American Muscle Cars Of The Economy-Minded Early 70′s [TV]
Not all muscle cars are big as a boat. American automakers began production of smaller “economy” cars in the early 1970′s as a response to sudden changes in the market, including the oil embargo and long lines at the gas station. While some customers were drawn to the lower sticker prices, others were more excited about the new, lighter-weight body intended for improving gas-mileage. It didn’t take much to rod them out, some even came straight-from the factory with race packages built in. These little speed demons combined full-size power with a lighter, no-frills frame & interior which made them champs at the 1/4 mile race track. There’s still a handful of purists out there who don’t consider smaller cars to be worthy of the term “muscle car” and the technical definition doesn’t actually include ponies or grocery-getters. But watch these 2 videos and decide for yourself – can 100% genuine muscle come in small-block packages?
Click the play button to stream the video right here:
From: American Muscle Car: The Economy Movers on Hulu.com
This next video drops a cool little bit of wisdom about the Ford small-block V8 engines – apparently the 289 c.i. is the only V8 ever to win the FIA World Championship race. They weren’t big winners at the strip, so I’m stoked to hear they made a name in the global arena… (I’ve been unable to find more info on this point, so if ya have the details or know links with more info, please drop ‘em in the comments!)
From: Small-Block Screamers on Hulu.com
