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HomeOral history

Oral history

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Links

Stan Mott’s life of creative risk taking could get you thinking

March 31, 2022 Steve 4

Dean’s Garage has posted an autobiographical essay by Stan Mott (2022) in the wake of his recent death at the age of 89. His story illustrates how the creative spirit that draws designers to the […]

1977 Cadillac Eldorado interior
Quotes

Retired GM designer mused about gender and penny-pinching

February 2, 2022 Steve 0

“What distressed most of us was that we could never be identified as just designers. We were always the ‘la femmes,’ or we were the female designers, and that — we were designers, and men […]

Quotes

John Najjar on how the 1958 Lincoln and Continental were designed

January 26, 2022 Steve 5

“Our mission with Ben Mills [division general manager] and Will Scott [division plant planner] was to develop a 1958 Lincoln. Then, in that era, bigger is better, longer is better, wider is better, shock the […]

Quotes

Virgil Exner Jr. on his father’s approach to tailfins

December 28, 2021 Steve 0

“He liked the cleanliness of the idea. He liked the aerodyna­mics of the idea, and in his mind they were genuinely aerodynamic. Later on, Chrysler proved that in wind tunnel tests. They ran cross-wind tests […]

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

Robert Bourke: Studebaker V8 ‘was a catastrophe’

January 8, 2021 Steve 1

“. . . 1950/’51 — was the first time that Studebaker had a V-8 engine, and it was a catastrophe. They had a terrible time. They kept eating up camshafts and millions of dollars. Studebaker never […]

Quotes
Quotes

You didn’t mess with spy photographer Jim Dunne

August 25, 2019 Steve 0

“’He could be really helpful, but he could also be hyper-competitive,’ added John McElroy, who often had Dunne on his TV show, Autoline:Detroit. ‘He was hyper-competitive and never wanted anyone muscling in on his gig,’ […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2
  • 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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