Month: March 2023
Thank you to fund-drive participants and a note on broken links
Over the last week we have had an encouraging number of readers participate in Indie Auto’s fundraising drive. These have included previous donors as well as new ones. Some donors offered comments. For example, DC […]
How accurate were Popular Mechanics’ predictions about 1980s cars?
For its September 1975 issue, Popular Mechanics’ Detroit Editor Robert Lund asked executives from each of the Big Four U.S. automakers to predict what cars would be like in the decade ahead. Lund started off […]
1965-69 Chrysler: Trying to sell prestige in a rapidly changing culture
(UPDATED FROM 8/13/2021) The Chrysler brand attempted to shake off the trauma of the early-60s with a fresh new persona. In 1965 its product line was dramatically restyled. Meanwhile, advertising adopted a much more expressive approach […]
The 1949 Kaiser-Frazer’s new body styles showed the limits to innovation
Kaiser-Frazer deserves credit for experimenting with offbeat ideas. Unfortunately, most of them didn’t work very well. This is why the fledgling automaker is a useful case study of how trying to be “innovative” can backfire […]
Do you think Indie Auto is worth keeping online?
Indie Auto has reached a crossroads. I have just published 900 posts on this website. Meanwhile, I am far enough into retirement that I have been thinking harder about how to best spend my remaining […]
One reason why a car enthusiast is ‘falling out of love with driving’
“I despair, too, at the increasingly fortress mentality that many drivers seem to have. The depressing rise of SUVs is probably responsible for this. Drivers feel safe and cocooned from the world around them, and […]
1966-69 VIP: Why Plymouth couldn’t sell brougham
(EXPANDED FROM 12/17/2021) At least on paper, the VIP luxury series suggested that Plymouth was keeping up with the Chevrolet Caprice and Ford LTD in the late-60s. However, the car’s terrible sales suggest that something […]
Richard Langworth responds to our ‘making excuses for GM’ story
Richard Langworth stopped by to respond to our story, “Langworth and Norbye made excuses for General Motors’ big-car fixation.” What follows is his full missive: It’s nice to be remembered, even critically, for something we […]