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Home1970s

1970s

Media Analysis

Automotive News staff struggle to transcend paper’s checkered past

May 30, 2025 Steve 2

The May 19th print edition of Automotive News ran two commentaries that debated California’s ability regulate pollution caused by the automobile industry. In the first commentary, Reporter Larry P. Vellequette (2025) acknowledged that the industry […]

AMC Pacer clay model
Multimedia

Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?

May 28, 2025 Steve 7

I have mixed reactions to Joe Ligo’s (2025) fourth episode of his six-part television series on American Motors. This 30-minute program focuses on the automaker’s two final big-ticket redesigns before losing its independence: the 1974 […]

Quotes

David E. Davis offered his take on John Z. DeLorean

May 24, 2025 Steve 9

Whether John Z. DeLorean was merely a car guy with a tragic life trajectory or a sociopath has been an ongoing debate here at Indie Auto. Thus, I was intrigued to come across David E. […]

Media Analysis

Do car ads need to talk down to people in order to be engaging?

May 22, 2025 Steve 6

One of the laziest kinds of clickbait in the auto history media are posts of old advertisements, commercials and various types of marketing videos. All too often the text that accompanies the ads could be […]

1970 Ford LTD
Data Dive

Was the decontented Ford LTD ‘essentially like an Impala’?

May 21, 2025 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 8/29/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic’s Paul Niedermeyer stopped by to critique our story, “1969 Ford LTD attacked GM’s hierarchy of brands in multiple ways.” He repeated the following quote from the […]

Roy Chapin Jr. and William Luneberg
Multimedia

Joe Ligo’s third AMC episode suffers from analytical weaknesses

May 20, 2025 Steve 3

One downside of partnering with another automotive historian on a media project is that you inevitably have to negotiate editorial details. That can be particularly challenging if one of the partners has considerably more stature. […]

1972 Pontiac Firebirds
History

William Porter brought a thoughtful approach to his design work at GM

May 19, 2025 Steve 0

I can be quite critical of Automotive News, so in fairness I should note when they do good work. A case in point is a feature story by David Phillips (2025) about William L. Porter. […]

1980 Plymouth Volare
Quotes

Popular Science questions Chrysler Corporation’s blame game

May 17, 2025 Steve 5

“Chrysler says its financial troubles are caused, in part, by safety and emissions laws that penalize it more than GM or Ford. It costs Chrysler ‘almost twice as much as it will cost GM’ to […]

1972 Buick Riviera
Design Notes

1971-73 Buick Riviera: The last stand against the broughamization of Detroit

May 15, 2025 Steve 24

(EXPANDED FROM 5/2/2022) Whatever else one might say about the 1971-73 Buick Riviera, its styling did represent a heroic level of resistance to the brougham look then sweeping through the U.S. auto industry. Instead of […]

1971 Plymouth Valiant 4-door sedan
History

1971 Plymouth Valiant sedan impressed media more than buying public

May 12, 2025 Steve 7

(EXPANDED FROM 3/27/2023) A Popular Science road test ranked the 1971 Plymouth Valiant four-door sedan above its newest rivals among the low-priced brands — the Ford Maverick and AMC Hornet (Norbye and Dunne, 1971). That […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 11 12 13 … 42 »
  • 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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