It was attractive looking, reasonably priced, could be generously optioned, and was savvily marketed.

Back in its day, it was the Swiss Army Knife of cars. It could be kitted out as either a civilized and economical commuter, a pavement scorching hot rod, or anything in between. Hardtop, fastback, convertible. 6 cylinder, V8, automatic, stick shift. Plain or flashy.

It was one platform that could do it all, and did.

1. The 1990’s Chevy LT-1. It had the best of both worlds- modern tech with bulletproof old-school architecture. Too bad about that goofy Optispark, though.
2. The Toyota / Lexus 1UZ-FE V8. It was a game changer both for Toyota and for the high-end luxury market.
3. The GM LS engine.
4. The Ford 390 / 428 FE big block. Damn near indestructible, stump-pulling torque, responds extremely well to performance mods.
5. The original Chevy big block.
6. The Mopar 426 Hemi. It was the ultimate Detroit street performance option.