In 1968 my dad bought a new ss396 Chevelle with a 4 speed and 4.10’s.
It was the family car.
We lived in nyc at the time and would go to Vermont to go skiing 3 out of 4 weekends a month all winter long.....and it was about a 5hr trip each way.
You drove around at 4K on the highway...... that’s just how it was back then.

One of his good friends had a 67 427/435hp Corvette with 4.56’s for his everyday car.

It just wasn’t that unusual to be turning fairly high rpm as you motored down the road “back in the day”.

I guess what I’m saying is....... what you’re talking about doing was being done day in and day out when these cars were new.