1975 Classic Cars for Sale

120 listings Median price: $19,995 Updated daily

Catalytic converters go mandatory, the Corvette drops to 165 hp, and the muscle car era ends not with a bang.

1975 is the floor. Catalytic converters are now federally mandated on all new passenger cars, requiring unleaded fuel exclusively. Compression ratios that were already low go lower. The Chevrolet Corvette, America's sports car, is rated at 165 horsepower with the base L48 350. In 1970 the LT1 Corvette made 370. That's the story of five years in American performance.

The Pontiac Trans Am survives with the 455, now rated at 200 net horsepower, and it's the most powerful car you can buy at most American dealerships. That's not a compliment to the Trans Am, it's an indictment of everything else. The Camaro Z28 is discontinued after 1974 and doesn't return until 1977. Ford's Mustang II has no V8 option for 1975 at all until mid-year, when a 302 two-barrel arrives rated at 122 hp.

Collectors look at 1975 cars with complicated feelings. The cars aren't fast, but they're honest representations of a moment in American history when regulation and resource constraints remade the industry. A 1975 Trans Am is still a handsome car and a decent driver. The Corvette still handles. These aren't performance cars, but they're not pretending to be something they're not, which puts them ahead of some later cars that tried harder and failed worse.

Notable 1975s: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L82 350 Chevrolet Camaro LT 350 Ford Mustang II Mach 1 302 Dodge Dart Sport 360 Plymouth Duster 360 Buick Century Gran Sport 455

1975 in automotive history

Catalytic converters became federally mandated on all 1975 model year passenger cars sold in the United States, requiring the exclusive use of unleaded gasoline and accelerating compression ratio reductions across the industry.
The Chevrolet Corvette's base L48 350 was rated at 165 net horsepower for 1975, the lowest output for a Corvette since the early 1950s six-cylinder era, reflecting the cumulative effect of emissions and compression changes.
Pontiac discontinued the Super Duty 455 after 1974, leaving the standard 455 at 200 net horsepower as the top Trans Am engine for 1975, technically still the most powerful engine available in a production American car that year.

Showing 120 listings

1975 Classic Cars for Sale

1975 Plymouth Duster

1975 Chevrolet Camaro

1975 Ford F100

1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

1975 Dodge D200

1975 MG MGB

1975 Volkswagen Super Beetle

1975 Chevrolet Vega

1975 Jeep CJ5

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Ford F100

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Chevrolet Corvette

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL

1975 Porsche 911

1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88

1975 AMC Hornet

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL

1975 Ford Thunderbird

1975 Ford F250

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL