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. In the 70s (I’m gonna guess late 74-75), I was working in a Civil Engineering firm in San Jose. A graphic artist there claimed he ”invented” the Cruisin’ Pinto wagon. Now Ford had an assembly plant in the area that (among other things) built Pintos. It is sorta conceivable that an enterprising customizer could have built a cool car and taken it buy or have been seen by some executive who ordered the car be built (after all the story goes that was the genesis of the 94-96 Impala). In any case, either my workmate was either a genius who got it done or delusional and trying to spice up his life.

  4. I love so many of the graphic packages from the 70s/80s. One of my favorites is the Plymouth Road Runner stripes from the 1977-1979 Volare based Road Runner:

    https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/flemings/1/5401/83372/1920×1440/w/1977-plymouth-road-runner-pro-touring

    I loved that so much that I patterned the stripes on my Magnum SRT8 after it:

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Automotive/Automobiles/That-70s-SRT8-Magnum/i-PfFKxWF/0/84ff6fca/L/70SRT8Sept-2138-L.jpg

  5. I am wrong that 1970s through early 1980s VW Rabbits used to have a decal of the running rabbit on them? I cannot seem to find images of them anywhere.

  6. My very own ’77 Chevy Monza Spyder!. Standard (for the time) stripes/graphics and stylised ‘Spyder’ along the sides and hatch, along with a massive, vinyl Arachnid on the bonnet/hood, complete with pinstriped fangs.

  7. 1969 American Motors SC/Rambler. Not only is most of the car covered in graphics, from the dorsal and roof stripes to the giant bodyside graphics, the hood gets a giant blue arrow pointing straight into the scoop that says “390 CU.IN.” and “AIR” emblazoned in huge letters on the scoop itself. TWICE.

    No other stripe package goes harder.

  10. Y’all. C’mon. The 1978 Mustang King Cobra. Massive hood decal? Check. Pinstripes? Triple check. Name decal on the side? Of course. T-Top pinstripes? The Trans-Am only wishes it could have as many.

    The BUMPERS had pinstripes.

    The 1978 King Cobra is the car that all other factory jobs look to and say “Yeah, you can in fact go too far, please back up.”

    1. I saw a Boxster the other day with the more sedate rocker panel striping of the ’60s variety (aka the Mustang-looking ones) and was impressed with how good it looked.

        1. Agreed..the in/out Carrera is beautiful to my eyes. It’s the juxtaposition of the free flowing, non-Teutonic look with the rest of the machine that just makes it.

    2. I always liked that script. I wanted to something in that style for the GR86, but I think the upsweep in the sill design would clash.

    1. Good grief, those wheels are poorly Photoshopped on. They don’t even have the correct number of lugs!

      I managed to find images of the real car, though, and I dig it.

  14. How about Renaut’s “Le Car”… it proudly told the world what it was. (Ironically, one English translation of Le Car is “The Bus”)

  15. Early 80’s Oldsmobile Omega Sport had some pretty impressive yellow and orange side stripes with big ol “Sport Omega” callouts on the doors

  17. I liked the late 70s early 80s multi colored z28s.

    The firechicken is a good example of other top/

    A van from this era without a wizard, rainbow, and unicorn looks wrong.

  21. 98 Corvette pace car is probably the wildest but my favorite has to be the 77 Wrangler Golden Eagles. I still have fond memories of Daisy Duke rockin that white and gold one…

  23. Hard to say what “went hardest” since a lot that is subjective, but if we’re not giving the Trans Am the Go Hardest Lifetime Achievement Award, then I don’t understand the question. I mean the T/A basically originated the category, with a screaming chicken in ’73 that Bill Mitchell didn’t even want.

    Top of that heap has to be the 10th Anniversary Trans Am of ’79, although the black and gold Special Editions are more iconic thanks to a certain Hal Needham movie.

  25. The screaming chicken is hard to beat. I hate fake badges (ie putting SS on normal cars), but I would be lying if I said I would not probably put one of the decals on a non-se TA.

    1. It doesn’t have to be an SE Trans Am to get the chicken – it was an option on all T/As.

      On the other hand, putting the chicken on a base Firebird? That’s been a lame move for five decades. See also: fake TRD badges, fake M3 badges, etc.

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