Blame Ralph Nader for the emergence of car safety as a selling point over, you know, something sexy like horsepower. It’s hard not to. His explosive book Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile exposed the motor industry’s apparent disregard for the well-being of those driving its wares; that its products crumpled like beer cans in accidents; that they didn’t handle as well as they might; that the bottom line counted for more than the lives of their customers.
The irony is that this exposé probably wouldn’t have been so widely publicised had Detroit’s Big Three not tried to smear the crusading lawyer (and so ineptly). His work directly (and indirectly) led to the implementation of improved safety standards, but only after Congress and the major US motor brands had locked horns.
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On your Mark VII
In our sixth instalment of the Continental story, we’re looking at the seventh iteration of the Continental Mark series: the evergreen Mark VII, a powerful, aerodynamic coupe that looks as fresh today as when the covers were first pulled off 37 years ago…
Mercury Cougar
A ‘posh’ Mustang? It could only be the Mercury Cougar …
Chrysler Concept 70X
Safety as a marketing concept for cars? Well, Richard Heseltine reckons we have Ralph Nader to thank for that. This month Richard examines a concept vehicle that was a direct result of the sudden interest in vehicle safety after Nader’s campaigning…
Stock or modified?
Evans debates the merits of keeping your classic in factory condition or adding upgrades to make it more suitable for today’s roads
HEAVY METAL COLLECTION
With a bit of luck we might be able to fly to the US again by the end of the summer. If Los Angeles is on your itinerary, then make sure you include the Petersen Museum for a very special exhibition that’s been extended due to the pandemic. Keith Harman explains why…
Patience is a BARRACUDA 1970 Plymouth Barracuda
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1960 Cadillac Sedan De Ville Johnny Cash's CADILLAC?
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1929 Lincoln Limousine NICE JAG MATE!
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Remembering The K-Car
Evans looks back to the humble compacts that saved Chrysler…
Idaho Red!
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The rise and rise and rise of the supertall skyscraper
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When it came time to showcase its electric Chevrolet Equinox SUV to the public this year, General Motors decided against doing so at the big Detroit auto show, as it typically would have done in the past. Instead, it unveiled the Equinox six days earlier.
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Breathe a little easier this spring - without taking medication
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A joint venture between Stellantis and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution plans to build a large electric vehicle battery factory in Windsor, Ontario, employing about 2,500 people just across a river from Detroit.
SEVENTY YEARS OF CHRYSLER HEMI DOMINANCE AT THE TRACK AND ON THE STREET
While many manufacturers have toyed with building engines with hemispherical combustion chambers, only Chrysler has wed itself to the technology to the extent that the name "Hemi" has become synonymous with Chrysler.
The Last One
Having attended every Super Bowl since the beginning, sports writer Jerry Green, 93, has seen heroics, disasters, blow-outs and nail biters. But he still hasn’t seen a single half-time show
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Ford Motor Co. announced that Google is joining the automaker’s effort to transform a oncedilapidated Detroit train station into a research hub focused on electric and self-driving vehicles.
The Destruction of Black Bottom
How the zeal for government project housing killed a prosperous black community in Detroit
SHOUT IT OUT
LOUD It took four albums for Kiss to rise from Rust Belt cult act to national rock stars. Now the pressure was on for a follow-up. They responded with Destroyer, the 1976 album that turned the New York City glam-rockers into Gods of Thunder.
CHRYSLER AIMS TO BE ALL ELECTRIC BY 2028
Chrysler plans go all electric by 2028, the latest automaker to announce a shift away from gasoline-powered engines under rising pressure to act on climate change.