Bird Chatter
1970s
Editor's Note
What’s new for February
The lead story on a Studebaker concept car was an excuse to dig deeper into the fascinating images at the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Brooks Stevens archives. The famed designer’s proposed 1965 Studebaker Lark sedan wasn’t […]
Photo Essay
Mid-1930s-to-70s design evolution shown at LeMay event
As usual, this year’s LeMay annual car show offered an eclectic mix of cars and trucks. In addition to the nonprofit organization’s private collection, owners displayed their own vehicles. And if you timed it right, […]
History
How American Motors abandoned its uniqueness in the second half of the 1960s
The most strikingly quality of American Motors’ car designs developed in the mid-60s was how quickly the automaker ditched the Rambler look in favor of styling mostly indistinguishable from the Big Three. This was a […]
Gallery
Design Notes
Audi R8 : More beast than sports car
(EXPANDED 12/14/2022) An Audi R8 in the wild is an eye-opening event. Everything about the car is over-amped, from the child-eating grille to the showy display of V10 power just beneath the rear window. The […]
Multimedia
The Design Makers — Inside Ford Design
This Ford Motor Company promotional film from the late-60s is one of the most unintentionally revealing glimpses into American automotive design from that period. As discussed in the following links, the film shows how Detroit failed […]
Data Dive
CO2 emissions: Automakers still partying like it’s 1975
The U.S. automobile industry has shown admirable ingenuity in developing new technologies to reduce the greenhouse gases produced by its cars and trucks. The problem is that a religious devotion to bigger, glitzier and more […]
Quotes
You didn’t mess with spy photographer Jim Dunne
“’He could be really helpful, but he could also be hyper-competitive,’ added John McElroy, who often had Dunne on his TV show, Autoline:Detroit. ‘He was hyper-competitive and never wanted anyone muscling in on his gig,’ […]
Calendar
LeMay at Marymount hosts 42nd annual show
The LeMay Collections at Marymount are open year-round, but the best time to go is arguably on the day of its annual car show and auction. This year’s all-day event will be held on Saturday, […]