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HomeRichard M. Langworth

Richard M. Langworth

1954 Ford ad
Data Dive

Was the ‘Ford blitz’ to blame for the collapse of independent automakers?

October 2, 2025 Steve 40

(UPDATED FROM 10/28/2022) If I had to pick a favorite Indie Auto story, this one would be in my top five. It is one of the longest pieces I have written — roughly 4,600 words […]

1955.5 Studebaker President 4-door sedan
Gallery

1955 1/2 Studebaker President struggles to keep up with competition

September 26, 2025 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 9/6/2023) The Studebaker pictured above was a mid-year redesign intended to catch up with the Big Three, which at the beginning of the 1955 model year had largely switched to so-called “dog leg” […]

1959 Cadillac
Gallery

1959 Cadillac epitomized what was wrong with U.S. car styling

September 16, 2025 Steve 13

The 1959 Cadillac may not have been the most excessive design to come out of the late-50s and early-60s, but I still think that it epitomized what was wrong with U.S. car styling. The new […]

Langworth Studebaker
Readings

Richard Langworth’s Studebaker book is dated but mostly still the best

September 9, 2025 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 4/13/2013) When I am trying to track down information about Studebaker, I am most likely to first reach for Richard M. Langworth’s book. The reason why it that his journalistic approach was refreshingly […]

1953 Chrysler Town & Country rear quarter
Gallery

1953 Chrysler Town & Country was the granddaddy of today’s large SUVs

August 28, 2025 Steve 0

The 1953 Chrysler Town & Country wagon was one of the more obscure cars of the early postwar period, but it was essentially the granddaddy of today’s large sport-utility vehicles. Not the only one, but […]

1967 Imperial Crown coupe
Links

Car Life’s faint praise for redesigned 1967 Imperial hints at why it wasn’t a hit

August 20, 2025 Steve 17

(EXPANDED FROM 7/11/2023) Car-buff writers didn’t know it at the time, but the new-for-1967 Imperial would be Chrysler’s last big push in the luxury-car field. Although the brand lost its exclusive platform — just like […]

19465 Hudson
History

1946 Hudson shows what made automaker so important — and vulnerable

August 4, 2025 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 4/22/2023) This story received an unusual amount of pushback in the comment thread when it was originally posted two years ago. A focus of reader criticism was my argument that Hudson’s demise had […]

1971 Dodge Coronet Custom 4-door sedan
Data Dive

Collectible Automobile avoids big question about 1971-74 Dodge Coronet

August 1, 2025 Steve 1

The latest issue of Collectible Automobile offers an overview of the 1971-74 Dodge Coronet. As usual, the photography is gorgeous and the product details are exhaustive. But also as usual, there was strikingly little historical […]

1971 Chrysler New Yorker
Fake Design

1969-71 Chrysler: An Exner idea fumbled again

July 29, 2025 Steve 30

(UPDATED FROM 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 styling was exceptionally clean and purposeful for an American premium-priced car […]

1968 Mercury Brougham 4-door hardtop
Data Dive

1968 full-sized Mercury: A pioneer of brougham was overshadowed

July 25, 2025 Steve 12

(EXPANDED FROM 12/8/2023) One of my lingering questions from a Collectible Automobile story about the Mercury Park Lane was why it didn’t sell better in 1968 (Biel, 2021). This was arguably the first year that […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 … 11 »
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 12
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • 1976 Tatra T-613
    Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s
    May 22, 2026 12
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 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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