TweetThe year 1969 was the "calm after the storm." Or, was it? Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the President of the United States. We finally had a lunar landing, thanks to Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin, with Michael Collins waiting up in space. It was "The Age of Aquarius," according to Marilyn McCoo, …
But, if we sift through every one of them to find a platform that is still fondly remembered, you may or may not be surprised to know which one.
They join the misbegotten that danced in front of us for our dollars. Some of these brands ended a lengthy history of success – and failure.
Do you remember any vehicle that showed up in one moment and was gone before we knew it? Of course not!
Sadly, this is a business lesson that often used as examples of failures. But, should we consider them failures? Perhaps another lesson from the music industry would be apt here – if you had a one-hit wonder and continues to have airplay and downloads, you are not a failure.
The year 1977 was a watershed moment in the automotive industry. The OPEC Oil Crisis was already over. However, the lessons learned from the crisis began to trickle down into the products North American automakers rolled out.
The turn of the 1970s was a time of transition. It was clear that Richard Nixon wasn't going anywhere. His administration oversaw the first landing on the moon by human beings, but the escalating war in Vietnam dogged his leadership. In 1968, many thought Nixon was the peace candidate for President. He would end up sending more USA troops into Southeast Asia.
The answer above would be a proper response to the question of the Panther platform's longevity. It also serves as a reminder as to why Panther platform cars are recycled at a greater rate than any vehicle ever made in the past 35 years. Everywhere you go – regardless of the average income of a neighborhood, you will find more than one such rear-wheel drive dinosaur driving around the block.
I’m still picking up from the "cutting room floor" vehicles that did not make the cut back in 2017 for the sake of our ninth anniversary. This is really an exercise that tests my memory, as well as giving a look back at vehicles that have stood the test of time over a decade ago.
By the mid-2000s, Ford reached a point where they had to do something about their mid-sized sedan offering. With a lineage that included the Tempo and the Contour (the American version of the Mondeo), Ford needed something that fit perfectly between the Focus and the Taurus.