Despite the slightly earlier arrival of the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda, Ford was the first company to introduce a compact-based “pony car” as they became popularly known – and it took GM, Chrysler, and AMC until…
Browsing Category American Cars
Retro Muscle: 1968-69 Buick Skylark & Special
They were designed at the height of muscle cars – so it wasn’t any surprise that GM’s 1968-1972 A-body mid-sizes all had muscle car overtones. But one of these cars was not like the others…
Famous: The 1963 Split-window Stingray
The split-window 1963 Corvette “Stingray” is probably the most famous of all of Chevrolet’s sports cars, and it was born from group of people who became famous or already were – Pete Brock, Ed Cole,…
Too much is not enough: 1961 Imperial
There had always been “Chrysler Imperials” – with the very first series debuting in 1927, just three years after the birth of Chrysler itself. That first Imperial was a badge addition to Chrysler’s existing E-80…
AMC Ambassador: The Unlikely Land Yacht
In hindsight, AMC probably shouldn’t have developed the Circa-1967 Ambassador, but once it arrived, the company kept selling it and made due with it until 1974. The Ambassador continued a name and tradition that originated…
The Lipstick Lincoln: 1976 Continental MkIV
The Lee Iaccoca-created Lincoln Continental MkIII was a smash hit for the brand – it repeatedly bested Cadillac’s Eldorado from 1969-71, and 79,381 MKIIIs were made in all. During the 1969-70 model years, Lincoln’s staff…
Fuel Crisis Fleetwood: 1981’s Cadillac V-8-6-4
The excellent downsized GM full-sizes of 1977 were reworked with a more formal look in the late fall of 1979 as 1980 models. The more upright looks belied better aerodynamics which, in some cases, yielded…
Econline Pickup: The Forward Control Ford
The big news in Detroit in 1960 was the arrival of “compact” cars – and in particular, the Ford Falcon. But just as imported cars had encroached on domestics 1950s, smaller and more fuel efficient…
The Calm Before the Storm: 1951 Packard
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…
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…