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HomeFeatured

Featured

1978 Chevrolet Opala SS
Letters to the Editor

U.S. automakers adapted to Brazilian market car designs from elsewhere

December 5, 2023 Steve 2

CP sent in the following letter, which may have been in response to our story, “Brazilian Volkswagens show automaker’s struggle for a post-Beetle look.” I have been following the Brazilian car scene for a few […]

1973 Buick Century
Letters to the Editor

1973 Buick Century looked better than Olds Cutlass

October 26, 2023 Steve 5

DB stopped by to offer a response to our story, “1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme: Monument to a fading dream.” There was no downsizing which hindsight would have been the right direction. I have owned three […]

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 […]

1958 Studebaker front
Letters to the Editor

1958 Studebaker’s styling was ‘quite in line’ with the Big Three’s

September 27, 2022 Steve 19

Peter recently submitted a comment that took to task our article, “1958 Studebaker: Honesty is the best policy.” One part of his critique was that I “mis-quoted facts.” I strive to be accurate — particularly […]

1966 Chevrolet Corvair
Fake Design

1965-69 Chevrolet Corvair: What if it had a front-engined companion?

September 3, 2021 Steve 16

(UPDATED ON 10/14/22) The second-generation Chevrolet Corvair was one of the best cars General Motors has ever built. Its styling was exceptionally clean for the mid-60s, which were dominated by fussy gingerbread designs. Meanwhile, the […]

Railroad crossing through dirty window in C major
Current Events

Auto media largely ignore ‘code red’ IPCC climate change report

August 12, 2021 Steve 0

Few auto media outlets have acknowledged the most important climate change news in a number of years. Last Monday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021a) came out with its first major report since 2014. […]

1953 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
History

Five (arguably) unresolved mysteries of postwar independent automakers

April 2, 2021 Steve 24

(EXPANDED ON 1/27/2023) Many books, magazine articles and blog posts have been written about the independent automakers’ struggle to survive in the 1950s. Even so, I have come across a number of unresolved mysteries relevant […]

1963 Rambler wagon
Auto Paedia

Counterfactuals and whether AMC had a chance of survival

February 5, 2021 Steve 4

(UPATED 3/9/2023) A few years ago Lotus Rebel (2021) drew upon our AMC Pacer story to suggest alternative approaches for that car’s design in a comment at Ate Up With Motor. That website’s publisher, Aaron […]

1970 Buick Riviera
Links

Dean’s Garage: An insider’s look at car design that steers clear of Detroit’s fall

August 21, 2020 Steve 0

(UPDATED 10/30/2022) Dean’s Garage draws together car designers to discuss their craft. The website has tended to focus on U.S. automakers during the post-war era. Publisher Gary Dean Smith was part of General Motors’ design […]

Readings

‘The Reckoning’ still ranks as one of the all-time-best auto history books

April 6, 2013 Steve 1

(EXPANDED ON 8/11/2022) I would rank David Halberstam’s The Reckoning as one of the top automotive histories of the last 50 years. The book was published in 1986 but still provides one of the most […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3
  • 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 12
  • 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
  • 1961 De Soto
    Video histories of DeSoto and American Motors aren’t as good as books
    February 24, 2026 3
  • 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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