Indie Auto

1974 AMC Ambassador: Was its styling ruined by bumper regs?

by Steve in History 7

(EXPANDED FROM 7/15/2024) One of Indie Auto’s first harshly negative comments came from someone who was infuriated with my essay about the 1974 AMC Ambassador, where I criticized the car’s looks. “Worst stupid article I have ever read on any car review. Moron author probably thinks a Citroen Ami looks great.” The writer proceeded to laud the [...]

1965 Newport made Chrysler a contender in premium-priced, big-car field

August 4, 2026 9

(UPDATED FROM 10/13/2023) The 1965 Newport is an important car for Chrysler because it propelled the brand to record-breaking sales. That, in turn, made it a force to be reckoned with in the premium-priced, big-car field for [...]

New Yorker story shows difficulties of an outsider reporting on auto industry

July 31, 2026 5

(UPDATED FROM 4/25/2024) Industry coverage by journalists from outside the automotive media can be a mixed bag. They are less likely to succumb to the groupthink that can undercut reporting from the likes of Automotive News or a buff [...]

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

July 28, 2026 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 [...]

James Ward offers more nuanced take on Packard’s fall than other auto histories

July 23, 2026 36

(EXPANDED FROM 2/26/2024) James A. Ward’s Packard book, The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company, is dwarfed by Automobile Quarterly’s epic tome edited by Beverly Rae Kimes (2002) as well as Stuart R. Blond’s (2021) [...]

The XR-400 wouldn’t have ‘saved’ AMC but it pointed in a useful direction

by Steve in Fake Design 6

(EXPANDED FROM 7/7/2023) A while back Stéphane Dumas quite rightly noted that another alternative to the 1964 Rambler Tarpon concept car was the XR-400. This was a 2+2 convertible proposed to American Motors in 1962 by the Budd Company. My sense is that there was zero chance AMC was going to produce the vaguely Mustang-like sporty car, [...]