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HomeFord

Ford

1952 Kaiser Henry J
Quotes

Why Ford rejected small cars in late-40s and early-50s

July 19, 2025 Steve 5

Debate within the Ford Motor Company about whether it should come out with a smaller, more economical car was discussed at a number of points in a corporate history by Allan Nevins and Frank Ernest […]

1999 Pontiac Firebird 30th Anniversary Trans Am
Design Notes

Obesity won even when it lost with pony cars

July 16, 2025 Steve 3

(EXPANDED FROM 9/16/2021) The failure of the fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro and Firebird wasn’t supposed to happen. General Motors’ F-body siblings had a much more modern — and arguably more stylish — design than their sole competitor, […]

1955 Studebaker President left rear close
Design Notes

1955 Studebaker President hardtop hints at a road not taken

July 14, 2025 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 11/3/2021) This may not be a very popular perspective, but I would suggest that the so-called Loewy coupes were at their best in 1955. Although the styling wasn’t as clean as the 1953-54 […]

1972 Buick Electra 225 2-door hardtop
Data Dive

Trajectory of top-end Buicks shows GM’s postwar strengths and weaknesses

June 30, 2025 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 12/15/2023) I don’t think one can fully understand why the 1963-65 Buick Riviera wasn’t as successful as commonly argued in automotive histories without considering its relationship to the Electra 225. So let’s do […]

1965 Ford Taunus P4
History

Was Ford right to kill the front-wheel-drive 1963 Cardinal/Redwing?

June 19, 2025 Steve 14

(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 […]

1970 Ford LTD
Data Dive

Was the decontented Ford LTD ‘essentially like an Impala’?

May 21, 2025 Steve 9

(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 […]

1971 Plymouth Valiant 4-door sedan
History

1971 Plymouth Valiant sedan impressed media more than buying public

May 12, 2025 Steve 7

(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 […]

1968 Datsun 510 4-door sedan
Data Dive

Four-door subcompacts were not exotic in late-60s and early-70s

March 26, 2025 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 8/3/2023) The rise of the four-door subcompact generated a robust debate at Indie Auto a few years ago (go here), so I did a data dive to bring some facts to the table. […]

2025 BMW XM front left
Links

How long will automotive styling be dominated by brutalism?

March 18, 2025 Steve 15

Question-of-the-day features tend to be vapid, so I usually ignore them. However, I must admit to getting drawn into a Jalopnik query about what are the ugliest cars on the market today (Bellwood, 2025). The […]

1967 Pontiac Tempest Custom Sprint
Data Dive

Ford got crushed in 1960s mid-sized field despite early entrance

March 7, 2025 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 3/31/2023) Compacts and personal coupes generated an outsized amount of media attention during the 1960s, but the most important emerging market segment turned out to be mid-sized cars. Sales rose steadily to the […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 3 4 5 … 12 »
  • 1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
    Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
    July 17, 2026 8
  • 1956 Lincoln
    The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
    July 17, 2026 18
  • 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
    1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
    July 14, 2026 6
  • 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado
    Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?
    July 10, 2026 16
  • J. 'Kelly' Flory Jr.
    J. ‘Kelly’ Flory Jr.’s American Cars series is pricey but valuable
    July 10, 2026 4
  • 1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
    1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations
    July 7, 2026 10
  • Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
    June 25, 2026 5
  • 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 141
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