Back in the Malaise era during the 1970s and early ’80s, before imports like the Toyota Camry really took over the market, diesel-powered engines seemed like the way forward for American vehicles. General Motors threw its hat in that ring with the Oldsmobile Diesel engine, a series of V8s, and a V6, produced from 1978 to 1985. While the engines were efficient enough to meet the increasingly restrictive emissions standards of the late 1970s, they ultimately served as a cautionary tale for automakers to be careful not to rush to market.
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