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Home1950s

1950s

1957 Lincoln
Auto Paedia

‘Detroit Mind’ led to collapse of U.S. automakers

April 27, 2022 Steve 56

(EXPANDED FROM 9/18/2020) “Detroit Mind” is the label Brock Yates gave to the worldview of U.S. automakers from the 1950s into the 1980s. This was epitomized by a focus on cars that were “too large, […]

Port of Olympia boats in night fog
Links

Stan Mott’s life of creative risk taking could get you thinking

March 31, 2022 Steve 4

Dean’s Garage has posted an autobiographical essay by Stan Mott (2022) in the wake of his recent death at the age of 89. His story illustrates how the creative spirit that draws designers to the […]

Quotes

GM set its prices for a 25-percent return on investment in 1950s

March 30, 2022 Steve 2

“But if its return on investment averaged 25 percent for 1950 through 1955, well above the corporation’s target and the highest return in American industry, why couldn’t General Motors reduce the prices on its cars, […]

2022 Toyota Tundra front
Current Events

Could the 2022 Toyota Tundra’s excesses doom it like the 1958 Buick?

March 25, 2022 Steve 18

I should give Toyota credit for one thing — the 2022 Tundra does stand out in a crowd. Even in a parking lot filled with other large trucks and sport-utility vehicles, the newly redesigned Toyota […]

1960 Studebaker Lark 4-door sedan
Media Analysis

1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?

March 21, 2022 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 4/2/2017) Richard M. Langworth has authored more auto histories than just about anyone. Yet he was strikingly humble when beginning to discuss the controversial topic of who was responsible for the 1947 Studebaker’s styling. “I am […]

Letters to the Editor

Interstate highways were a product of new technologies and ‘urban renewal’

March 17, 2022 Steve 5

I was pleasantly surprised that so many Indie Auto readers have offered comments about our post, “Negative aspects of interstate highways received little initial attention.” Geeber took the time to write a lengthy and thoughtful […]

Quotes

Negative aspects of interstate highways received little initial attention

March 11, 2022 Steve 9

“The widespread support for the construction of the interstate highway system reflected an era when few questioned the benefits of automobile-based mobility. Even urban officials welcomed the penetration of the interstates into their cities, assuming […]

Mercedes-Benz W-123
Quotes

Is Teutonic car design obsolete?

March 1, 2022 Steve 1

“Maybe. Then again . . . maybe not. Perhaps this is all just temporary. Consider what happened to American car design in the wake of the 1958 recession. Suddenly, all the jet-aged, tail-finned, twin-turbined, dynaflowed […]

Design Notes

How would a facelifted Hudson have fared in 1955?

February 24, 2022 Steve 13

(EXPANDED FROM 1/2/2021) Hudson as been a popular topic with readers this week so I have expanded a story that takes a different angle: What might have happened if Hudson had managed to remain an […]

1951 Packard trunk insignia
Letters to the Editor

Hudson would have been the best option for a Packard tie up

February 22, 2022 Steve 4

Paul West has offered a sophisticated counterpoint to the conclusions in my article, “Would Hudson have been Packard’s best merger partner?” I am thus elevating his comment to the front page. Nice article, Steve. I […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 24 25 26 … 34 »
  • Why did American Motors fire Wells Rich and Greene in 1972?
    March 6, 2026 6
  • 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
    Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?
    March 5, 2026 21
  • 1976 Plymouth Volare 2-door coupe
    Splashy new cars often were the biggest disasters during the postwar period
    March 3, 2026 1
  • Reader questions Chrysler’s future as it passes 100th anniversary
    March 2, 2026 13
  • 1968 Chevrolet C10 pickup
    Was the 1967-68 Chevrolet C10 the ‘first modern pickup’?
    February 27, 2026 7
  • 1941 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
    1941 Studebaker Commander: Ending its big cars on a high note
    February 26, 2026 11
  • 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk front with hood open
    Four lingering questions about Aaron Severson’s take on the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
    February 20, 2026 6
  • Thank yous, power outages and format changes
    October 31, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 134
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