Ate Up With Motor

Better Slow that Mustang Down: The Story of the Original Ford Mustang

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:19:12 +0000

Do we even need to talk about the Mustang? It's one of the best-known of all postwar American cars, and there have been dozens of books about it, some of them obnoxiously sycophantic. Still, it is certainly important, and hugely influential -- not just in the automotive world. So, once more into the breach, dear friends, with the history of the original pony car.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the origins of the 1965 Ford Mustang

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The Dodge That (Almost) Ate Detroit

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Administrator) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000

(Ed.: Ate Up With Motor is still on hiatus, but in the meantime, check out this story from our archives.)

Back in 1962, driven by faulty intelligence and messy internal politics, Chrysler tried to downsize its bread-and-butter big cars, with disastrous results both aesthetically and commercially. It nearly destroyed the company, and it soured Detroit on downsizing for over a decade. This is the whole messy story.

Click here to read more about the downsized 1962 Dodge and Plymouth lines

A Brief Hiatus

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Administrator) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:13:42 +0000

Ate Up With Motor will be taking a brief hiatus while we recuperate and take care of some other commitments. We expect to return with new articles in September. In the meantime, enjoy our archives files, and feel free to offer any suggestions.

The Harder They Fall: The Saga of the DeLorean Motor Company

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It was the automotive story for almost a decade: former GM superstar John DeLorean had set out to build his own high-tech sports car, only to end up in handcuffs. This week, we present the complete saga of the DeLorean Motor Company and the DeLorean DMC-12, a strange tale of grand ambition, political intrigue, and cocaine.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the 1981-1983 DeLorean DMC-12 and the DeLorean Motor Company

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Rebel Yell: The Life and Death of the Chevrolet Corvair

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

There is no American automobile more controversial than this one. It's the car that launched the career of Ralph Nader, and it led directly to the passage of the first federal safety legislation. Automotive writer Michael Lamm called it a martyr; others said it should never have been built at all. It was flawed, at least in its original iteration, but it was also one of the most daring cars GM has ever built.

We're talking about the Chevrolet Corvair.

Author's Note: The original version of this article was written in 2007. It has been extensively revised and expanded, adding new information and correcting numerous factual errors.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the 1960-1969 Chevrolet Corvair

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Wide Track: Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and the Pontiac Renaissance

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

In 1956, GM's Pontiac Motor Division was close to death. Its sales were down, its market share declining, and its image at a low ebb. That summer, however, help arrived in the form of Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and John DeLorean. Together, they lifted Pontiac out of its mid-fifties doldrums and put it on track for its unprecedented success in the 1960s.

This week, we look back at the reign of Bunkie Knudsen and the birth of the legendary Wide-Track Pontiacs.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about Bunkie Knudsen and Pontiac's late-fifties renaissance

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Private Investigations: Oscar Banker, the Automatic Safety Transmission, and the Art of Research

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:32:28 +0000

We're going to take a different approach for this week's article. Instead of presenting another history, we've decided to give you a look at the way we approach the research for these articles, and tackle a challenging comment posed by one of our readers: did inventor Oscar Banker design the 1937-1939 Oldsmobile/Buick Automatic Safety Transmission, the predecessor of Hydra-Matic?

{readmorelink}Click here to read more...

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Wouldn't You Really Rather: A Brief History of the Buick Gran Sport

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The words "sporty Buick" have never quite rolled off the tongue, but over the years, Buick has produced a surprising number of performance cars, from the speedy prewar Century to the turbocharged Grand National and GNX. From 1965 to 1975, it even offered its own entry in the burgeoning Supercar market: the Skylark Gran Sport.

This week, we take a look at the history of Buick muscle, and the career of the Skylark Gran National, GS400, GS455, and GSX.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the Buick Gran Sport

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Cheaper by the Dozen: The Curious Story of Packard's Twin Six and Twelve

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

In January 1930, Cadillac introduced its mighty Sixteen, a bold and extravagant bid for supremacy in the luxury car field. Naturally, the Packard Motor Car Company, the reigning champion of the American luxury market, was not about to take that lying down, and launched its own 12-cylinder Twin Six in 1932.

It would be easy to assume the Twin Six was a hastily contrived response to the multicylinder Cadillacs, but that's only half true. The latter-day Twin Six was conceived for quite a different purpose, and therein hangs a tale.

This week, we look at the curious history of Packard's legendary V-12 cars, with sideways glances at Cord and...the Indianapolis 500? Read on...

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the Packard Twin Six and Twelve

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Jet Crash: Hudson's Compact Jet

aseverson@ateupwithmotor.com (Aaron Severson) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

When it was first announced in 1952, Hudson officials thought the compact Jet would be a renaissance for the venerable automaker. Today, many historians will tell you it was Hudson's fatal mistake. This week, we look at the history of the much-maligned Hudson Jet.

{readmorelink}Click here to read more about the 1953-1954 Hudson Jet

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