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Home2024August

Month: August 2024

History

Lincoln-Zephyr was a first step in Ford surpassing Chrysler

August 30, 2024 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 4/11/2022) The 1936-42 Lincoln-Zephyr is a more important car than is commonly assumed. Not only did it offer notably advanced styling and engineering, but it also represented the Ford Motor Company’s first meaningful […]

1963 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Design Notes

1963 Cadillac: The car that mainstreamed the brougham look

August 23, 2024 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 12/16/2022) Pointing to the exact moment that the brougham look gained traction in the U.S. is an inexact science. For one thing, this design approach, which mimicked the classic look of luxury cars […]

1977 Chevrolet wagons
Media Analysis

Was a non-woody Malibu wagon the Chevelle’s ‘top hauler’ in 1977?

August 21, 2024 Steve 3

A recent Collectible Automobile Facebook item (2024) stated that for 1977 the “pseudo-‘woody’ Malibu Estate models” were dropped and “the plain-sided Malibu Classic station wagon became the top hauler on the Chevrolet Chevelle roster.” I […]

1953 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
History

Should Nash have combined with Studebaker rather than Hudson in 1954?

August 19, 2024 Steve 11

Curbside Classic commentator Steve (2018) has argued that Nash-Kelvinator should have combined with Studebaker rather than Hudson for an interesting set of reasons. He effectively follows the advice of Aaron Severson (2024), who recently suggested that […]

1979 Mercury Capri
Data Dive

When did the Ford Motor Company begin to ‘phone in’ the Mercury brand?

August 13, 2024 Steve 20

An Indie Auto reader recently inquired as to when the Ford Motor Company began to “phone in” the Mercury brand. Also asked: Why did Ford do this and was it ultimately a sound decision? Since […]

Drive-By Musings

Why U.S. auto history focuses so little on the business side of manufacturing

August 12, 2024 Steve 5

Aaron Severson (2024) recently suggested that auto history counterfactuals almost always focus on design, engineering and product-planning choices rather than what he considers “far more decisive and dominant factors,” which he argues are “capital investment […]

Bergstrom's Antiques and Classic Autos
Photo Essay

Classic car shop in Port Townsend also functions as a quirky museum

August 9, 2024 Steve 0

Port Townsend is a great place to hang out if you are into old cars. This is partly because the relatively mild weather and the town’s historic ambience make it a magnet for people who […]

1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX
Letters to the Editor

1967 Plymouth Satellite owner remembers ‘smoke and screaming tires’

August 9, 2024 Steve 2

MB stopped by to respond to a letter to the editor, “Reader disagrees that 1966-67 Plymouth Satellite was anonymous looking.” Summer of 1967 my good friend’s older brother just got back from serving in Vietnam. […]

1982 Cadillac Cimarron
Ad Nauseam

If you had to write a 1982 Cadillac Cimarron ad what would you say?

August 8, 2024 Steve 5

Harry Waltz knew that, as the lowest guy on the totem poll, he would get stuck having to write the 1982 Cadillac Cimarron ads. He tried every trick in the book to avoid the inevitable, […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Cadillac shows leadership in responding to housing affordability crisis

August 7, 2024 Steve 1

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 20
  • AMC Pacer clay model
    Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
    October 6, 2026 20
  • 2026 Ram pickups
    A pyrrhic regulatory rollback and how poorly the 1978 Matador coupe sold
    October 2, 2026 12
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 7
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • 1976ish Toyota Corolla
    Data on imports sheds light on their dramatic gains from 1964-80
    September 18, 2026 5
  • 1974 Chrysler New Yorker
    1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
    September 16, 2026 16
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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