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Home1950s

1950s

Hudson-Willys merger idea
History

A few follow-up questions about Patrick Foster’s idea of a Hudson-Willys merger

October 17, 2023 Steve 7

Patrick Foster (2023) recently suggested that a merger of Hudson and Willys could have made sense — and he devoted a Hemmings column to explaining why. This is an intriguing scenario, but I have a […]

1965 Chrysler Newport
Design Notes

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

October 13, 2023 Steve 6

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

1956 Continental Mark II
History

Who were the five worst leaders of postwar U.S. automakers?

October 6, 2023 Steve 33

(UPDATED FROM 5/7/2021) Warren Buffett has argued that the Number 1 problem a company can face is choosing the wrong chief executive officer. Buffett, who is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has said that over the […]

Links

How far should AMC have gone to save the Hudson, Nash and Rambler brands?

October 3, 2023 Steve 8

Stephen Pellegrino has sparked a debate about the value of automotive brands by arguing that Hudson, Nash and Rambler were worth saving. His punchline is that “brand names mean something, and the intangibles they represent […]

1936 Terraplane
Letters to the Editor

Did Great Depression, path dependency color independents’ postwar choices?

September 27, 2023 Steve 0

DECG50 offered an intriguing response to our article, “Did early-postwar independent automakers try too hard to be different?” I’m front-paging the comment to give it wider attention. I wonder if the lingering effects of the depression […]

1967 Rambler Rebel SST 2-door hardtop white
Media Analysis

Collectible Automobile’s 1967 Rambler Rebel SST feature is pretty but vapid

September 23, 2023 Steve 2

The December 2023 issue of Collectible Automobile has a photo feature of a 1967 Rambler Rebel SST hardtop. As usual, the images are first rate and the accompanying text give a nuts-and-bolts overview of the […]

1961 VW 'impossible' ad
Literature

If you ran VW in 1959 how would you prepare for Detroit’s compacts?

September 20, 2023 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 8/15/2014) Imagine that you run Volkswagen’s American operations in 1959. Detroit has finally woken up to the public’s growing interest in small cars. Studebaker and American Motors are already seeing dramatic sales increases after introducing compact […]

1949 Nash Ambassador
History

Did early-postwar independent automakers try too hard to be different?

September 19, 2023 Steve 11

The late-40s and early-50s arguably had more design and engineering variety among U.S automakers than we would ever see again. That strikes me as a mostly good thing for consumers, but there were two downsides. […]

1951 Packard 300
Design Notes

1951 Packard 300: The double-edged sword of an anonymous design

September 18, 2023 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 2/26/2021) The above-pictured car is a 1951 Packard 300 in front of an auto shop in Northern California. The faded paint and spray-painted “For Sale” sign are good metaphors for the new-for-1951 design, […]

Fake Design

1961-70 Jaguar Mk X: When Hudson step-down met Wienermobile

September 15, 2023 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 11/5/2021) The Jaguar Mark X may have a commanding presence, but it also looks like the lovechild of a Hudson step-down and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Intriguing but somehow . . . not […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 12 13 14 … 33 »
  • 1970 Cadillac Eldorado
    Was the 1969-70 Eldorado the best-looking postwar Cadillac?
    May 9, 2025 3
  • Autoline After Hours
    Could Trump’s tariffs force out of the U.S. market 11 car brands?
    May 8, 2025 3
  • DeLorean’s book is still one of best critiques of General Motors
    May 7, 2025 17
  • 1958 Packard
    The 1958 Packard went too far in styling, size and pricing
    May 6, 2025 17
  • Circa 1958 Rambler American 2-door sedan
    Could Joe Ligo’s American Motors TV series expand the audience for auto history?
    May 5, 2025 9
  • Busek Museum truck
    Watching the sun set over the Busek Auto Museum
    May 4, 2025 1
  • The plight of dealers sheds light on when the postwar seller’s market ended
    May 3, 2025 5
  • 2026 Slate Truck
    Can the Slate Truck find a large-enough market to be profitable?
    May 2, 2025 5
  • 1961 Cadillac
    The ‘compact’ 1961-63 Cadillac that went nowhere
    April 30, 2025 17
  • 1968 GM premium big cars
    1965-68 GM big cars: The end of different strokes
    April 28, 2025 12
  • Circa 2002 Ford Thunderbird taillight
    Was the 2002-5 Ford Thunderbird two-seater inspired or stupid?
    April 22, 2025 10
  • A query, a thank you and an update on miscellaneous stuff
    April 4, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 124
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