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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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![In January 1982, Chrysler introduced one of its most important cars of the ’80s: the Chrysler LeBaron convertible, the first factory-authorized U.S. ragtop since the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. The […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1982-Chrysler-LeBaron-Mark-Cross-convert-white-Mecum-Auctions-S77-front-3q-right-top-down.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1982 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible – How The Convertible Came Back (And Why It Never Really Went Away)")
1982 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible – How The Convertible Came Back (And Why It Never Really Went Away)
Posted on July 11, 2025 | 13 CommentsIn January 1982, Chrysler introduced one of its most important cars of the ’80s: the Chrysler LeBaron convertible, the first factory-authorized U.S. ragtop since the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. The […] -
![In the mid-1960s, Pontiac was riding high on its sporty image. The full-size Pontiac Catalina was a big hit, and the muscular midsize Pontiac GTO was a great success, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1965-Pontiac-Catalina-2plus2-Fontaine-Blue-Mecum-Auctions-S87.1-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 421 HO – 2 Plus 2 Does Not Equal GTO")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 421 HO – 2 Plus 2 Does Not Equal GTO
Posted on July 10, 2025 | 21 CommentsIn the mid-1960s, Pontiac was riding high on its sporty image. The full-size Pontiac Catalina was a big hit, and the muscular midsize Pontiac GTO was a great success, […] -
![Years ago, I called the 1969–1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III vulgar, which continues to get me periodic hate mail. While I still don’t much like the Mark III, I’ve […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1969-Lincoln-Continental-Mark-III-Medium-Blue-Bring-a-Trailer-24-side-right-crop.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III, Inside And Out – Unsubtle But Effective")
1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III, Inside And Out – Unsubtle But Effective
Posted on July 7, 2025 | 30 CommentsYears ago, I called the 1969–1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III vulgar, which continues to get me periodic hate mail. While I still don’t much like the Mark III, I’ve […] -
![Have you ever wondered why modern automatic transmissions all have shift patterns beginning “PRND”? It wasn’t always so — if you’ve driven older cars, you may have noticed that […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2013-Toyota-Corolla-LE-automatic-shifter.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "From NDLR To PRNDL – How One Inventor’s Grudge Against GM Helped To Standardize Transmission Shift Patterns")
From NDLR To PRNDL – How One Inventor’s Grudge Against GM Helped To Standardize Transmission Shift Patterns
Posted on July 6, 2025 | 50 CommentsHave you ever wondered why modern automatic transmissions all have shift patterns beginning “PRND”? It wasn’t always so — if you’ve driven older cars, you may have noticed that […] -
![How did the Ford Thunderbird stack up against its personal luxury competition in 1968? Ford Division tackled that question in this intriguing 1968 booklet for Ford salespeople, which highlighted the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Thunderbird-vs-Major-Competition-0.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1968 Ford Thunderbird Versus Rivals – How Ford Ranked The T-Bird’s Competition")
1968 Ford Thunderbird Versus Rivals – How Ford Ranked The T-Bird’s Competition
Posted on July 3, 2025 | 24 CommentsHow did the Ford Thunderbird stack up against its personal luxury competition in 1968? Ford Division tackled that question in this intriguing 1968 booklet for Ford salespeople, which highlighted the […] -
![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 | 15 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 […]
