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Curbside Classics Archives
Automotive Histories Archive
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![1961 Chrysler Newport with standard 3-speed floor shift (first posted 12/9/2017) As a rather curious corollary to Chrysler’s very space-age push-button automatic, whose demise was covered here by […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Chrysler-1961-3-sp-floor.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: The Mysterious Appearance of Floor Shifters for 1961-1964 Chrysler Three-Speed Manual Transmissions")
Automotive History: The Mysterious Appearance of Floor Shifters for 1961-1964 Chrysler Three-Speed Manual Transmissions
Posted on December 9, 2023 | 61 Comments1961 Chrysler Newport with standard 3-speed floor shift (first posted 12/9/2017) As a rather curious corollary to Chrysler’s very space-age push-button automatic, whose demise was covered here by […] -
![(first posted 12/8/2017) The sudden disappearance of the pushbutton transmission on Chrysler Corporation vehicles at the end of the 1964 model year has resulted in a lot of […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MoparButtons02-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Chrysler Pushbutton Automatic – A Government Conspiracy?")
Automotive History: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Chrysler Pushbutton Automatic – A Government Conspiracy?
Posted on December 8, 2023 | 203 Comments(first posted 12/8/2017) The sudden disappearance of the pushbutton transmission on Chrysler Corporation vehicles at the end of the 1964 model year has resulted in a lot of […] -
![Once upon a long duration of time, these Chrysler B-body twins of the Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury were seemingly everywhere in movies and television being subjected to all manner […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Monaco-lead-pic.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: A Salute To The 1977 and 1978 Dodge Monaco (And Plymouth Fury) – The Most Abused Car In Entertainment History?")
Automotive History: A Salute To The 1977 and 1978 Dodge Monaco (And Plymouth Fury) – The Most Abused Car In Entertainment History?
Posted on December 6, 2023 | 69 CommentsOnce upon a long duration of time, these Chrysler B-body twins of the Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury were seemingly everywhere in movies and television being subjected to all manner […] -
![(first posted 12/4/2017. revised 12/3/2023) The fact that the downsized and unusually-styled 1962 Plymouth and Dodge were a blunder is indisputable, in terms of their failure on the market. But […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ffffv.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Brilliant Blunder: 1962 Plymouth & Dodge – The Real Reason They Were Downsized")
Brilliant Blunder: 1962 Plymouth & Dodge – The Real Reason They Were Downsized
Posted on December 4, 2023 | 180 Comments(first posted 12/4/2017. revised 12/3/2023) The fact that the downsized and unusually-styled 1962 Plymouth and Dodge were a blunder is indisputable, in terms of their failure on the market. But […] -
![(first posted 12/2/2017) Italy, Summer 1981. My father is hustling his brother’s black Mercedes-Benz 220 S heckflosse along the autostrada at speed. Inside the car it’s three children […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/orangecrash.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive & Design History: Mercedes-Benz W110/111/112 Fintails – Béla Barényi And The Elusive Pluckenheckflosse")
Automotive & Design History: Mercedes-Benz W110/111/112 Fintails – Béla Barényi And The Elusive Pluckenheckflosse
Posted on December 2, 2023 | 102 Comments(first posted 12/2/2017) Italy, Summer 1981. My father is hustling his brother’s black Mercedes-Benz 220 S heckflosse along the autostrada at speed. Inside the car it’s three children […] -
![(first posted 12/1/2013) Alfa has always been known and loved for their engines as well as all the rest of their seductive qualities. Perhaps even more so than the others, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/CC-124-070-800.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Engine History: Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Four – A Pioneer, And As Beautiful As The Cars It Powered")
Engine History: Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Four – A Pioneer, And As Beautiful As The Cars It Powered
Posted on December 1, 2023 | 60 Comments(first posted 12/1/2013) Alfa has always been known and loved for their engines as well as all the rest of their seductive qualities. Perhaps even more so than the others, […] -
![(first posted 12/18/2013) Imagine lifting the hood of a 1967 Cadillac, and seeing this alloy SOHC V12 nestled there. It’s hardly a far-fetched notion. In the mid sixties, Cadillac came […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/CadV12_01_1000-450x387.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Engine History: The OHC V12 Engine That Cadillac Almost Built")
Engine History: The OHC V12 Engine That Cadillac Almost Built
Posted on November 28, 2023 | 102 Comments(first posted 12/18/2013) Imagine lifting the hood of a 1967 Cadillac, and seeing this alloy SOHC V12 nestled there. It’s hardly a far-fetched notion. In the mid sixties, Cadillac came […] -
![Fabco wide-track lettuce truck. With just a terse statement through P.R. Newswire, Livermore, California-based Fabco Automotive, one of the last vestiges of the San Francisco Bay Area’s proud automotive history, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/IMG_3415-1024x683.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Fabco Automotive, 1918-2017: A San Francisco Bay Area Automotive Legend")
Fabco Automotive, 1918-2017: A San Francisco Bay Area Automotive Legend
Posted on November 25, 2023 | 71 CommentsFabco wide-track lettuce truck. With just a terse statement through P.R. Newswire, Livermore, California-based Fabco Automotive, one of the last vestiges of the San Francisco Bay Area’s proud automotive history, […] -
![(first posted 10/28/2014) There were those who considered Vernon O’Neal a cumbersome and plodding businessman; far more people admired his Texas pluck, which manifested itself in his cheeky exuberance to shake things […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Cadillac-hearse-side.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: A Tale of Two White Wagons")
Automotive History: A Tale of Two White Wagons
Posted on November 22, 2023 | 82 Comments(first posted 10/28/2014) There were those who considered Vernon O’Neal a cumbersome and plodding businessman; far more people admired his Texas pluck, which manifested itself in his cheeky exuberance to shake things […] -
![(first posted 9/6/2013. For those that didn’t make the jump to Part 2 the other day) In 1980 my father’s autobiography was published under the title “An Addiction to Automobiles”. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Platt-book.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The Corporation: The Story Of My Father, A GM Executive Part 2 – From Churchill Tanks To Body Rot")
The Corporation: The Story Of My Father, A GM Executive Part 2 – From Churchill Tanks To Body Rot
Posted on November 15, 2023 | 98 Comments(first posted 9/6/2013. For those that didn’t make the jump to Part 2 the other day) In 1980 my father’s autobiography was published under the title “An Addiction to Automobiles”. […] -
![(first posted 10/21/2017) Earlier this year, while wandering through a cruise night, I came across this 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. At first glance, I didn’t give […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_7493.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Car Show Classics: 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Convertible – 394 cubic inches and 3-on-the Tree")
Car Show Classics: 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Convertible – 394 cubic inches and 3-on-the Tree
Posted on October 22, 2023 | 75 Comments(first posted 10/21/2017) Earlier this year, while wandering through a cruise night, I came across this 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. At first glance, I didn’t give […] -
![(first posted 10/17/2017) I saw this big blue monster on my very first day in Yerevan – how lucky can a CCurbivore be? No way to get a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_20170907_095207.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1976 GAZ 13 Chaika – Apparat Chic, Or A Short History Of Long Soviet Cars")
Curbside Classic: 1976 GAZ 13 Chaika – Apparat Chic, Or A Short History Of Long Soviet Cars
Posted on October 17, 2023 | 56 Comments(first posted 10/17/2017) I saw this big blue monster on my very first day in Yerevan – how lucky can a CCurbivore be? No way to get a […] -
![While the 1960s were a time of extreme experimentation in tire sidewall technology (among other things), most of the variations on the classic single white stripe had a short shelf […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1973-Imperial2.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 5: 1970s through 1990s – The Long Goodbye")
Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 5: 1970s through 1990s – The Long Goodbye
Posted on September 29, 2023 | 46 CommentsWhile the 1960s were a time of extreme experimentation in tire sidewall technology (among other things), most of the variations on the classic single white stripe had a short shelf […] -
![Pencils down, everyone. Enough with the history lessons, time for some whitewall fun! The 1960s were a time of unprecedented cultural change, and that is reflected even in something as […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1967-Corvette.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 4: 1964 though 1969 – The Wild ’60s")
Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 4: 1964 though 1969 – The Wild ’60s
Posted on September 28, 2023 | 36 CommentsPencils down, everyone. Enough with the history lessons, time for some whitewall fun! The 1960s were a time of unprecedented cultural change, and that is reflected even in something as […] -
![When we left Part 2 in 1942, whitewall tires were slowly starting to fade from manufacturers’ ads as part of the buildup to World War II. For today’s installment, we […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG_3573.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 3: 1946 through 1963 – The Golden Age of Whitewall Tires")
Automotive History – The History of Whitewall Tires, Part 3: 1946 through 1963 – The Golden Age of Whitewall Tires
Posted on September 27, 2023 | 26 CommentsWhen we left Part 2 in 1942, whitewall tires were slowly starting to fade from manufacturers’ ads as part of the buildup to World War II. For today’s installment, we […]
