- [Glen] The vehicles of the 70s came in many
unique styles, some were crazy, some were fun, and some
were made to shape the vehicle production of the future.
I'm Glen and today we're bringing you
15 crazy vehicles from the 70s.
- [Narrator] Number 15.
- [Glen] The Volkswagon Thing was manufactured
in the Unites States from 1973 to 1974.
Originally developed for the West German Army,
the Type 181 was also sold to the public
under different model names from 1968 until 1980
when the last models were made for civilian use.
This Type 181 is a four door, two wheel drive convertible
powered by a 1.5 or 1.6 liter engine
with a four speed manual transmission.
It had a curb weight of 1,984 pounds, a load capacity
of 970 pounds, and a top speed around 70 miles per hour.
- [Narrator] Number 14.
- [Glen] The Lancia Stratos Zero was first shown
to the public at the Tern Motor Show in 1970,
preceding the Lancia Stratos HF Prototype by 12 months.
The futuristic automobile was design by Marcello Gandini,
head designer at Bertone, with a wedge shaped body
painted in a distinctive orange color.
It's unusually short in length at just under 12 feet,
and low in height at just under three feet.
The Zero was exhibited in the company's
museum for many years, and appeared in
Michael Jackson's 1988 film Moonwalker.
In 2011, it was sold during an
auction in Italy for 915,000 dollars.
- [Narrator] Number 13.
- [Glen] The Stutz Blackhawk prototype
was completed in 1969 and made its debut at the
Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 20, 1970 in New York City.
The first production cars were
then manufactured as 1971 models.
The series one Blackhawk body was constructed
entirely by hand and fitted with an expensive leather
and wood interior while sharing many parts
with multiple Maserati models, which were also
being manufactured by the company at the same time.
Elvis Presley bought the first car sold by the new
Stutz company, and a host of other Hollywood personalities
soon followed, although Frank Sinatra was supposedly upset
that Elvis got the first one, and so
he never bought one for himself.
- [Narrator] Number 12.
- [Glen] The Vamos was a leisure vehicle produced
by Honda from 1970 to 1973 that borrowed the
rugged appearance, small size, and removable top
of popular European beach vehicles.
It was powered by a 354 CC, two cylinder gasoline engine
and had an open cabin design with water and dust proof
instrumentation, and was available with
the option of a removable car seat.
Due to a lack of four wheel drive, it wasn't exceedingly
popular, and Honda only sold around 2,500 of these vehicles.
- [Narrator] Number 11.
- [Glen] Marketed as a shaggin' wagon, and aimed at men,
the Holden Sandman was a panel van that was
first built in 1974 offering three different models.
With sun and fun in mind, lots of panel vans
were being customized at the time.
The HQ was based on the entry level Belmont and
built in limited volume from January to September in 1974,
while the HJ was a full conversion, with the Sandman model
adapted from either the Belmont or the Kingswood.
It seems likely that no more than 100 were produced,
mostly equipped with the optional 253 cubic inch V8 engine.
- [Narrator] Number 10.
- [Glen] The Brubaker Box was a custom
vehicle built on a VW Beetle chassis.
It was designed by Curtis Brubaker, a member
of GM's advanced research group who also
helped create the iconic Learjet.
The Box's dash controls are located on the driver's
left side panel along with the radio, while up front
there's a large area between the dash board and the
driver's seat that can be used for storage.
This four foot five inch high car only had one
sliding door on the passenger side with a rear lounge area
that includes an ottoman that houses the gas tank.
Around 50 of these cars were made
and sold for about 4,000 dollars each.
- [Narrator] Number nine.
- [Glen] Built on the Cadillac El Dorado chassis,
the 1978 Tag function car and mobile executive suite
never caught on among the business elite class
and ended up being a huge failure.
Measuring 23 and a half feet long, the Tag
stood out in the crowd for having a
comfortable vast interior and six wheels.
It weighed in a three tons and was powered
by a massive 8.2 liter V8 engine.
In the end, only 23 sold out of the 25 that were produced.
- [Narrator] Number eight.
- [Glen] Bruce Baldwin Mohs liked to build things big.
The Safari car was his most significant success.
The massive vehicle measured seven and a half feet wide
with a wheel base of almost 10 feet.
Features included doors that slide out on rods to open,
a retractable roof with hydraulic lifts, and
an aluminum body covered in Naugahyde.
Currently, one of these cars is
valued at around 67,500 dollars.
- [Narrator] Number seven.
- [Glen] Produced from 1974 to 1976, the Zagato Zele
was an electric micro car that was ahead of its time.
The fiber glass bodied vehicle was offered in three
models with an assortment of seven colors.
The Zele had a length of seven feet, a width
of four and a half feet, and a height just over five feet
with a curb weight around 1,100 pounds.
Society wasn't as taken with this one, with an
approximate production run around 500 units.
- [Narrator] Number six.
- [Glen] It turns out, Briggs and Stratton
didn't just make lawn mower engines.
They also produced a gasoline electric hybrid car
with the help of design engineer Brooks Stevens,
who is also credited with designing
the famous Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.
The car came on a six wheeled chassis that was
borrowed from Canadian based Marathon electric vehicles
and used a four speed gear box with an 18 horsepower engine
to accelerate up to about 50 miles per hour.
Purely in electric mode, the car could travel
from 31 to 62 miles, while the car's
range was about 200 miles in hybrid mode.
The 450 pound battery pack could be easily
disconnected, extended and replaced with another
since it was installed on a separate axis.
- [Narrator] Number five.
- [Glen] Based on Ford's European Taunus Sport,
the Megastar Two was first shown at the International
Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, was equipped
with a two liter, four cylinder engine, independent
front and rear suspension, four speed manual
transmission, and aluminum road wheels.
Built on a 10 and a half foot wheel base,
this was not a production car, and was made to
demonstrate future ideas for Ford vehicles.
- [Narrator] Number four.
- [Glen] The Daihatsu BCX3 was an electric concept
developed in 1973, came with an eight piece battery array
that could give the car a top speed of 50 miles
per hour with a range up to 50 miles.
This two door prototype had a length of 13 feet,
a width just over five feet, and a weight of 2,200 pounds.
- [Narrator] Number three.
- [Glen] In the 1970's the idea of
a concept car was a little different.
They showcased a new style direction for a brand
that would be used by the entire company.
That's why the Ford Trident, a car that never made
it to production, was initially created.
The Trident featured a three piece nose with
the center section sticking out.
Production versions of the 1971 Mercury Cyclone
and the 1971 Ford Thunderbird were
direct descendants of this concept.
- [Narrator] Number two.
- [Glen] The Evinrude Rooney Lakester was a beach buggy
and boat combo that first appeared at the
San Francisco Boat Show in 1970.
The bright orange 14 foot long fiberglass boat
could be driven up right on the water
and attached to a buggy shell waiting at the landing.
Called a boaterized dune buggy, it had
an Evinrude 50 horsepower outboard motor
that powered both the boat and the dune buggy.
- [Narrator] Number one.
- [Glen] One of the most unusual Porsche's ever produced,
the Tapiro, was based on the Porsche 914
and debuted at the 1970 Tern Motor Show.
The concept came with a five speed manual gear box,
a mid-mounted flat six engine with 220 horsepower,
rear wheel drive, independent suspension,
and a seagull wing opening for the doors and
the rear panels of the engine compartment.
The fully functional prototype had an official
top speed of 152 miles per hour, unfortunately
the vehicle didn't survive through the years
as it was destroyed in a fire shortly after it's creation.
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