22nd Apr 2010, 08:30
As far as show cars, there are very few 70's era imports that would be at the same show as old muscle cars from America. You can go around the world and find tons of old imports in their native country, or at specialty shows that were presented for the showcasing of these cars.
There also was a pretty limited number of imports that would fit at a show in the U.S. You'll find the occasional 240Z or even a Celica GT hatchback, but most of the cars were used as they were intended which was high mileage cars that were driven daily. They were designed to be better on gas and to have a higher overall quality level, but most were not exciting with crazy paint schemes and they obviously didn't have Hemi's under the hood. There really was little attraction in restoring and preserving these old foreign cars.
22nd Apr 2010, 13:39
That's because people kept driving them for years. Some reached crazy high mileage (my '76 Civic did, over 500,000 miles). Domestics from that era got dumped in a field when there engines failed at the 100K mark. They're being restored now because they are good looking desirable vehicles.
21st Apr 2010, 13:53
There's an obvious answer to that. New car manufacturers have to prove themselves. For years, people were used to American cars, that's all there was (European cars too, but American cars were more popular). People weren't ready to buy something new and unproven. Now, I must ask, have you ever noticed how few 80's domestics are STILL DRIVING around our roads?