The 1970s Sports Cars That Are Still Cheap Enough For The Average Enthusiast
Many of us gearheads dream of owning classic Sports Cars from the 1970s. That decade seems to have been a real boom period globally for car making. So many great cars were around during that time, and plenty of them have since gone on to become legendary. That has, of course, resulted in used values skyrocketing for a lot of them. Browse listings for Classic Cars with that sporty edge from the ’70s today, and almost all of them will be too expensive for most of us. Hope’s not lost, though. There are still some bargains from the ’70s to be had out there.
The cars on this list are quite varied, coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. There are a couple of American cars here, as well as a couple of Japanese classics. There’s also several European models, including a trio from a classic British car brand. What they all have in common, though, is that they’re 1970s sports cars you can get for prices that aren’t out of reach of the average enthusiast.
10
Chevrolet Corvette (C3)
Average Used Value: $37,588
When it comes to the classic Corvette generations, the C3 is often viewed as being a bit of a disappointment. A lot of that has something to do with how these cars were strangled in terms of power as the malaise era marched on. Quite a lot of enthusiasts also don’t like how the classic shark-nosed design was restyled over its long production run. But all that criticism at face value hides the fact that even fairly standard variants of this car are still quite good. The C3 came with a wide range of engines through its life cycle, but by the 1970s things had become more limited. Most ’70s C3s are powered by different versions of the 350 cubic inch Chevrolet small-block V8. A few variants did use 454 cubic inch big-block V8s, but after 1974 those were dropped entirely.
There’s a reason why the C3 Corvette’s average used value of $37,588 is relatively high for what we’ll see later on this list. Earlier variants, especially big-block-engined ones, have crossed into the territory of being genuinely valuable classics. But more standard variants from the less desirable mid-to-late ’70s era are still affordable. A single family-owned 1976 example with the 350 cubic inch small block that needed some minor TLC sold for just $9,000 recently. If you’re willing to go for a less desirable variant (and an example that needs a bit of work), you can get a C3 Corvette for much cheaper than you might have thought.
9
Ford Torino (Third Generation)
Average Used Value: $25,825
You probably didn’t expect to see a classic slice of American muscle on this list. But the third-generation Ford Torino has ended up becoming a surprising budget option for people who want a more gentlemanly sports car.
Produced from 1972 to 1976, the third-generation Torino was available with one inline-6 and a variety of different V8s. The 250 cubic inch Thriftpower inline-6 was dropped after 1973, leaving the Torino to be exclusively powered by V8s. The biggest of those V8s was a 460 cubic inch option, initially a police package only power plant in 1973 before it was then made available to civilians in 1974. Below that, the 302 and 351 cubic inch Windsor V8s were a common engine option, as was the 351 cubic inch Cleveland V8. The Windsor V8 lasted through the third-generation Torino’s entire run, while the Cleveland V8 disappeared after 1974.
8
Datsun 260Z
Average Used Value: $24,215
When most people think of the classic Nissan ‘Z’ cars, they’ll think of the 240Z. That’s not surprising at all, as it’s got a legendary reputation. But, that means that the 260Z that came after it often gets overlooked. That’s even though it’s just as good as the 240Z in some respects, and actually more powerful. Only sold in the US in 1974 but sold from 1974 to 1978 in other markets, the 260Z was given a new stroked 2.6-liter version of the 240Z’s inline-6. This initially produced 139 horsepower in American market versions, with versions in other markets having around 163 horsepower. A 1974 1/2 model was introduced partway through its US market run that gave US-spec cars that full 163 horsepower.
The average used value of a 260Z these days is around $24,215. While that’s still not a big bargain, it’s less than what you might expect to pay for a 240Z these days. It also makes it a ’70s sports car that a regular enthusiast can actually afford, and one that’s likely to go up in value as the 240Z has, before too long.
7
Datsun 280Z
Average Used Value: $22,250
Like the 260Z that came before it, the Nissan 280Z has always lived in the shadow of the 240Z. That’s even though, like the 260Z, it’s a more powerful and more modern car. The inline-6 used in the 240Z and 260Z was bored out for the 280Z. This made it 2.8 liters in size, and gave it an SAE net output of 149 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. This makes it the most powerful of the S30 Z cars. Sadly, it’s also one of the least attractive, thanks to the federally required crash bumpers on US-market examples.
Like the 260Z, the 280Z is a surprisingly affordable 1970s sports car. Its average used value is now around $22,250. Again, that’s not the biggest bargain ever. But it’s still something that an average enthusiast can get a hold of, and it could become a solid investment in the years to come.
6
Triumph TR6
Average Used Value: $19,259
The first classic British sports car on this list (and the first of a trio of Triumphs that’ll be appearing here), the Triumph TR6 has everything you could possibly want out of a car like this. Its production began in 1968 and lasted until 1976, which makes it a 1960s design that spent most of its production run in the 1970s. The TR6 was only ever available with one engine, a 2.5-liter inline-6. But, European and American market versions of this engine were slightly different. European TR6s got a fuel-injected version of the engine, which produces 150 brake horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque. American versions, meanwhile, got a carbureted version that also had a lower compression ratio. This meant it was seriously down on output, producing just 104 brake horsepower and 143 lb-ft of torque.
With how much of the classic British sports car DNA it has and how it’s old enough to be a true classic, you might be surprised to find out that the Triumph TR6 is actually a bit of a bargain. It is significantly cheaper than the other cars covered so far, coming in at an average used value of $19,259. This really could be one of the best options out there for anyone who wants a classic ’70s sports car, but only has the budget of a regular enthusiast.
5
Triumph Stag
Average Used Value: $16,198
If you know anything about the Triumph Stag, it might be because of the one that James May drove in The Grand Tour. This is the second of our trio of Triumphs, and definitely the most obscure. Unfortunately, that is for a good reason. The in-house designed and built 3-liter V8 has a reputation for being far from the most reliable. Its teething issues got to the point where a lot of owners got fed up, and swapped it out for a more reliable engine that was easier to repair. This usually tends to be either the Rover V8, or the Ford Cologne V6.
That unwanted and unloved reputation has made the Triumph Stag a car that a lot of enthusiasts avoid. As a result, it ended up becoming a serious bargain. Even with its surge in popularity following its Grand Tour appearance, the Stag is still reasonably cheap for a proper ’70s sports car. You can expect to pay around $16,198 for a Stag, and some of the best examples with the original V8 can cost as little as $14,000. If you do give it the engine swap treatment, it could actually increase its value. One example that had been given the running gear from a first-generation Mercury Capri (including the aforementioned Cologne V6) sold for $20,000 just recently.
4
Fiat X1/9
Average Used Value: $11,657
The Fiat X1/9 has to be one of the quirkiest sports cars to ever come out of the ’70s. Its unique design came from Bertone and, like many classic Bertone designs, it has aged incredibly well. The X1/9 is also mid-engined, giving it much better weight distribution (and therefore better handling) than the other small sports cars on this list. That mid-mounted engine is a 1.3-liter inline-4 sourced from the Fiat 128 in most examples produced in the ’70s. It also used the Fiat 128’s transmission. The result was a car that only had 74 horsepower and 72 lb-ft of torque. But it only weighs between 1,940–2,028 pounds, so that small amount of power went a long way.
For such an exotic-looking car, the Fiat X1/9 really is a used bargain. The average used value of these is around $11,657. The best examples do get a bit pricey now, but most of the time they end up selling for prices a regular enthusiast can afford.
3
Fiat 124 Sport Spider
Average Used Value: $11,486
The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is one of the most quintessentially European sports cars you can find. This is the car that the aforementioned X1/9 was actually supposed to replace. But this more traditional small roadster ended up being produced alongside the X1/9 for much of the X1/9’s life. This car was originally released in 1967, but it stayed in production all the way through the ’70s and even through much of the ’80s. 1970s examples had a choice of inline-4 engines in several different sizes. 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2-liter versions were all put into the 124 Sport Spider during this time, although the 1.4 and 1.6 were dropped after 1973. That gave it outputs that ranged from 89 horsepower for the 1.4-liter engine, up to 104 horsepower for the most powerful versions of the 2-liter engine. In a car that only weighed 2,028 pounds, that power went a long way in the same way as it did in the X1/9.
Many 124 Sport Spiders were produced, and they were sold in many countries (including the United States). As a result, these cars are still cheap. The average used value of Sport Spiders is around $11,486, with quite a few 1970s examples selling for similar or less than that average. If you want old-school, 1970s Italian charm, this might be the biggest bargain you can get on the used market.
2
MG MGB
Average Used Value: $9,848 (Roadster), $12,189 (GT)
When people want to buy their first classic British sports car, the MG MGB (available in either roadster or GT coupe form) is often what they’ll go for. There is a very good reason for this: it has proven over the years to be one of the best starter classics you can buy. There is nothing spectacular at all about its powertrain (it has a 1.8-liter version of the venerable B-series engine, and that engine produces as little as 70 horsepower in US-spec versions), or about the way it is engineered. But the trade-off is a car that is cheap to run, easy to maintain, and delivers good old-fashioned driving fun.
The MGB is a car that was produced over a long period of time, and in big numbers. As a result, it’s still amazingly cheap. The roadster version has an average value of around $9,848. Meanwhile, the GT coupe version has an average value of around $12,189. With cheap prices like that, there really isn’t much better you can do to get a great starter classic than buy an MGB.
1
Triumph TR7
Average Used Value: $8,438
The final entry in our trio of Triumphs, the TR7 was the replacement for the aforementioned TR6. Unfortunately for Triumph, it was poorly received when it actually showed up. While its design was supposed to be a more modern and more aerodynamic take on what a British sports car should look like, it drew a lot of criticism. It also had pretty woeful performance for how fast it looked. Due to changes that needed to be made to suit emissions regulations, the 2-liter inline-4 only produced 92 brake horsepower in American market models. Australian customers also got this strangled version of the TR7, and they likely weren’t happy about it either. While Triumph did attempt to solve the power issue by creating the V8-powered TR8, by that point the damage had already been done.
Like the Stag, that poor reputation has made the TR7 an unwanted sports car. That’s translated into the TR7 being the single biggest bargain on this list. The average value of the TR7 is around $8,438, and it looks like it’s avoided the typical skyrocketing values of most cars that reach classic status. Unless time is kinder to the TR7, things will likely stay this way. That is not great for people who want something to invest in. But for people who want a bargain classic and don’t care about owning something unloved, it’s perfect.
Sources: Bring A Trailer, Chevrolet, Classic.com, Datsun, Fiat, Ford, MG, Triumph
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