VIDEO: 1977 Dodge Colt dealer film is a completely amazing time capsule
1977 Dodge Colt Mileage Maker Coupe - Click above image to watch the video
The year was 1977 and the world wasn't as bright a place as it could have been. The Sixties were officially long dead and buried, the national speed limit had the cruise control set at 55 mph, the Son of Sam was on the loose, Elvis died, and Hay-on-Wye's succession from Britain turned out to be a fake. But things weren't all doom and gloom. Star Wars debuted to much fanfare, the Porsche 928 debuted in Geneva and the Sex Pistols release their first and only album, Never Mind the Bollocks... But there was something else, too. No, not the ever present use of a wah-wah pedal.
That's right, the 1977 Dodge Colt – huzzah! And not only did the Colt exist, but if you went to your friendly neighborhood Dodge dealer, odds are good that they would have had a certain promotional film on display. One that extolled the virtues of said Dodge Colt over the competition. Namely, the Datsun B210, Chevrolet Vega and Chevette and of course, the Ford Pinto. And dude, is this film thorough. Not only does the announcer trash the Pinto's looks (talk about pointing a shotgun at a bucket full of fish!), but its back seat as well. And yeah, man – you're just going to have to see the Colt's backseat for yourself (Spoiler Alert – that dude is totally going to score).
There are a few surprises in the film. We simply have a hard time believing that cigarette lighters weren't standard equipment in 1977, if not federally mandated by our Southern congressmen. Also, if the MPG numbers seem a little insane, there's a reason. First, cars didn't weigh anything back in 1977 – safety was still optional. Second, the EPA formula has been rejiggered considerably since then. Also, yes, "Silent Shaft" does mean Mitsubishi 4G engines. Finally, we're as shocked as you are that the Chevette didn't throw a rod driving into the shot. Enjoy the video after the jump.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ricky 5:05PM (10/28/2009)
If you can believe it, Chrysler put the big HEMI's in these and went Pro Stock racing back then too..
http://www.competitionplus.com/2006_02/photos/sox/sox_15.jpg
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MachinaDC5 5:09PM (10/28/2009)
The satanic voice at the end is really the icing on the cake of this well-equipped, woodgrain interior-boasting, economical and stylish small car. Truly Colt is the greatest vehicle ever made.
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James 5:27PM (10/28/2009)
Lightweight RWD Mitsubishi Colt/Lancer are classics...esp the1600 GSR, the ancestor of the Evo.
MeiSooHaityu 5:14PM (10/28/2009)
Awesome, I love retro.
I think I'd rather take a Vega :) And yes I know a Vega was garbage, but what compact 70's and 80's car wasn't.
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MachinaDC5 5:22PM (10/28/2009)
Colt.
inline6 5:23PM (10/28/2009)
If I was alive then and in the market for a '77 subcompact, it'd be a Gremlin X 258/4-speed. No question.
The Colt has fast become one of those "forgotten cars", though. But this video is pretty cool.
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inline6 5:24PM (10/28/2009)
And a V6 5-speed Buick Skyhawk or Olds Starfire would have been my second choice.
PJ 10:34PM (10/28/2009)
Surely, the V8 Chevy Monza, Buick Skyhawk, and Oldsmobile Starfire were the ones to get. Those little cars were all ate up with motor: 0-60 in only 11 seconds!!
inline6 11:00PM (10/28/2009)
Yeah, the V8 Monza was too nose-heavy and tough to maintain, with the rear plugs buried under the cowl.
The V6 Skyhawk and Starfire were the better choices.
However, my #1 still would have been the Gremlin. Torquey, smooth, bulletproof straight-six, big-car stability (as it was based on a larger car), the Buyer Protection Plan II - an industry-leading warranty - and fun styling.
But again, I'm with you on the Skyhawk/Starfire.
TXgadgetguy 5:30PM (10/28/2009)
Daayymn that is a sweet ride right there. The two people getting in the back seat together look like nervous 16 year olds getting their groove on for the first time, all wobbly-kneed.
Makes me remember our '79 Chevette- stalled all the time, then did so on a railroad track crossing ramp and my sister glided into a busy street- totaled it (thank heaven for that) and didn't kill my sister. Dad should've bought a Colt!
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xtasi 5:32PM (10/28/2009)
Add corinthean leather and i would be in love
but I kid....
sad, Dodge used to make a good small car.
I like the design. Have no idea how it drove next to the Datsun though.
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inline6 5:59PM (10/28/2009)
Yeah, Dodge didn't make this. It was a captive import made by Mitsubishi in Japan.
Dave S 5:33PM (10/28/2009)
How could it use both leaded AND unleaded? HA HA HA HA
Same as it ever was, JUNK.
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Edsel 5:36PM (10/28/2009)
Nineteen Seventy-seven was in the automotive Dark Ages; gas lines, national 55 Mph speed limits, castrated engines, leisure suits and Dodge Colts.
I bought a small motorcycle, bought my young wife a moped and we commuted for one month fueled from a 5 gal gas can.
The 1970's sucked.
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MJJUST 5:45PM (10/28/2009)
So, basically the Colt is a better shaggin wagon than a Pinto. Isn't just about anything else better for that than a Pinto?
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keep the change 6:21PM (10/28/2009)
The '70s rocked. What a time to be a young man. Cars weren't very advanced back then, but they were a lot cheaper, even adjusted for inflation, and they got better mileage. As for safety, I survived riding in '70s cars. So did everyone I know. Back then people paid attention when they drove.
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Really?! 6:26PM (10/28/2009)
Six variations of the Colt, or seven models if you count the special red & white one?! Wow.
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inline6 7:25PM (10/28/2009)
Actually, 6 with the red-and-white model.
6 versions, and 4 of them were 2-doors. My, how times have changed.
Nightcrawler 6:30PM (10/28/2009)
My then girlfriend now wife had a 1978 Colt, blue with white hardtop. It was really a pretty good car, but it did have one major flaw. The distributor was positioned in such a way that if you drove through a puddle it could splash water up onto it, thus causing the car to run poorly, if at all, until it dried out. Unfortunately I was too dumb to correctly diagnose the problem at the time, so she kept having to stop at a garage on the long drive home from college, and they'd lie to her and say it was something else, like the points, to make a few bucks off her.
(Yes, it actually had points that had to be changed. My upscale 1977 Dodge Monaco didn't have any stinking points. That full-sized American made luxury automobile had electronic ignition!)
And yes. You could score in the back seat.
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Geo 8:03PM (10/28/2009)
LMAO ! You made my afternoon with that comment!. I love it.