1976 Plymouth Duster

The Duster was the fastback coupe version of Plymouth's Valiant compact car, the platform mate of the Dodge Dart Sport, and had been soldiering on since 1969, when it had been introduced as a 1970 model.

By the middle of the decade its days were numbered and after the 1976 model year it would be replaced in the lineup by the Plymouth Volaré coupe. (The two cars shared space on dealer lots for '76.)

The base motor was the trusty 225 cubic inch Slant Six with a single-throat carburetor, with optional 2bbl 318 or 4bbl 360 small-block V-8s available. The Slant Six and 318 both had catalytic converters now and were rated at 90 and 150 SAE net horsepower while the 360 remained converterless and put out 225 ponies. 

In the dark days of the early Malaise Era, a 360-powered Duster with a 3.21:1 Sure Grip rear end would crack off sub-15 second quarters, and took surprisingly little fettling to put out acceleration numbers hearkening back to the Muscle Car days of a half decade earlier.

Road Test magazine, on the other hand, tested a Duster with the Slant Six and three-speed manual and the result was as Malaise-y as you'd expect. Zero-to-sixty took an agonizing 14.8 seconds and the car dawdled through the quarter in 19.5 at 70mph. Top speed was reported at 94 and the car took 172 feet to stop from sixty. At least it got 16.3 miles per gallon?

The single exhaust and the bumper overriders on this one have me leaning towards it packing a 318 under the hood. My ex had a '75 with a 318 in it that he'd put mag wheels on, as well as a little ducktail of a spoiler on the decklid. He'd added a true dual exhaust that sounded a lot healthier than the 2-bbl smog motor actually was, and between that, the unsilenced air cleaner, and the Direct Connection front license plate, its bark was entirely worse than its bite. Those were my peak redneck girlfriend days.

This Rallye Red specimen on steel wheels was photographed in White Rock, New Mexico using a Sony a7 II and an FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS zoom lens in October of 2018.

1976 Ford Courier

For the 1972 model year, Ford revived the Courier nameplate, last used on late 1950s sedan delivery vehicles, and slapped it on a rebadged Mazda B1600 pickup truck.

Since the Ranchero had moved from the compact Falcon platform to the midsize Torino, Ford had been without a small and economical open bed cargo vehicle. Since light truck imports were subjected to the 25% "Chicken Tax" tariff, the Courier was imported without a bed in the chassis cab configuration and final assembly was performed domestically.

Under the hood was Mazda's 1800cc SOHC four-cylinder, making 75 horsepower, backed with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. With the increasing emphasis on fuel economy, they proved popular in the Seventies.

1976 model year Couriers, like this Clair Orange example, were the last year of the first generation trucks and can be distinguished at a glance by the cab aft of the windows, which had received a three inch stretch over the original vehicles.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in Martinsville, Indiana back in September of 2020.

1976 Chevrolet Caprice Classic

1976 was the final model year of the full-size Chevrolet B-bodies before the big downsizing. The Bel Air nameplate had finally gone away after 1975, leaving a stripped down version of the Impala with less chrome trim, less noise insulation, and less cushy seats, called the Impala S, as Chevy's lowest-priced full size car. Above that was the regular Impala, and the pinnacle of the full-size Chevrolet lineup was the Caprice Classic.

Available in Landau Coupe, Coupe, pillared Sedan, and hardtop Sport Sedan forms, all Caprices came with woodgrain vinyl interior trim, plusher nylon pile carpet, and a light in the trunk as standard, to go with the power front discs and automatic transmission.

The standard motor in the Caprice Classic was a two-barrel 350 cubic inch V-8 rated at 145 SAE net horsepower. Optional motors were a four-barrel 165 horsepower 350 V-8, a 400 cubic inch small block V-8 making 180 horses, and the final year of the 454 cube big block, with a four-barrel carb, dual exhausts, and 225 horsepower.

The 1976 Caprice Classic represented an apogee, size-wise, for Chevy sedans, casting a 222.9" long shadow and weighing over 4,300 pounds. The '77 downsizing would slash nearly a foot of length and over a quarter ton of weight from the new Caprice Classic.

The Cream sedan with Dark Mahogany interior was photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and a EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in August of 2022.

1976 Chevrolet El Camino Classic

For the 1976 model year, the higher-end El Camino Classic got the stacked quad rectangular headlights like the Chevelle and Monte Carlo. The Classic also had a crosshatched mesh grille rather than the plain plastic rectangular grille of the base model, which also retained the plain dual round headlights from the previous year.

The one in the picture has the Conquista trim package, which came with two-tone paint...in this case Firethorn over Mahogany...divided by bright chrome molding on the sides. This one also has the optional 15" Rally wheels.

The 250cid OHV 105 horsepower inline six was the base motor. Optional engines were the 140hp 2-barrel 305, the trusty 350 in either two- or four-barrel form, and the top-of-the-line 400 small block, now only rated at 175 horses.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in October of 2022.

1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

1976 was the final year of the monster fourth generation Cadillac DeVilles, riding on a 130" wheelbase and stretching a full 230.7" from stem to stern.

It was the second year for rectangular headlamps on the full-size Caddies, a feature that seemed terribly modern after decades of all cars in the US having mandatory round sealed beams.

The 500 cubic inch version of the Cadillac 472 Series OHV V-8, originally exclusive to the Eldorado personal luxury coupe, became standard in the DeVille in 1975. New for '76, however, it could be had with either a four-barrel carburetor or a new Bendix electronically-controlled fuel injection setup. 

The fuelie version of the 500 slowed the Malaise Era power slump of the big block Caddy motor, which by 1976 was down to a dismal 190 SAE net horsepower. With the Bendix option, output was 215 horsepower, which was still feeble compared to the 400 gross horsepower boasted by the 500 back when it debuted, largely due to the compression ratio having been reduced from 10.0:1 to 8.5:1 in order to run on unleaded gasoline.

Power brakes were standard, of course, with discs up front and finned drums in the rear. Track Master skid control was available for the rear drums and another ahead-of-its-time optional safety feature on the '76 DeVille was the Air Cushion Restraint System, an early airbag setup. The latter had been introduced in 1974 and was an expensive and rarely-ordered option, so it was discontinued after '76. 

This Georgian Silver Metallic 1976 Coupe DeVille is one of the last of the big Caddies. For '77, the DeVille would be heavily downsized. Almost a foot shorter and a full thousand pounds lighter, the monster 8.2 Litre motor would be replaced by a new 7.0 Litre 425 Series Cadillac V-8.

The silver one in the pictures was photographed in May of 2023 using an iPhone 13 Pro Max. The Sable Black one was snapped with a Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 16-80mm f/4 R WR OIS zoom lens in July of 2021.

1976 Buick Century Custom Coupe

For 1973, Buick brought the Century nameplate out of retirement, where it had been since last being used in the '58 model year, and applied it to their A-body midsize cars, which had formerly been known as Skylarks.

Available as coupes, sedans, and wagons, these were Buick's meat and potatoes models, filling the same market niche as Olds's Cutlass and Chevy's Chevelle.

For the 1976 model year, the Century received a light styling upgrade, with more sharply creased lines that matched the newly-legal rectangular headlamps. Sedans had their lamps stacked vertically flanking an upright formal chrome grille while the Century coupes had side-by-side headlamps in a more rakish and aero-looking prow.

To commemorate the Bicentennial year, Buick used special color names on '76 models, like Potomac Blue and Constitution Green. The Century Custom Coupe in the picture above is Judicial Black.

Standard equipment for the Century Custom Coupe was the 3.8L Buick OHV V-6 with a 2-barrel carb and a 3-speed manual transmission. Option motors included either a 2- or 4-barrel equipped Buick 350 V-8, and any engine could be paired with a TurboHydramatic 3-speed automatic transmission.

This photo was snapped in April of 2017 with a Leica D-Lux 3.

1976 Chevrolet Nova

For the 1975 model year, the Nova was redesigned with a body that had more sharply creased lines to match the formal look that was in vogue in Seventies Detroit. It retained the 111" wheelbase and unibody-plus-front-subframe construction of the previous 3rd Generation Novas, and in fact carried over the rear axle and suspension of the older car. Up front, however, disc brakes were now standard equipment.

Available as a coupe, sedan, or a hatchback coupe it was a hit, and the brochures for the 1976 Nova lineup were prominently "Dedicated to the three million Novas before it."

Mechanically, the '76 model year was largely unchanged and could mostly be differentiated by a different pattern to the grille.

The Malaise Era was in full swing for 1976, and the engine choices were either a base 250 cubic inch inline six rated at 105 SAE net horsepower or one of two V-8s: the new-for-'67 two-barrel LG3 305, making 140 horsepower, or an LM1 350 V-8, which had an 8.5:1 compression ratio for compatibility with regular fuel and therefore put out 165 horses.

The standard transmission was a floor-shifted 3-speed manual, with an optional TurboHydramatic. If you ordered the 350 V-8, it unlocked the availability of a 4-on-the-floor. Either V-8 meant mandatory power brakes.

The stunningly well preserved Mahogany 1976 Nova hatchback in the photo was snapped with an iPhone 6s in April of 2017.

1976 Cadillac Eldorado

We've had a look at a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado before, in the shape of a lovely Calumet Cream ragtop back in mid-September, but here's a coupe in the color known as Firethorn.

Under the hood it one of two flavors of Caddy's big 8.2 Litre V-8, producing either 190 or 215 SAE net horsepower depending on whether you bought the base carbureted version or sprung for the quirky Bendix EFI.

Look at that majestic barge, all of eighteen and two-thirds feet long, wafting down College Avenue! Nearly two and a half tons of premium Cadillac luxury. Zero to sixty times were a bit over ten seconds with the fuelie cars and closer to thirteen with a carb, but nobody bought these to go drag racing at traffic lights.

The lack of a "Fuel Injection" badge under the Eldorado script on the decklid tells us this is a carbureted car. The driver is fixing to have a fun time trying to steer that thing into a parking space in the cramped Fresh Market lot.

This one was photographed in October of 2024 with a Nikon D300S and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens.

1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

Here's a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado ragtop in Calumet Cream with what appears to be a Light Ivory leather interior.

Power was provided by the 500cid Caddy V8 in its final year of production. Now fully catalyzed, EGR'ed, and 8.5:1 compressioned, the ginormous "8.2 Litre" that had been introduced with 400 SAE gross horsepower in 1970 struggled to make 190 net horses six years later. (You could bump it to 215 by ordering the optional fuel injection.)

By the mid-'70s, convertibles were vanishing. They were heavier and had worse aerodynamics than fixed-roof cars, which hurt gas mileage, and they had a hard time with NHTSA rollover standards. Cadillac marketed the 1976 Eldorado ragtop as the last American convertible and quite a few of the roughly 14,000 sold were driven straight into garages and parked as investments.

When Cadillac launched a new Eldorado convertible eight years later, there was a class action suit as a result.

This one was photographed in September of 2022 using an Olympus E-3 and a Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 zoom lens.

1976 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

The round headlights and grille pattern, combined with the half cab and lift-off shell over the bed suggest that this Chevy Blazer is a 1976 model. The locking hubs and visible front transfer case tell us it's a 4-wheel drive K5 Blazer rather than the rear-wheel drive version, although simple statistics favor that. The RWD versions weren't as common.

The standard powerplant would have been 250 cubic inch Turbo-Thrift inline six, putting out 105 SAE net horsepower. Optionally the buyer could go for a 350 V-8 rated at 160 horsepower, or a 185 horse 400 cubic inch small block. Four speed manual and three speed automatic gearboxes were available.

Pickup, Van & 4 Wheel Drive Magazine tested a 1976 Chevy K5 Blazer Cheyenne with the 400 cube V-8 and TH400 slushbox. They recorded a 0-60 time of 11.9 seconds and an 18.2 quarter at 73 mph. The big V-8 managed to force the brick-like snout into the wind all the way to 94 miles per hour before being defeated by aerodynamic drag, 500 RPM short of the redline. 

This one was photographed in August of 2024 with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and Panasonic 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens.

1976 Oldsmobile Starfire

Here's a 1976 Oldsmobile Starfire coupe in Red Orange. This was Olds's badge-engineered version of Chevy's Monza 2+2; with Buick badges it was a Skyhawk, while in Pontiac form it was a Sunbird. These were marketed as sporty-ish compacts, intended to compete with Ford's Mustang II.

Launched as a '75 model, initially, the base engine for the Starfire was a 2-barrel carbureted Buick 231cid V-6... destined for later fame as the 3.8L ...and it could be had with a four-speed manual. A Borg Warner 5-speed became available for 1976. Given the dearth of performance in the mid-'70s doldrums, a 110bhp 3.8-liter six in a 2800lb car was considered kind of sporty.

Later model years could be had with 130hp 305 Chevy small-block V-8s but in factory form, those things got whatever you call hip dysplasia when it happens to the front suspension of small GM autos instead of back legs of large dogs. 

Oh, and they understeered for days. (For those of you who are not car nuts, understeer is when your car loses traction and plows into the outside guard rail nose-first, while oversteer is when you hit the outside guard rail ass-end-first.)

The photo was take in June of 2016, most likely with a Nikon Coolpix P7000.