Unforgettable Television Sports Cars From The 1970's
eb4In the seventies it seems that most shows were to an extent, known for the cars that the stars drove in them as well as the stars themselves. Some of the shows you will find listed here, the cars in the shows were even known to receive their own fan mail. The weekly hero of the action packed T.V. show was almost assuredly driving a fast and expensive sports car. Most people tend to think they used the same car in every episode but usually there was a whole team of identical cars that followed the stars through the series.
See how many of the following cars you can remember from the seventies:
1. Gran Torino on Starsky and Hutch.
This was everyones favorite Muscle Car it seemed, at least the most recognizable.
The paint job (red with that big, white stripe) and the style prompted Ford to add it to their line. Gran Torino enthusiasts still get together to show off their rides to this day!
2. Do you remember Dan Tanna and his 1957 Thunderbird from Vegas?
In this program Robert Urich played a cop in Las Vegas named Dan Tanna who just loved cruising around the strip in his T-Bird. It was a bright and shiny red and was actually two identical cars used that they switched back and forth when taping the show. The character started out with a corvette but ended up with his signature T-Bird instead
3. Who can forget that bumbling detective Columbo and his beat up, old Peugeot? Well it can be categorized as a sports car technically, but it sure didnt look like one or act like one. But Columbo and his Peugeot was a match made in heaven with their unkempt appearance. Some folks in Ohio ended up with the car after the show was cancelled but they revived it for the Columbo movie in the 80s.
4. The golden Firebird Espirit of Detective Rockford is another classic. James Garner played Detective Rockford and always seemed to be having financial troubles but he could always afford to drive around in his signature Firebird.
5. 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado from Mannix. Another one of those great detective shows. Joe Mannix was played by actor Mike Connors and it was a very customized vehicle indeed and one that most people remember. Mannix had secret compartments all over the Toronado and it was a little more high tech then many cars of its era. In later episodes Mannix had an array of cars at his disposal but the 1966 Toronado seem to make the most impact.
Each one of these cars is memorialized by film. If you asked anyone about the 70s famous cars undoubtedly they would mention one or more of these cars. Of course there were a lot of others but these five seem to be the most likely to come up in a conversation about the era. After all they certainly did seem to steal the show right out from under the human stars.
Jackson Porter is a staff writer at http://www.automobileenthusiast.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.environmental-central.com.
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An American Bespoke Supercar - The Panoz Esperante GT
e0eHere's one of the modern breed of American fast cars - the Panoz Esperante GT, which combines the traditional V-8 with some modern technology. And the engine is not bad either.
The Panoz has an interesting construction. It consists of the center section of a Ford Mustang underbody and aluminum extrusions. This is fairly light and rigid, and less expensive to produce than carbon fiber.
With its modern/trad lines, the Esperante is a great-looking two seater convertible. There are two roadsters, the Esperante and Esperante GT, which is lighter. There is also the supercharged GT-LM coupe or convertible, which has improved aerodynamics. All the cars share the same basic lines and layout, with a 'coke bottle' side line, and with fenders that project forward of the main grille. The headlamps fit flush with the fenders.
Power comes for various versions of Ford 4.6 liter V-8, 32-valve engine. In the Esperante and GT this engine develops a healthy 305 bhp at 5,800 rpm, with maximum torque of 320 lb ft (434 Nm) at 4,200 rpm. This is actually about the same as you get in the current Mustang, so for the GT-LM more power is added with the aid of a supercharger. This pushes the power up to 420 bhp at 6,000 rpm and torque to 390 lb ft (530 Nm) at 3,500 rpm, which give the GT-LM the grunt to hold its own with the Corvette and other supercars. Surprisingly, this version uses the cast iron block to give more durability.
Six-speed manual on GT-LM only
You get a five-speed manual box as standard with a four-speed automatic as an option, but the GT-LM gets a six-speed box, which is almost obligatory with that sort of performance.
At the front and rear are sub-frames to carry the suspension and the axle gears. Tubular double wishbone suspension is used front and rear, the geometry being modelled on that of racing cars. However, the GT-LM is closer still to race car suspension of the works cars. Gas-filled dampers and coil springs are used, while there is a tubular anti-roll bar at the front only.
Despite the twin front airbags, ABS, traction control and a limited slip diff, none of the Esperantes is overweight, with the GT weighing in at 3,197 lb (1,450 kg) and the GT-LM weighing 3,384 lb (1,536 kg), which competes with the Corvette at 3,245 lb, and the new Jaguar XK at 3,513 lb.
The Panoz Esperantes are good-looking supercars at reasonable prices and with plenty of performance. Of course, the supercharged engine in the GT-LM has plenty of scope for more power if that's what you want - 500 bhp is definitely available.
John Hartley is editor of http://www.fast-autos.com, an online magazine devoted to fast cars and supercars. He has written from many of the world's top auto magazines, and has written many books about cars and the auto industry, including 'Suspension and Steering Q&A' and 'The Electronics Revolution in the Motor Industry'.
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