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HomeDesign Notes

Design Notes

1972 Buick Skylark Custom grille
Design Notes

1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era

September 1, 2026 Steve 4

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 […]

1965 Chrysler Newport
Design Notes

1965 Newport made Chrysler a contender in premium-priced, big-car field

August 4, 2026 Steve 14

(UPDATED FROM 10/13/2023) The 1965 Newport is an important car for Chrysler because it propelled the brand to record-breaking sales. That, in turn, made it a force to be reckoned with in the premium-priced, big-car […]

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 […]

2026 Toyota Highlander
Design Notes

Yes, but WHY do today’s automobiles look so similar?

July 2, 2026 Steve 10

(UPDATED FROM 7/26/2021) A few years ago Peter DeLorenzo (2021) argued that the auto industry had “reached the nadir of design. And it isn’t pretty.” The big reason why: Cars look so blandly similar that […]

1972 AMC Ambassador proposal by Brooks Stevens
Design Notes

Proposed 1972-73 design could have saved AMC from ill-fated 1974 Matador coupe

June 20, 2026 Steve 20

(EXPANDED FROM 2/4/2022) The above image shows an early design proposal by Brooks Stevens for a redesigned AMC Ambassador planned for 1972-73. The car has vague similarities to mockups pictured in a Patrick Foster (2013) […]

2006-7 Dodge Charger
Design Notes

2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia

June 5, 2026 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 10/2/2023) The 2006 Dodge Charger’s styling was greeted with mixed reviews when the car was introduced. Perhaps the most pointed criticism came from Car and Driver writer Larry Webster (2005), who stated that […]

1976 Tatra T-613
Design Notes

Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s

May 22, 2026 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 8/23/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic reposted a story about the Tatra T-613 (Shafer, 2023). What struck me about that car, which was designed in the late-60s but did not reach production […]

1966 Mercury Colony Park rear quarter
Design Notes

1966 Mercury Colony Park wagon was an unsung bright spot for the brand

May 11, 2026 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 10/7/2022) Mercury’s Colony Park never got much attention, but it saw steadily increasing sales through the second half of the 1960s. For example, in 1966 almost 19,000 of the top-of-line Mercury wagons were […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible grille closeup
Design Notes

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible didn’t catch on

April 23, 2026 Steve 14

(EXPANDED FROM 9/1/2023) Albert Fredrick Godwin stopped by to point out that our featured 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible was his car. He had displayed it at an annual auto show hosted by LeMay Collections […]

1975 Ford Thunderbird
Design Notes

Ford design in the 1970s was a real step down from the previous decade

April 10, 2026 Steve 25

In a comment thread we have been debating Ford design in the 1970s (go here). That sparked me to think in greater depth about how that automaker’s styling chops were a real step down from […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 9 »
  • 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
    Is David Kiley right that Ford should replace Lincoln with a new brand?
    September 2, 2026 8
  • 1972 Buick Skylark Custom grille
    1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era
    September 1, 2026 4
  • 1959 Ford Thunderbird
    1959 Ford Thunderbird was a gimmicky but hugely important car
    August 26, 2026 11
  • Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers
    August 21, 2026 21
  • 1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building
    AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness
    August 19, 2026 2
  • 1980 Ford Thunderbird and 1956 model
    Ford’s design talent in the 1970s wasn’t enough to halt a dramatic slide in sales
    August 14, 2026 13
  • 1973 Buick Riviera
    Why wasn’t the 1971 ‘boat-tail’ Buick Riviera shrunk to compact size?
    August 14, 2026 24
  • 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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