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HomeSporty cars

Sporty cars

1969 AMC Javelin side
Current Events

AMC Javelins look better without badly redone stripes

May 4, 2020 Steve 0

Hemmings’ current “Find of the Day” (2020) is a 1968 AMC Javelin in a lovely metallic blue. Unfortunately, this car — like all too many surviving sporty coupes from the 1960s and 1970s — does […]

Design Notes

Audi R8 : More beast than sports car

November 1, 2019 Steve 2

(EXPANDED 12/14/2022) An Audi R8 in the wild is an eye-opening event. Everything about the car is over-amped, from the child-eating grille to the showy display of V10 power just beneath the rear window. The […]

Quotes
Quotes

Why not a spiritual heir to the Datsun 510?

June 3, 2019 Steve 0

“Oh how I wish that an automaker of today would give this formula a try, once again: Decent performance, decent handling, impeccable materials and build quality in a light, no nonsense, affordable package. Problem is, […]

Drive-by musings
Drive-By Musings

Steph Willems: Acura NSX choice of freedom fighters?

July 31, 2018 Steve 0

Steph Willems (2018) has joined the “they’re coming for our performance cars!” scare campaign. Much like a recent column by Keith Crain, Willems is vague about how this imagined dystopia shows up except to say […]

Audi R8 engine
Media Analysis

Keith Crain: They’re coming to take our fast cars!

June 22, 2018 Steve 0

Keith Crain sounds sad. The editor-in-chief of Automotive News predicts that governments will “do their best to try to ban any vehicles that have even the slightest hint of performance using conventional fuels such as gasoline” (Crain, […]

Quotes
Quotes

Chevrolet Camaro’s design has deteriorated over last 40 years

November 22, 2015 Steve 0

“Back in ’79 we were at a BBQ and the grill ran out of gas. The 5 gallon propane cylinder would NOT fit thru the trunk opening in my friend’s new Z-28. I see not much […]

2015 Ford Mustang
Current Events

2015 Mustang: Faux pony car goes generic

November 15, 2015 Steve 1

With the 2015 redesign of the Mustang, Ford had the potential to reassert its leadership in what I have referred to as the faux pony car field. Instead, Ford took the cheap and easy way […]

2014 Dodge Challenger
Media Analysis

TTAC helps Chrysler go pavlovian

July 26, 2014 Steve 0

The third-generation Dodge Challenger has always run a distant third in sales to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, arguably because of it is the most extreme caricature of a pony car. The chunky, almost […]

Satirical (and fake) Ford Mustang logo
Media Analysis

2015 Mustang: How obesity is justified

June 19, 2014 Steve 5

Except for relatively rare moments of downsizing, the dominant tendency in the American auto industry is toward bigger, glitzier and more powerful vehicles. Each time a car adds poundage, the automaker — usually with the […]

Readings

The Complete Book of Mustang: Every Model Since 1964 1/2

April 30, 2013 Steve 0

This is an oversized soft-cover book that covers the Ford Mustang’s history through the 2011 model year. The Complete Book places an emphasis on large, mostly color pictures accompanied by product specifications. However, author Mike Mueller […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 5 6
  • 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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