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HomeThunderbird

Thunderbird

History

1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game

November 10, 2023 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 12/31/2021) The Edsel is generally pointed to as the Ford Motor Company’s biggest post-war flop, but the 1958-60 Lincoln deserves a consolation prize. This car represents the disastrous final phase of Ford’s no-holds-barred […]

Avanti II windshield
Design Notes

Why was the Studebaker Avanti’s windshield so odd?

May 30, 2023 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 2/8/2022) Why was the futuristic-looking Studebaker Avanti given a tall, flat and small windshield? That windshield ranks with the 1964-66 Imperial in looking terribly mismatched with the rest of the car. The most […]

History

1958 Edsel with retractable roof hints at why the brand failed

May 5, 2023 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 3/26/2021) The 1958 Edsel was already an over-the-top design, but one owner wanted to take it to the next level. They gave their car a retractable roof. This was doable because entry-level Edsels […]

Late-60s Ford designers look at T-Bird proposal
History

Late-1960s Ford car design film shows US automakers losing it

April 28, 2023 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 10/8/2021) A late-1960s Ford promotional film offers a fascinating glimpse into the car and truck designs being worked on at the time. Perhaps more than intended, The Design Makers — Inside Ford Design, […]

1971 Cadillac Eldorado
Media Analysis

1971-78 Cadillac Eldorado: Collectible Automobile tells only part of the story

February 24, 2023 Steve 49

(EXPANDED FROM 4/30/2021) A big reason Collectible Automobile has survived longer than the late, great Automobile Quarterly may be because it is less — how you say — highbrow. For one thing, Collectible Automobile‘s presentation […]

1958 Ford Skyliner taillights
Media Analysis

Is Jim and Cheryl Farrell’s critique of the 1958 Ford’s styling unfair?

October 7, 2022 Steve 9

Did the substantially facelifted 1958 Fords have less-attractive styling than the all-new 1957 models? In a recent story posted at Dean’s Garage, Jim and Cheryl Farrell (2022) suggest that the answer is yes. Indeed, they […]

1972 Ford Thunderbird
Design Notes

How did Bunkie Knudsen influence the 1972 Ford Thunderbird?

August 12, 2022 Steve 4

One lingering question I have about Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen’s short tenure as Ford Motor Company president is what influence he had on the 1972 Ford Thunderbird’s design. Jim and Cheryl Farrell (2022) have written that […]

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
Design Notes

1955-56 DeSoto Flight Sweep could have challenged the Studebaker Hawk

May 23, 2022 Steve 21

Dean’s Garage has a new post that displays a variety of Virgil Exner’s concept cars (Exner, 2022). The design I am most drawn to is the 1955-56 DeSoto Flight Sweep I and II. These are […]

Letters to the Editor

Chrysler and AMC lost the plot with 1970s personal luxury coupes

March 29, 2022 Steve 20

George Denzinger took the time to write a lengthy and thoughtful response to our story, “1971-74 Dodge Charger: Making the most of a questionable idea,” so I am elevating it to the front page as […]

1966 Chevrolet Corvette
Auto Paedia

Halo cars are popular but not always a good idea

January 8, 2021 Steve 0

Halo cars tend to quite popular — even wetness inducing — among auto enthusiasts. That’s because the mission of halo cars is mostly to generate a positive buzz about a brand rather than high sales. So […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 »
  • 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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