1972 Triumph TR6

Another Triumph TR6, predating the gnarly bumper overriders. That and the Saffron color would seem to indicate a 1971 or 1972 model.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS R5 and a 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 IS zoom lens in June of 2026. 

1972 Buick Skylark Custom

1972 would be the final model year for the third generation of Buick's midsize Skylark. In fact, it would be the last model year before the Skylark nameplate itself took a couple year hiatus, with its midsize job taken by the Buick Regal. When the Skylark moniker returned to the Buick catalog for the '75 model year it would be hung on a Chevy Nova-derived compact.

The Muscle Car Era was singing its swan song and the Malaise Era was in the on-deck circle, if I may mix my metaphors. Horsepower was now advertised in net rather than gross terms, and compression ratios were slashed across the board to prepare for unleaded gas. You could still get a 455 in a Gran Sport, but for regular Skylarks the biggest mill on offer was a 350.

The Skylark for '72 came in three trim levels: The base Skylark, the Skylark 350, and the Skylark Custom.

The Skylark Custom could be had as a convertible, a pillared sedan, a hardtop sedan, or a hardtop Sport Coupe, like the Fire Red example in the photos.

The base motor would have been Buick's 350 small-block with a two-barrel carburetor rated at 145 SAE net horsepower, with an optional four-barrel 350 making 180 ponies.

This one was photographed in May of 2026 using a Canon EOS R with an RF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1972 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible

By 1972 the lights were going out on the Muscle Car Era. Surging insurance rates were causing manufacturers to downplay power, and now Detroit manufacturers were advertising everything in SAE net horsepower anyway. Emissions controls had gotten stricter and compression ratios had dropped across the board.

The 442 was no longer a separate model, as it had briefly been, but an optional trim level of the Cutlass and Cutlass S coupes or the Cutlass Supreme convertible. So, to be absolutely technical, the car in these photos is a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible 442, but nobody would call it that.

The 442 could be had with the L32 Rocket 350 V-8 with a two-barrel carburetor or the L34 four-barrel Rocket 350 V-8. On the menu were also the L75 Rocket 455 V-8, with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, and... if you ordered the top of the line W-30 performance package ...the L77 Rocket 455.

1972 would be the last year for the W-30 and its snarling 300hp L77 455. The package was not available with air conditioning and came with a mandatory limited-slip diff with a 3.42:1 ratio (3.73:1 was optional.) Oldsmobile made it plain that the high performance motor, with its special alloy intake manifold, heavy duty cooling system, would not be able to match the forthcoming emissions controls in 1973.

In a sign of the times, Oldsmobile brochures for '72 didn't even mention power outputs at all (in '71 they only gave torque figures and no horsepower numbers) and dedicated a page in the full line catalog to how safe and low-emission the new Oldsmobiles for 1972 were.

The twin pipes on this one suggest it's got the optional L75 455. 

Hi-Performance Cars Magazine tested a 1972 Cutlass 442 coupe with the W-30 package and pronounced it a shadow of its former self. Even so, the torquey big block meant it needed to be babied off the line lest everything end up in a cloud of tire smoke. At Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, zero-to-sixty was accomplished in 7.1 seconds, with the quarter mile taking 14.4 seconds at 98 mph. The 3.42 rear gears meant the fun ran out at a buck fifteen. Price of the test car was $5,255, or about $40,600 in current dollars. That was a 60% price increase over the base $3,087 Cutlass coupe.

The one in the photos was snapped in June of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens. 

1972 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4.5

The W108/W109 full-size Mercedes sedans were wrapping up a successful run in 1972. Introduced for 1965 and receiving a mid-cycle refresh in '67, they were as responsible as any other model for establishing the brand's status as the sedan for the well-heeled and discerning buyer.

Initially the long wheelbase W109 300SEL sedans came with the M189 SOHC 3.0L inline six, but later a buyer could opt for one of two V-8s. First came the limited production 300SEL 6.3, with the M110 SOHC 6.3L V-8 from the company's limos shoehorned into the engine bay, and then in 1969 the regular production 300SEL 3.5 sported the M116 SOHC 3.5L V-8.

For the 1972 model year, the specter of emissions regulations and regular unleaded fuel was hanging over the U.S. market, complete with the requisite reduction in compression ratios.

In response, Mercedes compensated for the compression ratio being reduced from 9.5:1 to 8.0:1 by increasing the engine's stroke 19.2mm, bringing the displacement up to 4.5L. The resulting W109 300SEL 4.5 was a one-year only offering in the US for 1972.

This example was photographed in August of 2020 using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible

1972 was the final model year for the second generation of the Chevrolet Chevelle. As was still Detroit practice at the time, it could be told apart from the previous year's model by subtle differences, in this case the grille and front turn signal/side marker light assemblies are the tells.

You could get your '72 in regular Chevelle, Malibu, Heavy Chevy, and SS trim levels. The latter two were performance-oriented, with the Heavy Chevy being a more spartan car that was only available as a hardtop coupe, while the SS had more plush, Malibu-type accoutrements like the remote control driver's side mirror and could be had as a coupe or convertible.

Is this Mohave Gold one actually an SS, or has someone just badged a regular Malibu ragtop up as one? Only the VIN knows for sure, but it's a cool looking ride either way.

The 1972 model year was right at the precipice of the Malaise Era abyss. GM had already dropped compression ratios to allow all motors to operate on regular gas, and horsepower outputs were now given in SAE net, rather than gross, terms. The base engine in the SS was the two-barrel L65 Turbo-Fire 350 V-8 rated at 165 SAE net horsepower. The optional small block was the L48 Turbo-Fire 350 V-8 with a four-barrel carb and 175 horsepower.

Two Turbo-Jet big block V-8s were on the menu as well: The LS3 400, making 240 ponies, or the brawny LS5 454, which still put out 290 horses. The 454 was exclusive to the SS model, while the other motors could be had in lesser Chevelles.

All the V-8 motors could be had with a 3- or 4-speed manual or the 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic auto, except the 454 which could only be had with the 4-speed or automatic.

The one in the picture was snapped with a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in August of 2022.

1972 Dodge Dart Custom

The fourth generation of Dodge's Dart filled the compact niche for the automaker. It came in two wheelbase lengths: The 108" fastback Dart Sport & Demon coupes, and the longer 111" length which could be had as both a coupe or a sedan.

The Dart Custom sedan, like this Light Gold and Dark Green Metallic two-tone 1972 model, was as plush as a Dart could get (which admittedly wasn't very plush.)

The base motor for a '72 Custom was the 198 cubic inch Slant-Six, a de-stroked 225 which had a 1-barrel carburetor and was rated at 100 SAE net horsepower. Next up was the famed 225 Slant-Six itself, which made 110 horsepower. While it wasn't a big horsepower jump over the 198, the 225 also made 185 lb-ft of torque to the smaller motor's 160.

The top engine offering in the plushest Dart was the Mopar LA 318 V-8, which had a Carter 2-barrel carburetor & single exhaust pipe and put out 150 SAE net horses. All three motors could be had with a three-on-the-tree manual or a three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.

The swankiest Dart would set you back $2,574 in 1972 dollars before you started checking option boxes, which comes out to a bit less than twenty grand in today's money.

This one was photographed in June of 2017 using a Leica D-Lux 3.

1972 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

Through the Fifties the Eldorado nameplate at Cadillac signified advanced design, sportier features, and could be found applied to coupes, convertibles, and even a couple sedans. For the '61 model year the Eldorado became a convertible coupe based on the DeVille series but with a more sporty mien.

In 1967, the convertible went away but, leaving just a hardtop coupe Eldorado, but even more significantly, the driven wheels moved to the front of the car, drawing on tech developed at sibling GM division Oldsmobile for the Toronado. The engine was still a big longitudinally-oriented V-8, but at the rear of the bellhousing was a massive roller chain shunting power to the Turbo-Hydramatic 425 3-speed automatic lying beside and below the engine block on the driver's side.

The Eldorado was completely restyled for the 1971 model year. The car's wheelbase had been stretched to a whopping 126.3" and the car itself was over eighteen and a half feet long. The sole powerplant was the 500 cubic inch version of Cadillac's V-8. An Eldorado exclusive at the time, the 500 was created by taking the 472 Caddy motor, which had been introduced for '68, and lengthening the stroke about a quarter inch. The enormous motor was proudly proclaimed by the "8.2 LITRE" badging on the Eldo's front fenders.

External changes for '72 were minimal. The "Eldorado" badging on the fenders and decklid was now in script rather than block lettering. Advertised horsepower was now given in SAE net rather than gross numbers, so while the engine itself remained unchanged (4-barrel carb, dual exhausts, 8.5:1 compression ratio) the output was adjusted from 365hp to 235hp.

This Palomino Firemist 1972 Eldorado convertible was snapped with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in August of 2022.

1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible

1972 was the end of the road for many things in Corvette-land. It was the last year of the chrome front bumper, the last year for the vacuum operated pop-up windshield wiper door, and the last year for the wild-eyed high compression LT-1 350 V-8 motor.

The lack of a power bulge in the middle of this Mille Miglia Red convertible's hood means it's a small-block car. That would mean either the aforementioned LT-1 350 or, far more likely, the base ZQ3 350 mill.

For the 1972 model year, all GM engines were advertised with their SAE net horsepower ratings. That, combined with lowered compression ratios in preparation for an unleaded gas future made it feel like the cars had taken a much bigger performance haircut than they actually had.

The ZQ9 350 V-8, with its 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, had an 8.5:1 compression ratio and was rated at 200 SAE net horsepower, while the solid lifter LT-1 had a 9.0:1 compression ratio and boasted a 255 horsepower rating. Both power ratings were actually unchanged from the previous year, but '71 advertising used gross numbers with SAE net as a footnote.

Chevy sold just over 6,500 Corvette convertibles in '72 with a base MSRP of $5,296, which is equivalent to roughly forty thousand bucks in 2024. This one was photographed in July of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and Panasonic 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens.

1972 De Tomaso Pantera

Loiter on the patio of one of the restaurants at 54th and College and sooner or later, one of everything will drive by, like this very early De Tomaso Pantera. The earliest '71 models are identifiable by push-button door releases shared with the earlier Mangusta. Production using the old style manufacturing methods was having a hard time keeping up with the output required by Ford (to say nothing of indifferent quality control) so Ford invested a bunch of money in new tooling for the Italian maker, taking an 84 percent stake in the company.

From this distance, most visible sign of the cars made on the newer tooling are the flat-latch door handles.

You can tell it's a '72 from the flat door latches and the graceful chrome bumpers, replaced for the '73 models (called the Pantera L), with large rubber federally-mandated energy absorbing 5mph bumpers.

The blue and white De Tomaso logo is visible in the grille and the wheel center caps. The colors are from the Argentinian flag, where Alejandro de Tomaso was born.

The aftermarket wing looks nice on this car, and the sound crackling from those exhausts was that of a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 that meant business. The original '71 models were imported with an 11.0:1 compression Cleveland motor rated at 310hp, but that was dropped to 266hp in the 1972 cars, with a lower 8.6:1 compression ratio for reasons of emissions and fuel economy.

Panteras were actually sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships here in the U.S. through 1974...

Photographed in September of 2021 using a Nikon D2X and 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D zoom lens.

1972 Triumph GT6 Mark III

This '72 Triumph GT6 is an example of the last of the breed. On its third iteration at that point, the Spitfire-based hardtop coupe had Triumph's 1,996cc inline six in place of the original's four cylinder motor. (This is what necessitated the rather prominent power bulge in the center of the hood.)

Triumph developed the GT6 for the street following the success of the aero fastback tops that were applied to Spitfires racing at LeMans in 1965, where they came in 13th overall and first in class.

With a claimed output around a hundred horsepower, the UK domestic models would do 0-60 in about ten seconds on their way to a 112mph top speed. Alas, the 1972 U.S.-market cars had lower compression and a single Stromberg carb in place of the dual SUs, so horsepower was only about 70 SAE net and performance was proportionately stunted.

The photos of this Saffron Yellow 1972 model were taken with an Olympus E-M1X and Panasonic 12-60mm f/2.8-4 lens.