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| Re: The (Not So Good) Old Days (731801) | |||
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Re: The (Not So Good) Old Days |
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Posted by Mitch45 on Tue Feb 8 15:50:53 2011, in response to Re: The (Not So Good) Old Days, posted by Fred G on Tue Feb 8 12:58:29 2011. Heh. That was nothing. The '75 Ford Mustang II had a V8 that made just 120 horses. The mid and late '70s were bad times for the domestic car industry from a technology and fun standpoint.The oil embargo and the insurance crackdown not only brought about the end of the muscle car era, it signalled the end of some legenday nameplates. The Dodge Charger became a Chrysler Cordoba clone for 1975 and the nameplate was gone altogether by 1978, replaced by the Dodge Mirada. The nameplate reappeared on some Dodge Omni-based coupes in the '80s, all powered by various 4 cylinder engines (!) that topped out at 146 horses. A V-8 Charger would not return until 2006, 28 years after the last one rolled off the line in Detroit. The Z-28 disappeared for awhile, leaving the Camaro RS as the hottest Camaro. When it came back, its hottest engine was the 350-inch V-8 making about 180-200 hp. In 1982, the car was completely redesigned and had a 305 V-8 making 165 hp. The Dodge Challenger disappeared after 1974. The nameplate returned in 1978 on a Japanese import from Mitsubishi powered by a 4-cylinder engine. Its twin was the Plymouth Sapporo. Those did not last long, as they were axed when Lee Iacocca came in with the K-car platform. The Challenger came back to life in 2008. The Trans Am soldiered on but by 1979 the 455 and 400 inch V8s were history. For one year, the T/A was fitted with a 403 inch V-8 made by OLDSMOBILE (!) but that was replaced by a 301-inch turbo engine that made 210 hp. Even the mighty Corvette was dumbed down to 185 horses at one point in the mid '70s. It was a sad, sad time. |
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