From the earliest electric vehicles to the curious innovation of the Bricklin, the auto industry has always been a regular part of the news cycle.
Film from the SMU Jones Library contains many old WFAA stories from the 1970s, including a reporter driving around Downtown Dallas in an electric van. The van was one of the earliest experiments with electric vehicles, but the price tag of $12,000 was considered too expensive for the general population.
Another 1975 story highlighted the sporty new Bricklin two-seater and without the technology of GoPro cameras, it left only enough space for reporter Bob Brown to squeeze into the trunk to conduct the interview.
The relatively new feature of personalized vanity license plates, or “ego plates” as the reporter called them, showed what messages some drivers were sending to others on the road. The personalized plates cost just $10 in 1975. A seven-letter Texas plate will cost you close to $200 now.