Indie Auto

Man fixing antique car at LeMay annual car show

Society of Automotive Historians takes partial steps into the electronic age

by Steve in Media Analysis 0

Today is the last day that you can vote in the Society of Automotive Historians’ board-of-directors election. According to an email blast, as of this morning only 73 out of 622 members had voted. Four candidates are running for three positions. I was particularly enthusiastic about voting for Clio Reid. She is a history and library science graduate student who as [...]

Data on imports sheds light on their dramatic gains from 1964-80

September 18, 2026 5

(EXPANDED FROM 7/10/2024) One of the biggest weaknesses of the auto history field is that it doesn’t pay enough attention to the collapse of U.S. automakers in the face of a rising tide of imports. So let’s take a look at data compiled by the [...]

1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels

September 16, 2026 10

The 1974 Chrysler New Yorker is one of those cars that does not reek of tragedy in obvious ways. It looks like a perfectly normal big car from the mid-1970s. There’s nothing particularly exciting about it, but there’s also [...]

In 1974 Harry Bradley anticipated the American wagon’s future

September 11, 2026 10

(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 points, such as the [...]

Car and Driver says Ford Mustang will ‘murder’ the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda

September 9, 2026 17

(EXPANDED FROM 4/10/2024) A Car and Driver article on the just-introduced 1964 Plymouth Barracuda adopted an unusual format — a transcript of a conversation with a Chrysler official. When a road tester complained that the car’s [...]

Is David Kiley right that Ford should replace Lincoln with a new brand?

September 2, 2026 21

David Kiley (2026) recently argued in The Car Collective’s Substack newsletter that Lincoln should be killed. His opinion piece shows a lot more spunk than what one might find in the vapid pages of Automotive News, but I would question [...]

1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era

by Steve in Design Notes 5

The 1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era in a number of ways. This was the last year that the brand’s mid-sized cars were called Skylarks. This was also the end for hardtops. Perhaps most importantly, 1972 marked the conclusion of Buick’s emphasis on sportiness rather than luxury in its mid-sized lineup. For 1973 a new design would mark [...]