A lot of people use to say life was easier back in the 1960s and 1970s. Or, rather, life was simpler with more positivism in the air about humanity and the planet we are living on in general. But at least for the automotive enthusiasts, the early 1970s weren’t that great as this was the period when the oil crisis hit and gas prices jumped from $3 to about $12. As a result, customers changed their behavior rapidly and started looking for more economical and efficient vehicles to replace the old gas guzzlers. This was the era when pony cars became more popular than muscle cars.
Don’t remember the 1970s or you were born after that decade? Fear not, a new 54-minute on YouTube takes some of the greatest Dodge promotional videos from that era and assembles them into single footage. This short film is part of the Periscope Film archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. There are several Dodge vehicles featured in the video, as well as a Toyota Corolla Liftback SR5 and Datsun B-210 GX used in comparisons with Dodge products.
The video starts with the 1975 Dodge Coronet which is featured in sedan and wagon forms, as well as a two-door hardtop. After a quick walkaround of the Coronet range, the camera turns inward to show the interior features and then shows the engine bay. One of the features you are probably never going to see in a modern car is a light in the turn signal which goes on when the driver hits the gas pedal to warn them so that they don’t waste gas. Next is the 1975 Dodge Dart, which was the brand’s smallest model at the time but came with many improvements over the previous model year Dart.
A few more Dodge models from the same era are also featured in the video but for us, it was very interesting to see what the comments from YouTube users are. Some point out that the Dart doesn’t deserve its current faith as it is one of the Dodge vehicles that set the stage for the Dodge muscle cars. Others, however, recall that the Dodge cars of the 1970s had big drivability issues with their carburetors and fuel management systems. Some love the round headlight design and even call it universal for that era. Others laugh at some of the “economy” features of the cars.
