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HomeIndependent automakers

Independent automakers

1936 Terraplane
Letters to the Editor

Did Great Depression, path dependency color independents’ postwar choices?

September 27, 2023 Steve 0

DECG50 offered an intriguing response to our article, “Did early-postwar independent automakers try too hard to be different?” I’m front-paging the comment to give it wider attention. I wonder if the lingering effects of the depression […]

1953-54ish Cadillac rear
Letters to the Editor

Buick, Olds and Cadillac hurt the independents in the early-50s

February 15, 2022 Steve 6

Geeber offers valuable additional layers of analysis to our story, “Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?” Thus, I’m elevating this comment to the front page. While the focus has […]

Kestner homestead abandoned truck
Auto Paedia

Antitrust regulations: Lack of enforcement fueled U.S. industry’s decline

December 15, 2021 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 1/1/2019) Antitrust regulations in the United States were created in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Their goal was to support free competition in an era of increasingly large corporations — some of whom […]

Saab 99
History

Saab 99/900: The box that crushed a carmaker

October 29, 2021 Steve 25

(UPDATED FROM 6/26/2020) The Saab 99/900 proved to be the box that crushed the tiny Swedish carmaker. I grant you that this platform was hardly an immediate failure. Even so, the design of the 99 […]

1955 Studebaker President two-door hardtop
Media Analysis

Comments about ‘grand merger’ of independents show value of dialogue

August 11, 2021 Steve 0

One of the things I most appreciate about Curbside Classic are the comments. As a case in point, a recently reposted article about the 1957 Nash Ambassador had a lengthy exchange from 2015 regarding a […]

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 […]

Quotes
Quotes

James Ward: How Packard rejected a merger proposal from AMC

April 2, 2021 Steve 0

“George Mason’s invitation to Packard to join AMC was lost in Packard’s and Studebaker’s rush to embrace. Mason knew about the negotiations, but gamely showed up at East Grand to make a formal presentation to […]

Quotes
Quotes

Car and Driver: Rambler was a ‘dreary’ protest car

March 12, 2021 Steve 0

“This nation’s car market has always supported a handful of what seem to be ‘protest cars.’ There were a lot more of them before World War II, but the post-war era has had it share: […]

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 […]

1964 Studebaker logo
Auto Paedia

Auto industry consolidation: Putting profits ahead of robust competition

May 1, 2019 Steve 1

The necessity of industry consolidation has long been a popular idea among auto executives and pundits. The basic argument has been that the automotive industry — both in the U.S. as well as globally — […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 »
  • 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
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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