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HomeFord Motor Co.

Ford Motor Co.

Data Dive

Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?

May 26, 2026 Steve 1

(EXPANDED FROM 12/31/2023) A few years ago FS complained that our article on the 1963 Rambler Classic was “poorly researched.” This strikes me as an important — if nerdy — debate, so let’s drill down. […]

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza
Links

Motor Trend asked former car designers to offer frank views on the 1961 models

May 19, 2026 Steve 6

(UPDATED FROM 8/28/2024) Motor Trend had an intriguing article in its December 1960 issue. Former designers supposedly gave their “frank opinions of what is right and wrong with all of the 1961 cars” (1960, p. […]

1966 Mercury Colony Park rear quarter
Design Notes

1966 Mercury Colony Park wagon was an unsung bright spot for the brand

May 11, 2026 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 10/7/2022) Mercury’s Colony Park never got much attention, but it saw steadily increasing sales through the second half of the 1960s. For example, in 1966 almost 19,000 of the top-of-line Mercury wagons were […]

1980 Pontiac Phoenix 5-door hatch
Data Dive

Bigger didn’t prove to be better for General Motors in late-70s and 80s

April 17, 2026 Steve 44

(UPDATED FROM 12/30/2022) A few years ago we had a debate in a comment thread about the importance of scale in the U.S. auto industry (go here). I thought I would add another layer to […]

1963 Ford Galaxie
Links

Might Detroit have embraced front-wheel drive earlier if McNamara had stayed at Ford?

April 16, 2026 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 1/16/2024) The Chrysler Corporation’s decision to shrink its big Plymouth and Dodge for 1962 occurred at a tumultuous time — the U.S. auto industry was reportedly considering even more dramatic changes due to […]

1975 Ford Thunderbird
Design Notes

Ford design in the 1970s was a real step down from the previous decade

April 10, 2026 Steve 25

In a comment thread we have been debating Ford design in the 1970s (go here). That sparked me to think in greater depth about how that automaker’s styling chops were a real step down from […]

Data Dive

U.S. auto industry challenged by dramatic societal changes in postwar era

March 26, 2026 Steve 9

(UPDATED FROM 1/25/2024) A few years ago Indie Auto reader Constant Reader suggested in the “Story Ideas Bank” the following scenario: “You’re 25 & just bought your first new Chevy, at what ages and which […]

Readings

Thomas Bonsall’s Edsel book is nuanced but suffers from groupthink

March 17, 2026 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 9/27/2021) Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel is paradoxical. On the one hand, this is a serious history book. That’s the opposite of so many of the coffee table books that […]

Design Notes

Ford gets back into the mid-sized game with redesigned 1966 Fairlane

March 13, 2026 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 11/15/2023) Even though Ford came out with one of the first mid-sized cars in 1962, only three years later it was pummeled by General Motors and Chrysler. In 1965 even American Motors’ mid-sized […]

1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
History

Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?

March 5, 2026 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 2/14/2024) This is one of Indie Auto’s more hotly debated stories. Here I question Paul Niedermeyer’s (2024) contention that the 1966-67 Cutlass Supreme brought the “Great Brougham Epoch” to the mid-sized field. “With […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 … 26 »
  • 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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