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HomeCoronet

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1970 Buick Riviera
Design Notes

The 11 worst single-year redesigns of postwar American cars

January 16, 2026 Steve 36

(EXPANDED FROM 7/14/2023) I grant you that top-whatever rankings can be clickbaity, but I decided to do this story for a specific reason. In the postwar years Detroit tended to assume that rapid-fire restylings were […]

1971 Dodge Coronet Custom 4-door sedan
Data Dive

Collectible Automobile avoids big question about 1971-74 Dodge Coronet

August 1, 2025 Steve 1

The latest issue of Collectible Automobile offers an overview of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet. As usual, the photography is gorgeous and the product details are exhaustive. But also as usual, there was strikingly little historical […]

1971 Chrysler New Yorker
Fake Design

1969-71 Chrysler: An Exner idea fumbled again

July 29, 2025 Steve 30

(UPDATED FROM 8/3/2022) The 1969-71 Chrysler was an unfortunate example of a promising design that went sideways because of a few bad decisions. The styling was exceptionally clean and purposeful for an American premium-priced car […]

1972 Chevrolet Camaro front quarter
Satire

Declassified 1970s documents spark debate among auto historians

April 1, 2025 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 3/30/2023) Newly declassified intelligence documents show how a crash program by American automakers to switch to eggcrate grilles for their 1972-73 models thwarted a space alien invasion. The strategy worked so well that […]

1968 Dodge Charger
History

1968-70 Dodge Charger: Who should get credit?

January 14, 2025 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 12/29/2023) This is another Indie Auto story that has received a fair amount of blowback. For example, one presumably former reader alleged that I was a “Chevy fanboy” because I called the 1968-70 […]

1971 Dodge Charger RT
Data Dive

1971-74 Dodge Charger: Making the most of a questionable idea

November 4, 2024 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 5/16/2023) In response to the interesting conversation in the comment thread about Chrysler’s early-70s compacts, I thought it could be useful to expand on a data dive I did a while back on […]

1967 Mercury Comet Caliente convertible
Design Notes

Did stylistic penny pinching undercut the 1966-67 Mercury Comet?

May 22, 2024 Steve 11

As mysteries go it’s a small one, but I have long been curious as to why the 1965-67 Mercury Comet switched from horizontal to stacked headlights. The new look wasn’t in alignment with any of […]

1967 Plymouth GTX
Design Notes

1966-67 Plymouth Satellite was most anonymous-looking car of its era

March 25, 2024 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 11/10/2021) I hereby nominate the 1966-67 mid-sized Plymouth as the most anonymous-looking car of the mid-1960s. At least to my eyes, the Belvedere line — which included top-end Satellite and GTX models — […]

Letters to the Editor

Chrysler and AMC lost the plot with 1970s personal luxury coupes

March 29, 2022 Steve 20

George Denzinger took the time to write a lengthy and thoughtful response to our story, “1971-74 Dodge Charger: Making the most of a questionable idea,” so I am elevating it to the front page as […]

  • 1954 Chevrolet was beginning of the end for GM’s brand hierarchy
    April 21, 2026 17
  • 1980 Pontiac Phoenix 5-door hatch
    Bigger didn’t prove to be better for General Motors in late-70s and 80s
    April 17, 2026 39
  • 1963 Ford Galaxie
    Might Detroit have embraced front-wheel drive earlier if McNamara had stayed at Ford?
    April 16, 2026 7
  • Cheap dealer car
    How much do Trump policies have to hurt auto industry before it supports Dems?
    April 14, 2026 19
  • 1975 Ford Thunderbird
    Ford design in the 1970s was a real step down from the previous decade
    April 10, 2026 24
  • 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
    The sad story about buying a 1981 Monte Carlo right out of college
    April 9, 2026 2
  • Why the 1968-69 Javelin was not Richard Teague’s best AMC sporty coupe
    April 6, 2026 9
  • Mitsubishi dealer in Spokane
    Indie Auto is moving — although you may barely notice
    April 8, 2026 4
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 136
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