Sifting through the Motor Trend interviews that have run during the past 50 years is like reviewing black-and-white newsreel film or cracking open a time capsule. As you might expect, some of the red-hot topics—rotary-engine design, the new Chevy Vega, AMC’s survival—have cooled considerably. Others—crash safety, import versus domestic engineering, small-car profitability—are still burning issues.
Naturally, the interview subjects were most often industry experts, government regulators, division general managers, chief engineers, top stylists, or company presidents. But occasionally, our editors strayed into the entertainment field to grab some opinions from car-collecting television or movie stars.
It was difficult to select just a few interviews. Not surprisingly, some reasoned responses of the past seem foolish in light of the changes in buyer tastes, manufacturing techniques, and strength of the global players.…
