Indie Auto

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

by Steve in Data Dive 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 U.S. International Trade Commission that can give us a more granular sense of how foreign automakers began to make inroads in [...]

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

September 16, 2026 6

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

September 1, 2026 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 [...]

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

by Steve in Drive-By Musings 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 at the Ford styling studios. So much baloney has been written that just wasn’t true. Being surrounded every day in [...]