Which Car (or Truck, or Van) Graphics Go The Hardest?

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Know what the car biz needs a whole lot more of? Rad graphics. Big, bold factory sticker packages were huge in the 70s and 80s, and the era produced such all-time greats as the screaming-chicken Pontiac Trans-Am, Ford Cruising Wagon and Cruising Van, and soooo many pickup trucks with absolutely killer door-to-tailgate stripes and graphics. Even humble vehicles like the Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon could be had with dynamite decals that totally went for it.

Jeep Honcho

From the grille to the tailgate, yesssss. Jeep Honcho, crushing it. Image: Stellantis 

Ford Cruising 1

Come on Ford, give us a Cruising Explorer with wrap-over stripes and a bubble window. We promise, it’ll sell. Image: Ford

Sr5 2

Spotted this SR-5 wagon on Cars and Bids. What an absolute beast! Image: seller.

Trans Am Chicken

We can’t talk over-the-top graphics without including this guy. May the chicken forever scream. Image: GM

2023 F 150 Raptor R Exterior
Rad graphics are mostly a truck thing these days. Ford gets it! Images: Ford

So tell us, what are your favorite sticker-slathered looks from the go-hard era? Or any era, right up to now–there are still some bangers out there in 2023. Let’s talk about them. To the comments!

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119 thoughts on “Which Car (or Truck, or Van) Graphics Go The Hardest?”

  2. Not a factory option, but my lesbian aunt’s red F-150 with giant rainbow swooshes along the sides was, in retrospect about as badass of a decal ensemble that I can think of. That truck had to be the brightest thing in all of rural Vermont. And we’re talking 1997 here people.

    Great memories of that truck, and it’s definitely the reason why I hold the ovals era F-150 in high regard.

    2. Not with me, that’s pretty much exactly what I’m looking for in a used car. If I lost any credibility for saying that, I didn’t know I had any in the first place.

      1. Yes, they were. There was also an “extreme” flame decal package that I can’t seem to find any pictures of. Very few takers. It was a pretty flamboyant red/yellow flame that I may have only been available on black cars. At least, I’ve only ever seen it on black.

        1. Wow. I guess I’m surprised by the non-extreme version then, as I’d only seen pics of the full-on-Ed-Hardy-looking one.

          I was always surprised I didn’t see more of the woodie package, as it pretty much replicated the general surf-wagon ethos that many people had in their mind when they thought of the Cruiser.

          1. I liked the subtle look of the non-extreme flames. The woodies seemed be pretty popular when they came out. For whatever reason not very many seemed to have survived the years. All those special packages were only available for a couple years early in the car’s model run. Pretty sure they were all gone by the time the mid-cycle refresh came along.

  4. Someone mentioned The Judge, so I’ll go with Lancia’s Stratos. It may not have the graphics of other vehicles, it is unique in it’s own way.

  5. the late seventies were pretty ripe with them. some could say the numerous Bicentennial Jingoistic affairs were perhaps interesting, but man for the money, Dodge trucks in the late seventies had quite a few variants. I liked the 78 Ramcharger with fully removable roof, roll bar and Top Hand Graphics. I think 78 was the last of the 340 headed 360’s too, but I am hard pressed to find out if these Ramchargers ever got them. https://barnfinds.com/top-hand-edition-1978-dodge-ramcharger/

  6. I suspected the graphics on the Tercel are aftermarket, and apparently Doug D. does to (or whoever ghostwrites his comments box on the C&B auction pages)…

    I’ll go a step further and hazard a guess they were installed new by the dealer seeking to pad profits during the voluntary-quota era. Between the chip shortage and the fact so many cars are coming through in dull non-colors like Fleet White, Settle-for-Silver and Trying-Too-Hard-To-Look-Badass Black I’m surprised we haven’t seen a lot more such mandatory addons.

    1. They are and are not. The graphics on that one are taken from a render that’s been floating around for several years, which is actually based on the Taco graphics package.

      But anyone who tells you the Tercel 4WD had no graphics is wrong. It was a factory option on the SR5 4WD. Toyota felt the black rubber extremely low belt line was ugly (they weren’t wrong) and the car needed spicing up, so there are TWO factory graphics options – high stripes and low stripes.

      Here are the factory correct low stripes:
      https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi198.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa84%2Fcar_pic_addict%2Fcars%25203%2F101_0689.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=9d6692fac5d494e8c317e7e8c934a9c4eea0d1ff509f7019a0c941fc33c7ba9d&ipo=images

      The factory high stripes is basically a pinstripe just above the door handles along the high cutline.

    2. There’s a new Ford Bronco at a local dealership with a graphics package added on. It’s a light yellow with red, orange, and brown stripes along the sides. I don’t think it’s replicating any specific graphics package, but it does look extremely 1970s and rules IMO.

    1. Saw a silver Volvo with blue racing stripes at the grocery store today. I think they may have been applied by the owner, they weren’t quite right. It was unexpected and very cool.

    1. I’d never seen this. What really makes it for me is how they’re on the headliner too. So it’s like you’re enclosed in the 1970s.

    1. But not even remotely the hardest.

      https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.2040-cars.com%2F_content%2Fcars%2Fimages%2F37%2F899237%2F008.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f0bb0c1d9ccbddc52c137e1f839efbe0c6a2c96c3dd33e675b577f31ff1a5ef9&ipo=images

      https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.mecum.com%2Fauctions%2Ffl0113%2Ffl0113-145366%2Fimages%2Ffl0113-145366_1%402x.jpg%3F1358768853000&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=bab559383015510207b1deeba29dcba1fddbf778d2904b852efe5df07be2c278&ipo=images

      https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgmauthority.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F06%2F1976-Buick-Century-Pace-Car-exterior-004-Classic-Auto-Mall-silver-passenger-rear-three-quarter.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e3788563a70ff1b3e92e35f687d6112ccfedf06f156525989c923e22500eb3ee&ipo=images

    2. Pretty much any GM pace car replica goes so hard you almost have to exclude them from the conversation. Pace cars are a whole different breed.

  13. In addition to those already mentioned:
    Chevy El Camino “Black Knight”
    Jeep Wrangler Islander
    Dodge Shelby Charger (most of it was paint, but still)
    And last but very much not least: the Nissan Desert Runner.

  18. ’77 Trans Am SE takes the cake for pure impact and notability. Not only did the film make it famous, it boosted TA sales so high that Chevy had no choice but to resurrect the Z28 package on the Camaro. No other decal package can match it.

    1. That last one reminded me of a terrific rig owned by my neighbor down the street back in Portland: an early 70s pre-“square body” Chevy K5 Blazer, butterscotch yellow, with black tape stripes, full-length convertible soft top, and rollbar, sitting on big ol’ 35s or so on chrome wagon-wheel rims – with a matching trailer, same rims, same tires, same paint and graphics, made out of a similar year Chevy pickup bed, with a camper shell painted to match.

  22. I loved the 100% 80s decal kit on my 83.5 monte carlo ss. Nice tri color blue/gray, wide, low stipe; topped off with MONTE CARLO SS across the door. Cooler than the later, more understated one.

    1. Yes to this. It was such a wonderfully 1980s style too, which increases the cool.

      As a little kid, I always noticed these on the road b/c of it.

      1. I regret ever having let mine go. I kept it mint, the succession of owners after me destroyed it. I’m sure it ended life as a track or derby car ????

  23. I offered this during the Plymouth Volare NASCAR-gasm discussion, and I stand by it:

    The 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra has the best worst hood graphic ever.

    Take the Pontiac firebird’s idea and then increase the crazy by 5 with psychedelic flaming snake.

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