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Home1970s

1970s

Flammang Standard Imported Cars
Readings

Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-1990 is sort-of better than second edition

July 9, 2025 Steve 1

(EXPANDED FROM 5/1/2020) The Internet appears to be getting better as a source of information about cars. For example, Automobile Catalog offers basic product details about an admirably broad range of domestic and foreign brands. […]

1968 AMC Ambassador SST 2-door
History

Why didn’t AMC’s 1967-68 mid-sized two-door hardtops sell better?

July 8, 2025 Steve 21

After writing the vlogging story last week, my YouTube feed was inundated with videos about late-60s American Motors cars. And I had to admit that the Rebel and Ambassador two-door hardtops looked fairly good. That […]

Mercedes-Benz 300TD wagon
Design Notes

Mercedes-Benz W123: Back when form really did follow function

July 2, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 5/26/2023) A comment by Fratzog spurred me to expand on this story about the Mercedes-Benz W123, which to my mind is the brand’s most iconic model. I get that this may be a […]

1972 Buick Electra 225 2-door hardtop
Data Dive

Trajectory of top-end Buicks shows GM’s postwar strengths and weaknesses

June 30, 2025 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 12/15/2023) I don’t think one can fully understand why the 1963-65 Buick Riviera wasn’t as successful as commonly argued in automotive histories without considering its relationship to the Electra 225. So let’s do […]

1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am front quarter
Media Analysis

Does a decline in car design — and car culture — mirror a decline in America?

June 27, 2025 Steve 3

American car-buff media tend to talk down to their readers to the point where I sometimes wonder whether editors — or at least their overseers on the business side — think we’re just a bunch […]

1967 Rambler Rebel SST convertible
History

Would AMC have done better if George Romney had stayed longer?

June 26, 2025 Steve 26

(EXPANDED FROM 6/11/2021) The comment thread in the previous post about George Romney (go here) has generated a robust discussion that deserves a substantive response. I thought the best way to do so would be […]

1969 International pickup
Design Notes

1969 International was too little, too late to save brand’s big-truck ambitions

June 24, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 5/12/2023) This post has received a burst of new attention, so I thought it would be a good time to expand it. I have argued what may not be very popular with fans […]

1955 Buick Century 2-door hardtop
Data Dive

General Motors’ premium-priced brands illustrate the decline of big cars

June 20, 2025 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 1/24/2024) Last year Paul Niedermeyer (2024a) discussed the decline of premium-priced big cars in the late-1950s. One of the points of contention in the comment thread was the degree to which these cars […]

1965 Ford Taunus P4
History

Was Ford right to kill the front-wheel-drive 1963 Cardinal/Redwing?

June 19, 2025 Steve 14

(EXPANDED FROM 6/30/2023) Did Ford make the right move by pulling the plug on a U.S.-built subcompact slated to be introduced in the fall of 1962? The car, initially called the Cardinal but later renamed […]

1993 Cadillac Eldorado
Links

Dean’s Garage series on 1992 Cadillacs illustrates Detroit’s lack of self awareness

June 18, 2025 Steve 13

I have been so busy lately that I have tended to only scan the stories at Dean’s Garage. However, this morning I got out of the canoe long enough to read the articles and comment […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 11 12 13 … 42 »
  • 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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