(UPDATED FROM 6/26/2020) The Saab 99/900 proved to be the box that crushed the tiny Swedish carmaker. I grant you that this platform was hardly an immediate failure. Even so, the design of the 99 […]
(EXPANDED FROM 5/22/2015) The 1959 Studebaker Lark’s design was initially so successful that it was described by historian Robert Ebert as a “miracle” (2013, p. 55). Studebaker-Packard Corporation, which was on the verge of liquidating […]
(EXPANDED FROM 7/17/2020) One of the hazards of any kind of writing is that you can get too close to your subjects. In anthropology this has been called “going native.” Because we are human, we […]
One of the things I most appreciate about Curbside Classic are the comments. As a case in point, a recently reposted article about the 1957 Nash Ambassador had a lengthy exchange from 2015 regarding a […]
“(T)he truck market was going to break out of its previous boundaries and begin a historic climb in which it would eventually surpass automobiles in total sales. In time trucks would become the biggest and […]
When viewed from 1951, Studebaker was the independent automaker most likely to succeed. The South Bend, Indiana-based automaker generated unusually high sales by inventing the family-sized compact. This allowed Studebaker to invest in both a V8 engine and an automatic transmission well before […]
Patrick Foster (2005) once lamented that he couldn’t find a publisher for a book on George Romney. “A typical rejection goes something like this: George Romney led an exemplary life, was honest in business, never […]
Richard M. Langworth’s book about Hudson was first published in 1977, but it is still the best history of this quirky automaker. As with his other auto histories written during this time period, Hudson 1946-1957: […]
When updating the Readings section I came across an Automobile magazine story by Rusty Blackwell (2010) that itemized the most important books in their reference library. The post is now a decade old but still offers […]
The first-generation Marlin gets no respect, particularly compared to the two-seater AMX. The Marlin tends to be treated as one of American Motors’ biggest flops. Meanwhile, the AMX has been lauded as a valuable halo […]
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