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Home2025

Year: 2025

Rat Kool Garage
Photo Essay

Rat Kool Garage doubles as a rather quirky car museum

August 10, 2025 Steve 0

(EXPANDED FROM 1/10/2023) Head out of Raymond, Washington on Route 6 (Wikipedia, 2020) and you cannot miss seeing an unusual assortment of old cars parked in front of the Rat Kool Garage & Customs. Among […]

1955 Plymouth Belvedere 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Motor Life had mixed reactions to 1955 Plymouth’s wrap-around windshield

August 9, 2025 Steve 3

(UPDATED FROM 7/20/2023) Motor Life hinted at the dangers of not slavishly following the styling trends of the largest U.S. automakers — and particularly General Motors. The 1955 Chrysler lineup did not adopt the vertical […]

1972 Ford Thunderbird
Design Notes

How did Bunkie Knudsen influence the 1972 Ford Thunderbird?

August 8, 2025 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 8/12/2022) For 1972 the Ford Thunderbird brochure tried to get extra fancy with see-through paper. And on inside pages the text gushed that the only way to change the car was to “Make […]

2025 VW ID. Buzz
Current Events

Richard Truett’s plan to ‘rescue’ the VW ID. Buzz thinks too big

August 7, 2025 Steve 5

Automotive News reporter Richard Truett (2025) recently recommended how Volkswagen could “rescue” the ID. Buzz, which is off to a slow start in sales. In a piece labeled a “Comment,” Truett argued that under current […]

1963 Buick Riviera interior
Drive-By Musings

What are the top-10 coolest American car interiors from 1955-70?

August 6, 2025 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 6/6/2024) Top-10 lists strike me as rather clickbaity, but I am not above presenting them if they illustrate an important historical theme. Last year I was motivated to create this list after seeing […]

Marcantonio VW ads
Readings

This book can take you back to the 1960s through the lens of VW ads

August 5, 2025 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 6/19/2020) If I may be honest, a goodly portion of the auto history books on my bookshelf aren’t very good. Many amount to little more than pom-pom waving for a given automaker. Most […]

19465 Hudson
History

1946 Hudson shows what made automaker so important — and vulnerable

August 4, 2025 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 4/22/2023) This story received an unusual amount of pushback in the comment thread when it was originally posted two years ago. A focus of reader criticism was my argument that Hudson’s demise had […]

Quinault River mailbox
Photo Essay

Here is one roadside attraction I didn’t just slow down for

August 3, 2025 Steve 4

When driving up the Quinault River Valley last summer I came across a homemade “go-slow” sign that was unusually clever. Not only that, but a pond on one side of the road was decorated with […]

1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Thomas Bonsall faced backlash for criticizing 1953 Studebaker launch

August 2, 2025 Steve 6

We have a lively debate going on in the 1953 Studebaker comment thread, so I thought I would add to the discussion by quoting Thomas E. Bonsall’s take on the car. In the introduction to […]

1971 Dodge Coronet Custom 4-door sedan
Data Dive

Collectible Automobile avoids big question about 1971-74 Dodge Coronet

August 1, 2025 Steve 1

The latest issue of Collectible Automobile offers an overview of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet. As usual, the photography is gorgeous and the product details are exhaustive. But also as usual, there was strikingly little historical […]

Posts pagination

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  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 21
  • 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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