The price of a barrel of oil in inflation-adjusted dollars went from $18 in 1970 to $100 in 1980. Japanese and European carmakers responded to the oil crisis by engineering new, space-efficient front-wheel drive cars with small but technologically-advanced and powerful engines. But Detroit wasn't having any of that. No, the American carmakers decided to sell us cars on the same old platforms that looked more or less like what we bought in 1970, only a bit smaller and with stone age engines that were reasonably fuel-efficient simply because they had no power.
From wikipedia: "Malaise era is a term used to describe the state of the U.S.
automotive industry from roughly the early 1970s through the early to
mid 1980s, characterized by malaise: poor products and a generalized industry unease."
Or as curbsideclassic.com said about the Ford Granada, "Can I interest you in a 1961 Falcon with 50% more weight, 25% less power, and 100% more fluff?" This was a car with an engine that produced only 0.28 hp per cubic inch of displacement. By comparison, both GM and Chrysler had been selling engines producing 1 hp per cubic inch back in the 1950s. This particular Granada was parked for some weeks (?) in the same spot at the Shoreline Costco. Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to keep it nice. I wonder why?
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