1973 Chevy Nova Coupe, Fastest Cars of 1973
The Chevrolet Nova was the 7th-fastest-accelerating vehicle tested by Consumer Guide in 1973.

Our 1973 list of fastest cars is very different from our 1972 list. The primary reason for the disparity has to do with the variety of vehicles tested by Consumer Guide in the early Seventies.

Seems that the lucky testers and editors of CG enjoyed quality time with a number of interesting and sporty cars for 1973 that they didn’t have access to in 1972. Among those cars, is, amazingly, a DeTomaso Pantera. Not surprisingly, the Ford-powered Italian sports car fared well in Consumer Guide testing (see results below).

For a little perspective, the slowest car tested by Consumer Guide in 1973 was the Volkswagen 113 “Beetle.” The popular German economy coupe struggled to reach 60 mph from a dead stop in 22.6 seconds. Clearly, merging into freeway traffic was not the Beetle’s forte. On the plus side, the car did return just over 30 mpg, pleasing the test crew immensely.

About that asterisk in the title: The 0-60 mph times below are the result of test runs conducted by the staff of Consumer Guide and reported in the Consumer Guide ’73 Auto Test magazine. Obviously there were faster rides out there, but we didn’t have the opportunity to test them.

The 10 Fastest Cars of 1971*

The 9 Fastest Cars of 1972*

The 10 Fastest Cars of 1980*

The 10 Fastest Cars of 1981*

The 12 Fastest Cars of 1983*

 

DeTomaso Pantera: 6.0 Seconds

1973 DeTomaso Pantera
1973 DeTomaso Pantera

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 351-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 266

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Axle Ratio: 3.50:1

Curb Weight: 2860

 

Porsche 911: 6.8 Seconds

1973 Porsche 911E
1973 Porsche 911

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 143-cubic-inch flat six

Horsepower: 157

Transmission: 4-speed manual

Axle Ratio: 4.43:1

Curb Weight: 2485

 

Chevrolet Corvette: 8.0 Seconds

1973 Chevrolet Corvette
1973 Chevrolet Corvette

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 350-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 275

Transmission: 3-speed automatic

Axle Ratio: 3.36:1

Curb Weight: 3416

 

Datsun 240Z: 8.8 Seconds

1973 Datsun 240Z
1973 Datsun 240Z

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 146-cubic-inch six

Horsepower: 151

Transmission: 4-speed manual

Axle Ratio: 3.90:1

Curb Weight: 2266

 

Dodge Charger: 10.0 Seconds

1973 Dodge Charger
1973 Dodge Charger

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 400-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 175

Transmission: 3-speed automatic

Axle Ratio: 3.23:1

Curb Weight: 3550

 

Dodge Dart: 10.0 Seconds

1973 Dodge Dart Sport
1973 Dodge Dart Sport

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 340-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 240

Transmission: 3-speed automatic

Axle Ratio: 3.23:1

Curb Weight: 2985

 

Chevrolet Nova: 10.7 Seconds

1973 Chevrolet Nova
1973 Chevrolet Nova

Body Type Tested: Sedan

Engine: 350-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 165

Transmission: 3-speed automatic

Axle Ratio: 3.08:1

Curb Weight: 3169

 

Mercury Capri: 10.7 Seconds

1973 Mercury Capri
1973 Mercury Capri

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 155-cubic-inch V6

Horsepower: 107

Transmission: 4-speed manual

Axle Ratio: 3.22:1

Curb Weight: 2245

 

AMC Matador: 10.8 Seconds

1973 AMC Matador
1973 AMC Matador

Body Type Tested: Sedan

Engine: 401-cubic-inch V8

Horsepower: 255

Transmission: 3-speed automatic

Axle Ratio: 2.87:1

Curb Weight: 3250

 

Fiat 124 Sport Coupe: 10.8 Seconds

1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe
1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

Body Type Tested: Coupe

Engine: 98-cubic-inch four

Horsepower: 90

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Axle Ratio: 4.13:1

Curb Weight: 2204

Check out the slowest cars Consumer Guide has ever tested

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