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Curbside Classics Archives
Automotive Histories Archive
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![Yes, the SS emblems on this Dark Red 1973 Chevrolet Malibu station wagon are authentic, and yes, if you look closely, that is an equally authentic “454” call-out on […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1973-Chevrolet-Malibu-SS-454-wagon-Mecum-Auctions-F195-front-3q-lead.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS 454 Wagon – The Dad ‘Stache Superwagon")
1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS 454 Wagon – The Dad ‘Stache Superwagon
Posted on April 29, 2025 | 51 CommentsYes, the SS emblems on this Dark Red 1973 Chevrolet Malibu station wagon are authentic, and yes, if you look closely, that is an equally authentic “454” call-out on […] -
![The second half of the sixties is often called the golden age for American cars, and that certainly applies to four-door hardtops. Not only did full-size versions continue to expand […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/a-66-corvair-tile.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 3: 1965-1969 – Now Available In Sizes S, M, L & XL")
All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 3: 1965-1969 – Now Available In Sizes S, M, L & XL
Posted on April 27, 2025 | 29 CommentsThe second half of the sixties is often called the golden age for American cars, and that certainly applies to four-door hardtops. Not only did full-size versions continue to expand […] -
![(first posted 9/2/2013) The recent Jeep FC-150 and Jeep Commando CC with their Hurricane Four engine that featured an F-head (Intake Over Exhaust – “IOE”) cylinder head gave me […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/F-Head-Rover-P4.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The History of The Curious F-Head Engine")
The History of The Curious F-Head Engine
Posted on April 24, 2025 | 85 Comments(first posted 9/2/2013) The recent Jeep FC-150 and Jeep Commando CC with their Hurricane Four engine that featured an F-head (Intake Over Exhaust – “IOE”) cylinder head gave me […] -
![(first posted here on 8/16/2013. Updated 4/9/2019) Not uncommonly, a brilliant career and an enduring reputation for innovation all derive from a single kernel of inspiration. Perhaps even a rather […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tatra-87rear.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: Hans Ledwinka’s Revolutionary Tatras")
Automotive History: Hans Ledwinka’s Revolutionary Tatras
Posted on April 21, 2025 | 43 Comments(first posted here on 8/16/2013. Updated 4/9/2019) Not uncommonly, a brilliant career and an enduring reputation for innovation all derive from a single kernel of inspiration. Perhaps even a rather […] -
![Recently, I ran across a 2022 listing for an unusual 1965 Chevrolet Caprice, the light purple (“Evening Orchid”) four-door hardtop pictured above. The original Caprice, Chevrolet’s response to the popular […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1965-Buick-Electra-225-and-1965-Chevrolet-Caprice-left-side-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1965 Chevrolet Caprice Vs. 1965 Buick Electra 225 Custom – Working-Class Luxury Takes On The Establishment")
1965 Chevrolet Caprice Vs. 1965 Buick Electra 225 Custom – Working-Class Luxury Takes On The Establishment
Posted on April 17, 2025 | 53 CommentsRecently, I ran across a 2022 listing for an unusual 1965 Chevrolet Caprice, the light purple (“Evening Orchid”) four-door hardtop pictured above. The original Caprice, Chevrolet’s response to the popular […] -
![High-performance luxury cars are often described “businessman’s hot rods,” presumptively aimed at affluent middle-aged men who demand performance as well as panache. But what about affluent suburban soccer moms […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1969-Buick-Sportwagon-400-Mecum-Auctions-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1969 Buick Sportwagon 400 – The Soccer Mom Supercar")
1969 Buick Sportwagon 400 – The Soccer Mom Supercar
Posted on April 16, 2025 | 28 CommentsHigh-performance luxury cars are often described “businessman’s hot rods,” presumptively aimed at affluent middle-aged men who demand performance as well as panache. But what about affluent suburban soccer moms […] -
![We tend to think of four-door hardtops as a mostly American phenomena, but this body style was also popular in Japan for many years. From 1988 to 1992, Mazda even […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1991-Mazda-Persona-right-side.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1988–1992 Mazda Persona: A JDM Four-Door Hardtop Version Of The Mazda 626")
1988–1992 Mazda Persona: A JDM Four-Door Hardtop Version Of The Mazda 626
Posted on April 10, 2025 | 26 CommentsWe tend to think of four-door hardtops as a mostly American phenomena, but this body style was also popular in Japan for many years. From 1988 to 1992, Mazda even […] -
![(first posted 3/30/2019) Welcome, one and all, to the Grand Finale of this edition of Italian Deadly Sins. And I’m not using the term lightly. This […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ita_DS2_dT.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 3) – De Tomaso, The Serial Sinner")
Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 3) – De Tomaso, The Serial Sinner
Posted on March 31, 2025 | 35 Comments(first posted 3/30/2019) Welcome, one and all, to the Grand Finale of this edition of Italian Deadly Sins. And I’m not using the term lightly. This […] -
![(first posted 3/29/2019) This one is a real tear-jerker. A lovely little sports car with a sweet-looking body, orphaned from birth, fights for its life amid competitors […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ita_DS2_asa.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 2) – ASA, A Tra-GT In Three Acts")
Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 2) – ASA, A Tra-GT In Three Acts
Posted on March 30, 2025 | 30 Comments(first posted 3/29/2019) This one is a real tear-jerker. A lovely little sports car with a sweet-looking body, orphaned from birth, fights for its life amid competitors […] -
![(first posted 3/28/2019) Bienvenuti a tutti! The European Deadly Sins caravan is touring Italy for the second time to glance at three Deadly Sins from three […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ita_DS2_isotta.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 1) – Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa: The Tatra That Came From The Dolomites")
Italian Deadly Sins (Peninsular Peccadilloes, Part 1) – Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa: The Tatra That Came From The Dolomites
Posted on March 29, 2025 | 20 Comments(first posted 3/28/2019) Bienvenuti a tutti! The European Deadly Sins caravan is touring Italy for the second time to glance at three Deadly Sins from three […] -
![The sixties was the decade of the four-door hardtop. What had been the exotic hot new thing in American automotive styling in the fifties—along with fins, of course—was now increasingly […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/a-cad-61-6w-crop-vert.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 2: 1960–1964")
All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 2: 1960–1964
Posted on March 27, 2025 | 45 CommentsThe sixties was the decade of the four-door hardtop. What had been the exotic hot new thing in American automotive styling in the fifties—along with fins, of course—was now increasingly […] -
![(first posted 3/7/2019) Unlike Invicta and Standard, the incredible story of Reliant Motors is one that stretches to living memory for most people over 30, especially if […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GB_DS3_rel.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "British Deadly Sins (A Touch Of Class, Part 3) – Reliant Kitten, The Discreet Charm Of The Toiling Masses")
British Deadly Sins (A Touch Of Class, Part 3) – Reliant Kitten, The Discreet Charm Of The Toiling Masses
Posted on March 26, 2025 | 58 Comments(first posted 3/7/2019) Unlike Invicta and Standard, the incredible story of Reliant Motors is one that stretches to living memory for most people over 30, especially if […] -
![Take a close look at the car above – what’s missing? There’s no center pillar. All non-convertible 1961-69 Lincoln Continentals have a B-pillar between the front and rear side windows; […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CGHIYRXWEAAzFNF.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "The Missing 1961 Lincoln Continental Hardtop – It Was Cancelled At The Last Minute")
The Missing 1961 Lincoln Continental Hardtop – It Was Cancelled At The Last Minute
Posted on March 26, 2025 | 29 CommentsTake a close look at the car above – what’s missing? There’s no center pillar. All non-convertible 1961-69 Lincoln Continentals have a B-pillar between the front and rear side windows; […] -
![Given the immediate popularity and glamour of the 2-door hardtop that was first introduced by Cadillac in 1949, it was just a matter of time—five years, precisely—before the first four […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/a-chev-56-sfq-vert.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 1: The 1950s")
All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 1: The 1950s
Posted on March 22, 2025 | 50 CommentsGiven the immediate popularity and glamour of the 2-door hardtop that was first introduced by Cadillac in 1949, it was just a matter of time—five years, precisely—before the first four […] -
![If you read a lot of automotive histories, you’ll frequently encounter the contention that the growing popularity of factory air conditioning on American cars in the 1960s and early […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1964-Pontiac-Bonneville-convertible-RM-Sothebys-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Did Air Conditioning Kill The Convertible?")
Did Air Conditioning Kill The Convertible?
Posted on March 21, 2025 | 37 CommentsIf you read a lot of automotive histories, you’ll frequently encounter the contention that the growing popularity of factory air conditioning on American cars in the 1960s and early […]
