1973 Volkswagen Bus, Slowest Cars of 1973
1973 Volkswagen Bus

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.

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Volkswagen Beetle: 22.6 Seconds

1973 Volkswagen Beetle
1973 Volkswagen Beetle

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

1973 Fiat 128
1973 Fiat 128

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

1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle
1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle

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

1973 Renault 12
1973 Renault 12

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

1973 Volkswagen Bus
1973 Volkswagen Bus

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

1973 Toyota Corolla
1973 Toyota Corolla

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

1973 Dodge Colt
1973 Dodge Colt

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

1973 Datsun 1200
1973 Datsun 1200

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

1973 Ford Pinto
1973 Ford Pinto

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

1973 Chevrolet Vega
1973 Chevrolet Vega

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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