Looking at the 1970s, a decade that saw the hippie generation give way to a tacky, tie-dyed, over-exuberant version of themselves, we saw the automotive market do the same. Many a supercar was killed in its infancy as gas-guzzling excesses were dropped during the oil crisis that happened in the early part of the decade. This saw many small makers of low-volume, high-priced performance and specialty vehicles disappear as consolidation and a much tougher sales climate loomed.
During the 1970s, though, some great vehicles were largely overlooked. Usually due to the uncertainty created by these market forces or because something else came along to displace it before its time. Here are five of those cars, focusing on the European makes. Where the United States saw the near-death of the muscle car, Europe was seeing vast sea changes in performance expectations.
