5 Cars From 1976 That Look Even Cooler Today

Are you ready to feel old? Think about this for a moment. We are now at the point where a vehicle from the model year 1976 will soon be 50 years old. That's right, we are now living in a time where, depending on your specific definition, cars from the mid-1970s could be considered "antiques." The question then is, can cars from 1976 have the same cool factor and be revered in the same way other classics are? Some of them absolutely can be – and not just the European exotics either.

When it comes to overall design and performance, cars from the '70s are generally a bit of a mixed bag. When looking at design, this era produced what many consider to be some of the ugliest, most embarrassing cars of the 20th century. It wasn't a great time for raw performance either, as emissions regulations and a focus on fuel economy dropped horsepower ratings significantly in a period before electronic fuel injection and other new technologies took effect.

But this doesn't mean that there weren't cool or desirable vehicles made in 1976 — even by America's mainstream automakers. To show this, we've rounded up a colorful selection of five American-built machines from that patriotic year that might be even cooler today than they were back then.

You simply cannot have a list of cool and iconic cars from the 1970s without giving a spot to the Pontiac Trans Am, so let's start there. The second-generation Firebirds and Trans Ams of this decade are seen by many as the best generation of Pontiac's beloved pony car, and the Smokey and the Bandit films are a big reason for that. The 1976 Trans Am, with its earlier front fascia, preceded the Bandit cars by a year, but in some ways, it was actually the more muscular Trans Am.

By 1976, the performance decline of the American muscle car had been ongoing for several years, but the Trans Am did its best to keep carrying that horsepower torch as long as it could. The 1974 Super Duty 455 Trans Am is considered by historians to be the last true gasp of the original muscle car era, but 1976 would be the final year that Pontiac offered its massive 455 V8 in the Trans Am (or in any of its cars for that matter). Though it was only rated at a paltry 200 horsepower, the 455-powered '76 Trans Am was nonetheless one of the best-performing you could buy in 1976. And when combined with those signature '70s touches like the shaker hood scoop, screaming chicken decal – and for the first time – optional T-tops, the '76 Trans Am easily ranks among the Pontiac greats.

Next, we move to another '70s icon that's heavily tied to the movie and television screen – the 1976 Ford Gran Torino. This was, of course, the car that famously starred in the television show 'Starsky & Hutch'. By the standards of other Hollywood TV and movie cars, the Starsky & Hutch Torino is relatively mild in its modifications, but it's every bit as recognizable as the DeLorean from 'Back to the Future' or the Trans Am from 'Knight Rider'. 

The Gran Torinos used in the show were supplied to the production company as part of an agreement with Ford Motor Company, and the car would be immortalized in all manner of toys, posters, model kits, lunch boxes, and more. And if anyone wanted to make their own Gran Torino look just like the one from the television show, all it really took was some red paint and some big white graphics to replicate the look of the "striped tomato," as it was known on the show.

Sure, when it came to real-world performance capabilities, the heavy, underpowered, mid-'70s Torino came in far behind those of its earlier, muscle car predecessors, but who cares? When viewed through a television screen, the Gran Torino was as cool as can be — and it's still beloved by fans today.

Although modern Indianapolis 500 pace cars are a bit of an afterthought, it's hard to understate just how big a deal the Indy pace car was back in the '70s, '80s, and through the '90s. Each year's race would have its own, uniquely styled pace car (usually provided by GM in the 1970s), and buyers could go purchase a car that looked just like it. Corvette special editions have always been popular as Indy 500 pace cars, but other GM brands would get in on the fun, too, like Buick did with its 1976 Century pace car.

The actual Century pace cars used at the race were a lot more than just graphics and styling packages. Buick powered the cars with experimental, turbocharged versions of its 3.8-liter V6 engine. And they were fast. Output was rated at 306 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque — both massive figures by the emissions-choked standards of the mid-1970s.

Unfortunately for Buick buyers, the production version of the Century pace car did not have the turbocharger (the turbos would come later, and then help push Buick to dominance in the era of the Regal T-Type and Grand National), but the '76 Century still had all of those cool styling touches and the wild graphics that made '70s cars so full of personality.

When it comes to 1970s vehicles that are cool among today's enthusiasts, the Chevy and GMC Square Body pickups might be at the top of the list. And of the Square Body lineage, some of the coolest trucks were the 'Spirit of 76' special editions. These uniquely styled trucks were just one of many special editions and appearance packages that automakers rolled out in 1976 to help commemorate America's bicentennial. 

On the Chevy trucks, the Spirit of '76 option was basically just an appearance package with no mechanical changes or substantial cosmetic modifications, but the distinct body graphics and upholstery make them stand out in a big way. Chevy would also offer similar American-themed appearance packages on its other models, including the Vega, Nova, and El Camino. But on a truck like a Square Body that's already quite desirable among enthusiasts, this rare package just makes it that much better.

As you can imagine, a properly preserved Spirit of '76 pickup is a hot commodity on today's market. Unfortunately, as we enter into the 2026 model year, it doesn't look like Detroit's Big Three are going to be following up 1976 with patriotic special editions for America's Semiquincentennial celebration. Honestly, though, wouldn't a 'Spirit of '26' C8 Corvette be kind of cool?

Speaking of Corvettes, is it fair to have a racing car on this list? We think it's totally fair, given how undeniably cool the 1976 Spirit of Le Mans Greenwood Corvette is. The wide-body Greenwood C3 Corvettes are already some of the coolest cars of the 1970s, but this one is the king. This Vette didn't just compete in America; it brought its patriotic colors, unmistakable style, and roaring 975-horsepower V8 to take on the world's best at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976.

 In terms of actual results, the Spirit of Le Mans car didn't do great in the race, logging just 29 laps until it was taken out by a fuel leak. But when it was running, it hit an incredible 222 miles per hour down the famed Mulsanne Straight and made unforgettable sounds while doing it, winning over lots of European race fans along the way.

Sure, the Spirit of '76 didn't share a whole lot with the street-going Corvettes you could buy in 1976, and its racing accomplishments were outdone by the Corvettes that came after it, but the raw aura of this car is unmatched.  In our view, the Spirit of '76 Greenwood Vette not only deserves a spot on the list of best-looking American race cars of all time, but it's also a monster machine that exudes the ethos of 1976 in all the right ways.