Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by CR94
... Typical American V8s of the mid-1970s were slower than any of the modern vehicles that are ridiculed in preceding posts of this thread.
Disagree, my first mid-'70s car had a 350cu in and 4 barrel carb, was not slow at all. ...
The Geo Prizm though, Yugo, Ford Escort Pony, etc., several very cheap compact cars were arguably underpowered, could not even maintain 55 MPH going up hills on the interstate.
But your 350 4-barrel was an optional step or two up from the base in power. After catalytic converters arrived in '75, GM was a little ahead of Ford and Chrysler regaining power lost to earlier emissions controls.
Any healthy Prizm or Escort should be able to maintain 55 mph on nearly any Interstate hill, although you might well have to downshift. Even my 68-hp Mazda could (admittedly barely) maintain 55 mph on most Interstates of the East without shifting out of 5th gear---and it was geared higher than most earlier and later small cars.