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How selling the 1977 Plymouth Gran Fury tried a man’s soul
Even when Daryl Bates was old and near death, he still vividly remembered that moment in 1976. Back then he was a pretty optimistic person, but this time he simply couldn’t shake off his funk. […]
Multimedia
What’s been lost as car drivers have become more insulated from outside
(EXPANDED FROM 5/21/2024) A drive through a lovely rural area in Oregon reminded me of a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial from decades ago. The spot did an unusually good job of showing the sensuousness of driving. […]
Quotes
Thomas Bonsall defended the 1958 Edsel against Consumer Reports
The late Thomas E. Bonsall was one of the better American automotive historians, but some of his takes could be rather “old-school.” For example, in his book about the Edsel, he concluded that the 1958 […]
Multimedia
Satire of a 1960 VW ad essentially mimics marketing for U.S. compacts
(EXPANDED FROM 3/20/2023) Back in 1963, advertising executive Fred Manley presented a slide show parody about how to improve Volkswagen’s legendary “Think small” ad. The “best practices” he presented look hilariously misguided when applied to […]
Readings
This book can take you back to the 1960s through the lens of VW ads
(EXPANDED FROM 6/19/2020) If I may be honest, a goodly portion of the auto history books on my bookshelf aren’t very good. Many amount to little more than pom-pom waving for a given automaker. Most […]
Data Dive
1968 full-sized Mercury: A pioneer of brougham was overshadowed
(EXPANDED FROM 12/8/2023) One of my lingering questions from a Collectible Automobile story about the Mercury Park Lane was why it didn’t sell better in 1968 (Biel, 2021). This was arguably the first year that […]
Quotes
Brooks Stevens’s rejection of brand continuity was bad for small automakers
Brooks Stevens was a complicated character. For example, he championed ultra-simple car designs but also coined the term “planned obsolescence” to describe an industrial designer’s mission (Adamson, 2003; p. 129). One way that played out […]
Current Events
EVs need a George Romney to champion them in the next few years
With the Republicans likely to slash support for electric vehicles at every turn (Ferry, 2025), automakers will need to work much harder to market their wares in the next few years. What would be particularly […]
History
Did the 1956 Packard Executive represent a strategic shift?
(EXPANDED FROM 2/1/2022) Back in 2021 Patrick Foster suggested that a 1956 1/2 Packard model called the Executive could have “saved” the brand if it had been introduced a year or so earlier. In contrast, […]