I don't think too many of us really "knock" it, it's just that we don't wanna havta wind the damn thing to 8K to get any power out of it. I'm old enough that when I first started playing with cars, the "same build" in a 283 Chev is what "we" had. Hell, first couple of years I drove, 65-66 or so, I'd never HEARD of a commando 273 in our small town.
