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Design
Gallery
1960 Mercury took the wide look to an extreme
I am still practicing how to use my new photo-editing software, so here are a few images that illustrate an interesting moment in U.S. automobile design: This 1960 Mercury may be the most extreme example […]
Media Analysis
Bob Nixon interview left questions about 1974 AMC Matador and 1965 Marlin
(EXPANDED FROM 10/4/2014) We have previously critiqued American Motors designer Bob Nixon’s recollections about the Pacer (go here). Now let’s discuss his take on the 1974 Matador and 1965 Marlin. This portion of his Collectible […]
Readings
‘Industrial Strength Design’ offers lush but shaky take on Brooks Stevens
(EXPANDED FROM 6/14/2023) For good or ill, Brooks Stevens was one of the most influential independent U.S. auto design consultants of the postwar era. Despite some shaky analysis and factual lapses, the best book about […]
Gallery
The Stout Scarab didn’t just anticipate the modern minivan
(EXPANDED FROM JUNE 2, 2023) Histories about the Stout Scarab tend to emphasize that it was the first production minivan (Peek, 2021; Wikipedia, 2023). However, this innovative 1930s car strikes me as also being the […]
Design Notes
Richard Teague’s styling helped to kill American Motors
(EXPANDED FROM 3/19/2021) This story has received more reader pushback than almost any other single piece that I have published in Indie Auto. Even so, I think that it epitomizes what this blog is all […]
Media Analysis
Did Oldsmobile revolutionize the car industry?
(EXPANDED FROM 10/31/2022) The automotive media tends to treat orphaned American brands with extra enthusiastic pom-pom waving. An example of the genre is Mark J. McCourt’s (2020) Hemmings article about Oldsmobile. He breathlessly insisted that […]
Gallery
1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda had a jump-the-shark quality
I just finished transferring my photo collection to a new program, so I thought I would play around with the controls. What better way to do it than by editing pictures of a 1970 Plymouth […]
Design Notes
Ford did better than Chrysler in differentiating its 1970s mid-sized coupes
(EXPANDED FROM 5/14/2021) A few years ago CJ and Geeber commented that the 1975 Dodge Charger would have worked better if it had been given the more distinctive design of the 1978 Magnum XE. That’s […]
Letters to the Editor
Reader says new ‘jaGuar’ elevates ‘everyday items’ as works of art
Indie Auto reader MB sent in a letter to the editor in response to our story, “Jaguar Type 00’s design masterfully cures Great Britain’s industrial disease.” Yes, I agree that the new jaGuar design is […]