There was a time when a car’s power was solely dependent on the size of its engine. That is behind us, and now we have features like better fuel delivery, variable valve timing, onboard computers, and higher compression ratios that have led to the development of pretty powerful engines without sacrificing efficiency. Monstrous engines are experiencing a slow death. For instance, the days of the 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 are numbered, with Dodge soon to unveil their new electric powertrain. While the Hellcat produces equally monstrous horsepower figures, some past engines with similar capacities failed to impress.The Malaise era specifically produced plenty of cars with intriguing stories that have remained in the American collective memory. The years between 1973 and 1983 were characterized by multiple oil crises, economic distresses, and government-imposed fuel economy and emission regulations. These resulted in the death of the mega-horsepower muscle cars that had ruled the 60s and early 70s. This era is filled with cars with monstrous engines that were severely underpowered, and they unsurprisingly dominate this list.
10 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra - 5-Liter / 139HP
Ford has produced many legendary Mustangs since the original was introduced in 1964. Once in a while, for various reasons, a few Mustangs have failed to inspire admiration from the car enthusiast sphere, and the Ford Mustang King Cobra is one of those. The problem was that it came about when American muscle cars were experiencing tough times.
The King Cobra adorned beautiful looks from the outside because it was actually a cosmetic upgrade of the Mustang II. But it was only skin deep. Under the hood was a 5.0-liter V8 motor that was only good for 139 hp, which was some lame horses by Mustang standards.
9 Chevrolet C10 With Oldsmobile V8 Diesel - 5.7-Liter / 120HP
When the Arab oil embargo came around, there weren’t many diesel-powered vehicles in the American auto market, as there were no suitable automotive diesel engines in-house. Also, it was un-American to go for the highly developed European diesel engines, which came in tiny four and six-cylinder engines. So, Oldsmobile developed a Diesel motor based on their 350 gasoline engine’s architecture.
Earlier versions of the 5.7L 350 V8 Diesel were used in pickups like the Chevrolet C10. They were only good for 120hp and are considered among the top automotive failures, and were subject to a major class-action lawsuit.
8 1975 Ford Maverick Grabber - 5-Liter / 129hp
The Ford Maverick was introduced with the 1970 model as a compact two-door sedan. It was built upon the Ford Falcon rear-wheel-drive platform. The early versions of the mock-muscle car featured the 210 hp Mustang 5-liter V8 engine, which wasn’t really enough to get gearheads excited.
As new regulations kicked in, the performance hit new lows, and by the final year of the Grabber in 1975, it was making a meager 129hp from the same V8 engine. Few cars best describe a sheep in wolf’s clothing better than the muscle car-looking Maverick Grabber.
7 1970 Pontiac Firebird - 6.6-Liter / 177HP
The second generation of the Pontiac Firebird came out in 1970, sporting new exterior looks and a string of new and upgraded powerplants. They came in four configurations, from the 4.1-liter inline-6 to the 7.5-liter V8. In between was a 6.6-liter V8 engine making only 177 hp by the time the 1977 model hit the showrooms.
While in 1970, the engine produced a decent 335 horses, there was a massive decline over the years, resulting in that meager rating by 1977.
6 Cadillac Allante - 4.1-Liter / 170HP
Many American purists may consider the Cadillac Allante un-American because it was designed and built by Italian designer Pininfarina. Regardless, it was a Cadillac and at least as American as the Chrysler TC by Maserati. The car actually drew rave responses during its reveal at the 1986 Paris Motor Show. It featured advancements like a digital instrument panel and center stacks on the days when computers were starting to go mainstream.
But the Allante came with its limitations. The convertible tops were prone to substantial leakages. Also, the first Allante arrived in showrooms in 1987, featuring a severely underpowered 4.1-liter V8 engine making only 170hp. But this improved in the following years, with the 1993 and final version producing 295hp from an upgraded 4.6-liter motor.
5 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo - 5.7-Liter / 145hp
A mention of Monte Carlo conjures images of luxury, and in 1970 Chevy would go on to name their new personal luxury coupe the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The nameplate would endure as a hit in the GM household for the next four decades, through six generations, where it would remain a desirable car.
The first-generation Chevy Monte Carlo made decent power with an optional 350 CID Turbo-Fire engine rated at 300hp. But the Monte Carlo saw a drop in power by the second generation, with the base 1973 model coming with 145hp from the 5.7-liter Turbo-Fire V8. The most powerful engine in the lineup was a 7.4-liter variant, making just 245hp.
4 2007 Jeep Commander V8 & Jeep Cherokee - 4.7-Liter / 235HP
This one might come as a surprise, seeing it came as recently as 2007. Limited models of the Jeep Commander V8 came with the optional 4.7-liter Chrysler Powertech V8 mill, which was quite underpowered, managing only 235hp and 305lb-ft of torque. Although the Commander was highly capable of heavy-duty off-roading, the on-road performance lagged behind rivals.
The 2007 Jeep Cherokee also featured the same Powertech V8 engine, and both vehicles weren’t capable of hauling you anywhere fast enough.
3 1982 Camaro - 5-Liter / 145HP
The early 80s were tough days for the Camaros. In particular, the 1982 Camaro Iron Duke gets most of the criticism of all the third generation Camaros, and some consider it the worst Camaro ever. With just about 90hp, it does little to argue its case. But the Iron Duke wasn’t the only Camaro disappointment of the Malaise Era.
In the same year, the LG4 Small Block V8-powered Camaro Z/28 produced the worst specific output, rated at a disappointing 145hp from the 5-liter monstrous engine.
2 1976 Cadillac Eldorado - 8.2-Liter / 190HP
In modern days, the Bugatti Veyron can generate north of 1,000hp from its 8-liter engine. During the oil crisis, this would have seemed an outrageous figure. The 8.2-liter Cadillac 500 V8 is a case in point, an engine powering cars like the Cadillac Eldorado.
Fair enough, the Cadillac 500 V8 started strongly in 1970 with an initial 405hp. But the output fell drastically, and by the final version in 1976, the Cadillac Eldorado was producing just 190hp from the monstrous engine.
1 1992 Hummer H1 With GM Detroit Diesel V8 - 6.2-Liter / 130HP
Earlier versions of the General Motors Detroit diesel V8 were criminally underpowered. Despite displacing a massive 6.2-liter, they could only muster 130hp and 240lb-ft of torque. Some may argue it was a naturally aspirated diesel, but even by 1992 standards, it wasn’t much. The diesel engine had been in production since 1982. Various federal and military branches of the United States government received the engines to use in vehicles like the military Humvee.
The first model in the Hummer lineup was one of the few civilian vehicles to receive one of these underwhelming engines.
Sources: carthrottle.com, hargety.com, motortrend.com, hemmings.com, hotcars.com