Quotes

K. T. Keller predicted the end of late-50s styling excesses

by Steve in Quotes 2

K. T. Keller stepped down as Chrysler Corporation’s board chair in 1956 but he still weighed in on auto industry matters. For example, in a 1958 interview he made a rather pointed prediction that implied dissatisfaction with the direction American automobile styling had taken: “The present trend in cars has about another year or two to go. Then we’ll be back to design for function, and there’ll be more stress on [...]

Media Analysis

Auto Paedia

History

1968-70 Dodge Charger: Who should get credit?

by Steve in History 10

(EXPANDED FROM 12/29/2023) This is another Indie Auto story that has received a fair amount of blowback. For example, one presumably former reader alleged that I was a “Chevy fanboy” because I called the 1968-70 Dodge Charger’s styling derivative. Alas, the Chevy tribe would likely reject me for disloyalty in other articles, so I will eat [...]

Design Notes

Random Shots

  • Ford and small car

    Would you prefer an agile car or a tank?

    January 11, 2025 8
    Jerry P. Hirshberg, Nissan’s retired president of North American design, once stated that when “Europeans think about safety, they think about a light, agile car” — much like the one pictured on the left. However, the “American image of safety is put a tank around me, get as much mass [...]
Elon Musk discusses climate change when introducing Tesla Model 3
Current Events

What do the fires of Los Angeles have to do with the auto industry?

by Steve in Current Events 7

As I write this, the weather at SeaTac International Airport near Seattle, Washington is cold, cloudy and sporadically rainy. That’s quite different from 1,000 miles south in Los Angeles, which is battling an unprecedented series of fires during a time of year that used to be the rainy season. I grew up in L.A. and vividly recall the torrential downpours [...]

Readings

Data Dive

1979 Pontiac Grand Prix front quarter
Data Dive

What’s Collectible Automobile’s beef with the 1978-80 Pontiac Grand Prix?

by Steve in Data Dive 15

(EXPANDED FROM 8/25/2022) One of the more curious aspects of the postwar U.S. auto industry is the way that dramatic change was often normalized by the media — as long as it went in the direction of bigger, glitzier and more powerful cars. For example, in just one decade intermediates grew to the point where they were almost as large as [...]

Story Ideas

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