[Shadowmuse Blown]

The biggest standard car engine of my life was the 500 cubic inch or 8.2-liter engine in the Cadillac Eldorado with 400 horsepower which made it a true monster engine for the era back in the 70's. that was back in 1970, and then they started to put smog crap and by 1976 it only had 275 horsepower.

Didn’t they also change from gross to net horsepower at that time?

[Shadowmuse Blown]

1976 Aston Martin Lagonda

[solvegas]

The biggest standard car engine of my life was the 500 cubic inch or 8.2-liter engine in the Cadillac Eldorado with 400 horsepower which made it a true monster engine for the era back in the 70's. that was back in 1970, and then they started to put smog crap and by 1976 it only had 275 horsepower.

Didn’t they also change from gross to net horsepower at that time?

The pollution equipment of the time required a lot of changes to engines in order to meet the Federal government rules and regulations. They also went to unleaded gas which lowered gasoline octane quite a bit. Car engines in the late 60's and early 70's had much higher compression than those that came out by the mid 70's, so they simply had less horsepower. When I worked part time at the Esso/Exxon gas station from 1972 to 1975, at first Esso Extra was at 105 octane, Esso Plus was at 100 octane and Esso regular was at 95 octane. Then it became Exxon, and by 1975, Exxon Extra unleaded was at 93 octane, Exxon Plus was at 90 octane and Exxon Regular was at 87 octane. Later on, engines started to have electronics and carburetors were replaced by fuel injection and some of the old pollution equipment was modernized, and engines have gotten much more efficient and smaller but more powerful.

[solvegas]

One of the best retrocars which brought about great memories of the early 70's, the 2018 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. 

[gOOber]

 

[solvegas]

Yeah, I remember when I was a k1d, cars, especially luxury cars, had huge chrome bumpers and they were easy to tell from a distance which brand they were. Today's vehicles have no chrome, and they look the same and are very bland. 

[gOOber]

 

[solvegas]

It has American inspired tail fins which most Europeans at the time thought they were excessive. 

[solvegas]

One of the better-looking Cadillacs from the 1960's in my opinion. 

[Shadowmuse Blown]

One of the better-looking Cadillacs from the 1960's in my opinion. 

Not just better-looking, this body style was the last of the Cadillacs to look sharp for decades to come, IMHO.

[Shadowmuse Blown]

It has American inspired tail fins which most Europeans at the time thought they were excessive. 

I have my doubts that Bertone was influenced much by American tail fins, which, at the time, were still fairly stubby.  Alpha Romero commissioned Bertone to research the effects of drag on a vehicle. The idea was to create a vehicle with the lowest possible coefficient of drag. There were three BATs: from ‘53 thru ‘55, originally.  The lowest of the three cars was .19, which would be remarkable today.

[solvegas]

One of the better-looking Cadillacs from the 1960's in my opinion. 

Not just better-looking, this body style was the last of the Cadillacs to look sharp for decades to come, IMHO.

That was when Cadillacs were real Cadillacs in my opinion. Nowadays, they are relatively small. The only large Cadillac now is the Escalade, which is a luxury GMC/Chevrolet Suburban. 

[gOOber]

 

[Shadowmuse Blown]

One of the better-looking Cadillacs from the 1960's in my opinion. 

Not just better-looking, this body style was the last of the Cadillacs to look sharp for decades to come, IMHO.

That was when Cadillacs were real Cadillacs in my opinion. Nowadays, they are relatively small. The only large Cadillac now is the Escalade, which is a luxury GMC/Chevrolet Suburban. 

Well, there is the CT6.  Too bad you can only buy one in China.

[solvegas]

The "economy" division of Rolls Royce, a 1930 Bentley.