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HomeMid-sized cars

Mid-sized cars

Data Dive

Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?

May 26, 2026 Steve 1

(EXPANDED FROM 12/31/2023) A few years ago FS complained that our article on the 1963 Rambler Classic was “poorly researched.” This strikes me as an important — if nerdy — debate, so let’s drill down. […]

1962 Plymouth
History

1962-64 Plymouth: The odd case of prescience interruptus

May 9, 2026 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 8/25/2023) The 1962-64 Plymouth is one of the most prescient U.S. cars of the 1960s. Aside from the 1953 Plymouth, the 1962 redesign represented the first serious effort by a Big Three automaker […]

1963 Ford Galaxie
Links

Might Detroit have embraced front-wheel drive earlier if McNamara had stayed at Ford?

April 16, 2026 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 1/16/2024) The Chrysler Corporation’s decision to shrink its big Plymouth and Dodge for 1962 occurred at a tumultuous time — the U.S. auto industry was reportedly considering even more dramatic changes due to […]

Design Notes

Ford gets back into the mid-sized game with redesigned 1966 Fairlane

March 13, 2026 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 11/15/2023) Even though Ford came out with one of the first mid-sized cars in 1962, only three years later it was pummeled by General Motors and Chrysler. In 1965 even American Motors’ mid-sized […]

1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
History

Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?

March 5, 2026 Steve 23

(EXPANDED FROM 2/14/2024) This is one of Indie Auto’s more hotly debated stories. Here I question Paul Niedermeyer’s (2024) contention that the 1966-67 Cutlass Supreme brought the “Great Brougham Epoch” to the mid-sized field. “With […]

1975 AMC Pacer
The Best of Indie Auto

Seven mistakes that killed the AMC Pacer — and American Motors

January 9, 2026 Steve 45

(EXPANDED FROM 9/8/2023) The 1975-80 AMC Pacer may have been a memorable car, but it was also a key factor in American Motors’ demise as an independent automaker. What’s particularly tragic is that the Pacer’s […]

1963 Ford lineup
Links

In 1959 Road & Track predicted front-wheel-drive big cars within a few years

January 5, 2026 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 12/19/2023) The November 1959 issue of Road & Track made bold predictions about what would come next after a wave of new compact cars. “Detroit Beat” writer Don Mac Donald stated that “Detroit, […]

1980 Ford Fairmont
Literature

1980 Ford Fairmont emphasized cheap practicality to compete with GM’s X-cars

December 9, 2025 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 10/4/2023) The Ford Fairmont had sold well in its first two years but in 1980 was confronted by formidable new competition — Chevrolet’s Citation. If this were still the good old days we […]

1970 Pontiac GTO
Links

Motor Trend gushes about the 1970 Pontiac GTO — right before it tanks

December 5, 2025 Steve 5

(UPDATED FROM 12/4/2023) Nineteen-seventy would be disastrous for the Pontiac GTO, but you’d never guess that from a Motor Trend article at the beginning of the model year. Indeed, Bill Sanders wrote that Pontiac’s muscle […]

1951 Kaiser hood ornament
Design Notes

The redesigned 1951 Kaiser was not quite anatomically correct

December 4, 2025 Steve 13

(EXPANDED FROM 4/20/2023) The 1951 Kaiser was trumpeted as having “anatomic design” — that is, it was made to fit the needs of the human anatomy. Although the car’s unusually taunt body had some aesthetic […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 10 »
  • 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 12
  • 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
  • 1976 Tatra T-613
    Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s
    May 22, 2026 12
  • 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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