In 1934, longtime Packard President Alvan Macauley watched as the depression destroyed Packard’s sales and rivals alike. For survival, radical change would be necessary – so he brought in New York area manager Max Gilman…
Browsing Category American Cars
The Future is Now: 1986 Mercury Sable
The 1986 Ford Taurus and it’s close sibling, the Mercury Sable, were landmark cars six year in the making, and they revolutionized Ford’s U.S. operations.
Something Borrowed: 1980 AMC Spirit Kammback
Things looked bright at AMC in 1974-75, as the Gremlin was coming off a record sales year, the Matador coupe had debuted to good sales, and the new Pacer was generating considerable public interest. Like…
See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet!
Maybe, looking at this car, you can hear Dinah Shore’s voice – “See the U.S.A., in your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call…” But the wonderful Dinah wasn’t the first person to sing that…
Big and Bold: 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado
When it came time to redesign the Toronado for 1971, it would morph into a kind of Oldsmobile version of its Cadillac sister. The new look came from designer David North.
Florentine Influence: 1967 Cadillac Coupe Deville
1967 might have been a year of lots of social change, but not at the Cadillac store – where the big yachts were big and the vibe old-school. Cadillac customers didn’t go to “Be-ins.” The…
Rough and Rare: 1979 Ford Ranchero Squire
Ford’s Ranchero was the first modern North American “coupe utility,” but it never sold as well as anticipated – rarely more than 23K units a year through its early variations until it was tied to…
AMC and Renault’s Alliance
Word of a potential merger between FCA and Renault can’t help but evoke memories of the long ago tie-up Renault-AMC tie up; which began in 1978 as both parties were struggling in North America and…
Good Old “Good Olds” Guys: 1990 Oldsmobile 98
It’s impossible to overstate the impact of the two 1970s fuel crises had on the automotive industry and, in particular, American giants like GM. By 1980, GM had enjoyed three consecutive major hits with downsized…
The Unlikely Muscle Machine: AMC AMX
AMC’s gravitation to Ramblers and economy paid big dividends in the late 50s and early 60s, but became a distinct liability in the era of pony cars. “The only race Rambler is interested in is…