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HomeDesign

Design

1970 Eldorado vs. 1971 Mark III
Multimedia

Lincoln Continental Mark III versus Cadillac Eldorado: Which one was better?

January 29, 2025 Steve 3

Adam Wade of Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History (2025) recently compared the Lincoln Continental Mark III and the first-generation Cadillac Eldorado. Although the Mark III had a much simpler and more derivative design, Wade […]

1969 Pontiac Firebird fake ad
Drive-By Musings

How typical was car snobbery in postwar high schools?

January 27, 2025 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 2/6/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic reposted a comment from a guy named Rob who had a “soul-crushing experience” driving a 1959 Rambler American to high school hangouts (Niedermeyer, 2023). In 1968 […]

Quotes

K. T. Keller predicted the end of late-50s styling excesses

January 17, 2025 Steve 5

K. T. Keller stepped down as Chrysler Corporation’s board chair in 1956 but he still weighed in on auto industry matters. For example, in a 1958 interview he made a rather pointed prediction that implied […]

1968 Dodge Charger
History

1968-70 Dodge Charger: Who should get credit?

January 14, 2025 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 12/29/2023) This is another Indie Auto story that has received a fair amount of blowback. For example, one presumably former reader alleged that I was a “Chevy fanboy” because I called the 1968-70 […]

1964 Lincoln Continental
Design Notes

The 1964-65 Lincoln Continental was a step backward rather than forward

January 13, 2025 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 4/13/2022) A brochure for the 1964 Lincoln Continental was almost apologetic in describing “significant improvements” to the car. “You will appreciate greater leg room, knee room and head room. In the rear compartment, […]

A Century of Automotive Style
Readings

Lamm and Holls’s ‘A Century of Automotive Style’ is epic but uneven

January 9, 2025 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 3/23/2023) A Century of Automotive Style was first published in 1996, so it is a fairly old auto history book. Nevertheless, I would rank it as important enough to be updated. I say […]

1951 Studebaker nose
Quotes

Imagine the 1951 Studebaker with a lighted nose

January 4, 2025 Steve 1

“. . . We (started facelifting) the ’51, which was a terrible looking spinner job. It had a transparent, plastic spinner inside, and, God, they were terrible looking cars. . . . I remember how that […]

1979 Pontiac Grand Prix
Data Dive

What’s Collectible Automobile’s beef with the 1978-80 Pontiac Grand Prix?

January 3, 2025 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 8/25/2022) One of the more curious aspects of the postwar U.S. auto industry is the way that dramatic change was often normalized by the media — as long as it went in the […]

1968 AMC AMX
Letters to the Editor

Reader argues that ‘AMX was not a sectioned Javelin’

January 2, 2025 Steve 5

SG stopped by to comment on our story, “1968-70 AMX was American Motors’ answer to a question nobody asked.” AMX was not a sectioned Javelin. It was designed first and was supposed to be a […]

1956 Ugly Car of Year Award
Design Notes

1956 Ugly Car of the Year Award: Indies get desperate

December 31, 2024 Steve 17

(EXPANDED FROM 11/25/2022) For 1956 the Big Three were on relatively good behavior. Only two of their products was outrageous enough to be nominated for Indie Auto’s Ugly Car of the Year Award. All the […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 17 18 19 … 43 »
  • 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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