Auto Paedia
1980s
Calendar
LeMay car show offers a remarkable mix of vehicles
The Pacific Northwest is lucky to have a nationally prominent automotive museum. America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington is worth an occasional visit because of its interesting variety of vehicles. However, I spend more time with […]
Design Notes
Citroen 2CV driver asks for a little patience
A while back we batted around the question of what would a modern simple car look like? The Volkswagen Beetle was used as a point of comparison, but I suppose a Citroen 2CV could have also […]
Quotes
Somewhere on the Internet a top-design list is wrong
“Any failure to mention the 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible is reprehensible.” — Stephen Smith, The Daily Drive
Design Notes
Avanti: Looking forward, looking backward
A circa 1987 Avanti coupe still looks remarkably contemporary even though the basic design was roughly a quarter-century old when this car was built. This photograph highlight’s the Avanti’s Coke-bottle curves. I’d suggest that the […]
Media Analysis
Brock Yates’ death deserves deeper thinking
Stories about the death of long-time automotive journalist Brock Yates quite rightly emphasized his most popular exploits. For example, his creation of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash illustrated Yates’ flare for publicity stunts at […]
Readings
Jeep: The History of America’s Greatest Vehicle
In a vague sense this book is an update of The Story of Jeep (Foster, 1998). However, like Patrick R. Foster’s other recent books, Jeep: America’s Greatest Vehicle, is much more graphically oriented. While not quite as large […]
Design Notes
A curve from nowhere
The Jeep CJ may have one of the boxiest automotive bodies ever produced, but its front end is visually dominated by curves. Note how the rounded fender edge emerges from an exposed gap between two pieces […]
Readings
Saab Cars: The Complete Story
Information is hard to find for minor imported brands such as Saab. Thus, any book on this automaker is helpful. Saab Cars is an oversized hard-cover book with a nice balance between text and large, full-color […]
Readings
The Complete Book of Mustang: Every Model Since 1964 1/2
This is an oversized soft-cover book that covers the Ford Mustang’s history through the 2011 model year. The Complete Book places an emphasis on large, mostly color pictures accompanied by product specifications. However, author Mike Mueller […]