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Home1970s

1970s

1980 Chevrolet Citation
Letters to the Editor

General Motors lost styling leadership in early-80s in ‘a morass of boxiness’

June 15, 2023 Steve 10

At the risk of disrupting an active comment thread, I would like to elevate to the front page a response by Peter Wilding to our story, “U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and […]

1972 Mercury Cougar 2-door hardtop
Editor's Note

Reader insists that 1971-73 Mercury Cougars were ‘awesome’

June 13, 2023 Steve 9

Our story, “1967-73 Mercury Cougar: A classic goes to hell,” apparently took the smile off the face of (former?) reader SL. He flatly declared, “The 1971-73 Cougars are awesome cars. All this talk about them […]

Letters to the Editor

Reader chimes in on story about GM’s 1965-68 premium-priced big cars

June 8, 2023 Steve 0

Indie Auto reader PR stopped by to offer his reaction to our “1965-68 GM big cars: The end of different strokes” article: I write to laud the research conducted and information provided in the article […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Trending Books: The man with the widest vision of all

June 6, 2023 Steve 0
Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry
Readings

Richard Johnson showed what can happen when a journalist does auto history

May 18, 2023 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 2/19/2021) Histories written by practicing automotive journalists are usually engaging reads with lots of behind-the-scenes anecdotes. However, they can also be analytically superficial and grounded more in access than accountability journalism. In other […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix
Quotes

Postwar U.S. auto industry was ‘largely complacent’ until forced to change

May 17, 2023 Steve 5

“The hubris of its executives related to consumer needs, an obsession with big cars, garish designs coming from its studios, the neglect of safety and air pollution matters, and rising prices all played into the […]

1972 Ford Pinto Runabout
Quotes

Hal Sperlich: Detroit made bad small cars to prove buyers wouldn’t like them

May 3, 2023 Steve 9

“The small cars that Detroit had produced, [Hal Sperlich] believed, had been bad ones, reluctant efforts at best. If anything the companies had brought out inferior, unappealing small cars to prove their own thesis that […]

Media Analysis

Road & Track magazine’s 1972 Nader attack was disingenuous propaganda

April 24, 2023 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 10/30/2020) When Road & Track decided to go after Ralph Nader in 1972, the magazine took unusual measures. Even before an “evaluation” of a Nader report hit the newsstands, Road & Track held […]

1962 Volkswagen Beetle
Current Events

What should a simple modern car look like?

April 14, 2023 Steve 22

(EXPANDED FROM 3/1/2020) Once upon a time a Truth About Cars commentator lauded the simplicity of the then-new Jeep Renegade. “Well, I for one am yearning for a simpler time, and this vehicle suggests that,” […]

1966 Volvo 122S
Letters to the Editor

Reader opines on why U.S. automakers weren’t competitive with imports

April 10, 2023 Steve 4

Ole stopped by to respond to the post, “Gordon Buehrig on Ford’s attitude about small cars circa 1960.” It wasn’t until the early-1960s that the entire European auto industry produced more cars than Chevrolet or […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 26 27 28 … 42 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 5
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 15
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 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
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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