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
HomePontiac

Pontiac

1960 Ford wagon
History

In 1974 Harry Bradley anticipated the American wagon’s future

September 11, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 9/10/2024) A few years ago Dean’s Garage reprinted a prescient essay Harry Bradley (2022) wrote back in 1974 about the future of the American station wagon. His article made a number of important […]

Data Dive

Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers

August 21, 2026 Steve 21

(EXPANDED FROM 6/26/2024) Compact cars represented a dramatic change for U.S. automakers when they were introduced in the early-1960s. After spending the previous decade making its “standard-sized” cars bigger, glitzier and more powerful, Detroit responded […]

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 […]

1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Ad Nauseam

DeBest ad for the 1981 Pontiac Trans Am that was never printed

June 17, 2026 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 7/17/2023) Pete DeBest thought he had it made. He followed his dad into the car business by landing a gig at Pontiac’s ad agency as a copy writer. Things went great at first. […]

1963 Buick Riviera
History

1963-65 Buick Riviera shows GM’s struggle with personal coupes

May 20, 2026 Steve 19

(UPDATED FROM 12/14/2023) The 1963-65 Buick Riviera was one of the more memorable designs of the 1960s. However, the car didn’t really look like a Buick. Nor did it sell very well — arguably due […]

1977 Pontiac Phantom
Drive-By Musings

The good and bad of William Mitchell’s 1977 Pontiac Phantom

May 2, 2026 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 12/18/2020) Indie Auto’s internet connection is finally working, so let’s take another look at William Mitchell’s swan song, the 1977 Pontiac Phantom. I must admit to feeling ambivalent about this concept car. Although […]

1969 Pontiac red convertible
Literature

1965-71 Pontiac ads tried to dazzle with hip sophistication

April 24, 2026 Steve 26

(UPDATED FROM 2/15/2024) I am knee-deep in a final round of packing and house painting right now, so how about following up our 1967 Grand Prix convertible story with a deeper look at the illustrations […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible grille closeup
Design Notes

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible didn’t catch on

April 23, 2026 Steve 14

(EXPANDED FROM 9/1/2023) Albert Fredrick Godwin stopped by to point out that our featured 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible was his car. He had displayed it at an annual auto show hosted by LeMay Collections […]

1966 Beaumont
Letters to the Editor

Reader argues that success of GM’s hierarchy of brands was ‘dumb luck’

March 30, 2026 Steve 20

Indie Auto reader Captain My Captain recently weighed in on our story, “How might GM have better adapted its hierarchy of brands to changing times?” He offers an unusually in-depth and colorful assessment, so I […]

1982 Cadillac Cimarron
Drive-By Musings

How might GM have better adapted its hierarchy of brands to changing times?

March 25, 2026 Steve 15

Michael Karesh (2026) stopped by to comment on our review of Thomas Bonsall’s book about the Edsel. I think that Karesh makes an important point about General Motors’ handling of its passenger-car brands. Thus, I […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 7 »
  • 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
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

Recent Comments

  • 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?
  • Philco Ford on Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?
  • Philco Ford on Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
  • Philco Ford on Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
  • JohnH on Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
  • Lynn Newport on Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
  • Wolfgang K on Adam Wade says the best year for American cars was 1965. Really?
  • Steve on Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
  • Randerson on Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?

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