The 74 arrived at just the right time to be the success it was
So 1973 (oil shock) and the next following years were great for aviation ?
There was just nothing that came close at the time and it took quite a time for the 340s/777s etc to arrive on the market.
The 380 is a niche product at huge costs IMHO and thats why it had a problem right from the start. And it is fugly. Nothing like the gracious lines of the 47, which still looks just right.