Yeah there was a gas "crisis" and they started rationing gas. The prices jump considerably (for the times) and it was general mayhem over gas. This is what sparked the DEQ as well as the reconfiguration of engines to make them more efficient. At that point just about every car sold in America had either an innefficient 6 cylinder or the option of a V8. Anything less than a 6 cyl really didn't do too ht on the sales.