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HomePopular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

1968 Imperial Crown Coupe
Gallery

Why did the 1968 Imperial sell so poorly in a booming market?

October 4, 2024 Steve 14

The domestic luxury-car field saw output rise by a healthy 11 percent in 1968, but the Imperial went in the opposite direction — down by almost 13 points. At least on paper, the Imperial should […]

1949 Plymouth
Data Dive

Were the 1949 Chryslers to blame for the automaker losing the No. 2 spot to Ford?

September 19, 2024 Steve 34

Paul Niedermeyer (2024) recently commented that the “new 1949 Chrysler Corp. line has to be seen as a failure inasmuch as Ford regained the #2 spot, and never looked back. Excellent cars, but not what […]

1975 AMC Pacer X
Links

Popular Mechanics gives AMC one last chance to spin the Pacer before its launch

August 2, 2024 Steve 4

The January 1975 issue of Popular Mechanics offered a breathless peek at a new generation of smaller cars that would supposedly be “big on the inside but small outside.” Although the story included sketches of […]

1950 Studebaker
Links

Bullet-nosed 1950 Studebaker was called futuristic when it was introduced

February 12, 2024 Steve 2

Last month Indie Auto made fun of articles written with artificial intelligence by running a fake piece about the 1950 Studebaker (go here). The infamous bullet-nosed car deserves more attention than that, so let’s take […]

1941 Plymouth and Nov. 1940 Popular Mechanics cover
History

George Walker predicted in 1940 a space-age version of a 1960s camper van

June 1, 2023 Steve 4

The November 1940 issue of Popular Mechanics included a major article — replete with color photos! — about the just-introduced 1941 car models. However, Detroit’s latest wares were overshadowed by a cover story about the […]

1967 Ramber Rebel SST two-door hardtop
Media Analysis

Five questions about Aaron Severson’s take on American Motors

April 7, 2023 Steve 3

Ate Up With Motor’s Aaron Severson (2023) stopped by Curbside Classic last week to post an epic series of comments about American Motors. The thing that most struck me about his 11 comments — which […]

1983 Ford Thunderbird
Media Analysis

How accurate were Popular Mechanics’ predictions about 1980s cars?

March 16, 2023 Steve 3

For its September 1975 issue, Popular Mechanics’ Detroit Editor Robert Lund asked executives from each of the Big Four U.S. automakers to predict what cars would be like in the decade ahead. Lund started off […]

1967 Dodge Charger
Media Analysis

Popular Mechanics published amusingly wrong predictions about 1968 cars

January 18, 2023 Steve 1

The June 1967 issue of Popular Mechanics may have been published only a few months prior to the beginning of the 1968 model year for U.S. cars, but it had a few amusingly wrong predictions. […]

1953 Nash Rambler Country Club 2-door hardtop
Quotes

1953 Popular Mechanics: Will U.S. cars get any smaller or bigger?

September 13, 2022 Steve 2

For the February 1953 issue of Popular Mechanics, Automotive Editor Arthur R. Railton and Detroit Automotive Correspondent Siler Freeman interviewed three American engineers and designers after they returned from European auto shows. The following quotes […]

1963 Plymouth Fury 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Did 1963 ‘size shakeout’ really return US automakers to normalcy?

June 15, 2022 Steve 1

“For the past three model years, the industry has been tossing trial balloons at the American car buyer in an effort to determine ‘how small is compact?’ or, in other terms, what sizes of automobiles […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 1964 Studebaker Challenger
    Brooks Stevens’s rejection of brand continuity was bad for small automakers
    June 14, 2025 0
  • EVs need a George Romney to champion them in the next few years
    June 13, 2025 16
  • 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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