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1970s
History
George Walker predicted in 1940 a space-age version of a 1960s camper van
The November 1940 issue of Popular Mechanics included a major article — replete with color photos! — about the just-introduced 1941 car models. However, Detroit’s latest wares were overshadowed by a cover story about the […]
Design Notes
Mercedes-Benz W123: Back when form really did follow function
(EXPANDED FROM 10/9/2020) When I think of Mercedes-Benz, the car that comes most quickly to mind is the W123. Introduced in 1976, this was the automaker’s entry-level offering up through 1982, when the smaller W201 […]
History
1933-42 Willys: A better template for an import beater than later compacts
(EXPANDED FROM 1/22/2021) The 1933-42 Willys gets far less attention than it deserves. The model 77 and its successors were important because they anticipated the American compacts of the 1950s and 1960s. In addition, the […]
Readings
Richard Johnson showed what can happen when a journalist does auto history
(UPDATED FROM 2/19/2021) Histories written by practicing automotive journalists are usually engaging reads with lots of behind-the-scenes anecdotes. However, they can also be analytically superficial and grounded more in access than accountability journalism. In other […]
Quotes
Postwar U.S. auto industry was ‘largely complacent’ until forced to change
“The hubris of its executives related to consumer needs, an obsession with big cars, garish designs coming from its studios, the neglect of safety and air pollution matters, and rising prices all played into the […]
Design Notes
1969 International was too little, too late to save brand’s big-truck ambitions
(EXPANDED FROM 4/23/2021) International Harvester went a long way toward sealing its fate with the introduction of the redesigned D-Series pickup and Travelall in the 1969. Perhaps the biggest problem was that IH waited too […]
History
1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme: Monument to a fading dream
(EXPANDED FROM 12/3/2021) The new-for-1973 General Motors mid-sized cars were allegedly the product of a battle between John Z. DeLorean and GM styling chief William Mitchell. In the book, On a Clear Day You Can […]
Ad Nauseam
What would an honest ad for the 1971 Ford Maverick have said?
When a team of copywriters was assigned to produce the print advertising for the 1971 Ford Maverick they were told to be honest. Come up with an approach kind of like the Volkswagen Beetle’s refreshingly […]
Quotes
Hal Sperlich: Detroit made bad small cars to prove buyers wouldn’t like them
“The small cars that Detroit had produced, [Hal Sperlich] believed, had been bad ones, reluctant efforts at best. If anything the companies had brought out inferior, unappealing small cars to prove their own thesis that […]