Indie Auto
header-advert
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction
    • Editor’s Notes
    • Story Ideas Bank
    • Why All The Data?
    • Fake Stuff
    • About Those Photos
    • Talk Legal To Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Our Features
    • Ad Nauseam
    • Bird Chatter
    • Calendar
    • Current Events
    • Data Dives
    • Design Notes
    • Drive-By Musings
    • Fake Designs
    • Gallery
    • Histories
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Media Analysis
    • Multimedia
    • Our Sponsors
    • Photo Essays
    • Quotes
    • Random Shots
    • Satire
  • Look It Up
    • In Auto Paedia
    • By author
    • By automaker or brand
    • By time period
    • By topic
    • By vehicle type
  • Readings
    • General Reference
    • Specific Brands & Automakers
    • Auto Culture, Policy & Business Strategy
    • Bibliography
    • Where To Buy Your Books
    • Recently-Posted Readings
  • Links
    • Bibliography of Links
  • Contact
    • Emails & Newsletter
    • Rejected Comments
  • Donate
HomeBusiness management

Business management

Langworth Studebaker
Readings

Richard Langworth’s Studebaker book is dated but mostly still the best

September 9, 2025 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 4/13/2013) When I am trying to track down information about Studebaker, I am most likely to first reach for Richard M. Langworth’s book. The reason why it that his journalistic approach was refreshingly […]

1963 Studebaker Daytona convertible
Multimedia

Classic film shows human side of Studebaker’s end

June 10, 2025 Steve 20

(UPDATED FROM 6/20/2022) Documentary films contribute to automotive history in a different way than words on a page (either paper or electronic). In general, film can capture much better the human elements of a situation, […]

Quotes

The Economist points to origins of ‘the biggest industrial collapse ever’

February 28, 2023 Steve 15

“The problem in the 1970s was not really the arrival of better, smaller, lighter Japanese cars; it was GM’s failure to respond in kind. Rather than hitting back with superior products, the company hid behind […]

1969 Dodge Polara two-door hardtop
Quotes

Did Elwood Engel’s acquiescence ruin the 1969 Dodge’s styling?

December 21, 2021 Steve 7

“Designer Darin Yazejian recalled an approval meeting with top Dodge management when someone criticized the roof treatment of a proposed 1969 Polara hardtop. This particular roof had rear-extending sail panels that thrust out behind the […]

Readings

Avanti book by John Hull provides a useful overview

December 26, 2020 Steve 0

To my mind, the Avanti’s history has two major parts: Under Studebaker and as an independent automaker. Of the Studebaker histories, Richard M. Langworth (1993) arguably offers the most detailed and analytically sophisticated narrative. The […]

Quotes
Quotes

Designer Bill Robinson’s secret to his success

June 7, 2019 Steve 0

“. . . I always considered myself an average designer, because there were so many good designers. I was very successful because I knew that you had to sell the design to the manager and […]

Automotive News tends to emphasize access journalism
Auto Paedia

Access journalism: Did it help fuel U.S. auto industry’s decline?

April 1, 2019 Steve 0

Access journalism is what the Columbia Journalism Review (2014) defines as providing “insider information from powerful institutions and people.” This is a different kind of reporting — requiring “different skills, different practices, and different sources” that “produce […]

1955 Dodge Le Femme advertising
Current Events

Surveys find sexism still powerful in auto industry

January 1, 2019 Steve 2

When I started reading Automotive News in the mid-70s, one thing that struck me was how few women were in leadership positions. Only one or two would be listed on two-page displays of industry “all […]

  • 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
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

Recent Comments

  • josh on Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
  • Geeber on Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
  • John Sutter on Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
  • Steve on 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
  • Steve on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • stewdi on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Kowalski on 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
  • kim in lanark on Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
  • Mike in IA on The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
  • Anthony Boddy on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Geeber on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Geeber on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Geeber on Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
  • Steve on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Anthony Boddy on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky

Archives

Categories

Tags

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s American Motors Auto culture Auto history media Auto media Automotive News Automotive Views Business strategies Chevrolet Compact cars Curbside Classic Design Design excesses Dodge Electric vehicles Engineering Fake advertising Ford Ford Motor Co. Full-sized cars General Motors Journalism standards Luxury cars Management culture Marketing Mid-sized cars Parody Patrick R. Foster Plymouth Premium-priced cars Public policies Rambler Reader comments Richard M. Langworth Stellantis Studebaker
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
Search
Archives
Categories
Help keep the lights on
Quinault at night

Copyright © 2022 Olympia, Earth Media, LLC | All rights reserved