Historiography: The American Compact Car
The introduction of the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair, Chrysler Valiant and Ford Falcon was a pivotal event for the automotive industry.

The introduction of the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair, Chrysler Valiant and Ford Falcon was a pivotal event for the automotive industry.
We should establish that most consumers (and commercial/fleet purchasers) will choose the LT for its inherent value and popular level of content.
After a couple of quick spins in the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS and 2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali, my curiosity was satisfied.
Although, one should reflect back on its roots to see how these four mid-sized models emerged to the iconography of the muscle car movement in the 1960s.
There was a time when we became comfortable. Comfortable enough to let post-war designs to simply just be normalized.
The last two quarters did see a drop in sales compared year-to-date. But, there is plenty of evidence that the Malibu continues to do steady business.
After doing a Quickies review of the newest entry onto the Buick lineup, I wanted to dig deeper into this new vehicle.
In order to achieve this, Detroit's "Big Four" had two choices: Build them domestically or import them from a global partner somewhere.
Their next step was to introduce a line of mid-sized sedans aimed to eventually replace its already-downsized rear-drive models.
It got me thinking…if I had a deep pool of funds, a garage condo and the time to search out vehicles for a collection, what would I get?