- [Glen] The vehicles
of the 70s came in many unique styles, some were
crazy, some were fun, and some were made to shape the vehicle
production of the future. I'm Glen and today we're bringing you 15 crazy vehicles from the 70s. - [Narrator] Number 15. - [Glen] The Volkswagon
Thing was manufactured in the Unites States from 1973 to 1974. Originally developed for
the West German Army, the Type 181 was also sold to the public under different model
names from 1968 until 1980 when the last models were
made for civilian use. This Type 181 is a four door,
two wheel drive convertible powered by a 1.5 or 1.6 liter engine with a four speed manual transmission. It had a curb weight of
1,984 pounds, a load capacity of 970 pounds, and a top speed
around 70 miles per hour. - [Narrator] Number 14. - [Glen] The Lancia Stratos
Zero was first shown to the public at the
Tern Motor Show in 1970, preceding the Lancia Stratos
HF Prototype by 12 months. The futuristic automobile was
design by Marcello Gandini, head designer at Bertone,
with a wedge shaped body painted in a distinctive orange color. It's unusually short in
length at just under 12 feet, and low in height at
just under three feet. The Zero was exhibited in the company's museum for many years, and appeared in Michael Jackson's 1988 film Moonwalker. In 2011, it was sold during an auction in Italy for 915,000 dollars. - [Narrator] Number 13. - [Glen] The Stutz Blackhawk prototype was completed in 1969
and made its debut at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January
20, 1970 in New York City. The first production cars were then manufactured as 1971 models. The series one Blackhawk
body was constructed entirely by hand and fitted
with an expensive leather and wood interior while sharing many parts with multiple Maserati
models, which were also being manufactured by the
company at the same time. Elvis Presley bought the
first car sold by the new Stutz company, and a host of
other Hollywood personalities soon followed, although Frank
Sinatra was supposedly upset that Elvis got the first one, and so he never bought one for himself. - [Narrator] Number 12. - [Glen] The Vamos was a
leisure vehicle produced by Honda from 1970 to
1973 that borrowed the rugged appearance, small
size, and removable top of popular European beach vehicles. It was powered by a 354 CC,
two cylinder gasoline engine and had an open cabin design
with water and dust proof instrumentation, and was available with the option of a removable car seat. Due to a lack of four wheel
drive, it wasn't exceedingly popular, and Honda only sold
around 2,500 of these vehicles. - [Narrator] Number 11. - [Glen] Marketed as a shaggin'
wagon, and aimed at men, the Holden Sandman was
a panel van that was first built in 1974 offering
three different models. With sun and fun in
mind, lots of panel vans were being customized at the time. The HQ was based on the
entry level Belmont and built in limited volume from
January to September in 1974, while the HJ was a full
conversion, with the Sandman model adapted from either the
Belmont or the Kingswood. It seems likely that no
more than 100 were produced, mostly equipped with the optional
253 cubic inch V8 engine. - [Narrator] Number 10. - [Glen] The Brubaker Box was a custom vehicle built on a VW Beetle chassis. It was designed by
Curtis Brubaker, a member of GM's advanced research group who also helped create the iconic Learjet. The Box's dash controls
are located on the driver's left side panel along with
the radio, while up front there's a large area between
the dash board and the driver's seat that can
be used for storage. This four foot five inch
high car only had one sliding door on the passenger
side with a rear lounge area that includes an ottoman
that houses the gas tank. Around 50 of these cars were made and sold for about 4,000 dollars each. - [Narrator] Number nine. - [Glen] Built on the
Cadillac El Dorado chassis, the 1978 Tag function car
and mobile executive suite never caught on among
the business elite class and ended up being a huge failure. Measuring 23 and a half feet long, the Tag stood out in the crowd for having a comfortable vast interior and six wheels. It weighed in a three tons and was powered by a massive 8.2 liter V8 engine. In the end, only 23 sold out
of the 25 that were produced. - [Narrator] Number eight. - [Glen] Bruce Baldwin Mohs
liked to build things big. The Safari car was his
most significant success. The massive vehicle measured
seven and a half feet wide with a wheel base of almost 10 feet. Features included doors that
slide out on rods to open, a retractable roof with
hydraulic lifts, and an aluminum body covered in Naugahyde. Currently, one of these cars is valued at around 67,500 dollars. - [Narrator] Number seven. - [Glen] Produced from 1974
to 1976, the Zagato Zele was an electric micro car
that was ahead of its time. The fiber glass bodied
vehicle was offered in three models with an assortment of seven colors. The Zele had a length
of seven feet, a width of four and a half feet, and
a height just over five feet with a curb weight around 1,100 pounds. Society wasn't as taken
with this one, with an approximate production
run around 500 units. - [Narrator] Number six. - [Glen] It turns out, Briggs and Stratton didn't just make lawn mower engines. They also produced a
gasoline electric hybrid car with the help of design
engineer Brooks Stevens, who is also credited with designing the famous Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. The car came on a six
wheeled chassis that was borrowed from Canadian based
Marathon electric vehicles and used a four speed gear box
with an 18 horsepower engine to accelerate up to
about 50 miles per hour. Purely in electric mode,
the car could travel from 31 to 62 miles, while the car's range was about 200 miles in hybrid mode. The 450 pound battery pack could be easily disconnected, extended
and replaced with another since it was installed on a separate axis. - [Narrator] Number five. - [Glen] Based on Ford's
European Taunus Sport, the Megastar Two was first
shown at the International Motor Show in Geneva,
Switzerland, was equipped with a two liter, four
cylinder engine, independent front and rear suspension,
four speed manual transmission, and aluminum road wheels. Built on a 10 and a half foot wheel base, this was not a production
car, and was made to demonstrate future
ideas for Ford vehicles. - [Narrator] Number four. - [Glen] The Daihatsu BCX3
was an electric concept developed in 1973, came with
an eight piece battery array that could give the car
a top speed of 50 miles per hour with a range up to 50 miles. This two door prototype
had a length of 13 feet, a width just over five feet,
and a weight of 2,200 pounds. - [Narrator] Number three. - [Glen] In the 1970's the idea of a concept car was a little different. They showcased a new style
direction for a brand that would be used by the entire company. That's why the Ford Trident,
a car that never made it to production, was initially created. The Trident featured a
three piece nose with the center section sticking out. Production versions of
the 1971 Mercury Cyclone and the 1971 Ford Thunderbird were direct descendants of this concept. - [Narrator] Number two. - [Glen] The Evinrude Rooney
Lakester was a beach buggy and boat combo that first appeared at the San Francisco Boat Show in 1970. The bright orange 14
foot long fiberglass boat could be driven up right on the water and attached to a buggy
shell waiting at the landing. Called a boaterized dune buggy, it had an Evinrude 50 horsepower outboard motor that powered both the
boat and the dune buggy. - [Narrator] Number one. - [Glen] One of the most
unusual Porsche's ever produced, the Tapiro, was based on the Porsche 914 and debuted at the 1970 Tern Motor Show. The concept came with a
five speed manual gear box, a mid-mounted flat six
engine with 220 horsepower, rear wheel drive, independent suspension, and a seagull wing
opening for the doors and the rear panels of the engine compartment. The fully functional
prototype had an official top speed of 152 miles
per hour, unfortunately the vehicle didn't
survive through the years as it was destroyed in a fire
shortly after it's creation. - This episode of Minds Eye Design is brought to you by the Autolover A8. This windshield heads up
display sounds an alarm when you exceed the speed limit. Included is a fatigue
alarm, and keeps track of water temperature,
fuel consumption, mileage, and has an engine fault alarm. For more information, visit the link in the description below. (glass shatter) (upbeat music) - Hey guys, this is Katsy. I hope you guys enjoyed this video. Tell us in the comments
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