If there’s one truth about the American car industry, it’s that the V8 is king. The engine configuration saw wide adoption in the 1930s when automakers like Ford and GM realized its potential for mass production. Buyers quickly fell in love, adoring the engine for its combination of power, sound, and quick acceleration, and it dominated performance in 20th-century America until automakers, the US government, and the American buying public all realized it simply wasn’t sustainable.
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