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HomeChevrolet

Chevrolet

1982 Cadillac Cimarron
Drive-By Musings

How might GM have better adapted its hierarchy of brands to changing times?

March 25, 2026 Steve 15

Michael Karesh (2026) stopped by to comment on our review of Thomas Bonsall’s book about the Edsel. I think that Karesh makes an important point about General Motors’ handling of its passenger-car brands. Thus, I […]

1976 Plymouth Volare 2-door coupe
Drive-By Musings

Splashy new cars often were the biggest disasters during the postwar period

March 3, 2026 Steve 5

One of the biggest assumptions of U.S. automakers in the postwar period was that they desperately needed splashy new cars. Yet when I think about the biggest disasters of that era, they often involved expensive […]

1968 Chevrolet C10 pickup
Gallery

Was the 1967-68 Chevrolet C10 the ‘first modern pickup’?

February 27, 2026 Steve 8

Indie Auto doesn’t focus a whole lot on trucks, but I recently photographed a 1968 Chevrolet C10. When researching this article, I came across the argument from Aldan American (2026) that this was the “first […]

1973 Valiant VJ Charger
History

1970 Plymouth Barracuda should have been like an Australian Valiant Charger

December 26, 2025 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 9/29/2023) The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and its sibling the Dodge Challenger proved to be a costly mistake that epitomized Detroit’s slowness in responding to changing times. Indeed, the Chrysler Corporation’s early-1970s pony cars […]

1961 Buick LeSabre
Design Notes

The 1961 Buick was a pivot point for GM’s troubled brand

December 19, 2025 Steve 3

(EXPANDED FROM 12/23/2022) The 1961 Buick represented a pivot point for General Motors’ troubled premium-priced brand. The car’s styling lurched from the swaggering flamboyance of the 1950s to the utilitarian conservatism of the 1962-64 models. […]

1980 Ford Fairmont
Literature

1980 Ford Fairmont emphasized cheap practicality to compete with GM’s X-cars

December 9, 2025 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 10/4/2023) The Ford Fairmont had sold well in its first two years but in 1980 was confronted by formidable new competition — Chevrolet’s Citation. If this were still the good old days we […]

1957 Mercury Colony Park 4-door hardtop rear quarter (col.cov)
History

Mercury took station wagons to the outer limits in 1957-60

November 28, 2025 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 4/6/2023) A “Story Ideas Bank” request by CJ asked for more coverage of station wagons, so let’s take a step in that direction with a look at the 1957-60 Mercury. The Ford Motor […]

1974 Chevrolet Camaro
Links

What predictions Jim Dunne got wrong in the first half of 1972

November 19, 2025 Steve 9

(UPDATED FROM 10/30/2023) Popular Science had a mixed record in making predictions about the auto industry during the postwar period. We have already discussed the magazine’s misfires in 1967 and 1970. Now let’s take a […]

1974 AMC Matador Brougham coupe didn't do luxury very well
Design Notes

Should AMC have given the 1974 Matador coupe a luxury spin-off?

October 30, 2025 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 8/21/2020) Patrick Foster (2024) illustrates how fanboy sentiment can undercut the quality of historical analysis by arguing that AMC should have offered a luxury spin-off of the 1974 Matador coupe — and that […]

1954 Ford ad
Data Dive

Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?

October 2, 2025 Steve 45

(UPDATED FROM 10/28/2022) If I had to pick a favorite Indie Auto story, this one would be in my top five. It is one of the longest pieces I have written — roughly 4,600 words […]

Posts pagination

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  • 1962 Ford Galaxie 500
    Did the 1960-64 big Ford sell so poorly because of cannibalization?
    October 16, 2026 34
  • 1969 Ford Thunderbird 4-door Landau
    Was 1969 the beginning of the end for the Ford Thunderbird four-door Landau?
    October 14, 2026 7
  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 21
  • AMC Pacer clay model
    Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
    October 6, 2026 20
  • 2026 Ram pickups
    A pyrrhic regulatory rollback and how poorly the 1978 Matador coupe sold
    October 2, 2026 12
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 7
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • 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 146
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