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HomeRambler

Rambler

Design Notes

How would a facelifted Hudson have fared in 1955?

February 24, 2022 Steve 13

(EXPANDED FROM 1/2/2021) Hudson as been a popular topic with readers this week so I have expanded a story that takes a different angle: What might have happened if Hudson had managed to remain an […]

1960 VW versus US compact car ads
Multimedia

Satire of a 1960 VW ad essentially mimics marketing for U.S. compacts

January 17, 2022 Steve 2

(UPDATED 3/20/2023) Back in 1963, advertising executive Fred Manley presented a slide show parody about how to improve Volkswagen’s legendary “Think small” ad. The “best practices” he presented look hilariously misguided when applied to this […]

1965 Ford Mustang rear quarter
History

What is the right size for a Ford Mustang?

January 14, 2022 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 10/9/2020) Did Ford deviate too much from the original Ford Mustang’s size before finally getting it right once again in 2005? That year was pivotal because it was the first time in a quarter […]

1965 Rambler American 440H
Letters to the Editor

AMC’s Roy Abernethy should have invested more in mid-sized cars

January 12, 2022 Steve 13

CJ recently wrote an exceptionally thoughtful comment that I would like to highlight on the front page as a letter to the editor. This missive was in response to the story, “Historians differ on origins […]

1965 Rambler Marlin ad
History

Historians differ on origins of 1965 Rambler Marlin

January 5, 2022 Steve 14

(EXPANDED FROM 8/14/2019) Histories about the 1965 Rambler Marlin’s origins illustrate how seemingly basic facts can be difficult to nail down. Differences of opinion linger over when and why the Marlin was developed as well […]

1959 Lincoln Continental
Auto Paedia

‘Lower! Longer! Wider!’ fixation of US automakers left opening for imports

September 22, 2021 Steve 13

(EXPANDED 10/24/2022) “Lower, longer, wider” was the domestic automakers’ dominant design approach until they were forced to downsize their fleet in the late-1970s due to federal fuel-economy standards. Since that time automakers have at least […]

1965 Rambler Marlin
Ad Nauseam

1965 Rambler Marlin is the car for swinging threesomes

June 22, 2021 Steve 1
1967 Rambler Rebel SST convertible
History

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

June 11, 2021 Steve 14

Would American Motors have continued to be successful in the second-half of the 1960s if George Romney had stuck around? He stepped down as CEO in 1962 to successfully run for governor of Michigan. This […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Parisienne
Media Analysis

Popular Science’s predictions for 1967 cars weren’t always on target

May 19, 2021 Steve 2

The July 1966 issue of Popular Science breathlessly predicted what U.S. automakers had planned for the next model year. Even though introductions were only a few months away, a surprising number of the magazine’s predictions […]

Quotes
Quotes

Art Railton: 1960 compacts prove ‘vitality’ of U.S. automakers

May 10, 2021 Steve 0

“Proud, that’s what the industry is — proud of itself. And with reason. It proved its vitality, its flexibility. It proved that it responds to public demand, after all. Sure, there was a period of […]

Posts pagination

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  • A sad reason bridges aren’t just used for driving over
    June 15, 2025 0
  • 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
  • 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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