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- Senior Editor and also the owner of Ate Up With Motor.
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Curbside Classics Archives
About Author: Aaron Severson
Posts by Aaron Severson
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![What was the first gasoline-powered automobile with fully automatic transmission? It wasn’t built by GM (which hadn’t even been incorporated yet!), but by the Sturtevant Mill Company in Boston, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1907-Sturtevant-Automatic-Touring-Car-brochure-litho-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The World’s First Automatic Transmission – The 1904-1907 Sturtevant Automatic Automobile")
The World’s First Automatic Transmission – The 1904-1907 Sturtevant Automatic Automobile
Posted on July 2, 2025 | 11 CommentsWhat was the first gasoline-powered automobile with fully automatic transmission? It wasn’t built by GM (which hadn’t even been incorporated yet!), but by the Sturtevant Mill Company in Boston, […] -
![For 1970, GM senior management finally rescinded the corporate policy that limited intermediate-size cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac wasted no time […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1970-Pontiac-GTO-455-RA-Pepper-Green-Mecum-Auctions-S214-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1970 Pontiac GTO 455 And 400 Ram Air – There IS A Substitute For Cubic Inches")
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1970 Pontiac GTO 455 And 400 Ram Air – There IS A Substitute For Cubic Inches
Posted on June 30, 2025 | 13 CommentsFor 1970, GM senior management finally rescinded the corporate policy that limited intermediate-size cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac wasted no time […] -
![One of the biggest factors in how well cars sell in a given market is how many dealer franchises the automaker has at a given time. Here’s a breakdown […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nowlings-Oldsmobile-Downey-Calif-1967.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "How Many Dealers Did U.S. Automakers Have In The Late 1960s?")
How Many Dealers Did U.S. Automakers Have In The Late 1960s?
Posted on June 29, 2025 | 31 CommentsOne of the biggest factors in how well cars sell in a given market is how many dealer franchises the automaker has at a given time. Here’s a breakdown […] -
![Recently, I said some not-nice things about the full-size Cadillacs of the ’70s, which I’ve never liked, and which I’ve previously likened to a fire sale on Cadillac prestige. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1974-Cadillac-Fleetwood-Brougham-dElegance-Cotillion-White-Mecum-Auctions-J196-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance And Talisman – Go Brougham Or Go Home")
1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance And Talisman – Go Brougham Or Go Home
Posted on June 28, 2025 | 37 CommentsRecently, I said some not-nice things about the full-size Cadillacs of the ’70s, which I’ve never liked, and which I’ve previously likened to a fire sale on Cadillac prestige. […] -
![Auto enthusiasts talk a lot (and complain a lot) about badge engineering, where automakers slap a few bits of unique trim on a car or truck and try to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1967-Mercury-Cougar-XR-7-Lime-Frost-Metallic-Bring-a-Trailer-2-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – How Different Is Different Enough?")
1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – How Different Is Different Enough?
Posted on June 27, 2025 | 30 CommentsAuto enthusiasts talk a lot (and complain a lot) about badge engineering, where automakers slap a few bits of unique trim on a car or truck and try to […] -
![Engineer Earle MacPherson devised an early version of his now-famous strut suspension for an abortive GM small car project, the Chevrolet Cadet, but it wasn’t until he went to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1951-Ford-Consul-blue-Car-and-Classic-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The Origins Of The MacPherson Strut Suspension")
The Origins Of The MacPherson Strut Suspension
Posted on June 26, 2025 | 22 CommentsEngineer Earle MacPherson devised an early version of his now-famous strut suspension for an abortive GM small car project, the Chevrolet Cadet, but it wasn’t until he went to […] -
![This little wagon is 75 years old today: Nash introduced its compact Rambler Custom Station Wagon on June 23, 1950, advertising the well-equipped, upscale subcompact wagon as “practical as […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1950-Nash-Rambler-Custom-Station-Wagon-Champagne-Ivory-Volo-Auto-Sales-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1950 Nash Rambler Custom Station Wagon – The Original Luxury Compact Turns 75")
1950 Nash Rambler Custom Station Wagon – The Original Luxury Compact Turns 75
Posted on June 23, 2025 | 19 CommentsThis little wagon is 75 years old today: Nash introduced its compact Rambler Custom Station Wagon on June 23, 1950, advertising the well-equipped, upscale subcompact wagon as “practical as […] -
![Although Hydra-Matic Drive was developed and manufactured by General Motors, GM’s Detroit Transmission Division also sold Hydra-Matic transmissions to outside automakers, including most of the U.S. independents and even […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1940-Oldsmobile-Series-90-blue-Barrett-Jackson-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission")
Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission
Posted on June 22, 2025 | 16 CommentsAlthough Hydra-Matic Drive was developed and manufactured by General Motors, GM’s Detroit Transmission Division also sold Hydra-Matic transmissions to outside automakers, including most of the U.S. independents and even […] -
![Between 1945 and 1947, Chevrolet developed an advanced postwar compact called the Cadet. Originally intended as a “light car” that would sell for less than $1,000, it quickly evolved into […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SIA20-The-Truth-About-Chevys-Cashiered-Cadet-Jan.-Feb.-1974_16a.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1947 Chevrolet Cadet: The Revolutionary Postwar “Light Car” Chevrolet Never Actually Built")
1947 Chevrolet Cadet: The Revolutionary Postwar “Light Car” Chevrolet Never Actually Built
Posted on June 21, 2025 | 30 CommentsBetween 1945 and 1947, Chevrolet developed an advanced postwar compact called the Cadet. Originally intended as a “light car” that would sell for less than $1,000, it quickly evolved into […] -
![Between 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Hurst-Olds-AC-Mecum-Auctions-F233.1-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference")
Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference
Posted on June 18, 2025 | 18 CommentsBetween 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […] -
![As much as cars are often sold on sex appeal or snob value, there can also be a very healthy market for cute, and only a small handful of […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1950-Nash-Rambler-Custom-Convertible-Landau-Strato-Blue-Mecum-Auctions-T225-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1950 Nash Rambler Convertible Landau: Adorable, Thrifty, But Not Cheap")
1950 Nash Rambler Convertible Landau: Adorable, Thrifty, But Not Cheap
Posted on June 16, 2025 | 21 CommentsAs much as cars are often sold on sex appeal or snob value, there can also be a very healthy market for cute, and only a small handful of […] -
![When it comes to Cadillac, the perennial question is, “When did the brand first lose its way?” Even hardcore Cadillac fans usually agree that at some point, the division […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Cadillac-Coupe-de-Ville-Regal-Silver-Orlando-Classic-Cars-side-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1968 And 1969 Cadillac Coupe De Ville: Were These The Tipping Point For Cadillac Quality And Style?")
1968 And 1969 Cadillac Coupe De Ville: Were These The Tipping Point For Cadillac Quality And Style?
Posted on June 14, 2025 | 33 CommentsWhen it comes to Cadillac, the perennial question is, “When did the brand first lose its way?” Even hardcore Cadillac fans usually agree that at some point, the division […] -
![In Jeff Nelson’s post on early U.S. compacts, he explained that one of the reasons most of these cars fell flat commercially was that they were little if any […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1954-Willys-Aero-Lark-DX-2SD-blue-Mecum-Auctions-S51-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "How Much Did The Early 1950s Compacts Cost, And How Did Their Prices Compare to Chevrolet And Ford?")
How Much Did The Early 1950s Compacts Cost, And How Did Their Prices Compare to Chevrolet And Ford?
Posted on June 11, 2025 | 29 CommentsIn Jeff Nelson’s post on early U.S. compacts, he explained that one of the reasons most of these cars fell flat commercially was that they were little if any […] -
![The 1966–1969 Jeep Super Wagoneer and 1968–1971 Wagoneer Custom Special were the earliest regular-production examples of a now-common breed: posh upscale SUVs aimed squarely at monied buyers, with lofty […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Jeep-Super-Wagoneer-Bring-a-Trailer-3-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1966–1971 Jeep Super Wagoneer and Wagoneer Custom Special: These Luxury SUVs Were Way Ahead Of Their Time, So Why Didn’t They Sell?")
1966–1971 Jeep Super Wagoneer and Wagoneer Custom Special: These Luxury SUVs Were Way Ahead Of Their Time, So Why Didn’t They Sell?
Posted on June 9, 2025 | 29 CommentsThe 1966–1969 Jeep Super Wagoneer and 1968–1971 Wagoneer Custom Special were the earliest regular-production examples of a now-common breed: posh upscale SUVs aimed squarely at monied buyers, with lofty […] -
![Paul has called the 1975 Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit the most influential global compact car of the past 50 years. One of the reasons the original Golf and Rabbit made such a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1975-Volkswagen-Rabbit-Rallye-Green-2040-cars-front-3q-right-crop.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "CC Tech: How The Nimble 1975 Volkswagen Golf, Rabbit, And Scirocco Raised The Standards Of FWD Chassis Design")
CC Tech: How The Nimble 1975 Volkswagen Golf, Rabbit, And Scirocco Raised The Standards Of FWD Chassis Design
Posted on June 8, 2025 | 53 CommentsPaul has called the 1975 Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit the most influential global compact car of the past 50 years. One of the reasons the original Golf and Rabbit made such a […]
