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
2000s
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 […]
Quotes
Brock Yates: What to do about climate change
“I call forth the SUV as our savior. Want to warm things up? Easy. If fossil fuels are the culprit, burning more of them will keep Old Man Winter at bay. Thus, we must immediately […]
Current Events
2015 Mustang: Faux pony car goes generic
With the 2015 redesign of the Mustang, Ford had the potential to reassert its leadership in what I have referred to as the faux pony car field. Instead, Ford took the cheap and easy way […]
Drive-By Musings
Mulally book review sparks debate
Edward Snitkoff (2015) has written a lengthy review of the book, American Icon: Alan Mulally And The Fight To Save Ford Motor Company (Hoffman, 2012), for Curbside Classic. Snitkoff’s review focuses on summarizing the book […]
Design Notes
Kia Soul: Better to be hip than simple
The Kia Soul is naught but a second-generation Scion xB with better styling. The Soul is roughly comparable to the xB in size and weight. I’d classify the Soul as the tall wagon equivalent of […]
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 […]
Random Shots
Design Notes
Honda CR-V: Making it less simple
Honda’s CR-V started out as a wonderfully practical small crossover utility vehicle. However, with each successive generation it has gotten bigger and more “stylish.” Consider the difference between the third-generation (2007-11) and second-generation (2002-6) CR-Vs […]
Readings
American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company
Bryce Hoffman, a Detroit News auto industry reporter, offers a sympathetic perspective about how Ford navigated through the Great Recession. Hoffman was given a great deal of access to company leaders and internal documents. In return, […]