Most people think in terms of SS454 Chevelles, Hemi Road Runners or Pontiac GTOs when they identify cool two-door hardtops from the 1970-72 era.
That makes sense—those cars were wildly popular when new and that trend continues when you look at current auctions.
Those classics weren’t alone, because the early 70s had many other examples of two-door hardtops with some incredible curb appeal.
Jerry Sutherland
The 1970 Chrysler Imperial Crown two-door hardtop is rare because they only built 254 of them. In other words, you won’t see one at a car show.
The Imperial was the highest level of the massive coke-body fuselage Mopars, and it showed. These were classic-looking cars because the fastback roofline flowed into the one-of-a-kind taillights. The ’70 Imperial Crown was 100% early 70s cool because it made no sense—but it worked.
The 1972 Sunbeam Rapier Coupe was from an opposite world.
These cars looked like mini-1st Gen Barracudas, so that made them really stand out from other econo-boxes at the time. They weren’t fast, but they looked speedy thanks to that retro-fastback roofline.
The 1970 Galaxie 500 also had a retro 60s fastback that gave it one of the coolest profiles of the era.
They were big cars, but the ’70 Galaxie 500 fastbacks carried it off thanks to that spanky roof and a clean, simple taillight treatment. They were massive, but the 1970 Galaxie 500 two-door hardtops looked as fast as an F-35 –even when they were parked.
Plymouth turned the big C-body 1970 Fury into a muscle car overnight when they introduced the Sport Fury GT.
The Fury GT was another car that defied logic, and its sales numbers were nowhere near Road Runner sales–but it did come with a 440 Six-Barrel option. If that didn’t give this Fury GT instant muscle car credibility…nothing would.
The 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix Hurst SSJ defied logic.
This massive Poncho was born by accident when George Hurst spotted a two-tone Grand Prix SJ and decided to build a Pontiac Hurst car. Hurst only built 60 of them in ’71 and they all came with a 455 big block hooked to a Hurst Auto/Stick shifter. This was another classic example of early 70s two-door hardtops with incredible cool factor.
The 1970 Olds Ninety-Eight Holiday Coupe two-door hardtop was another car that defied logic because it was as big as the Queen Mary and it only had two doors. The hardtop roofline was nowhere near as dramatic as the fastbacks, but this was an Olds Ninety-Eight—not an Olds 442.
The formal roofline made sense—so did the 455 big block under the hood. This was the perfect car for a mid-level mob boss because it was subtle and flashy at the same time.
The 1971 Toyota Celica ST lived in a much different universe. This little two-door was an extremely important car because it proved that Japan could build a sporty and reliable car.
The Celica was the perfect car at the perfect time because OPEC was working on a plan to explode oil prices and not everyone wanted to drive a Beetle. The Celica lines were classic at the time—no one saw the name continuing for another 35 years.
The last classic early 70s two-door hardtop came from Ford in the form of the 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler 429.
These cars proved the fastback two-door hardtop still had some life left. They were big cars, but they had some punch with a ram-air 429 under the hood. The big Merc was brute force and cool. What more could you ask for in 1970?
These cars tell you a story about the beginning of the Me Decade because the 70s were all about individual tastes—not conformity.
They only had to make sense to the buyer.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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