It was somewhat the reverse when I was groing up. Dad had V8 Fords all automatic and were four door sedans a 56,58,60. When they approached 70,000 miles or so he said trouble would be coming so they were traded. In 63 he switched to Plymouths and his first was a 63 with a 383 but a two barrel. I was very briefly allowed to drive it as got my license in 61 in an Impala with a 348!. It was the bosses car. 383 two barrel Plymouth's were his trade mark until his 440 4bbl Chrysler in 69. The car had a fan/radiator failure and was "traded" for a 454 Impala 4 door hardtop I think was a 70.
Mom was the good car buyer back in the day. When I got my license she had a 58 Studebaker station wagon V8 with three on the tree. It was the top of the line for a 58 and actually was a great car. She saw a 63 Pontiac Grand Prix at the dealer which was sold and she told them to get one just like it. Well they did find one and it was an automatic same colors but it was slightly different. IT WAS A tripower! Man I liked that car and recall busting the transmission somehow.
When she traded that in for a 69 Grand Prix of course the dealership got one for her just like the 63 She bought a 69 SJ 428! Damn fine fast car. Then to replace it in 1974 she got a SJ 455 Grand Prix. All of those had the Pontiac "performance axle" which were also positraction as Dad insisted so she would be less likely to get stuck. Somewhere later dad ordered a 78 Pontiac with 400 4 barrel engine and good axle package to tow his boat. a real sleeper as it was geared lower that the cars at that time.
Robert
