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HomePlymouth

Plymouth

1967 Plymouth VIP two-door hardtop
History

1966-69 VIP: Why Plymouth couldn’t sell brougham

March 7, 2023 Steve 7

(EXPANDED FROM 12/17/2021) At least on paper, the VIP luxury series suggested that Plymouth was keeping up with the Chevrolet Caprice and Ford LTD in the late-60s. However, the car’s terrible sales suggest that something […]

1967 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Custom
Data Dive

Langworth and Norbye made excuses for General Motors’ big-car fixation

February 27, 2023 Steve 4

While updating our 1971-78 Cadillac Eldorado story, I pulled down from my bookshelf The Complete History of General Motors: 1908-1986. This Consumer Guide book written by Richard M. Langworth and Jan P. Norbye (1986) threw […]

Media Analysis

David Burrell’s take on the downsized 1962 Dodge and Plymouth gets partway there

May 11, 2022 Steve 4

David Burrell of Retroautos has written one of the better overviews of the downsized 1962 Dodge and Plymouth, but he also displays some of the genre’s limitations. Unlike some other historical accounts, Burrell questioned the […]

1960 Studebaker Lark 4-door sedan
Media Analysis

1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?

March 21, 2022 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 4/2/2017) Richard M. Langworth has authored more auto histories than just about anyone. Yet he was strikingly humble when beginning to discuss the controversial topic of who was responsible for the 1947 Studebaker’s styling. “I am […]

1953-54ish Cadillac rear
Letters to the Editor

Buick, Olds and Cadillac hurt the independents in the early-50s

February 15, 2022 Steve 6

Geeber offers valuable additional layers of analysis to our story, “Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?” Thus, I’m elevating this comment to the front page. While the focus has […]

1960 Dodge Dart
Letters to the Editor

Chrysler’s dysfunctional dealer networks were rooted in early decisions

December 2, 2021 Steve 3

Geeber recently wrote one of the best overviews I have ever seen about why Chrysler’s dealer networks became so dysfunctional. His comment (below) was in response to, “Lynn Townsend failed to solve Chrysler’s warfare between […]

1967 Dodge Coronet 500
Letters to the Editor

Lynn Townsend failed to solve Chrysler’s warfare between divisions

November 23, 2021 Steve 4

Reader James E. Duvall offered a thoughtful take on our 1966-67 Chrysler B-Body story that deserves more prominence as a stand-alone letter. While I believe the Elwood Engel’s styling department was on-track and that Lynn […]

1977 Plymouth Gran Fury Brougham Classic fake ad
Ad Nauseam

1977 Plymouth Gran Fury Brougham Classic still thinks big

May 20, 2021 Steve 0
1971 Chrysler New Yorker
Fake Design

1969-71 Chrysler: An Exner idea fumbled again

April 9, 2021 Steve 18

(EXPANDED 8/3/2022) The 1969-71 Chrysler was an unfortunate example of a promising design that went sideways because of a few bad decisions. The Chrysler was exceptionally clean and purposeful for an American premium-priced car of […]

1958 Chevrolet headlight
Auto Paedia

Economies of scale: Finding the balance between too small and too big

January 15, 2021 Steve 0

The failure of individual automakers is invariably grounded in an inability to maintain adequate economies of scale. However, debates about what is the ideal shape of the American auto industry are heavily informed by competing […]

Posts pagination

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  • 1964 Studebaker Challenger
    Brooks Stevens’s rejection of brand continuity was bad for small automakers
    June 14, 2025 0
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  • Citroen SM
    Citroen SM: A surprisingly conventional next step
    June 12, 2025 5
  • 1936-37 Cord 810/812 tried to do too much at once
    June 11, 2025 10
  • 1963 Studebaker Daytona convertible
    Classic film shows human side of Studebaker’s end
    June 10, 2025 15
  • Once upon a time, car wheels were 36-to-42 inches in diameter
    June 9, 2025 5
  • Ram customized pickup
    What would you think if it was 1965 and you could magically see this truck?
    June 8, 2025 1
  • Brooks Stevens’s 1965 Studebaker Lark concept: Almost a baby Continental
    June 6, 2025 5
  • 1949 Packard Super Eight
    Packard kept a bigger foothold in the luxury-car field than commonly assumed
    June 5, 2025 9
  • Exner bio offers mostly positive take on controversial car designer
    Peter Grist views car designer Virgil Exner through rose-tinted glasses
    June 3, 2025 9
  • 1970 Mercury Cyclone
    1970 Mercury Montego had a last-of-the-wine quality
    June 2, 2025 2
  • A query, a thank you and an update on miscellaneous stuff
    April 4, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 124
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