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Curbside Classics Archives
Automotive Histories Archive
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![(first posted 10/10/2011) Every once in a while, a visionary, iconoclastic automotive pioneer bursts on the scene and, bucking the long odds and naysaying “conventional wisdom”, delivers a disruptive new […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/1987-Yugo-GV-Sport-01.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History – The Joke’s On U.S.- The Short, Wild Ride Of The Yugo In America")
Automotive History – The Joke’s On U.S.- The Short, Wild Ride Of The Yugo In America
Posted on January 20, 2025 | 156 Comments(first posted 10/10/2011) Every once in a while, a visionary, iconoclastic automotive pioneer bursts on the scene and, bucking the long odds and naysaying “conventional wisdom”, delivers a disruptive new […] -
![(first posted 8/9/2011) Lots of people rightfully think of Cadillac as the All American car. Founded in the U.S.A., long called the standard of the world, no other country […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/catera-2.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: 1997-2001 Cadillac Catera – GM’s Deadly Sin #29")
Automotive History: 1997-2001 Cadillac Catera – GM’s Deadly Sin #29
Posted on January 19, 2025 | 179 Comments(first posted 8/9/2011) Lots of people rightfully think of Cadillac as the All American car. Founded in the U.S.A., long called the standard of the world, no other country […] -
![For modern enthusiasts and nostalgists, the popularity of postwar Chevrolet cars (and trucks) is so tied up with the SBC V-8 engine that it’s almost hard to believe that […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1949-Chevrolet-Styleline-ClassicCars-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History – 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline And Styleline – Seize The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolets")
Automotive History – 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline And Styleline – Seize The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolets
Posted on January 17, 2025 | 33 CommentsFor modern enthusiasts and nostalgists, the popularity of postwar Chevrolet cars (and trucks) is so tied up with the SBC V-8 engine that it’s almost hard to believe that […] -
![(first posted 1/1/2012) For most of us, the turn of the calendar represents a new (hopeful) beginning. A fresh start, if you will, to take stock, begin anew, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/70-ford-falcon.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1970½ Ford Falcon: Mission Implausible")
1970½ Ford Falcon: Mission Implausible
Posted on January 16, 2025 | 148 Comments(first posted 1/1/2012) For most of us, the turn of the calendar represents a new (hopeful) beginning. A fresh start, if you will, to take stock, begin anew, […] -
![(first posted 11/2/2011) What are the defining characteristics of the modern mini-van? Front wheel drive? Transverse engine? Front wheels set forward of the passenger cabin? A […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DKW_Schnellaster_Van.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "DKW Schnellaster: The Mother Of All Modern Minivans?")
DKW Schnellaster: The Mother Of All Modern Minivans?
Posted on January 15, 2025 | 36 Comments(first posted 11/2/2011) What are the defining characteristics of the modern mini-van? Front wheel drive? Transverse engine? Front wheels set forward of the passenger cabin? A […] -
![(first posted 1/8/2019) There are certainly plenty of North American obscure rebadges that could be featured in this series, like the Mitsubishi Precis and Saturn Relay. This series, however, has […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mahindra-voyager-ad.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Obscure Rebadges From Around The World: Part 7")
Obscure Rebadges From Around The World: Part 7
Posted on January 8, 2025 | 33 Comments(first posted 1/8/2019) There are certainly plenty of North American obscure rebadges that could be featured in this series, like the Mitsubishi Precis and Saturn Relay. This series, however, has […] -
![A bob-tailed Cadillac? Strange but true: Between 1961 and 1963, Cadillac briefly offered short-deck versions of its four-door hardtop, aimed at owners who’d complained that the big cars were getting […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1963-Cadillac-Sedan-de-Ville-composite.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1961–1963 Cadillac Town Sedan And Park Avenue Sedan De Ville – Cadillac’s Bob-Tailed Nags")
1961–1963 Cadillac Town Sedan And Park Avenue Sedan De Ville – Cadillac’s Bob-Tailed Nags
Posted on January 8, 2025 | 26 CommentsA bob-tailed Cadillac? Strange but true: Between 1961 and 1963, Cadillac briefly offered short-deck versions of its four-door hardtop, aimed at owners who’d complained that the big cars were getting […] -
![Ford’s compact Cardinal never made it to America, but Ford of Germany managed to sell 680,206 units of the German Taunus 12M P4 version through 1966, plus a further […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1968-Ford-15M-RS-front-3q-IMG_1155-e1736104988772.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "CC History: 1968 German Ford 15M RS (P6) – The Successor To Dearborn’s FWD Cardinal Dons Its Track Suit, But Prefers To Walk")
CC History: 1968 German Ford 15M RS (P6) – The Successor To Dearborn’s FWD Cardinal Dons Its Track Suit, But Prefers To Walk
Posted on January 4, 2025 | 12 CommentsFord’s compact Cardinal never made it to America, but Ford of Germany managed to sell 680,206 units of the German Taunus 12M P4 version through 1966, plus a further […] -
![For decades a Cadillac was something of a gold standard in the automotive realm, going right back to its very beginning. It could be counted on to be very well […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/a-49-tile-3.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The Inflation Adjusted Prices Of New Cadillac Coupe DeVilles (1949-1993) And In Price Per Pound – The True Cost Of A Cadillac Over The Decades")
The Inflation Adjusted Prices Of New Cadillac Coupe DeVilles (1949-1993) And In Price Per Pound – The True Cost Of A Cadillac Over The Decades
Posted on December 23, 2024 | 22 CommentsFor decades a Cadillac was something of a gold standard in the automotive realm, going right back to its very beginning. It could be counted on to be very well […] -
![images: Autobild.de via Myles Kornblatt (first posted 7/21/2014) Bruce Mohs was obviously a visionary, anticipating future automotive trends long before they took root. That probably explains why no one actually […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Mohs-Ostentatienne-Opera-Sedan-ffq.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: 1967 Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan – With A Truck Chassis, 20″ Wheels And Lots of Bling, It Was Just Way Ahead Of Its Time")
Automotive History: 1967 Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan – With A Truck Chassis, 20″ Wheels And Lots of Bling, It Was Just Way Ahead Of Its Time
Posted on December 20, 2024 | 135 Commentsimages: Autobild.de via Myles Kornblatt (first posted 7/21/2014) Bruce Mohs was obviously a visionary, anticipating future automotive trends long before they took root. That probably explains why no one actually […] -
![The Sloan Ladder (“the ladder of success” or “a car for every purse”) was created by GM President Alfred P. Sloan in the 1920s when income and automobile price […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ls-5.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1963 Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan – When Olds First Leapfrogged Buick On The Sloan Ladder")
1963 Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan – When Olds First Leapfrogged Buick On The Sloan Ladder
Posted on December 20, 2024 | 41 CommentsThe Sloan Ladder (“the ladder of success” or “a car for every purse”) was created by GM President Alfred P. Sloan in the 1920s when income and automobile price […] -
![The 1961 Continental may have been a classic design, but by 1969, it was getting both old and jowly. For 1970, the Continental received its first full redesign in […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/48948007-1970-lincoln-continental-std-front-3q-with-driving-lights-on.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: 1970 Lincoln Continental – All-New, Lighter, Faster, But Not Quite Good Enough?")
Automotive History: 1970 Lincoln Continental – All-New, Lighter, Faster, But Not Quite Good Enough?
Posted on December 19, 2024 | 29 CommentsThe 1961 Continental may have been a classic design, but by 1969, it was getting both old and jowly. For 1970, the Continental received its first full redesign in […] -
![(first posted 12/18/2018. Revised and expanded 12/16/2024) There’s not a lot of untold or compelling car stories that we haven’t covered here yet, but the Ford Cardinal […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CC-366-Portland-029.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: The Real Story of How the American Ford FWD Cardinal Became the German Ford Taunus 12M – From Dearborn With Love")
Automotive History: The Real Story of How the American Ford FWD Cardinal Became the German Ford Taunus 12M – From Dearborn With Love
Posted on December 18, 2024 | 110 Comments(first posted 12/18/2018. Revised and expanded 12/16/2024) There’s not a lot of untold or compelling car stories that we haven’t covered here yet, but the Ford Cardinal […] -
![(first posted 12/14/2018) For many people the implication from the title of this piece might present a daunting proposition. In my case, growing up in a town of around […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/thebes-bridge-twilight.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive, Architectural, and Small Town History and Reminiscing: The Cars, Structures, and History Of My Southern Illinois Hometown")
Automotive, Architectural, and Small Town History and Reminiscing: The Cars, Structures, and History Of My Southern Illinois Hometown
Posted on December 14, 2024 | 63 Comments(first posted 12/14/2018) For many people the implication from the title of this piece might present a daunting proposition. In my case, growing up in a town of around […] -
![Although it was never officially offered in the U.S., the 1961 German Ford Taunus 17M — nicknamed “the Bathtub Taunus” for its oval-shaped aerodynamic styling and peaked fenders — […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/access-taunus_17m_p3.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: 1961 Ford Taunus 17M P3 – The Birth Of Ford Of Germany’s “Bathtub Taunus” (With Vintage SCI Photos)")
Automotive History: 1961 Ford Taunus 17M P3 – The Birth Of Ford Of Germany’s “Bathtub Taunus” (With Vintage SCI Photos)
Posted on December 11, 2024 | 27 CommentsAlthough it was never officially offered in the U.S., the 1961 German Ford Taunus 17M — nicknamed “the Bathtub Taunus” for its oval-shaped aerodynamic styling and peaked fenders — […]
