They did put a good 232 in some of the Gremlins. I had one with a 3 speed that was just a quick in the quarter mile as just about any other stock muscle car of the same era.
Mine had the 258 and yes, it burned the ‘muscle cars’ off the line because of the insane gear ratio.
30 mph in 1st gear and they couldn’t catch me, especially after I cut down the shift for a shorter throw.
;D