Many cars from the 1960s are considered timeless classics. Rad 1980s–1990s vehicles, meanwhile, are undergoing a renaissance with collectors. The period between those two eras? It’s best left forgotten. The “Malaise Era,” generally considered the decade of cars that stretched from 1973 to 1983, was perhaps the single worst period for automotive manufacturing. Oil crises and new environmental regulations melded with industry inertia and a shortage of imagination to realize 10 years of cars that were, for the most part, bloated, underpowered, and uninspired. (One sad example: here’s what that era’s Ford Mustang looked like.)
The Malaise Era, however, was not wholly bleak. The era saw some bold designs hit the streets. We also saw the progenitors of some of our favorite, brand-defining vehicles of the 1980s and beyond arrive.
Below are 12 great cars that bucked the trend and managed to be great. And not just ironically great in retrospect, like the Subaru BRAT.
Lancia Stratos (1973)
As stunning to behold as it was successful at rallying. (And thankfully, not quite as nutso and Cybertruck-like as the Stratos Zero.)
