30 sensational cars from the 1970s

Wedgy, angular bodies; pop-up headlights; strange slats whose sole purpose seemed to be to look space-agey and cool – yes, the 1970s were a captivating era for car design. Here are 30 iconic 1970s motors which should all be protected with classic car insurance.

1. Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer
   Ferrari's dilemma when it came to replacing the Daytona is somewhat akin to the challenges that faced Jaguar after the E-Type, and Lamborghini after the Miura. How do you replace such an iconic car? Happily, with the chunky, mean-looking Berlinetta Boxer, Ferrari made a very decent job of it. We especially love the contrasting black undercarriage of the first two generations, the 365BB and 512BB.

2. Jaguar XJ-S
   Here’s another car with some seriously big boots to step into. When it came to replacing the E-Type in 1975, Jaguar went a bit bigger and, in homage to the prevailing style ethos of the time, a little bit wedgier. The XJ-S's looks proved more divisive than its universally adored predecessor – those buttresses at the rear weren't to everyone's taste – but we think it manages a very convincing mix of grace and swagger.

3. Porsche 928
   Porsche's grand tourer may have been outlasted by the 911, the car it was intended to replace at the top of the Porsche family tree, but it was still a great car for the 1970s and beyond. It has a long, snaky grand tourer elegance that holds up very well today. We get a fair few classic car cover queries from 928 owners, and we're always very pleased to help.

4. Triumph TR7
   Good-looking, lightweight and a hoot to drive, the TR7 is an honourable chapter in the story of Triumph. It may have endured one or two quality problems during its early years (though these were later sorted), but as an affordable, arresting-looking British wedge it's something we can look back on with pride.

5. Lamborghini Countach
   Of course the Countach, that most extra-terrestrial and ferociously quick of all supercars, belongs here in its own right. But we're also putting it in to underline a point: that the early LP400 Countaches, from 1973-1978, were the best-looking of all, without the fibreglass wheel arches that arrived later on and which robbed the car of some of its strange, angular beauty.

6. Maserati Khamsin
   Maserati had a very good 1970s, producing some wonderful low-slung, mid-engined sports cars such as the Bora and Merak. If pressed, though, we'd go for the Khamsin of 1974-1982, for its handsome wedge looks. That full-width glass rear panel with its 'floating' tail lights – pure, unadulterated 1970s cool.

7. Aston Martin V8
   The rather functional name gives little indication of the fabulous-looking grand tourer that was Aston Martin's mainstream car for two decades from 1969. The car went through five generations across its 20-year run, but changes were relatively few and far between. And, when you've got a grand tourer this timelessly handsome, why mess around with it?

8. Alfa Romeo Montreal
   In amongst all those svelte, graceful and oh-so-Italian coupes and grand tourers, this big, brash and clearly US-inspired pony car stands out like a sore thumb. But oh, we love every inch of it, from the statement louvres behind the driver's door to the mean-looking headlights peering out beneath the bonnet.

9. Renault 17
   The Alfa Montreal wasn't the only '70s car to adorn itself with some fancy slats and louvres. This very 1970s design feature was also found just aft of the rear windows in the Renault 17, the French company's charismatic and rather unjustly forgotten entry into the 1970s coupe market.

10. Saab 900
    The 1970s was a good decade for drivers after something a little different. Swedish aircraft and car manufacturers Saab gave us the 900, an impressively capable sports saloon wrapped inside a curvaceous, aerodynamic body. Here is our advice on how to buy a classic Saab 900 – advice which, of course, includes arranging some classic Saab insurance to protect this Nordic legend.

11. BMW M1
    The M1 makes the list because it's one of the most perfectly realised wedge car designs – and because it remains, to date, BMW's only foray into the supercar class. Its aerodynamically low-slung shape and mid-mounted straight-six engine created a car that turned heads everywhere you went.

12. Citroen SM
    Citroen's early 1970s grand tourer is perhaps best remembered now for its looks – and to be sure, they combine Gallic flair with space-age bravado in a truly captivating way. What's perhaps less well remembered is what a great car the SM was to drive. Its combination of comfort, braking and pin-sharp handling weren't being replicated in any other car of the time.

13. BMW E12
    The big, handsome E12 was the first generation of the 5 Series, and announced BMW's entry in the executive class with some style. It still holds up very well now as one of the smartest-looking large saloons ever produced.

14. Lotus Esprit
    It's actually only our second favourite Lotus on this list (more on that in a moment), but there's no doubting that the Esprit was a high water mark for the Norfolk sports car manufacturers. The fact that it was chosen for amphibious duties in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me indicates the high esteem in which this sleek British coupe was held.

15. Reliant Scimitar GTE
    A few models leapt on the rather elegant shooting-brake bandwagon in the 1970s. Perhaps the most popular was the GTE hatchback variant of Reliant's Scimitar grand tourer. It looked the business and, thanks to that Ford-sourced V6 engine, it could shift – a top speed of 124mph was an eye-catching statistic on what was, effectively, a small estate. No wonder Princess Anne (nine times!) was among the Scimitar sympathisers.

16. Rover SD1
    The striking, Ferrari Daytona-inspired Rover SD1 was one of the boldest things to come out of British Leyland during the difficult 1970s. The fact that, during an era of strikes and factory closures, the BL factories could turn out something this bold and forward-looking still impresses today. Thankfully, the SD1 was also as good to drive as it was to look at.

17. Volkswagen Golf GTI
    The story goes that a bunch of VW’s younger engineers went to senior management with the idea of producing a performance version of the popular, but sensible Golf hatchback. There wasn't much interest at first. When they'd given the nod, the bosses wanted the car to look discreet and not to give away its performance. The result – supercar-rivalling speed hidden within a small family car – famously gave birth to the hot hatch movement.

18. Ford Capri
    For its second generation in 1972, the Capri underwent a couple of subtle but important styling changes. The bonnet was shortened, and the boot was given a larger hatchback opening. At a stroke, Ford's good-looking fastback morphed from pony car to, well, usable family runabout. The Capri's ability to draw envious glances as it prowled purposefully around town, while sharing engines (and pricing) with its sensible Cortina sibling, made it one of Britain's most iconic '70s and '80s cars.

19. Aston Martin Lagonda
    The statesmanlike, tech-loaded Lagonda looks very much of its time now. The touch-sensitive digital dashboard that was once so bold and avant-garde has frozen the car in time. But that's part of its charm: that, plus those snaky, elongated looks, like a Rolls on slimming tablets. Oh, and the performance: the 5.3-litre V8 engine made the Lagonda one of the world's fastest four-door cars.

20. Lotus Elite
    We said that there was another Lotus coming in this list, didn't we? And we've selected the Elite, perhaps the most eye-catching of the small shooting brakes that arrived during this decade. Somehow, the pairing of those angular Lotus looks with a steeper, more estate-like rear end made for an utterly captivating car. Of the three Lotuses of its era (Esprit, Eclat and Elite), this one might be our favourite. It still has a keen following to this day. If you're thinking of joining the Elite world, make sure to protect your Lotus with some insurance for you classic car.

21. Mazda RX-7
    Arriving in 1978, the RX-7 had three strings to its bow: great coupe looks, a lightweight body and a rotary engine that produced its own very distinctive note. Engines were small – 1.1 and 1.3-litre – but in a car weighing only a little over 1,000kg, this didn't seriously hurt performance.

22. Toyota Celica
    The first Celica did a very clever thing: it drew on the aggressive looks and Coke-bottle lines of some of the most revered American muscle cars of the era, then dialled down the size to suit European and Japanese markets. Hey presto: a popular car, and the dawn of Toyota's fame in Europe.

23. Opel Manta
    If you were after a sleek but affordable coupe and wanted to stand out from the Capri crowd, you had the option of the Opel Manta. The first generation had a whiff of an American muscle car about it, while the second was clearly a member of the Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier family. Both looked good, drove well (being rear-wheel drive), and made fine Capri alternatives.
24. 
    Porsche 911 Turbo
    The 911 had been in existence since the mid 1960s, but Porsche fans had to wait until 1975 for the range's first turbocharged variant. The 911 Turbo, with its supersize rear wing, flared wheel arches and air-cooled straight-six engine, both looked and drove the part.

25. Datsun 240Z
    The Datsun 240Z joined the likes of the Ford Capri and Opel Manta: cars that offered you a slice of GT / coupe glamour for family saloon prices. And the Datsun's baby E-Type looks and sharp performance earned it a devoted following of its own. Indeed, the 240Z and its 260Z and 280Z successors have their own thriving owners club, the Z Club. Join up for a wealth of expertise, parts and restoration advice. Here at Lancaster, we offer classics insurance discounts to many members clubs. Find out more when you get a quote.

26. Fiat X1/9
    Like the Triumph TR7 above, the Fiat X1/9 was a car whose looks perhaps promised more than its performance delivered. But we quite like it for that. Here was a car, after all, with the boxy, angular styling and pop-up headlights of an early 1970s Italian supercar – but which, thanks to its modest performance, could realistically be bought and run by any middle manager who'd otherwise be looking at an Escort or Astra.

27. Mercedes W116
    The prototype of today's S-Class, the big W116 saloon was a hugely impressive effort from Mercedes. Imperiously handsome, it also packed a huge amount of technology and safety features, including four-wheel anti-lock brakes and front and rear crumple zones. It was a deserved European Car of the Year for 1974.

28. Lancia Stratos
    The Stratos is best known in rallying circles, where it managed a hat-trick of World Rally Championships from 1974 to 1976. It was also, however, made in sufficient numbers (around 490 were produced) that you could, if you were very determined, own one of these extraordinary-looking rally icons for yourself.

29. Ferrari 365 GT4
    This makes the list because we just love the concept of a Ferrari with saloon-car looks. The 365 GT4 (which became the 400, with minimal styling changes, in 1975) was in fact a two-door grand tourer, but it had the kind of three-box design that you'd find on a contemporary Ford Granada. That mix of Prancing Horse performance and grown-up good looks makes it quite untouchable to our eyes.

30. Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT / GTV
    Further up we nominated the Montreal, a bewitching departure from Alfa Romeo's graceful Italianate looks. We finish with a more straightforward, but no less cherishable Alfa. When the Italian firm took their nicely-proportioned Alfetta saloon and created a rakish fastback coupe, they created a car with a very attractive mix of good looks and typically fine Alfa handling.

Classic car insurance for cars from every decade

The 1970s produced some truly wonderful motors. But the truth is that every decade has given us its fair share of great-looking cars. As specialists in this market, we're proud to provide classic car insurance for vehicles from every era of motoring history.

Contact us to find out more.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.