Curbside Classic recently posted an unusually detailed discussion in a comment thread about why a merger did not occur between Hudson, Nash, Packard and Studebaker (Shafer, 2015). While the speculation is interesting, I’d question the underlying assumption […]
The Tesla Model S is an interesting mix of clean sheet metal surfaces dressed up with complex detailing. The taillight treatment is the car’s least successful design element — it’s gimmicky rather than elegant. Part of […]
Keith Crain is the closest thing the American auto industry has to a minister of groupthink, so it is worth noting when the editor-in-chief of Automotive News furrows his brow. In a late-December column he criticized […]
The October issue of Collectible Automobile has a wide-ranging profile of Ford design chief Eugene Bordinat. Writers Jim and Cheryl Farrell (2014) include a number of provocative details about Ford President Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen’s role in […]
“Now, there was one difference between Mason and me. Mason always thought of the Rambler as a supplement to the Nash and Hudson lines. That if he could have Nash and Hudson dealers selling Ramblers […]
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 […]
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 […]
(UPDATED 12/15/2022) Volkswagen Group’s global design chief Walter de Silva is worried that optimizing aerodynamics in order to meet tightening emissions standards could hurt aesthetics and branding. In an Automotive News question-and-answer piece, he complained […]
Question-of-the-day features can often result in banal flame wars. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised that a “red meat” question by The Truth About Cars — is regulation ruining car design — generated a fairly […]
The 2010-to-present Volvo S60 has relatively distinctive taillights but they culminate in odd center brows. Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
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