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HomeCurbside Classic

Curbside Classic

1974 Chrysler New Yorker
Gallery

1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels

September 16, 2026 Steve 16

The 1974 Chrysler New Yorker is one of those cars that does not reek of tragedy in obvious ways. It looks like a perfectly normal big car from the mid-1970s. There’s nothing particularly exciting about […]

Fake Design

Would the 1969 Ford Mustang have sold better if it had been smaller?

August 7, 2026 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 8/27/2024) A major goal of Indie Auto is to question conventional wisdom — which will all but inevitably generate controversy. That was certainly the case with the following story, which argued that the […]

1965 Chrysler Newport
Design Notes

1965 Newport made Chrysler a contender in premium-priced, big-car field

August 4, 2026 Steve 15

(UPDATED FROM 10/13/2023) The 1965 Newport is an important car for Chrysler because it propelled the brand to record-breaking sales. That, in turn, made it a force to be reckoned with in the premium-priced, big-car […]

1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
Literature

1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations

July 7, 2026 Steve 10

(UPDATED FROM 78/2024/ Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman’s artwork in Pontiac’s advertising played an important role in the brand’s  popularity during the 1960s. Others have done a thorough job of showcasing the team’s most iconic […]

Data Dive

Did the odd styling of the 1969 Chrysler two-door hardtop hurt its sales?

June 25, 2026 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 6/7/2024) Curbside Classic commentator nlpnt (2024) argued a while back that the fuselage Chrysler’s best-looking body style was the wagon. Conversely, I would add that the two-door hardtop was the least aesthetically pleasing […]

1969 an 1977 Plymouth Fury
History

1969-77 Plymouth: Fuselage wasn’t so bad compared to anti-fuselage

June 12, 2026 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 5/3/2024) Ponderous styling of the so-called “fuselage” Plymouths has been pointed to as the biggest reason why sales were smaller than the well-regarded platform it replaced (e.g., auto editors of Consumer Guide, 2022). Output for […]

1976 Tatra T-613
Design Notes

Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s

May 22, 2026 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 8/23/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic reposted a story about the Tatra T-613 (Shafer, 2023). What struck me about that car, which was designed in the late-60s but did not reach production […]

1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
History

Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?

March 5, 2026 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 2/14/2024) This is one of Indie Auto’s more hotly debated stories. Here I question Paul Niedermeyer’s (2024) contention that the 1966-67 Cutlass Supreme brought the “Great Brougham Epoch” to the mid-sized field. “With […]

1941 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
Design Notes

1941 Studebaker Commander: Ending its big cars on a high note

February 26, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 10/1/2024) The 1941 Studebaker Commander is noteworthy partly because of its lovely art deco styling, but also because it represents close to the last of the automaker’s big premium-priced cars. In 1939 Studebaker […]

Readings

Langworth’s Kaiser-Frazer book still represents gold standard of auto histories

January 27, 2026 Steve 8

(EXPANDED FROM 5/7/2021) I only needed to quickly double-check a fact when I reached for Richard Langworth’s book, Kaiser-Frazer: The Last Onslaught on Detroit. A few hours later I finally pulled myself away from it. […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 10 »
  • 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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