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HomeJames Nance

James Nance

1958 Lincoln
History

1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game

June 2, 2026 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 11/10/2023) The Edsel is generally pointed to as the Ford Motor Company’s biggest post-war flop, but the 1958-60 Lincoln deserves a consolation prize. This car represents the disastrous final phase of Ford’s no-holds-barred […]

Links

Ralph Kalal’s take on Packard raises useful questions but can be dogmatic

October 3, 2025 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 3/15/2024) Ralph Kalal’s articles on Packard history have had a boomlet of interest among Indie Auto readers, so now could be a good time to expand on a review I wrote last year. […]

1955 Packard hood
Design Notes

1955 Packard styling too closely copied Cadillac’s to rebuild its cachet

September 24, 2025 Steve 35

(EXPANDED FROM 1/20/2023) This essay has generated more blowback than almost any other post at Indie Auto. In a way I find that surprising because it makes what strikes me as a fairly mundane point: […]

1954 Packard Clipper
History

1954 Packard Clipper: The car that ended the automaker’s independence

April 9, 2025 Steve 69

(EXPANDED FROM 7/15/2022) I can’t usually tell in advance whether an article will hit a nerve. As a case in point, I didn’t think this one about the 1954 Packard Clipper would generate much notice. […]

1956 Packard plant
Literature

1956 Packard booklet hints at how James Nance got too big for his britches

March 24, 2025 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 11/1/2021) A 1956 Packard booklet hints at how its head James Nance got too big for his britches. A marketing piece titled, “Story of a Living Legend and the world in which it […]

1955 Nash
History

Would American Motors under George Mason have done more poorly in the late-50s?

April 9, 2024 Steve 3

Kim in Lanark makes a useful point in arguing that if American Motors had “kept the Nash and Hudson nameplates any longer, the AMC executives could drive their 1959 Nashes and Hudsons to bankruptcy court.” […]

1934 Packard ad
Letters to the Editor

How Packard’s trajectory in the 1910s and 1920s impacted its postwar decline

March 11, 2024 Steve 1

Over the last few days we’ve had a mini-seminar on Packard’s decline in the comment thread of the story, “1956 Packard booklet hints at how James Nance got too big for his britches.” Geeber took […]

1956 Hudson
Media Analysis

Curbside Classic commentators tease out undiscussed aspects of 1950s independents

January 4, 2024 Steve 5

One of the best parts of Curbside Classic is the comment section. For example, a story about the 1961 Studebaker Lark had a wide-ranging discussion about why why American Motors did better than Studebaker-Packard in […]

1956 Continental Mark II
History

Who were the five worst leaders of postwar U.S. automakers?

October 6, 2023 Steve 38

(UPDATED FROM 5/7/2021) Warren Buffett has argued that the Number 1 problem a company can face is choosing the wrong chief executive officer. Buffett, who is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has said that over the […]

1959 Oldsmobile
Current Events

Will history repeat itself by punishing automakers for their big SUV binge?

February 1, 2023 Steve 15

It’s an old trick in the U.S. auto industry to blame consumers for bad corporate behavior. Automotive News (2022) recently lent a helping hand by playing the victim card to justify the lack of improvement […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 6
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 15
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 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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  • Steve on 1950-51 Studebaker was ‘pinnacle of postwar styling’ that could have saved automaker
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