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Curbside Classics Archives
Automotive Histories Archive
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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 | 7 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 […] -
![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 […] -
![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 […] -
![In a recent installment, I showed you the 1958 Mercury Park Lane–the super-luxury automobile introduced by Mercury to compete with cars priced just below Lincoln and Cadillac. Now it’s […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/image1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1959 Mercury Park Lane–‘America’s Liveliest Luxury Car’!")
1959 Mercury Park Lane–‘America’s Liveliest Luxury Car’!
Posted on June 26, 2025 | 25 CommentsIn a recent installment, I showed you the 1958 Mercury Park Lane–the super-luxury automobile introduced by Mercury to compete with cars priced just below Lincoln and Cadillac. Now it’s […] -
![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 […] -
![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 […] -
![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 | 34 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 […] -
![So I’m this kid growing up in the 1970s, and I’m really into old cars, particularly from the 1950s to early 60s. I’ve seen Fords, Chevys, the ’59 Pontiac (a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/5d4611a05951c2f6d1b295bf14760cd11.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1958 Mercury Park Lane: The ‘Over-The-Top’ 50s Car You’ve Probably Never Seen")
1958 Mercury Park Lane: The ‘Over-The-Top’ 50s Car You’ve Probably Never Seen
Posted on June 13, 2025 | 25 CommentsSo I’m this kid growing up in the 1970s, and I’m really into old cars, particularly from the 1950s to early 60s. I’ve seen Fords, Chevys, the ’59 Pontiac (a […] -
1983-1992 Lincoln Continental Mark VII – The Forgotten Car
Posted on June 12, 2025 | 11 CommentsThe Continental Mark VII has to rank among the most radical visual transformations in any Lincoln family tree before the ’90s and the “aero” age. -
![I recently finished up the series on cars I found at the Arizona auctions from 1903-1939, where there was an unusually deep inventory of these amazing early cars that one […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250123_111858.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Dashboard Evolution Part 1 of 2, Pre-War Symmetry")
Dashboard Evolution Part 1 of 2, Pre-War Symmetry
Posted on June 10, 2025 | 15 CommentsI recently finished up the series on cars I found at the Arizona auctions from 1903-1939, where there was an unusually deep inventory of these amazing early cars that one […] -
![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 […] -
![Introduced midway through 1969, the 1970 Ford Maverick was Ford’s budget-priced import fighter, offering very basic transportation at a low, low price. The early Maverick had few real virtues, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1970-Ford-Maverick-Original-Cinnamon-Ford-Motor-Company-neg-C1173-8-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Why The 1970 Ford Maverick Was A Hit – The Right Dismal Car At The Right Dismal Time")
Why The 1970 Ford Maverick Was A Hit – The Right Dismal Car At The Right Dismal Time
Posted on June 6, 2025 | 52 CommentsIntroduced midway through 1969, the 1970 Ford Maverick was Ford’s budget-priced import fighter, offering very basic transportation at a low, low price. The early Maverick had few real virtues, […]
