The 1973-74 oil embargo caused American car buyers to shift their preferences-if only for a short time-to smaller, more economical cars. Yet this didn't mean that everyone was willing to give up luxury items or the smooth V-8 engines to which they were accustomed. Detroit automakers responded with small cars that were more refined, better equipped, and hopefully more profitable.rnFast forward to 2010 and the situation is much the same. After the big gas-price spike of 2008, automobile manufacturers are starting to introduce more luxurious and better equipped-not to mention pricier-small cars. Some examples include the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus compacts, and Ford's subcompact Fiesta. We thought it might be good to look back at an example of the cars that helped define this market segment in the Seventies: the V-8-powered version of Chevrolet's Monza.
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