TOP TEN - DETROIT DEJECTION

The winners of the race to the bottom, as stringent regulations and questionable taste combined to create an imperfect storm

- MARTIN BUCKLEY

The 1970s' social, political, and economical upheavals caught Detroit unawares. Rising fuel prices made the vast, thirsty sedans, station wagons, and muscle cars that had been its stock-in-trade a lot less acceptable. But even without the effects of the 1973 oil crisis, buyers were tiring of the poor build quality of many domestic cars, and the yearly changes that obliged them to trade in for a new model that wasn't very new at all.

The public was also increasingly aware of the value, reliability, and economy of imported cars. Where VW had laid the groundwork, now Toyota, Datsun, and Honda were blazing a trail with thrifty compacts. Sales of boring but sturdy Volvos boomed as buyers recognized the safety issues endemic in cars that were engineered around styling fads rather than crashworthiness. Even sacred cows Cadillac and Lincoln were under threat from BMW and Benz, making cars that handled and stopped properly, sounding the death knell for Detroit's classic land yachts.

Commercial pressure was only half the story. The federal government was adding increasingly unrealistic emissions and safety rules, ushering in the era of 'park bench' impact bumpers and emasculated V8s. Detroit's responses to these challenges were laughably inadequate, giving rise to a dynasty now known collectively as the 'malaise era'. Poorly built, hideously styled, underpowered, and horrid to drive, the awfulness of these cars offers an increasing fascination.

1 Buick Riviera