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1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
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DeBest ad for the 1981 Pontiac Trans Am that was never printed

June 17, 2026 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 7/17/2023) Pete DeBest thought he had it made. He followed his dad into the car business by landing a gig at Pontiac’s ad agency as a copy writer. Things went great at first. […]

1978 Lincoln Versailles
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How would you market the 1978 Lincoln Versailles?

February 6, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 6/22/2023) Frank Aberdene was new to marketing luxury cars, yet his first assignment was a particularly tough one: the 1978 Lincoln Versailles. After discarding drafts for days on end, he finally — and […]

1971 Ford Maverick coupe models
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What would an honest ad for the 1971 Ford Maverick have said?

January 2, 2026 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 5/4/2023) When it was time to develop the print advertising for the 1971 Ford Maverick, the copyrighting team was told to be extra honest. In other words, come up with an approach similar […]

1948 Studebaker
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Ad man struggles with what to do about a 1948 Studebaker and a wiener

September 12, 2025 Steve 1

Howard Boyce’s caterpillar-shaped eyebrows shot skyward when he was shown the latest draft of a 1948 Studebaker ad. “How could you waste such terrific artwork on such boring copy?” he stammered. His boss was used […]

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How selling the 1977 Plymouth Gran Fury tried a man’s soul

August 29, 2025 Steve 2

Even when Daryl Bates was old and near death, he still vividly remembered that moment in 1976. Back then he was a pretty optimistic person, but this time he simply couldn’t shake off his funk. […]

1968 Chevrolet Corvette convertible
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A 1968 Chevrolet Corvette and a manly man. Alone.

May 23, 2025 Steve 0

David E. Numm liked to remind himself that he was fairly comfortable — and that things could be much worse. At least he was assigned to be a copy writer for the Chevrolet Corvette rather […]

1967 Mercury Cyclone GT
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What happened to Mercury’s 1967 ‘Man’s Car’ ad campaign

February 3, 2025 Steve 6

Mercury’s ad agency, Weiner, Cox & Baltz, thought that it had come up with a clever solution to a lingering problem: the brand’s cars were primarily bought by women. “Our data shows that women are […]

1967 Pontiac Ventura convertible
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How would you advertise the 1967 big Pontiacs to revive their sales?

November 29, 2024 Steve 2

As Pontiac prepared for the 1967 model year it struggled with what to do about a problem. Although overall sales were so good that the brand had carved out a solid third place in total […]

1982 Cadillac Cimarron
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If you had to write a 1982 Cadillac Cimarron ad what would you say?

August 8, 2024 Steve 5

Harry Waltz knew that, as the lowest guy on the totem poll, he would get stuck having to write the 1982 Cadillac Cimarron ads. He tried every trick in the book to avoid the inevitable, […]

1970 Dodge Challenger fake image
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The bogus ad Roger slipped into his drawer and forgot for a number of years

March 22, 2024 Steve 2

Roger Sizemore had the feeling that Chrysler was going in the wrong direction. The product planners talked excitedly about selling at least 200,000 Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Challengers annually. Yet the all-new 1970 pony cars […]

Posts pagination

1 2 3 »
  • 1962 Ford Galaxie 500
    Did the 1960-64 big Ford sell so poorly because of cannibalization?
    October 16, 2026 37
  • 1969 Ford Thunderbird 4-door Landau
    Was 1969 the beginning of the end for the Ford Thunderbird four-door Landau?
    October 14, 2026 7
  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 21
  • AMC Pacer clay model
    Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
    October 6, 2026 21
  • 2026 Ram pickups
    A pyrrhic regulatory rollback and how poorly the 1978 Matador coupe sold
    October 2, 2026 12
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 12
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • 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 146
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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