Indie Auto

Langworth and Norbye made excuses for General Motors’ big-car fixation

by Steve in Data Dive 4

(EXPANDED FROM 2/27/2023) Indie Auto was partly created to spark more robust debates in U.S. auto history. As a case in point, a few years go I questioned a take by Richard M. Langworth and Jan P. Norbye about why automakers stuck with big cars for so long. I give Langworth credit for responding to the essay below rather than hiding in his safe place. [...]

2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia

June 5, 2026 6

(EXPANDED FROM 10/2/2023) The 2006 Dodge Charger’s styling was greeted with mixed reviews when the car was introduced. Perhaps the most pointed criticism came from Car and Driver writer Larry Webster (2005), who stated that [...]

Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies

June 3, 2026 0

(EXPANDED FROM 4/21/2023) Auto history books get surprisingly little attention in the buff media. If a newly published book is mentioned at all, it tends to be done with a modestly rewritten press release. Analytically [...]

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

June 2, 2026 18

(EXPANDED FROM 11/10/2023) 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 [...]

Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash

May 29, 2026 6

Our first video, from the YouTube channel America Revisited (2026), argues that the country’s car culture is dying off with the Baby Boomers. The video goes on to suggest that car culture was about “freedom in a specific form affordable to [...]

1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap

May 27, 2026 11

(UPDATED FROM 1/30/2024) The 1963 Mercury Marauder “fastback” two-door hardtop represented the beginning of a new era for the Ford Motor Company. The utilitarian sensibilities of its former leader, Robert McNamara, [...]

Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt

by Steve in Readings 5

(UPDATED FROM 9/4/2020) International Harvester is the post-war U.S. automaker that has received the least attention from historians. Thus, Patrick Foster’s book, International Harvester: The Complete Story, is a particularly welcome addition. The format is similar to his other recent books — an oversized hard cover with lots of big pictures (many color). The [...]