As you may have taken note while reading our 10 Fastest Cars of 1973 post, ’73 was a fairly entertaining year for the editors of Consumer Guide. Not only did my predecessors have the opportunity to evaluate a DeTomaso Pantera, but that year’s docket also included a cadre of “mini buses” and sport-utility vehicles as well.
I mention those categories because one of them yielded an entry on 1973’s slowest-car list, which is presented below.
The asterisk in our title means that these aren’t necessarily the slowest vehicles available for sale in 1973, but the slowest vehicles evaluated by Consumer Guide. That said, it’s unlikely that there was much available for sale in the U.S. that would chug to 60 mph slower than a ’73 Beetle.
All times below represent the result of 0-60 mph testing conducted somewhere in suburban Chicago in 1972 and 1973. If you think any of these cars is capable of better performance than we were able to extract, tell us about it. Seems a lot of readers consider the Seventies-era Consumer Guide team to have been a little easy on test cars.
Diesel Doldrums: The 7 Slowest Cars of 1980*
Volkswagen Beetle: 22.6 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Coupe
Engine: 97-cubic-inch flat four
Horsepower: 45
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 4.13:1
Curb Weight: 1827
Fiat 128: 19.9 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Sedan
Engine: 68-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 55
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 4.08:1
Curb Weight: 1855
Volkswagen Super Beetle: 19.5 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Coupe
Engine: 97-cubic-inch flat four
Horsepower: 45
Transmission: 3-speed semi-automatic
Axle Ratio: 4.13:1
Curb Weight: 1938
Renault 12: 19.1 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Sedan
Engine: 96-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 69
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.77:1
Curb Weight: 1938
Volkswagen Bus: 19.1 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Van
Engine: 103-cubic-inch flat four
Horsepower: 63
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 4.45:1
Curb Weight: 3043
Toyota Corolla: 18.6 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Coupe
Engine: 97-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 65
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.90:1
Curb Weight: 1935
Dodge Colt: 18.5 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Sedan
Engine: 98-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 83
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 3.89:1
Curb Weight: 2110
Datsun 1200: 18.4 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Coupe
Engine: 72-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 69
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Axle Ratio: 3.90:1
Curb Weight: 1610
Ford Pinto: 18.2 Seconds
Body Type Tested: 2-door hatchback
Engine: 122-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 85
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 3.40:1
Curb Weight: 2215
Chevrolet Vega: 18.0 Seconds
Body Type Tested: Coupe
Engine: 140-cubic-inch four
Horsepower: 90
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Axle Ratio: 3.36:1
Curb Weight: 2298
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