Random Shots
Year: 2020
Auto Paedia
Airdams: The greatest automotive innovation since the tail fin
The airdam, and its twin brother the air curtain, are the tail fins of our time. They have become such a key part of today’s vehicles that even family cars have raced to offer the […]
Fake Design
1965-66 AMC Marlin: How to fix beginner’s mistakes
The first-generation Marlin gets no respect, particularly compared to the two-seater AMX. The Marlin tends to be treated as one of American Motors’ biggest flops. Meanwhile, the AMX has been lauded as a valuable halo […]
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Media Analysis
Automotive News shows its bias in 2020 presidential coverage
The auto industry’s leading trade journal has put its thumb on the scales in reporting about the 2020 presidential race. Keith Laing’s (2020) comparison of Donald Trump and Joe Biden uses biased language and a […]
Design Notes
Retired designers ponder a once and future Pontiac GTO
For 2020 the League of Retired Designers solicited artwork for a contemporary Pontiac GTO. Dean’s Garage recently posted the submissions — and they are well worth viewing (go here). When introducing the submissions, David Mcintosh […]
Current Events
Infiniti’s dog leg is gone — all hail the floating roof!
Infiniti’s new design direction has a “good news and bad news” quality. The good news is that the dog-leg rear pillar is being retired. Automotive News reporter Hans Greimel (2020) recently wrote that the reason […]
Quotes
Ralph Nader on Car and Driver magazine vilifying him
“Some of the commentary (in the 1960s and early ’70s) was so absurd as to invite permanent satire. Whoever writes the history of this will, I’m sure, be able to comment on how the automotive […]
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Drive-By Musings
NHTSA and automakers drag their feet on pedestrian safety
The federal government has been dragging its feet on pedestrian safety despite increasing fatalities. Jalopnik deserves a shout out for giving visibility to this underdiscussed issue. For example, Managing Editor Erin Marquis (2020b) recently pointed […]