Getting Up to Speed

摘要

One hundred seventy-five horsepower. It doesn't sound like much. Today you can find that kind of output, give or take a few ponies either way, in a four-cylinder Buick Verano or a five-cylinder Volkswagen Jetta. In 1983, though, 175 SAE net horsepower was all it took to turn the Chevrolet Monte Carlo into a "hot" car. When you flip this page, you'll find the story of the Monte Carlo SS of the Eighties. Its primary purpose was to make an aerodynamic nosepiece into a serial-production item acceptable for stock car racing. It also gave Chevrolet a chance to dip a toe into the trickle of increasing performance that was finding its way downstream after a good decade of avoiding the topic in Detroit, where cleaner emissions and safety were, by necessity, dominating the conversation.