Sandy, that's what I like about you, giving a balanced description (at least when you're calmed down a bit).
One Saturday, my dad did a basic tune-up on our pre-pollution car, and told me "watch what we'll do." We took it right over to the Lung Association free pollution check, and the guy there thought at first his meter wasn't reading right. But it was a nice day, 75 degrees outside, and my dad informed me that if we went back the next day the readings would be much worse. A carbureted engine without electronic control is basically unable to maintain precise combustion under all conditions, and has to run rich to avoid ever running too lean. Then came the early pollution controls, which essentially detuned the spark timing for more complete combustion but much lower power and efficiency. Once we got fuel injection and engine computers, we Chicagoans lost an excuse for not going to work in the winter - "the car won't start." If I have the numbers right, the V-6 in my 2013 Mustang gets nearly 1.5 HP per cube, on regular, which back then would have meant a temperamental hot rod running high octane.