Indie Auto

1965-71 Pontiac ads tried to dazzle with hip sophistication

by Steve in Literature 14

(UPDATED FROM 2/15/2024) I am knee-deep in a final round of packing and house painting right now, so how about following up our 1967 Grand Prix convertible story with a deeper look at the illustrations in Pontiac’s marketing. The images, which were produced by the legendary team of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman, tended to be a cut above those [...]

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible didn’t catch on

April 23, 2026 12

(EXPANDED FROM 9/1/2023) Albert Fredrick Godwin stopped by to point out that our featured 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible was his car. He had displayed it at an annual auto show hosted by LeMay Collections in Marymount. [...]

1954 Chevrolet was beginning of the end for GM’s brand hierarchy

April 21, 2026 18

(EXPANDED FROM 3/1/2024) This article’s comment thread has had a recent uptick in discussion, so let’s add a bit more analysis. The 1954 Chevrolet’s greatest claim to fame — or, more accurately, infamy — was contributing to the demise [...]

Bigger didn’t prove to be better for General Motors in late-70s and 80s

April 17, 2026 43

(UPDATED FROM 12/30/2022) A few years ago we had a debate in a comment thread about the importance of scale in the U.S. auto industry (go here). I thought I would add another layer to the conversation by discussing the decline of General [...]

Why the 1968-69 Javelin was not Richard Teague’s best AMC sporty coupe

by Steve in Drive-By Musings 9

In a comment thread to a recent story we have debated whether the original Javelin was Richard Teague’s best sporty coupe design. I would like to flesh out my rationale for why it wasn’t. This is a subjective take, but I think that it can help illuminate how AMC’s head designer contributed to the automaker losing its independence. The 1968-69 Javelin was [...]