1979
“When in doubt, panic.”
Those seemed to be the words that echoed around Sinistra’s workshop after several incidents led to missing the deadline in 1973 to get into Motor World Review magazine.
Between the Savage 662 being a gas-guzzling nightmare, and the leaded fuel ban (though Luke knew about this in advance, and the 662 could run on unleaded fuel), and now the emissions equipment being mandated, the workshop was a flurry of panic.
To stop the panic, Luke devised the Traville, a new compact sedan designed for the common man, using the same dimensional derivatives of the 5.2 and 3.9 liter engines to make a 2.6 liter I4.
The Traville sold most spectacularly in the LC-2600 trim, which wasn’t quite ‘low cost’ but offered a pleasant array of options.