The luxury of cheap gas across the pond.

You would need a mortgage to run a 6.1 litre V8 over here.

AGREED - We also have VAT at 17.5% (soon to be 20%) added on, as well as "fuel duty" !
We also have "Road Tax" now at £400 per year on Crossfires made in 2006
onwards due to their "heavy" emissions !

Insurance is another problem. Us law abiding drivers are having to pick up the costs of the many uninsured drivers in the UK. I've just been quoted a premium of £2000 for my 21 year old son to drive a 1400cc Fiesta!

Hence there are not many big V8's around in the UK. You have to be wealthy, maybe a member of parliament with an expense account, or a drug dealer to be able to afford to run one here as a daily ride.

As a result, cars here seem to have very small engines of around 1000cc (1Litre) and many folks regard a 1.6 Litre car as a big.