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Home1980s

1980s

Readings

Charles Hyde’s AMC book doesn’t get why automaker failed

July 8, 2022 Steve 6

(UPDATED FROM 10/16/2020) Charles K. Hyde’s history of American Motors and its constituent companies is a valuable scholarly addition to the literature. His book, Storied Independent Automakers: Nash, Hudson and American Motors, offers considerably more […]

Maryann Keller in 2013
Current Events

Auto industry analyst Maryann Keller was a key critic of ‘Detroit Mind’

June 24, 2022 Steve 3

I think it is important to acknowledge the death of automotive analyst Maryann Keller for two reasons. First, because she offered one of the most prescient perspectives on the U.S. auto industry’s decline. Second, because […]

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, […]

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 […]

Jaguar XKE rear
Links

‘Driven To Write’ offers European take on a noncommercial auto website

February 28, 2022 Steve 2

I have mentioned before that monitoring the American automotive media reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen song, “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On).” The buff magazines and websites spend so much time trying to mimic each […]

1977 Cadillac Eldorado interior
Quotes

Retired GM designer mused about gender and penny-pinching

February 2, 2022 Steve 0

“What distressed most of us was that we could never be identified as just designers. We were always the ‘la femmes,’ or we were the female designers, and that — we were designers, and men […]

1965 Ford Mustang rear quarter
History

What is the right size for a Ford Mustang?

January 14, 2022 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 10/9/2020) Did Ford deviate too much from the original Ford Mustang’s size before finally getting it right once again in 2005? That year was pivotal because it was the first time in a quarter […]

1967 Cadillac DeVille convertible
History

It’s a big deal that Ford and GM knew about climate change in 1960s

December 29, 2021 Steve 0

(UPDATED FROM 6/6/2020) The news that Ford and General Motors knew about climate change in the 1960s raises a number of big questions. For example, might this revelation open both automakers to lawsuits similar to […]

1967 GM mid-sized cars
Letters to the Editor

Market fragmentation drove GM actions more than antitrust fears

December 22, 2021 Steve 3

Geeber’s comment on our antitrust story significantly adds to the discussion so I’m elevating it to the front page as a letter to the editor: GM had been pushing to centralize more functions at the […]

1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 front quarter
Media Analysis

Older Ford Mustangs got too big but not the newer ones?

November 12, 2021 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 5/11/2020) Automobile magazine is dead but its Facebook page continues to recycle old articles. Yesterday the one million followers of this page were blessed with a reposted history of the Ford Mustang. Aaron […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 9 10 11 … 16 »
  • 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 14
  • 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
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