(EXPANDED FROM 5/22/2015) The 1959 Studebaker Lark’s design was initially so successful that it was described by historian Robert Ebert as a “miracle” (2013, p. 55). Studebaker-Packard Corporation, which was on the verge of liquidating […]
(UPDATED FROM 7/24/2020) The 1955 Packard Request is a good example of how “retro” styling doesn’t always work very well. This show car took too literal of an approach in trying to evoke Packard’s classic […]
In retrospect, Studebaker shouldn’t have assigned Brooks Stevens to restyle its Lark for 1964. He may have had a more mainstream design sensibility than Raymond Loewy, but Stevens was also the guy who coined the […]
(EXPANDED ON 1/27/2023) Many books, magazine articles and blog posts have been written about the independent automakers’ struggle to survive in the 1950s. Even so, I have come across a number of unresolved mysteries relevant […]
When viewed from 1951, Studebaker was the independent automaker most likely to succeed. The South Bend, Indiana-based automaker generated unusually high sales by inventing the family-sized compact. This allowed Studebaker to invest in both a V8 engine and an automatic transmission well before […]
Some light rain in the morning may have dampened participation in LeMay’s 41st Annual Show, but there was still plenty to see. As in past years, the event — which was held at the Marymount […]
“Consumer Reports‘ attitude toward cars, in general, can perhaps best be divined by its conclusion on the 1959 Cadillac Sixty Special in its 1959 new car issue: ‘An expenditure sufficient to buy this Cadillac will […]
To a degree this is an extension of The Lincoln Motorcar: Sixty Years of Excellence (1981), but with a restructured narrative and less emphasis on photographs. The time span covered is 1946 to 2000. As with most other automotive histories […]
Of Thomas E. Bonsall’s two Lincoln books, this one has a more boosterish tone than The Lincoln Story (2004). However, Sixty Years still includes robust critiques of Ford management. This is an accessible but thorough history with […]
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