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HomePatrick Foster

Patrick Foster

1957 Rambler Rebel
History

1957 Rambler Rebel was so close yet so far from legendary

December 16, 2025 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 6/27/2022) American Motors head George Romney may not have realized it at the time, but he was onto something when he okayed the 1957 Rambler Rebel for production. This would prove to be […]

1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Media Analysis

Could American Motors have survived if it ditched passenger cars for Jeeps?

July 18, 2025 Steve 8

In conjunction with his recent Public Broadcasting series on American Motors, Joe Ligo (2025) wrote a provocative article for Hagerty. He wondered whether AMC might have survived for at least a while longer if it […]

1967 Rambler Rebel SST convertible
History

Would AMC have done better if George Romney had stayed longer?

June 26, 2025 Steve 26

(EXPANDED FROM 6/11/2021) The comment thread in the previous post about George Romney (go here) has generated a robust discussion that deserves a substantive response. I thought the best way to do so would be […]

1969 International pickup
Design Notes

1969 International was too little, too late to save brand’s big-truck ambitions

June 24, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 5/12/2023) This post has received a burst of new attention, so I thought it would be a good time to expand it. I have argued what may not be very popular with fans […]

1960 Saab 93
Gallery

Why didn’t the Saab 93 catch on like the Volkswagen Beetle?

April 11, 2025 Steve 6

The Volkswagen Beetle was so popular in the United States during the 1960s that it can be viewed with an aura of inevitability. Even so, one could argue that the VW benefitted by being in […]

1971 AMC Ambassador
Data Dive

The 1967-74 AMC Ambassador didn’t measure up in roominess or quality

April 7, 2025 Steve 3

(EXPANDED FROM 10/15/2021) A lingering point of contention in the auto history media has been whether the last-generation AMC Ambassador had as much interior room as the Big Three’s full-sized cars. The short answer: Not […]

1966 AMC Ambassador DPL
Media Analysis

Motor Trend’s take on AMC’s decline shows limitations of auto punditry

March 13, 2025 Steve 3

The May 1966 issue of Motor Trend included an unusually long article about the woes of American Motors. The piece was written by Editor Donald Mac Donald, so presumably it displayed the magazine’s most sophisticated […]

Roy D. Chapin Jr.
Links

Roy D. Chapin Jr. oral history showed little self awareness about AMC tenure

February 17, 2025 Steve 1

Roy D. Chapin Jr. showed little self awareness when recounting his tenure as head of AMC from 1967-77. He participated in an oral history project sponsored by the Henry Ford museum. The Automobile in American […]

A Century of Automotive Style
Readings

Lamm and Holls’s ‘A Century of Automotive Style’ is epic but uneven

January 9, 2025 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 3/23/2023) A Century of Automotive Style was first published in 1996, so it is a fairly old auto history book. Nevertheless, I would rank it as important enough to be updated. I say […]

1963 Studebaker Lark Wagonaire
History

Could Studebaker have come out of the 1970s as successful as Jeep?

October 31, 2024 Steve 18

(EXPANDED FROM 4/23/2021) A few years ago our story on Brooks Stevens’s redesign of the 1964 Studebaker generated enough debate that I decided to further flesh out an alternative scenario. To wit, Studebaker would have […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 1954 Chevrolet was beginning of the end for GM’s brand hierarchy
    April 21, 2026 17
  • 1980 Pontiac Phoenix 5-door hatch
    Bigger didn’t prove to be better for General Motors in late-70s and 80s
    April 17, 2026 39
  • 1963 Ford Galaxie
    Might Detroit have embraced front-wheel drive earlier if McNamara had stayed at Ford?
    April 16, 2026 7
  • Cheap dealer car
    How much do Trump policies have to hurt auto industry before it supports Dems?
    April 14, 2026 19
  • 1975 Ford Thunderbird
    Ford design in the 1970s was a real step down from the previous decade
    April 10, 2026 24
  • 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
    The sad story about buying a 1981 Monte Carlo right out of college
    April 9, 2026 2
  • Why the 1968-69 Javelin was not Richard Teague’s best AMC sporty coupe
    April 6, 2026 9
  • Mitsubishi dealer in Spokane
    Indie Auto is moving — although you may barely notice
    April 8, 2026 4
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 136
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