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Home1920s

1920s

1965 AMC Ambassador sketch
Multimedia

Joe Ligo is overly kind in Nash/AMC Ambassador film

September 9, 2021 Steve 3

(UPDATED FROM 7/3/2020) Joe Ligo’s (2020) film about the Nash/AMC Ambassador is well-researched but overly kind in discussing the car’s dying decade. The “History of the Nash/AMC Ambassador” walks viewers through the unusually long life […]

2021 Bollinger B2 truck
Current Events

Automotive News’ report on EV startups has revealing gaps

August 18, 2021 Steve 0

Last week Automotive News acknowledged that “there has never been a better time for EV startups.” Even so, the trade journal couldn’t bring itself to fully explain why it has been “at least a century […]

Quotes
Quotes

Willys story threads through much of 20th Century

May 7, 2021 Steve 0

“The Willys 77, conceptually, came from the (Willys) Whippet of 1927, and shared the engine from the Whippet. The Whippet was somewhere between the Model T and Model A in specification (think of a proto-Model […]

Readings

Patrick Foster’s Hudson book emphasized pictures and boosterism

March 5, 2021 Steve 0

Patrick R. Foster’s Hudson Automobiles: An Illustrated History lives up to its title. If you are mainly interested in pictures, this is your book. The 128-page paperback is dominated by photographs, artist sketches and advertising, […]

1988 Chrysler TC by Maserati
Current Events

How would you save the Chrysler brand?

February 12, 2021 Steve 6

Jalopnik recently took a walk on the clickbaity side by asking readers how they would save Chrysler: The brand. The post by Rory Carroll (2021) elicited the usual range of responses, from earnestly mundane to […]

1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building
History

AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness

January 8, 2021 Steve 0

When writing a story about the 1974 AMC Ambassador, I came across American Motors car brochures for 1979 and 1980 that took the unusual step of picturing the company’s headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. In the 1979 […]

1966 Chevrolet Corvette
Auto Paedia

Halo cars are popular but not always a good idea

January 8, 2021 Steve 0

Halo cars tend to quite popular — even wetness inducing — among auto enthusiasts. That’s because the mission of halo cars is mostly to generate a positive buzz about a brand rather than high sales. So […]

Readings

Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Corporation

March 1, 2020 Steve 3

This is one of the better scholarly books about an auto company. Donald T. Critchlow achieves the rare feat of crafting a narrative that is engaging, analytically sophisticated and challenges industry groupthink in key respects. […]

1956 Plymouth Fury
Calendar

LeMay at Marymount hosts 42nd annual show

August 10, 2019 Steve Comments Off on LeMay at Marymount hosts 42nd annual show

The LeMay Collections at Marymount are open year-round, but the best time to go is arguably on the day of its annual car show and auction. This year’s all-day event will be held on Saturday, […]

Quotes
Quotes

Electric cars once more popular than gas-powered

February 24, 2019 Steve 0

“By the turn of the 20th century, horseless carriages had replaced horse-drawn carriages in most major American cities. In 1901, an estimated 38 percent of cars in the United States were electric, 40 percent were […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 »
  • 1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
    Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
    July 17, 2026 8
  • 1956 Lincoln
    The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
    July 17, 2026 18
  • 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
    1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
    July 14, 2026 6
  • 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado
    Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?
    July 10, 2026 16
  • J. 'Kelly' Flory Jr.
    J. ‘Kelly’ Flory Jr.’s American Cars series is pricey but valuable
    July 10, 2026 4
  • 1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
    1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations
    July 7, 2026 10
  • Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
    June 25, 2026 5
  • 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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