This little sparkly gem was yours for a mere $3,252. The price was said to be equal to that of a comparably equipped Road Runner, which wouldn’t be as upscale as the Olds, nor would it ride or handle as well. What the Road Runner did have, though, was a bad-ass persona that was unmatched, even by Rallye 350.

The W-31 350cid V8 pumped out 325hp @5,400 rpm.

Toronado

Toronado sales held fairly constant from last year. Since ’69 the platform was shared with Cadillac Eldorado. It was available with up to 400hp, and at 4,500lb. was responsive but not a true muscle car.

Toronado was clean and muscular in this view from the rear.

The ’69 Toronado bumper/grille featured a vertical divider that was part of the bumper. It would be lost for 1970.

The rear look of Toronado wouldn’t change much for 1970.

The Good Doctor

You may already know that I really like ads like this that feature the specs. The only thing missing is a nice pic of the huge engine!

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Here’s the good Doctor and his W-32. I like the old house in the background. Reminds me of The Munsters.

Is it just me, or does Miss America look kinda uncomfortable?  She’s holding pretty tightly on that wand thingy (what is it…?).

Pamela Eldred, or Miss America 1970, was Miss Detroit(!) and Miss Michigan.  Hmm, how appropriate!  She’s apparently still in the land of the living, at a spry 72 years of age.

She remarried in 1998 to a lawyer who is 29 years her senior!  Why, that makes him…..holy crap!

Olds used the ‘Escape Machine’ marketing slogan for their more mundane vehicles. I can’t believe they’re touting the ‘Positive Valve Rotators’! This is for real a gorgeous car!

The Oldsmobile ‘W’ Options

Olds had a slew of options, which were prefaced by ‘W’.  Most significant were the W-30 and W-31. The W-30 featured a 455 with larger ports and valves, a recalibrated Quadrajet, aluminum intake manifold, hotter cam, and the fiberglass cold air hood.  The factory rated the 455 at 370 Hp.  Power brakes were not available with W-30 4-speed cars. The W-31 was a similar package but featuring the 350 V8 engine.

Some of you might wonder about the lack of availability of power brakes with the W30. The factory felt there wasn’t enough vacuum for reliable power brake operation, at least that’s the official line. It might be more likely that the vacuum level was marginal, and the company didn’t want any possible liability. My ’69 GTO had a Ram Air IV cam that was wicked hot for a factory cam, and I had not a single problem with the power brakes. Still, it might have been smart to do what they did.

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Dr. Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 and W-Machines brochure

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Oldsmobile did a great job of marketing their optional performance parts; I’m not sure anyone else did this better. Some of the options, like the fiberglass hood and aluminum real axle carrier, were of dubious value yet pegged the cool-meter. Others, like rear end ratios up to 5.00:1, were true go-fast gifts from the Good Doctor.

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Pontiac

The GTO received a new front end for ’70, as well as a 455 option.  This engine was a midyear introduction. The Judge was similar, still retaining the garish stripes and ‘The Judge’ decals, but now with a ‘4-4-2-like’ rear wing.  The 455cid V8 would prove to be insignificant, being outperformed by both the Ram Air III and Ram Air IV engines.  One significant option that was no longer available was the hidden headlights.  That seemed to be the way the industry was moving.

What truly was exciting was the transformation of the Firebird into what would become the iconic 1970’s performance car, the Firebird Trans Am.  Of course, the Trans Am arrived last year, with the final iteration of the first-generation Firebird body, but it would be the second-generation body that would bring it into the public consciousness.  The name ‘Trans Am’ was taken from the racing series of that name.

It could also be said that the Pontiac Trans Am was the car that popularized ‘decal-engineering’ or ‘plastic body-part-engineering’.  Later Trans Ams would be distinguished from lesser models by the non-functional shaker hoods, non-functional scoops, decals, spoilers, air dams, wings, etc.  Performance would become an afterthought in what would be an emissions-control-choked apocalyptic wasteland.  And the Trans Am would be the poster child for it!  But not for a few years!  Ironically, the ‘poster child’ would also be the last man standing when the muscle car wars ended.  You’ll have to check out the ’73 and ’74 sections for that. 

Approximate sales: 691,000; change: -20.6%; industry rank: 4^th.

GTO Judge

GTO was updated front, sides, and rear.  The quad headlights were now integrated into the bumper, rather than the grille.  The sides, while clearly still coke bottle inspired, now had creases along most of the length of the car.  Taillights were totally integrated into the rear bumper, extending around the edges of the bumper. 

The rear bumper didn’t extend down as far as the ’69 bumper did.  The area below the bumper had a rear valence panel, with notches for the dual-split exhaust tips.  This was a really nice, clean and polished look; one of the best.

The ’69 GTO quad headlights were integrated into the grille. In ’70 they would be enclosed by the Endura bumper. The new ’70 look was attractive and a bit more polished than the ’69.

The ’69 GTO had the trunk deck directly above the taillights. The ’70 taillights would retain a horizontal orientation but would wrap around the side of the bumper. The use of splitters on each exhaust provided a cool look on the ’70 model.

While ’69 Judges tended to be Carousel Red more often than not, for 1970 the colors became more random.  I’m not aware of any color dominating, like the carousel red did in ’69.  (Actually, one source says that Atoll Blue was the most popular color but doesn’t provide any percentages.)

New Firebirds

The new Firebirds were nothing short of stunning.  They shared their new bodies with the Camaro, as before, but the Pontiac product continued to look more swoopy than the Chevy.  The TA, which had just a bit part in ’69, would become more and more important to Firebird, and to Pontiac, with each passing year.

Sales for GTO were sharply down this year, as were sales for Firebird.  Remember that Pontiac itself was over 20% down from ’69.

Ditzler Automotive Finishes paint colors for 1970 GTO.

What the Heck is VOE?

Well…., since you asked, it’s ‘Vacuum Operated Exhaust’. This was a user control that allowed for the partial bypass of the mufflers by the controlling vacuum to the devices on the mufflers. This was supposed to increase power by decreasing exhaust backpressure, but its effect was negligible. It certainly did increase exhaust noise, though.

Only a couple of hundred of this option (W-73) were sold, being curtailed in January when the GM brass got their panties in a bunch because of the option. Yeah, it was kinda cool, but like with the Oldsmobile red plastic fender liners, did we really need this?

T-37 and GT-37

This was the year that Pontiac issued their challenge to Dodge and Plymouth in the ‘budget big-block performance’ category, specifically targeting the Super Bee and Road Runner niche.  You will recall that this was the original intent of the ‘E.T.’ turned ‘The Judge’ of 1969.  That project got hijacked somewhere along the way, but the new-for-1970 GT-37 was the real thing.

For 1970 the lowest Tempest trim was the T-37, with the base engine being the six, though V8 power was available.  The GT-37 was the performance version of the T-37.  It retained the bench seat and provided a heavy-duty 3-speed manual transmission, dual exhaust, special striping that was clearly influenced by the Judge, hood pins, and Rally II wheels.  The top engine option was the 345hp 400.

The GT-37 was priced competitively with both Road Runner and Super Bee, but it was almost a wasted effort, in that less than 1,500 found buyers.  Suffice it to say that way, way more Road Runners and Super Bees were sold.

Here’s the new Pontiac 455. It doesn’t look different from a 400 RA III or RA IV, does it? Well, both of the Ram Air engines provided better performance than the 455 did. Bit of a bummer, I’d have to say.

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This is a pretty cool advertisement.  Too bad the car had a hard time living up to the statement.  Pontiac was seemingly unprepared to put the 455 in the GTO, as it was more of a ‘big-car engine’ than a performance engine.  The two top-shelf 400’s made more horsepower.

Note that they refer to the 455 as high torque.  Indeed, it was, much more so than ‘high horsepower’.

So, the 455 made less power than the 428?

Why, yes it did!  Pontiac buyers were none too happy about this fact.  If you were to bring this fact up to a Pontiac salesman back in the day, he’d likely avoid eye contact and mumble something about ‘torque’.  Actually, both the RA III and RA IV likely made more peak horsepower than the top 455.

In all reality, the Pontiac 455 was a 428 that was stroked and slightly bored, and then de-tuned.  The top 455 made less Hp/in³ than a ‘garden variety’ Pontiac 400.  The RA engines blow it away in this regard.  Plus, the RA’s were somewhat under-rated, especially the RA IV.  Pontiac’s heart just didn’t seem to be in it.  Maybe that was because the end was near?  But then they would field the wonderful 455 HO and SD engines during the first few years of the low-compression era.  I don’t know!

Putting the Ram Air IV heads on the 455 would have resulted in 420+ hp, using the factory ratings.  Given the factory under-rating of the Ram Air IV (and III…), the true output of a 455 RA IV would have been 450 hp at a minimum.

I remember this ad from my youth. One of the best ads EVER!

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Firebird Trans Am

Talk about killer good looks! Trans Am looked like it was going 120 mph while still parked! Chin spoiler, wheel deflectors, rear deck spoiler, scoops (functional or not), it had ’em all. The TA option would add about one-third to the cost of a base V8 Firebird. It was not an inexpensive package.

The ‘shaker hoods’ were similar to the Ford or Chrysler corp. equivalent cold air intakes, except they faced backward.  This was ostensibly to take denser air from the base of the windshield, like the Chevy hood, but the intake was positioned too far forward for that.  Still, they did allow the engine to take in air that was far cooler than the engine compartment temperature, and they looked cool.

The Trans Am had more body components related to airflow than any other contemporary car.  Some were functional, some were purely aesthetic, and some were somewhere in between.  Regardless, on the Firebird body, they looked like they belonged.

The Formula 400 had much of the ‘go fast’ hardware that the TA had, but without the 455 availability.  Its dual hood scoops were placed well forward, for a unique and aggressive look.  Without the aero stuff, the Formula had a cleaner look then the TA did.  Not necessarily better, but more a matter of personal taste.  Both were good looking cars!

Trans Am Racing Series

This started in 1966 and was sponsored by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).  There have been many, many different changes over the years, in just about every component of the series.  There are presently about a half dozen car classifications, from tube-framed cars with 850+ Hp to production cars, much like the Pontiac Trans Am was through the years.

Firebird Formula 400

Yes, there was even a package for the person who wanted a go-fast engine and other goodies but didn’t necessarily want to go for the TA. Base Formula was an even grand below the base TA price. That’s $6,785 in 2020 dollars! Actually, this was up from the $725 package cost last year.

The Formula 400 didn’t have the add-on items that Trans Am did, except for the forward-mounted hood scoops.

Grand Prix

Note the ‘gills’ behind the front wheels and the little rear-seat side windows.  The vinyl top style isn’t unique, but it’s cool the way it doesn’t go all of the way to the side windows, with a strip of body showing.

The rear body-side markers are the three slits above the bumper.  This is a nice touch, isn’t it? There were few changes with Grand Prix this year, as it was restyled just last year.

Here’s another view of the ’70 GP. If you liked the ’69, you were in luck, because the ’70 was nearly identical.

Here’s the front of Catalina, showing a bit of a difference from Grand Prix. Bonneville front was identical.

This ad shows off both the Formula and the TA nicely, if a bit back in the distance.  I like the heading, ‘Gauges that gauge…’.  Even the bit at the bottom is great: ‘New, even for Pontiac’!

Kind of a nicely done advert for the Tempest.  The rain pattern on the hood is a nice touch.

I’m sure there was something that accompanied this.  Regardless, it’s really a cool drawing, showing off the car and the ‘fun’ setting.

Those scoops might have been one of those ‘love ‘em or ‘hate ‘em things.  I’m sure they weren’t for everybody.  I always thought they looked really aggressive.

Ram Air Engines

This is the top Pontiac engine for 1970. No, it’s not a 455. This was the Ram Air IV, rated at 370hp, while the 455 for the mid-size cars was rated at 360hp. The RA IV was rated a mere 4hp more than its less-exclusive little brother, the Ram Air III. The RA IV was one of relatively few engines from the muscle car era that truly was under-rated by the factory. True output approached 400hp. See Muscle Car Era Engines for more information.

In a move that matched Olds and Buick, Pontiac didn’t even make their highest output 455 (370hp) available on the GTO.

So, BOP Performance Cars got the Lesser 455 Engines?

While Chevy reserved their hottest 454 for Chevelle and Corvette, Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac used lesser 455’s for their Gran Sports, 4-4-2’s, GTOs and Firebirds. Many, including me, have found this more than a bit perplexing. Were certain 455’s under-rated by their factories? Perhaps, but that’s certainly not the whole story.

Here are the 455’s for 1970, minus the low compression versions.

455 Comparo

Let’s look at Pontiac first. The horsepower values look reasonable relative to the torque figures. The 428, from which the 455 was derived, made up to 390hp, which the 455 couldn’t touch. What’s with that?

The three Buick engines all have the same torque figures, as well as peak hp rpm values. It almost seems like the horsepower figures of 350hp and 370hp are just token adjustments below and above 360hp.

The Oldsmobile engines don’t have hp rpm values that correlate with the torque rpm values. The higher the torque rpm the higher the horsepower rpm should be, but that’s not the case here. In general, the two 10.5:1 compression ratio engines seem to perhaps be 10% or more low.

I came across information on some Olds pages that suggested that the four highest output Olds 455’s were all essentially the same, regardless of factory ratings. However, with the vastly different cam specs (below) I rather doubt the accuracy of this statement.

Low Specific Output

If we consider the specific output values (horsepower per cubic inch) of these 455cid engines, something else comes to light. A ‘medium performance’ engine like a base 325hp Chevy 396 makes 0.821 hp/in³. Only the two highest output Olds engines have values significantly higher than this. Even if we estimate the true horsepower values based on the torque values, we still don’t get much above 400hp.

This brings up an interesting thought. GM had an unusual history with self-imposed horsepower limits. Perhaps the GM companies just were not interested in advertising horsepower values above 400hp. Additionally, suppose if they were content to let the 455 cubes make the power, not being specifically interested in high hp/in³? Might this account for lower-than-expected power values, as well as some engines possibly having arbitrary ratings?

Color me confused! The Olds cam specs don’t seem to correlate with the factory horsepower ratings. The W30 cam is the hottest Olds 455 cam, but that engine is rated at 5hp less than the engine with the much milder 375hp Toronado cam. What gives? Also, the 365hp engine was $115 additional, the 400hp Toronado $212, and the 370hp W30 was a whopping $597! If anything, I’d have to guess that the 4-speed W30 engine was the highest output of the Olds 455’s, maybe peaking at 400hp or thereabout.

We’ll sort this out in the section ‘Understanding Horsepower and Torque‘.

1970 Pontiac Performance Brochure

Grand Prix SSJ by Hurst

Dodge

Dodge saw moderate declines in sales over 1969.  There was plenty to be excited about, with the introduction of the pony-car-sized Challenger and the redesigned Dart.  Challenger saw about 20% more sales than Charger did, with its base model being some $300 less than a Charger.  To compensate for Challenger’s presence, Dart was reduced from nine models to five.

Coronet received a new grille and front bumper, which radically changed its look.  The bumper went from a conventional type to two separate pieces, each encircling its own section of the grille, which was a nonsymmetrical oval shape.  If Dodge had hoped for a way different look for the ’70 model, they got it!

The wonderful Charger received just a mild tweaking this year.  It was brand spanking new in ‘68, of course.  Most notably, the front grille divider was deleted, and the bumper that was positioned below the grille previously was now encircling the entire grille.  Both looks, ’69 and ’70, were incredibly attractive.  Hidden headlights were thankfully retained. 

Approximate sales: 543,000; change: -11.1%; industry rank: 7^th.

Charger

This year saw Charger go back to a grille without a vertical separator. Note that the bumper now encircles the grille, a look that was becoming popular at this time.

Pretty much the same gorgeous look as last year, no?

The ’69, pictured here, shows its attractive center divider. The Dodge stylists couldn’t make up their minds, apparently, as the center divider came and went. It was gone for ’70, and the bumper now surrounded the grille.

The division between the two taillights was deleted for 1970. I dunno. I’d take the rear of the ’70 and the front of the ’69.

1970 Charger Brochure

Coronet R/T

Coronet received a face-lift for ’70, with new looks in front and rear. The front, particularly, was different. Two separate grille sections were each surrounded by a chromed bumper piece, resulting in a pleasing look somewhat reminiscent of a bowtie.

Now this is one good looking rear-end! I love the black facia and the not-quite-rectangular taillights.

This is what the ’69 front looked like. The ’70 was unique and attractive, but the look here is just bad-assed mean. Where maybe Pontiac, for contrast, was sleek and sporty, this look just seems to say “Yeah, Big Boy. Just try it and you’ll know what pain is!”

The rear styling of Coronet in ’69 was clean. It was attractive, to be sure, but the lack of a ‘left’ and ‘right’ that most rear-ends have kind of tweaks my OCD a bit. Maybe that’s part of why I prefer the ’70 rear styling. I dunno…

Challenger

Challenger was a (very) late pony car that was aimed at competitors Mustang, Camaro, Firebird and Comet. It was an extremely capable vehicle that came to market far too late to have been of the significance it might otherwise have been capable of. The same is true of Challenger’s sister car, Plymouth ‘Cuda.

These two cars constituted the new Chrysler corporation E-body models. The E-body platform was the result of shrinking the wheelbase of Charger and Coronet, for Dodge and Plymouth, respectively. It was felt that the Dart and Valiant platform could not respond to their competition in terms of styling, and they certainly could not accommodate the larger 426 and 440 engines; there just was not enough room in the engine compartments.

The solution was to shrink the wheelbase of existing platforms, thus reducing the wheelbases as necessary, their existing widths remaining unchanged and allowing the installation of any of the Chrysler engines.

Lofty Goals!

The very-late-’60’s ‘compact specialty car’ market was estimated at 1,500,000, and Chrysler aspired to a 15% market share, or 225,000 units. Chrysler sales of Challenger and ‘Cuda fell far short of this sales mark in their first year, and it was all downhill from there. It’s my understanding that Chrysler made no money on either the ’70 Challenger or ‘Cuda, due to the low sales numbers.

Ah, what might have been!

Here’s the October, 1969 Popular Science issue as they introduce their readers to the new Challenger.

The claims about the new hydraulic lifters seem a bit odd to me. The picture of the trunk shows how much space a full-size spare takes up, and you can easily picture the value of a space-saver spare. Back in the day they were generally regarded as “Detroit trying to screw buyer’s out of their rightfully deserved fifth wheel and tire”.

Challenger was an attractive car from any angle. Of course, it could be optioned with any go-fast stuff your little heart desired.

The car above has the formal top option.  It’s not unattractive, but I honestly don’t think it adds anything to the car, and I don’t find the slightly smaller rear window a plus.

A Good Start

Challenger was a nice-looking car and sold well in its first year.  There was a special T/A (Trans Am) version available for SCCA homologation purposes.  It featured a hot little 340 topped by three 2bbl Holley carbs.  It also featured a side-exit exhaust, with the tailpipes exiting just in front of the rear wheels.  Oh-so-cool!

A ’special’ sub-model of Challenger was “The Deputy”, which was a low-cost entry option that had nothing much to do with performance.  Base engine was the 198cid six with a 1bbl carb.  This wasn’t a popular option and I suspect many people wondered just what the point was.

Challenger R/T

As most know, ‘R/T’ stood for Road and Track and was somewhat equivalent to Chevrolet’s ‘SS’ designation. Dodge’s first use of this designation was in 1967.

So, what did this option package provide for the eager buyer? In the case of the 1970 Charger, the following was included.

• 383cid V8, 4bbl
• Rallye suspension, with rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty drum brakes
• F70-14 fiberglass belted black sidewall tires
• Rallye instrument cluster
• Exterior striping and badges

Special Edition (SE) Options

The SE option included special steering wheel, instrument panel trim, leather-faced front seats, and rocker panel trim. The SE option package was far less significant than the R/T was at that time (collectors be damned).

Challenger T/A

The T/A was for the purposes of homologation in SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) events. The central feature of the T/A was the 340cid V8 that was topped by an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold fed by three 2bbl carburetors.

The T/A suspension was set up as for a Hemi car, with its heavy-duty suspension and shocks, and 15″ wheels. Additional necessary items were power disc brakes, Rallye instrument cluster and limited slip axle with 3.55 or 3.91 gears. The exhausts exited the car in front of the rear wheels. The flat black fiberglass hood had hood pins and a raised scoop with a center divider. The back mounted a thin black wing. T/A used E60 x 15 tires in front and G60 x 15 in the rear.

The AAR ‘Cuda was the Plymouth equivalent of the T/A.

Dart Swinger 340

Talk about taking a smaller car and making it into a hot little package! The 340-powered Dart was a great little performer in the ‘budget muscle car’ niche.

Dart Swinger 340 continued to be a hot little package, and well represented Dodge in the Junior Muscle Car segment. This year saw the taillights moving down to the rear bumper, with the angled trunk deck sloping down to the bumper.

The front of Dart was nicely redone, with an attractive new split grille and smaller front bumper.

The ’69 Dart front styling was nice, but the ’70 seemed to step it up a notch.

Again, a nice clean look from the back, which was updated for 1970.

Super Bee

Super Bee reflected the Coronet restyling, with its unique front end.  I like the uniqueness of the look.  The high-powered Dodge marketing guys christened this look ‘bumble bee wings’.

Dodge continued their cool design strategy of making the front and rear styling themes match each other. This aided in the creation of some gorgeous cars that had an unrivaled muscular look.

One Helluva Cool Badge

Does the front of the ’69 Super Bee remind you of any other vehicle? Maybe Plymouth’s GTX?

Here’s the rear-end of the Bee in ’69. There’s no mistaking this for anything other than a Chrysler corp. model, is there?

I honestly wasn’t aware of the Dodge effort to reduce the price of Charger.

Come to think of it, though, maybe this was the beginning of the proliferation of low-po Chargers that we would see in the coming few years.  There would be scads of six-cylinder cars in the future.

This is interesting.  They lowered the price $64 (2020$: $440) by making the manual 3-speed standard, rather than the 4-speed of last year!

This is a great pose for the Challenger.  What an incredible hood!

Note that they’re specifically identifying it as a pony car to leave no doubt.  Did Camaro or Firebird do that?

It kinda seems like Dodge was all over the place with Challenger.  It’s a race car, it’s a sporty economy car, it’s a luxury sporty car.  I dunno.  Maybe it was smart to cover all the bases, especially with the late introduction into the pony car market. What do you think?

Sweet, Big Engines

In case you forgot how cool it was, here’s a picture of the 426 Hemi, in all of its chromed-air breather, black-crinkle-painted valve covers.

Not to be neglected, here’s the ‘regular guy’s’ super engine, the 440 Six Pack. Can you say “Holy Crap!”?

1970 Dodge Scat Pack Brochure

Plymouth

1970 was a good year for Plymouth, seeing them about even with 1969 sales.  This was also the year that the nice little Valiant Barracuda became its own series, which included the ‘Cuda model.  This remained a shorter wheelbase model, being targeted at the pony car market segment.  This is the year that Plymouth adjusted their aim directly at the Mustang.  Barracuda had the same 108” wheelbase as Mustang, roughly the same length and weighed just a couple of hundred pounds more. 

Approximate sales: 747,000; change -0.5%; industry rank: 3^rd.

Barracuda <-> ‘Cuda?

‘Cuda was to Barracuda what SS was to Chevelle, at least to a rough approximation. ‘Cuda was the performance series under the umbrella of the ‘FB’ series, which included Barracuda, ‘Cuda and Gran Coupe.

Gran Coupe was the luxury variant of the FB series. Each of the members of the series were available as a 2-door hardtop coupe and a 2-door convertible.

Barracuda

Barracuda was a sister to the Dodge Challenger but had its own distinct look.

The look from the back was as cool as that of the front, with the acres of black and the small, fitted bumper.

Too Little, Too Late?

This is a valid question to ask of the 1970 Barracuda (and Dodge Challenger).  The last song was playing in the muscle car party, and here was Plymouth with this cool new vehicle.  To top it off, it was aimed at the Mustang, in its 7^th year, and the Camaro/Firebird, in their 4^th year.  Well, it wasn’t ‘too little’, but it was arguably too late.  After selling some 35,000 in their initial year, sales fell off to half that amount for the remaining sales years (’71 – ’74, see table).  Plus, the 426 and the 440 were available in the Barracuda only for 1970 and 1971.  If only this car had been introduced in ’67 or ’68, it would have sold like hotcakes and would have been a major player.  Still, we’re grateful this cool and attractive model graced us with its presence for the short time it did!

Satellite GTX

So, how many guys do you think were cruising around back in the day on a Friday or Saturday night, looked in their rear-view mirrors and saw this coming up on them? I’m not too proud to admit that I’d probably wet myself just a little bit! (Or maybe suddenly remember that I had promised myself a Snickers bar and dart into the first gas station or convenience store I saw)

GTX received a nice redesign this year, going from an attractive car to one that’s awfully damn good looking.  The front grille/bumper change resulted in a killer look, with the symmetrical effect of the new ‘raised in the middle’ grille boundary.  Stunning!  The rear horizontal slit taillights made for a rear end that reflected the design elements of the front, the result of which was a look that was as cool as the performance was hot.  One of the best examples of a ‘muscular look’ that you’ll ever find.

The Roadrunner redesign closely followed that of the GTX.

How would you like to look out at your yard and see this? Me? I’d just love it!

Here’s the front of the ’69 GTX. The center lower part of the grille was raised on the ’70 GTX, the result being one of the coolest, most aggressive looking front ends in the business, not only for 1970 but for the entire muscle car era.

The rear design of GTX was stylish in ’69, but in 1970 it would become stunning!

Sweet Colors!

When I was young, I would wear out cool advertisements like this with my eyes!  The solid orange car (Vitamin C) showing off the attractive rear view, the yellow/black vinyl car (Lemon Twist) with killer looks, showing off the body-color front bumper.  Heck, I’m not a big fan of vinyl tops, but I gotta say I really like the bright yellow and black contrast.

Both of these cars are so cool (including the colors), I would spend eternity trying to decide between them.  Sure, the GTX was more upscale, but the Road Runner was a street brawler.  Not that the GTX wasn’t, you understand.  Kinda like Ali and Tyson.

Sport Fury! This was a big, powerful, attractive car, for sure.  Having had girls, I can appreciate the little girl all dressed up.

The simple hood accents are cool!

AAR ‘Cuda

This car was the Plymouth equivalent of the Challenger T/A. Differences were in the hood scoop, which was kind of a modified NACA type, and the rear wing, which was a not a wing, but a duckbill spoiler. The engine, suspension and exhaust setup were the same as with the Challenger T/A, with obvious differences in exterior decoration.

Production of AAR models was projected at 2,800 units, but likely far fewer were built. Remember that overall, far fewer Challengers and Barracudas were built than predicted.

The AAR ‘Cuda’s hood scoop was a bit like an NACA duct, but not entirely. It certainly was cool looking, wasn’t it?

Track Pack Options

Both Dodge and Plymouth offered the Track Pack and Super Track Pack options in ’68 and ’69.  The following is a summary of what the options contained.  The most obvious difference is the 3.54 gearing versus the 4.10.

Track Pak – Code A33

(Available with 4-speed Manual Transmission w/ 440 or Hemi.  N.A. w/ AC)

• 4-speed Heavy-Duty manual transmission with Hurst shifter with wood-grained shift knob and reverse warning light (available in Package only)
• Power steering cooler (if equipped)
• HEMI suspension with front sway bar
• 3.54 H.D. 9-3/4″ Dana rear axle
• 7-Blade Torque Drive fan (Std. Hemi)
• Dual Breaker Distributor (Std. Hemi)
• 26″ High Performance Radiator w/ Fan Shroud (Std. Hemi)
• Sure-Grip differential
• Firm Ride shock absorbers

Super Track Pak – Code A34

(Available with 4-speed Manual Transmission w/ 440 or Hemi.  N.A. w/ AC)

• 4-speed Heavy-Duty manual transmission with Hurst shifter with wood-grained shift knob and reverse warning light (available in Package only)
• Power steering cooler (if equipped)
• HEMI suspension with front sway bar
• 4.10 H.D. 9-3/4″ Dana rear axle
• 7-Blade Torque Drive fan (Std. Hemi)
• Dual Breaker Distributor (Std. Hemi)
• 26″ High Performance Radiator w/ Fan Shroud (Std. Hemi)
• Power Disc Brakes
• Sure-Grip differential
• Firm Ride shock absorbers

1970 Plymouth Belvedere Brochure

’70 Plymouth Rapid Transit System Brochure

1970 Plymouth Barracuda Brochure

Ford

There weren’t a ton of changes at Ford this year, but there was plenty of excitement.  Both ‘Boss’ cars were back, and the wonderful 351 Cleveland engine made its appearance.  (See Muscle Car Era Engines for complete information.)

This was Maverick’s first full year, and sales were an enormous 451,000 units.  This may not compare with the 559,000 Mustangs sold in 1965, but it’s still a butt-load of cars.  Still, you could get into a base Maverick for some $700 less than the price of a base Mustang, which was roughly 25% less.  This would be Maverick’s biggest year, and it would soon have to share the stage with the Pinto.

Torino broke its previous ties with Fairlane, now being its own series.  In its regular, GT or Cobra forms, the Torino exhibited some gorgeous lines.  It looked like it was doing 100 mph while still parked in the driveway! 

Approximate sales: 2,096,000; change: +14.8%; industry rank: 1^st.

Boss 302

There would be no Mustang GT for 1970.  The Boss 302 and Boss 429 would return, more or less as they were in 1969.

The ’70 Boss changed the side stripe from the previous ‘C’ type to what has been referred to as the ‘hockey stick’ type.

The ‘70’s were clean and attractive, no doubt.  I still prefer the front of the ’69, though.  And I could live without the fake air scoops on the sides or rear fenders.

1970 Mustang Changes

The big difference seen on the ’70 Mustang was the dual headlights, with the outer lights of the ’69 now gone.  In their place were two simulated air intakes per side.  The emblem was moved back to the center of the grille.  Also, the side fake air intakes were now gone.  In the rear, the three taillights per side were similar to the ’69 but now had a chromed ring around each set of three.

1969, as shown above, was the only year that Mustang had quad headlights, as it was back to dual headlights for 1970. The stylists kept the headlights that were added to the grille area, making the grille larger. The fronts of the bumpers where headlights had been now housed fake air intakes. I’d love to have listened in on the conversation where the stylists were deciding where to place the headlights and what to use to fill the now-unused space. Do you suppose that fake air intakes were at the top of the list?

I’ve always liked the body color on the rear flank of Mustang. The (optional?) rear black honeycomb applique for the Mach 1 was not as attractive, at least to my eyes. I’ve always really liked the ’69 rear tail light styling, as shown here.

Mach 1

Mach 1 had its front look changed, with rectangular parking lights embedded in the grille.  Note the hood locks in the photo above.

The Mustang Mach 1.  This has to be the coolest name ever for a performance car model, doesn’t it?

Here’s a close up of the Mach 1 rear honeycomb applique. More attractive with the honeycomb effect, but I really like the body color look.

So, How Fast is Mach 1?

Mach 1 is the speed of sound in air (naturally).  Sound travels faster through solids than it does through liquids, and faster in liquids than through a gas, which is what air is.  When you mention the speed of sound, it’s taken for granted that the medium is air, since the context is usually the speed of a jet or a bullet.  The speed of sound varies with both air pressure, as in altitude, and with air temperature.  Flying Mach 1 at sea level is a speed of about 761 mph.  At 30,000 ft, this becomes 678 mph, which represents a difference of 11%.  The term ‘Mach’ is in honor of the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach (1838 – 1916).

1970 Mustang Brochure

Torino Cobra

The Torino looked like it was doing 100 mph just sitting there!  What lines!

The rear styling of Torino changed, along with the rest of the car.

The theme of strong horizontal elements of the previous grille were carried over to the 1970 grille.

The rear of Torino in ’69 was simple yet elegant. I think it’s fair to say that the look in 1970 would become a good bit sportier.

Thunderbird

Yeah, the front end of the ’69 Thunderbird was kinda wonky, but it still had hidden headlights.  I don’t know about this ‘beak’ design.  Certainly not ‘ugly’, but…

Galaxy, on the other hand, went from kinda plain to really unique.  Hidden headlights and a design that just seemed to work!

Here’s the front of the ’69 Galaxie. The bumper would remain very similar for 1970, but the grille would be changed immensely.

Behold the 429 Cobra Jet! Honestly, you have to admit that without the cool air breather, it’s a pretty ‘meh’ sort of looking engine, isn’t it? Too harsh?

The New Maverick

Maverick was based on the Falcon platform, but the Falcon itself was not going to be able to meet the NHTSA regulations that would be in place for 1970.  Mustang sales had taken a heavy toll on the sales of Falcons, and something new was very much in order.  Maverick (and Pinto) did make some ‘worst car’ lists, likely for good reasons.  However, this doesn’t acknowledge the place in automotive history the car earned, and the considerable contribution it made to ford and to the U.S. economy.

In a few years, Maverick would offer one version which was a sort of a ‘badge engineered performance car’.  It would never be a performance car, but it was still very significant, being the premier compact car for 1970.  Of course, it would very soon share the spotlight with Pinto, and would face competition from the Chevy Vega.

Torino styling was first rate and the car seemed to have anything a person could want.  The reflective side-stripe was especially groovy!

‘A new flight of birds’; get it?

The aircraft are the first of 1,557 Boeing 747 jumbo jets manufactured, with the first commercial flights taking place this year.

I’m not a fan of this year’s Thunderbird.  I get the whole ‘bird’ thing, but the front looks too much like a freakin’ beak for me.

Speaking of Big and Beautiful…

I love this picture of the 747 showing its triple-slotted flaps. They are just so absolutely huge! Looking at the leading edge of the wings you can tell the slats are deployed. Slats and flaps serve to extend the top surface of the wing, allowing it to provide immensely more lift at low takeoff and landing speeds. While in use, they also cause an enormous amount of drag. You can feel it when the flaps are lowered when you’re a passenger and your plane is on approach, if you try. The lowering of the landing gear produces a ton of drag as well as some vibration.

Heavy Lifter

The 747 was for decades the largest capacity passenger jet, with some versions holding some 600 passengers.  Range is up to 7,730 nautical miles with maximum takeoff weight of almost one million pounds (970,000 lb.).  Although the 747 is at or near the end of production, the aircraft has been manufactured continuously for over a half century!  Constant upgrading of engines and avionics has allowed new models to remain competitive.  When the 747 is finally gone and no longer produced, it will be the changing airline environment and not the competition that is responsible for its end.

This advertisement is pretty well put together.  The play on ‘1’ and ‘Won’ is brilliant.  Heck, there’s even a girl in the passenger seat and she looks like she’s having fun!

1964(1/2) to 1970 Mustang Spotters Guide

A sharp viewer might notice that we’ve flipped some of the side images to make all of the cars point to the right. This, and the fact that images are roughly the same size, makes it easier to spot year-to-year differences.

Front View

1964 – The Original!

1965 – Mostly unchanged, at least from this perspective. Remember, though, the ’65’s started showing up just a handful of months after the April ’64 Mustang introduction.

1966 – Now we see some changes! The pony ‘corral’ now floats in the grille, without the horizontal and verticle pieces.

1967 – The chromed center pieces are back, though in a modified form. The grille is larger in both height and width. The plastic grille is composed of small rectangles.

1968 – Back to a floating pony and corral, smaller than last year. The chromed grille surround now encloses a smaller inner surround. The bumper is slightly modified from ’67. F – O – R – D lettering no longer adorns the front of the hood.

1969 – Wow, what an update! You might ignore the chin spoiler, which wasn’t standard. Virtually everything else has been modified, including hood and fenders. The running pony is changed and deemphasised, and the biggest change is the quad headlights.

1970 – Huge changes once again. Same comment about the chin spoiler. The quad headlight experiment is over, lasting but one year. Everything above the bumper is different, most notably with the Mustang emblem now being centrally positioned and the fronts of the fenders, which previously housed the low-beam headlights, now sporting faux air intakes.

Rear View

1964 – Here’s the sweet styling that captivated us all back in April of 1964.

1965 – We have backup lights!

1966 – The most notable change is the gas cap.

1967 – Now we’re talking change! The chrome surround is new (and attractive!), as is the trunk lid. The three tail lights on each side are now separated a bit and the rear panel itself is concave.

1968 – I’ve always been torn between the ’67 and ’68 rear styling. I really like the raised center chrome trim of ’67, but I also like the M – U – S- T – A – N – G on the rear deck lid. This car is a GT, as can be seen on the gas cap.

1969 – Who needs the chrome surround after all? We’ll keep the M – U – S- T – A – N – G, though. The bumper ends aren’t turned up as much, and as you can see from the deck lid seams, the rear fenders have been substantially changed.

1970 – The tail lights are combined into units on each side and the rear facia is convex.

Notchback Side View

1964 – These lines were quite striking in 1964.

1965 – Did you like the side look last year? Good!

1966 – The rear quarter faux vent is decorated differently.

1967 – Another vent decoration change.

1968 – Another year and the side vent is changed again. Imagine that! Front and rear body side markers appeared.

1969 – Huge changes this year! Note the shape of the side window, the lack of vent windows, the side accent crease, and the ‘backward’ rear wheel vent.

1970 – A lot like the 1969 look, minus the faux vent.

Fastback / Sportroof Side View

1965 – This is the original fastback look for Mustang.

1966 – The fastback look remains mostly unchanged. The faux vent is still unadorned.

1967 – Roof, cove vent and side vent changes.

1968– A different roof line appeared this year, along with a different faux vent styling. Body side markers, too.

1969 – The Sportsroof is the new fastback style. The side vent is now repositioned and vents behind the side window are gone. Compare to previous years to see how the rear window comes down and leaves a flat(ish) area for the trunk. Also, note how the side window opening extends farther back to accommodate new rear seat side windows. The side cove design element is gone! This thing is a hardtop!

1970 – This looks a lot like the ’69, I’d say, minus the side vent just behind the door handle.

1970 Ford Performance Buyer’s Digest

Ford Sure-track

This was the first domestic anti-lock brake system, introduced in late ’69 for the 1970 model year as an option on Continentals and Thunderbirds. It was a single-channel system that was controlled by an under-dash module and operated on the rear wheels only.

Though new to the automotive field, anti-lock brakes had been around for decades in the aeronautical field and in some railroad applications. Picture a plane landing on a wet or icy runway and trying to brake. A brake locking up could easily lead to disaster. The fact that the Sure-track system operated on the rear wheels only might make sense if you consider that rear wheel lockup under panic braking situations was not unusual at this time.

When you paid the extra bucks for Sure-track, you also got this sweet brake pedal, sure to make you the envy of neighbors and friends! This one is worn on the left side, not the right like I’d expect. Was this from its (elderly?) owner riding the brakes with their left foot? Remember seeing those drivers? I can’t remember the last time I witnessed this.

Mercury

While Ford sales surged this year, Mercury saw just the opposite.

Cougar was nicely updated, sporting a divided grille that retained the hidden headlights.  They did a good job with this update, resulting in an attractive and refreshing look.  I don’t think the same can be said of Comet.  The new ‘pointed’ front-end wasn’t horrible, but I don’t think buyers responded in the way the designers hoped they would. Some eighty-one thousand Comets were sold in thirteen different models in 1967.  Last year, this fell to 14,000, and for 1970, the name disappeared.  (It would return in 1971, being based on the Maverick chassis).  Cyclone was still around, now sharing the 117 in. wheelbase with the lengthened Montego.  Cyclone sales saw a nice increase from ’69 but would plummet next year.

Approximate sales: 324,700; change: -18.3%; industry rank: 8^th.

Cougar Eliminator

The front of Cougar was updated, with the grille now smartly separated by a section of the body, this section having a grille-like inset. This grille was more like the ’68 than it was the ’69.

The tail lights of Cougar now had less ornamentation over the lenses, making the taillight segments easier to discern.

The Eliminator option was again available. The $130 price ($895–2020$) gave you functional hood scoops and hood stripes, and the all-important Boss 302 engine.

It seems just a bit odd that Mercury made so much go-fast hardware available in Cougar, but a lot of people were glad that they did. You could totally option your ‘personal performance’ Cougar to be a badass boulevard bruiser that was second to none. From Mercury!

Here’s the front of Cougar in ’69. What happened to the cat on the headlight cover in ’70?

1969 Cougar rear. As noted, just tweaked a bit for 1970.

Cyclone GT

Mercury substantially remodeled the front end of Cyclone GT.  The protruding nose was kind of a love it or hate it design, and the insurance companies certainly did hate it.  The bumper didn’t protect the nose much, and since it extended forward, it was prone to bumping or being bumped into.

This year Cyclone got a less Mercury-like rear styling. I like the blackout look.

Cyclone certainly did have a less distinctive front look in ’69, didn’t it?

Yeah, for some reason this rear look just says ‘Mercury’ to me. Don’t quite know why. (No, it’s not the lettering.)

This advertisement shows off the lines of the new Cougar, with the striking new front. The cougar on a leash is a cool touch.

Regardless of my earlier comments, I really do like this advert and the way they posed the car.  It’s the right color, too!  Yeah, I could dig 375hp!  Those front grille parking lights in the middle like that are cool.

Another nice advert for the Cyclone Spoiler.  The drag chute comment might be just a touch cheesy, but I really do think it works well here.

1970 V8 Engine Specs

1970 Newspaper Ads

Just to be clear, we’re not giving away a Pinto as 1st Prize, just the use of one for a year. Yup, the use of a $2,000 car for one full year! And as if that wasn’t enough, FREE soft drinks and coffee! I think they went way overboard with this one!

$100 off, huh? I can get that sweet ’54 Chevy for $195 then!

I’d sure go for the ’63 Thunderbird convertible! But then there’s the 1970 Challenger R/T, too.

The Cordoba was a special model of the Newport. Apparently, someone didn’t know how to spell it. The ad says ‘Cordova’.

Did you say “Misspelling”?

This is one mother humper of a typo, to be sure. The ‘warmup band’ was none other than Led Zepplin! It would be about two weeks until the release of their first album, so the band’s name was totally unfamiliar.