Indie Auto
header-advert
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction
    • Editor’s Notes
    • Story Ideas Bank
    • Why All The Data?
    • Fake Stuff
    • About Those Photos
    • Talk Legal To Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Our Features
    • Ad Nauseam
    • Bird Chatter
    • Calendar
    • Current Events
    • Data Dives
    • Design Notes
    • Drive-By Musings
    • Fake Designs
    • Gallery
    • Histories
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Media Analysis
    • Multimedia
    • Our Sponsors
    • Photo Essays
    • Quotes
    • Random Shots
    • Satire
  • Look It Up
    • In Auto Paedia
    • By author
    • By automaker or brand
    • By time period
    • By topic
    • By vehicle type
  • Readings
    • General Reference
    • Specific Brands & Automakers
    • Auto Culture, Policy & Business Strategy
    • Bibliography
    • Where To Buy Your Books
    • Recently-Posted Readings
  • Links
    • Bibliography of Links
  • Contact
    • Emails & Newsletter
    • Rejected Comments
  • Donate
Home1950s

1950s

1966 Studebaker brochure cover
Editor's Note

Reader says design critique of 1966 Studebaker is ‘simplistic’ and ‘unkind’

October 17, 2022 Steve 3

Readers can communicate with Indie Auto either by submitting a comment or sending a message to the editor (go here). The other day I received a message from a displeased reader. What follows is his […]

1972 Oldsmobile Toronado front
Quotes

Bill Mitchell on how he wielded power like Harley Earl at GM

October 12, 2022 Steve 14

“Oh, he was powerful. God, I admired [him]. He just knocked the tar out of anybody. He’d get it fixed. If he couldn’t, he’d call New York and say, ‘Fix these…[.]’ Then, I inherited some […]

Ed's Auto Reviews 1959 GM car
Multimedia

Ed’s Auto Reviews offers a lite but fun take on automotive history

October 10, 2022 Steve 8

A kind reader recently informed me about Ed’s Auto Reviews. These are relatively short videos on YouTube that cover a broad range of auto history topics. For example, a recently posted episode called “Mistake of […]

1958 Buick
Letters to the Editor

Why the popularity of premium-priced U.S. car brands fell in the late-1950s

October 3, 2022 Steve 3

Peter’s letter to the editor last week about our 1958 Studebaker article has generated a robust discussion. Thank you to everyone who has participated. Part of Geeber’s comment in that thread addresses a broader topic: […]

1958 Studebaker front
Letters to the Editor

1958 Studebaker’s styling was ‘quite in line’ with the Big Three’s

September 27, 2022 Steve 19

Peter recently submitted a comment that took to task our article, “1958 Studebaker: Honesty is the best policy.” One part of his critique was that I “mis-quoted facts.” I strive to be accurate — particularly […]

1953 Nash Rambler Country Club 2-door hardtop
Quotes

1953 Popular Mechanics: Will U.S. cars get any smaller or bigger?

September 13, 2022 Steve 2

For the February 1953 issue of Popular Mechanics, Automotive Editor Arthur R. Railton and Detroit Automotive Correspondent Siler Freeman interviewed three American engineers and designers after they returned from European auto shows. The following quotes […]

1969 Dodge Charger
Quotes

Chrysler’s Lynn Townsend giveth and taketh on warranties

August 26, 2022 Steve 5

“Hard-eyed Townsend caught the industry with its pants down in 1962 when Chrysler suddenly offered its customers a five-year or 50,000-mile warranty on principal engine and power-train components on new cars. Industry practice at the […]

1963 Lincoln Continental B-pillar
Drive-By Musings

Shall we debate what is a ‘four-door pillared hardtop?’

August 17, 2022 Steve 11

Today Indie Auto received a comment that critiqued how we have distinguished between different types of four-door body styles. I had referred to the 1961 Lincoln Continental as a four-door hardtop sedan, but Bostwick9 insisted […]

Readings

Charles Hyde’s AMC book doesn’t get why automaker failed

July 8, 2022 Steve 6

(UPDATED FROM 10/16/2020) Charles K. Hyde’s history of American Motors and its constituent companies is a valuable scholarly addition to the literature. His book, Storied Independent Automakers: Nash, Hudson and American Motors, offers considerably more […]

Media Analysis

Hotcars.com calls the 1958 Studebaker President ‘ahead of its time’

May 25, 2022 Steve 7

Hotcars.com writer Eugenia Akhim (2022) linked to an Indie Auto article to cite the viewpoint that the 1958 Studebaker “was one of the ugliest cars to come out of the 1950s.” That’s not exactly what […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 24 25 26 … 35 »
  • 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
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

Recent Comments

  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Scampman on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Steve on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • Gary S on U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s
  • kim in lanark on Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Scampman on 1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
  • Steve on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Scampman on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?

Archives

Categories

Tags

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s American Motors Auto culture Auto history media Auto media Automotive News Automotive Views Business strategies Chevrolet Compact cars Curbside Classic Design Design excesses Dodge Electric vehicles Engineering Fake advertising Ford Ford Motor Co. Full-sized cars General Motors Journalism standards Luxury cars Management culture Marketing Mid-sized cars Parody Patrick R. Foster Plymouth Premium-priced cars Public policies Rambler Reader comments Richard M. Langworth Stellantis Studebaker
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
Search
Archives
Categories
Help keep the lights on
Quinault at night

Copyright © 2022 Olympia, Earth Media, LLC | All rights reserved