Duster is a new series that just debuted on MAX (formerly and soon to be again HBO MAX) that runs eight one-hour episodes. Any series named for the car the hero drives has got to be good, right? Think of Bullitt where the McQueen character smiles.

The J.J. Abrams-produced series takes us back to 1972, when a freshly minted FBI graduate played by the delightfully focused Rachel Hilson under a magnificent afro, gets sent to Phoenix and winds up trying to bust up the operations of a local crime boss.

The driver for that crime boss is Josh Holloway, the handsome hunk from Lost with the mile-wide smile.

Hilson’s Nina recruits Holloway’s Jim to find the truth about who’s really the bad guy in this operation, in a city crawling with them. There’s more polyester here than a NADA convention. But it’s the cars that you may appreciate most.

In this case the star car is a Plymouth Duster 340, which came out in the 1970 model year with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, high-flow heads, forged crank, high-power camshaft, and a 4-bbl Carter AVS carb. It made 275 hp at 5,000 rpm (a lot for the day) and featured front disc brakes, rear drums, torsion bars in front, and a six-leaf rear spring set up.

Jim careens through the streets of Phoenix with seeming impunity, every start a tire-squealing burnout and every stop a brake-locking skid. When bad guys pursue, Jim never loses his cool—or that smile. The city of Phoenix becomes a donut-doing paradise.

Everything you ever loved about the 1970s...

There are other cars, of course. Here’s an almost-complete list that will transport you back to high school or beyond:

1971 BMW Bavaria
1968 Chevrolet Nova
1964 Ford Galaxie 500
1968 Pontiac Firebird
1950 Chrysler Windsor
1949 Cadillac
1964 Chevrolet C-20
1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabriolet
1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE
1971 Dodge Charger
1937 Lincoln V12
1972 International Scout
1968 Ford Mustang
1966 Chevrolet Impala SS
1966 Plymouth Belvedere
1967 Camaro
1957 International Metro
1971 Ford Country Sedan
1967 Ford country sedan
1964 Ford Econoline
1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
1971 Pontiac Lemans
1966 Dodge A-100
1948 Dodge
1972 Plymouth Satellite
1972 AMC Matador
1956 Cadillac Convertible
1970 Jeep Wagoneer
1970 Cadillac Convertible
1968 Chrysler Imperial Limo

Is it worth watching? Even if you weren’t around for Watergate and the later Elvis eras, you’ll be caught up in the story, despite many improbabilities in the plot. If you were around, you’ll long for the days of unrestricted exhaust and terrible tire/suspension setups. Those could be a lot of fun. Remember?