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1970 Plymouth Barracuda should have been like an Australian Valiant Charger
(EXPANDED FROM 9/29/2023) The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and its sibling the Dodge Challenger proved to be a costly mistake that epitomized Detroit’s slowness in responding to changing times. Indeed, the Chrysler Corporation’s early-1970s pony cars […]
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Even in mid-70s Consumer Reports warned about spotty import dealer service
(UPDATED FROM 12/11/2023) The Consumer Reports 1975 Buying Guide was fairly positive about imported cars but cautioned about dealer service. The annual guide, which was published in December 1974, noted that some foreign brands had […]
Design Notes
1968 Chrysler New Yorker: The peak of ‘peak Chrysler?’
(EXPANDED FROM 7/8/2022) Paul Niedermeyer (2021) has called the 1965 Chrysler New Yorker “the last great Chrysler.” He argued that this particular vintage “represents a pinnacle: never again would the New Yorker attain this degree […]
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How far should AMC have gone to save the Hudson, Nash and Rambler brands?
(EXPANDED FROM 10/3/2023) Stephen Pellegrino has sparked a debate about the value of automotive brands by arguing that Hudson, Nash and Rambler were worth saving. His punchline is that “brand names mean something, and the […]
Drive-By Musings
What were Detroit’s top-five most iconic vehicle designs from 1980-2000?
(EXPANDED FROM 1/2/2024) A few years ago Michael Karesh (2023) of TrueDelta asked, “Which cars (model and year) from the Detroit Three since 1980 do you feel qualify as design icons?” I would invite you […]
Design Notes
Should AMC have given the 1974 Matador coupe a luxury spin-off?
(EXPANDED FROM 8/21/2020) Patrick Foster (2024) illustrates how fanboy sentiment can undercut the quality of historical analysis by arguing that AMC should have offered a luxury spin-off of the 1974 Matador coupe — and that […]
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A sampling of Jim Dunne’s 1970 predictions that didn’t happen
(UPDATED FROM 8/30/2023) Predicting the future of the U.S. auto industry has always been fraught with peril. Popular Science’s Detroit Editor Jim Dunne got a lot of things right in his reporting during 1970, but […]
Fake Design
1967-69 Plymouth Barracuda hunchback was Elwood Engel’s first stylistic dud
From 1963 through 1968 model years Elwood Engel had a pretty good run as head designer at the Chrysler Corporation. However, he did come out with one dud — the 1967-69 Plymouth Barracuda notchback hunchback. […]
Design Notes
Chrysler brand looked the least weird of automaker’s 1961 line
(EXPANDED FROM 6/13/2022) While the 1961 Chrysler was hardly a stylistic masterpiece, it strikes me as being the least weird of the automaker’s lineup. The Plymouth suffered from a bizarre shark-faced fascia and the Imperial’s […]