How much did cars cost in the 70s?
When I was growing up in the 1970s I always wanted a Rolls-Royce Corniche. Back then it cost nearly £32,000. I thought I'd be a millionaire before I was thirty, so that was no problem. Things didn't turn out quite like that.
The most expensive British car of the 70s was another Roller, the 1979 Rolls-Royce Camargue, which had a list price of £56,756 [in today's money £220,000].
Today's top cars sell for millions of dollars. It is an indicator of the growing divide between the super-rich and the rest of us.
At the other end of the scale, a 1970 Fiat 500D sold for £498 [or £5,500 in today's money]. Cheap cars were also much cheaper than today.
Inflation was a huge problem in the 1970s. At the beginning of the decade a basic Ford Cortina 1300 cost £914. By the end of the decade the Cortina 1300L was the cheapest in the range. It cost more than double the price of the 1970's car, at £1,979.
Cars at the top end of the market went up spectacularly. A 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow cost £9,925. In 1979, the Silver Shadow II cost £39,219; a four-fold increase.
In cash terms, used cars held their price in the 1970s. They could go up in value as the purchasing power of money declined.
A 1974 Morgan 4/4 cost £1931, but in 1976 the same car in first class condition was worth £2,300. The famous waiting list kept prices high. More mundane cars held their value too. A 1973 Morris Marina cost £1090. In 1976 the same car in top condition was worth £1,130. So who says cars aren't a good investment?
Another car which was a good investment was the VW Beetle. Volkswagen introduced the Golf in 1974. The Beetle's days were numbered. In 1976 they were able to charge a premium over the Golf for the Beetle. Older Beetles sold for around their new price, provided the owner maintained them in first class condition.
This table shows a range of well-known cars and their prices in 1976.
| Cost | In today's money | |
|---|---|---|
| Citroen 2CV 6 | £1,364 | £7,200 |
| Lada 1200 saloon | £1,395 | £7,300 |
| Mini 800 saloon | £1,496 | £7,800 |
| Datsun Cherry 100A 2d saloon | £1515 | £7,900 |
| Ford Escort Popular 1000 | £1,599 | £8,400 |
| Reliant Kitten saloon | £1,671 | £8,800 |
| Austin Allegro 1100 | £1,771 | £9,300 |
| Vauxhall Chevette hatchback | £1,934 | £10,100 |
| Ford Cortina 1300 2d saloon | £1,950 | £10,200 |
| Volkswagen Golf | £2,099 | £11,000 |
| Triumph Spitfire 1500 | £2,184 | £11,500 |
| Volkswagen Beetle 1200L | £2,228 | £11,700 |
| Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L 4d | £2,325 | £12,200 |
| Austin Maxi 1750 5d saloon | £2,383 | £12,500 |
| Chrylser Alpine GL 5dr | £2,457 | £12,900 |
| Ford Cortina 2000 Ghia saloon | £3,121 | £16,400 |
| BL Princess 2200HLS | £3,627 | £19,000 |
| BMW 316 2d coupé | £3,679 | £19,300 |
| MGB GT V8 2d coupé | £3,881 | £20,300 |
| Mercedes Benz 200 saloon | £4,475 | £23,500 |
| Lotus Esprit 2d coupé | £7,883 | £41,000 |
| Jaguar XJS | £10,507 | £55,000 |
| Aston Martin V8 saloon | £14,836 | £78,000 |
| Rolls Royce Cornische 2d convertable | £31,998 | £168,000 |
Source:'Motorists new and used car price guide', published December 1976, pages 19-23
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