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HomeDesign excesses

Design excesses

1963 Rambler American 2-door hardtop closeup
Design Notes

1961-63 Rambler American: Would it have been better without a restyling?

February 21, 2023 Steve 13

Paul Niedermeyer (2023) recently suggested that the 1961 Rambler American’s “two-box” styling “just doesn’t work for me.” That makes sense. The newly reskinned car represented one of the most extreme — and awkward — examples […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: 2024 Highlander meets growing expectations for SUVs

February 11, 2023 Steve 0
1938 Graham sharknose front
Fake Design

The 1938-40 Graham didn’t just fail because of ‘sharknose’ styling

February 10, 2023 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 1/15/2021) The 1938-40 Graham is a popular topic in the auto history media because of the car’s infamous “sharknose” styling. What gets little, if any, attention is that even if the design had […]

1966 Studebaker Sceptre taillights
Media Analysis

Accounts of Brooks Stevens’s Studebaker Sceptre and siblings can vary

February 3, 2023 Steve 13

Dean’s Garage has reposted a Hemmings story about a number of proposed Studebakers designed by Brooks Stevens. Daniel Strohl (2023) primarily focused on the Sceptre, a replacement for the ancient Hawk. I find the photographs […]

1955 Packard 400 taillight
Letters to the Editor

Reader offers his perspective on why Packard died

January 26, 2023 Steve 8

Indie Auto has received a pair of comments from a reader we will call D.B. His first comment was in response to our story, “The 1955 Packard’s styling was an evolutionary dead end.” D.B.’s second […]

1956 Lincoln
Design Notes

The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder

January 6, 2023 Steve 17

The 1956 Lincoln was one of the brand’s most-important postwar cars. Almost 54,000 cars left the factory — an all-time record not broken until 1966. The Ford Motor Company was clearly intending to make a […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Collectible Cars: If you had to choose one?

December 9, 2022 Steve 0
2020 GMC pickup
Quotes

Designer of 2020 GMC Sierra HD strived for a ‘pissed-off feel’

November 28, 2022 Steve 2

“I already had an idea of what I wanted to convey. A lot of inspirations were locomotives, really high-end and futuristic military equipment, NASA, and really high-tech objects. . . . The front end was […]

2013 Infiniti Q50 headlight
Design Notes

2013 Infiniti G50: How to overdo a promising design

November 7, 2022 Steve 3

(EXPANDED FROM 3/29/2016) Nissan Motor Company has had bursts of design brilliance. For example, the 2007-2013 Infiniti G-series sedans were downright elegant in their subtlety (Wikipedia, 2022a). Alas, when it was time for an updated […]

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Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: Luxury brands race to enter promising new market

October 21, 2022 Steve 0

Posts pagination

« 1 … 12 13 14 … 20 »
  • Why did American Motors fire Wells Rich and Greene in 1972?
    March 6, 2026 6
  • 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
    Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?
    March 5, 2026 21
  • 1976 Plymouth Volare 2-door coupe
    Splashy new cars often were the biggest disasters during the postwar period
    March 3, 2026 1
  • Reader questions Chrysler’s future as it passes 100th anniversary
    March 2, 2026 13
  • 1968 Chevrolet C10 pickup
    Was the 1967-68 Chevrolet C10 the ‘first modern pickup’?
    February 27, 2026 7
  • 1941 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
    1941 Studebaker Commander: Ending its big cars on a high note
    February 26, 2026 11
  • 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk front with hood open
    Four lingering questions about Aaron Severson’s take on the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
    February 20, 2026 6
  • Thank yous, power outages and format changes
    October 31, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 134
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