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Data Dive
General Motors’ premium-priced brands illustrate the decline of big cars
(EXPANDED FROM 1/24/2024) Last year Paul Niedermeyer (2024a) discussed the decline of premium-priced big cars in the late-1950s. One of the points of contention in the comment thread was the degree to which these cars […]
History
Was Ford right to kill the front-wheel-drive 1963 Cardinal/Redwing?
(EXPANDED FROM 6/30/2023) Did Ford make the right move by pulling the plug on a U.S.-built subcompact slated to be introduced in the fall of 1962? The car, initially called the Cardinal but later renamed […]
Data Dive
Packard kept a bigger foothold in the luxury-car field than commonly assumed
Our discussion in the comment thread about the 1956 Packard Executive story all but inevitably brought up one of the most common criticisms of the automaker’s management — that it did not do enough in […]
Current Events
Laurence Iliff’s Automotive News story on EV truck sales lacks nuance and balance
Automotive News recently asked why electric-powered trucks have sold in much smaller numbers than initial hype promised. Reporter Laurence Iliff (2025) offered some background before concluding that high prices and inadequate range have limited EV […]
Drive-By Musings
1970 Mercury Montego had a last-of-the-wine quality
In a number of respects the 1970 Mercury Montego exuded a last-of-the-wine vibe. For one thing, it was the final reskinning of the mid-sized platform that the Ford Motor Company introduced in 1962. Let’s just […]
Design Notes
1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser is a monument to Ford’s failed ambitions
(EXPANDED FROM 4/8/2022) The Edsel and Lincoln were the Ford Motor Company’s most visible failures of the late-50s, but the Mercury was also an embarrassment. The ill-fated Turnpike Cruiser epitomized both the promise and futility […]
Data Dive
Was the decontented Ford LTD ‘essentially like an Impala’?
(EXPANDED FROM 8/29/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic’s Paul Niedermeyer stopped by to critique our story, “1969 Ford LTD attacked GM’s hierarchy of brands in multiple ways.” He repeated the following quote from the […]
History
1971 Plymouth Valiant sedan impressed media more than buying public
(EXPANDED FROM 3/27/2023) A Popular Science road test ranked the 1971 Plymouth Valiant four-door sedan above its newest rivals among the low-priced brands — the Ford Maverick and AMC Hornet (Norbye and Dunne, 1971). That […]
History
The ‘compact’ 1961-63 Cadillac that went nowhere
(EXPANDED FROM 12/16/2022) One of the more popular comments about previous versions of this story has been that the 1961-63 “compact” Cadillac failed because it looked out of proportion. It was basically a regular Cadillac […]