Indie Auto

1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building

AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness

by Steve in History 1

(EXPANDED FROM 1/8/2021) When writing a story about the 1974 AMC Ambassador, I came across American Motors car brochures for 1979 and 1980 that took the unusual step of picturing the company’s headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. In the 1979 brochure the building was described as “symbol of the growth that has taken the company far beyond [...]

Ford’s design talent in the 1970s wasn’t enough to halt a dramatic slide in sales

August 14, 2026 13

Recently a retired Ford designer stopped by to offer a response to our story, “How 1960s car design reflected the good old (boy) days.” “I started my career at Ford styling in 1960. Retired in 1998. I have lots and lots of true stories about the real world [...]

Why wasn’t the 1971 ‘boat-tail’ Buick Riviera shrunk to compact size?

August 14, 2026 22

(UPDATED FROM 6/16/2024) David Burrell has written what may be the most detailed account of how William Mitchell vainly tried to shift the “boat-tail” 1971 Buick Riviera to a mid-sized platform. Burrell’s story in Retro Autos (2021) [...]

Patrick Foster’s Hudson book emphasized pictures and boosterism

August 14, 2026 2

(EXPANDED FROM 3/5/2021) Patrick R. Foster’s Hudson Automobiles: An Illustrated History lives up to its title. If you are mainly interested in pictures, this is your book. The 128-page paperback is dominated by photographs, artist [...]

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

August 7, 2026 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 1969 Ford [...]

The Studebaker Hawk reached its high point in 1957 — and fell rather quickly

July 30, 2026 20

(EXPANDED FROM 6/12/2024) The Studebaker Hawk arguably reached its peak in 1957. This was when it sold the best — almost 20,000 units. This was also Peak Hawk from a styling standpoint. For one shining moment, Studebaker had [...]

Automotive News’ Laurence Iliff puts away pom-poms for the Slate Truck

by Steve in Current Events 15

Automotive News’ coverage of product launches tends to display lots of pom-pom waving, so it was curious that a recent story about the Slate Truck was fairly negative. I think it is entirely reasonable to discuss why this fledgling electric vehicle maker faces an uphill battle to get established in a tough market. However, Laurence Iliff (2026) put his finger [...]