The net rating provided more-accurate power numbers based on the engine as it was run in the car, with full accessories and the factory tune. Some of the difference in perceived performance can be attributed to the adoption of net (SAE) power ratings by 1972. What started out as a high-compression, solid-lifter 350 rated at 370 hp in 1970 was reduced to a low-compression, hydraulic-lifter 350 rated as low as 205 hp (the "performance" L82) by 1975. To meet the new standards, Chevy first cut compression ratios, then cam timing and carburetion-basically, everything a motor needs to make power. After enjoying essentially free reign during the '60s, performance took a nosedive in the mid '70s, thanks to ever-tightening emissions regulations. Time and technology obviously march on, but the performance world was a much different place in 1992 than it was back in 1970.
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