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HomeCompact cars

Compact cars

1967 Rambler Rebel SST 2-door hardtop white
Media Analysis

Collectible Automobile’s 1967 Rambler Rebel SST feature is pretty but vapid

September 23, 2023 Steve 2

The December 2023 issue of Collectible Automobile has a photo feature of a 1967 Rambler Rebel SST hardtop. As usual, the images are first rate and the accompanying text give a nuts-and-bolts overview of the […]

1974 Oldsmobile Omega
Quotes

The switch to smaller cars began before the first oil embargo in late-1973

September 11, 2023 Steve 7

The shift to smaller cars was happening before the first oil embargo, which stretched from October 1973 through March 174 (Wikipedia, 2023). In an October 1972 column, Popular Science Automotive Editor Jan P. Norbye walked […]

1960 Jeep FC-150 front quarter
Media Analysis

Is Patrick Foster right that AMC’s biggest mistake was not buying Jeep earlier?

August 11, 2023 Steve 8

A recent Hemmings column by Patrick Foster (2023) argues that American Motors’ biggest mistake was not buying Willys Motors — the maker of Jeep sport-utility vehicles — way back in the early-60s. Indeed, he went […]

1960 Chevrolet Corvair Monza
Quotes

Chevrolet Corvair advertising shows gender roles in 1960s

August 8, 2023 Steve 2

“Chevrolet marketers wanted to preserve ‘sportiness’ and ‘performance’ as masculine activities, but at the same time realized that women appreciated a good-handling car as much as their male counterparts. So, Chevrolet repurposed the performance attributes […]

1961 Dodge Dart 4-door sedan
Letters to the Editor

Was the 1961 Dodge’s front end inspired by 1960 Ford Falcon’s?

June 29, 2023 Steve 4

MH dropped a note to Indie Auto about the 1961 Dodge, perhaps in response to our article, “Chrysler’s collapse in premium-priced field was a bigger deal than Edsel’s.” Not much is written about the 1961 […]

1965 Rambler American 440H 2-door hardtop
Quotes

1964-65 Rambler American paid a price for using Classic body parts

June 19, 2023 Steve 2

A key way that American Motors was able to afford fielding both a compact and mid-sized platform in the mid-1960s was by sharing an unusual number of body parts. However, as Car Life noted below, […]

1959 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Compacts were more successful as big-car prices grew in late-1950s

May 12, 2023 Steve 3

“Before 1955 the compact cars, which had then included Rambler, Hudson Jet, and Volkswagen, were not outstanding sales successes. Their suggested list prices, and their actual retail prices, were comparatively high in relation to those […]

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 […]

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 … 8 9 10 … 13 »
  • 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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