Gentle reader, beware: Some of what you see on Indie Auto is bogus.
It all started with the Solar Cat Book. When I read the first edition in the early-80s I was impressed with its technical information about solar power. However, what really made the book stand out was that it also included pure comedic bunk.
Author Jim Augustyn noted that fantasy was mixed with reality throughout the book — “requiring the reader to continually distinguish between the two. This process will hopefully promote thought and learning, for as a wise old cat once said: ‘To learn, it helps to think'” (2003, p. viii).
Indie Auto attempts to carry on this tradition by mixing serious content with rank absurdity. Consider the advertisements.
In all honesty, the ads might not be entirely truthful
If you come across an ad anywhere on this website and are not sure whether it is a parody, just click on it. If the ad links to the “Fake Stuff” page you are currently reading, that will verify it is not real. Below is an example.
Another form of fictitious advertising is labeled “Our Sponsors.” These parody ads use irony, exaggeration and humor to criticize the auto industry and media. And just to be clear: The entities mentioned in these ads are not Indie Auto’s real sponsors — those are readers who make donations.
Toward the bottom of the front page you will find a regular feature labeled “Ad Nauseam.” These are parodies based on real car advertising. Some of the fake ads quote heavily from the original; others start with an image and a phrase and improvise from there. Those who find themselves bothered by a fake ad might wish to double check for irony before hammering out an indignant note to the editor.
Did you hear that bird chatter can be satirical?
The same goes for our fake stories and cartoons. There’s a good chance reality is being twisted if an article is categorized as “satire” or has the tag “parody.” Consider those code words for fiction.
For example, Mr. Moose is not a real automotive expert — he’s merely an aspiring young actor. By the same token, the characters in our “Bird Chatter” cartoon are hand puppets who never let facts get in the way of an odd story.
Our fake car designs point to the road not traveled
You will also need to determine what postings include fictitious car designs. Just check for the “Fake design” label below the headline. Or go here for a full list of essays that include reality-tweaking designs. These designs are a response to a recent trend in the auto history media, where fake illustrations are presented for entertainment purposes.
For example, Frank Peiler (2014) has penned a series of illustrations for media outlets in the Consumer Guide orbit (The Daily Drive and Collectible Automobile) that apply the styling elements of one brand to that of others. It’s all good, clean fun (well, to be honest, it’s not all that good).
In contrast, Indie Auto uses fake cars as a serious attempt to illustrate how industry groupthink could be transcended more easily than commonly assumed.
In other words, we tend to view the past through the groupthink of the present. Yet it can be hard to see the limitations in our thinking without showing examples of roads not taken. Thus, the value of fake car designs.
The wonkiness of our fake designs is in keeping with this website’s overall approach to automotive history (see further discussion here). One additional factor is that I don’t have the illustration skills of Peiler or the photoshopping sophistication displayed in Casey’s (2020) wonderful artandcolour blog.
When in doubt, click on it!
The base photos or illustrations for virtually all of our photoshops come from Old Car Brochures and Old Car Advertisements. I’d encourage you to click on the links. The base documents are fascinating, but clicking through will also help this not-for-profit, volunteer-based group generate advertising revenue. In addition, you can buy a DVD or make a donation here.
If you would like to see a photoshopped image in a larger size, just click on it. That will sometimes take you to our Flickr site. This includes a goodly portion of Indie Auto’s older photographs (we ran out of room to post newer ones). Captions typically summarize key points in the blog post. All of these images are copyrighted.
Our apologies in advance if you are offended by any of this nonsense. Feel free to share your perspective here.
RE:SOURCES
- Augustyn, Jim; 2003. The Return of the Solar Cat. Patty Paw Press: Berkeley, CA.
- Casey; 2020. Casey / artandcolour. artandcolourcars.blogspot.com. Accessed Jan. 10.
- Peiler, Frank; 2014. “What If. . . 1956-1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II.” The Daily Drive. Posted April 1, 2014; accessed April 1.