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HomeVolkswagen

Volkswagen

1978 Ford Fairmont 4-door seda
Design Notes

U.S. cars often suffered from weak styling continuity and boxy shapes in 1970-80s

February 28, 2025 Steve 17

(EXPANDED FROM 1/23/2023) This post’s comment thread has received a burst of new attention, so I thought it would be worth expanding upon my original argument. I wrote this article in response to debates about […]

1978 Volkswagen Scirocco
Design Notes

First-generation Scirocco was trendy but didn’t look like a Volkswagen

February 14, 2025 Steve 26

(EXPANDED FROM 1/16/2023) Yesterday Aaron Severson weighed in on the original Volkswagen Scirocco, so this is a good time to expand on a piece I wrote a few years ago after finding a rare — […]

1964 Rambler American 440H two-door hardtop
History

Rambler pays price for not listening to Car and Driver about 1964 American

October 18, 2024 Steve 31

(EXPANDED FROM 2/8/2023) Curbside Classic’s recent republishing of a Car and Driver hit piece on the 1964 Rambler American illustrates how much power car buff magazines could have in molding public opinion. Here we are, […]

Fake Design

Would the 1969 Ford Mustang have sold better if it had been smaller?

August 27, 2024 Steve 21

J P Cavanaugh’s (2024) story about the 1969 Ford Mustang got me thinking about this hotly debated car. I say “hotly debated” because the comment thread of this reposted Curbside Classic article is filled with […]

2024 Volkswagen ad
Multimedia

VW Superbowl ad waxes nostalgic for the kind of cars it no longer makes

February 16, 2024 Steve 8

Volkswagen has received a good response to the ad it ran during the Superbowl last weekend. Titled “An American Love Story,” the 60-second ad and an extended version attempt to cultivate nostalgia for the brand’s […]

Porsche 914
Design Notes

Porsche 914 reflected an interesting theory that didn’t work as well in practice

December 27, 2023 Steve 6

Mid-engine sports cars were trendy in the late-1960s, so in theory it made sense that Porsche would come out with one given its background with rear engines. It also made sense that the maker of […]

Ford Mustang fake logo
Auto Paedia

Brand management: The tail that now wags U.S. auto industry

November 28, 2023 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 8/21/2020) Peter DeLorenzo (2018) has argued that brand management “is now the Number 1 priority in this business.” The reason is that a “democratization of technology and luxury” has leveled the playing field. […]

1961 VW 'impossible' ad
Literature

If you ran VW in 1959 how would you prepare for Detroit’s compacts?

September 20, 2023 Steve 7

(UPDATED FROM 8/15/2014) Imagine that you run Volkswagen’s American operations in 1959. Detroit has finally woken up to the public’s growing interest in small cars. Studebaker and American Motors are already seeing dramatic sales increases after introducing compact […]

1959 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop
Quotes

Compacts were more successful as big-car prices grew in late-1950s

May 12, 2023 Steve 3

“Before 1955 the compact cars, which had then included Rambler, Hudson Jet, and Volkswagen, were not outstanding sales successes. Their suggested list prices, and their actual retail prices, were comparatively high in relation to those […]

Media Analysis

Road & Track magazine’s 1972 Nader attack was disingenuous propaganda

April 24, 2023 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 10/30/2020) When Road & Track decided to go after Ralph Nader in 1972, the magazine took unusual measures. Even before an “evaluation” of a Nader report hit the newsstands, Road & Track held […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 … 5 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 6
  • 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 16
  • 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
  • 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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