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Home2026July

Month: July 2026

1980 Buick Skylark
Links

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

July 31, 2026 Steve 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 […]

Gallery

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

July 30, 2026 Steve 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 […]

2026 Slate Trucks
Current Events

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

July 28, 2026 Steve 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 […]

History

When should U.S. automakers have begun producing a domestic subcompact?

July 24, 2026 Steve 46

(UPDATED FROM 8/1/2024) In 1959 imported cars captured 10 percent of the U.S. market. However, their popularity quickly subsided after the Big Three came out with an unprecedented wave of compacts beginning in 1960. The […]

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Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: ‘Scary’ Lexus grilles put on restriction

July 23, 2026 Steve 0
Ward Packard
Readings

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

July 23, 2026 Steve 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 […]

Budd XR-400
Fake Design

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

July 22, 2026 Steve 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 […]

1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
Links

Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant

July 17, 2026 Steve 9

(UPDATED FROM 11/24, 2023) A March 1964 Car Life article offers a fascinating take on why Studebaker shifted production from its South Bend main plant to a much smaller one in Hamilton, Ontario — which […]

1956 Lincoln
Design Notes

The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder

July 17, 2026 Steve 19

(UPDATED FROM 1/6/2023) The 1956 Lincoln was one of the brand’s most-important postwar cars. Almost 54,000 cars left the factory — an all-time record not broken until 1966. The Ford Motor Company was clearly intending […]

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
Gallery

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor

July 14, 2026 Steve 10

(UPDATED FROM 7/17/2024) A few years ago I came across a 1975 Mercedes-Benz SL. In all honesty, I wasn’t nearly as enthused as when I photographed a previous-generation W113 model, with its iconic “pagoda” roof. […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 1
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • Man fixing antique car at LeMay annual car show
    Society of Automotive Historians takes partial steps into the electronic age
    September 22, 2026 3
  • 1976ish Toyota Corolla
    Data on imports sheds light on their dramatic gains from 1964-80
    September 18, 2026 5
  • 1974 Chrysler New Yorker
    1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
    September 16, 2026 13
  • 1960 Ford wagon
    In 1974 Harry Bradley anticipated the American wagon’s future
    September 11, 2026 10
  • Car and Driver says Ford Mustang will ‘murder’ the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda
    September 9, 2026 17
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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