The 1956 Mercury represented the end — at least for a few years — of Edsel Ford’s original conception of the brand. Since it was introduced 1939, Mercury had been positioned toward the lower end […]
Jim Dunne predicted in the January 1977 issue of Popular Science that the compact platform used for the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen would be stretched for the Chrysler Corporation’s next-generation big cars: “At least […]
(EXPANDED FROM 12/1/2019) The 1936-37 Cord 810/812 is arguably one of the most important American cars of the 20th Century. In addition to offering iconic styling, it was also remarkably advanced in its engineering. Among […]
Packard may have died from a thousand cuts, but the 1954 Clipper was arguably a pivot point in the automaker losing its independence. As a stand-alone automaker, Packard needed a certain amount of volume to […]
American Motors head George Romney didn’t realize it at the time, but he was onto something when he okayed the production of the 1957 Rambler Rebel. This was intended as a limited-production model, perhaps primarily […]
(UPDATED FROM 4/20/2022) The AMC Gremlin may be one of the most memorable cars of the 1970s, but it was a bad idea for four often-forgotten reasons. I grant you that what I am about […]
(EXPANDED FROM 12/18/2020) The 1956 Packard Executive has received a recent boomlet of attention by automotive historians. In a Hemmings Classic Car column, Patrick Foster (2021) suggested that this model could have “saved Packard” if […]
In our discussion about market segmentation, DECG50 asked an insightful question: Would General Motors have been more disciplined if Alfred Sloan still headed the automaker in the 1960s? “From what I understand, Sloan viewed GM […]
(UPDATED FROM 10/9/2020) Did Ford deviate too much from the original Ford Mustang’s size before finally getting it right once again in 2005? That year was pivotal because it was the first time in a quarter […]
(EXPANDED FROM 8/14/2019) Histories about the 1965 Rambler Marlin’s origins illustrate how seemingly basic facts can be difficult to nail down. Differences of opinion linger over when and why the Marlin was developed as well […]
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