Automobile styling is a unique subset of industrial design. Eighty-five
years ago, General Motors was the first to recognize it as a separate
discipline by appointing Harley Earl as the auto industry’s first head of a
design and styling department. Here are five of our favorites from the General:
1963 Corvette : The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray might just be one of the greatest
American designs in any field, up there with the Boeing 707 airliner and the
Chrysler Building. Predominantly the work of Larry Shinoda under the
supervision of Harley Earl’s successor Bill Mitchell, the ’63 coupe was
the only year to feature the graceful (but vision-obstructing) split rear
window. Unlike later Corvettes, it was the right size for a sports car and
there simply isn’t a bad angle or line to be found anywhere.
1963 Buick Riviera: the ’63 Riv came about after Bill
Mitchell took a trip to Europe and become enamored with European Grand Touring
cars from the likes of Ferrari and Maserati. He issued the edict that GM must
come up with a design that combined the style of a Ferrari with the luxury of a
Rolls-Royce but in a way that was uniquely American. Originally slated to be
the reintroduction of the La Salle, a sort of junior Cadillac, the Riv instead
went to the Buick division, which had lobbied hard to get it. A mix of sharp
angles and flowing curves with a restrained use of chrome and other adornments,
it is now regarded as the finest American coupe design of the 1960s.
3 1970 Chevrolet Camaro : The ’70 Camaro is
another car that was part of Bill Mitchell’s well-known fixation with Ferraris.
This time, the GM team took inspiration from the Ferrari 250 SWB of the early
1960s, again with a uniquely American twist. The aggressively prominent grille,
split bumpers and fastback roofline were a major departure from the somewhat
Mustang-esque first-generation Camaro. The basic design was so good that it
lasted until 1981.
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado: The brilliance of the big Olds coupe’s
design wasn’t just skin deep. The Toro brought front-wheel drive to full-size
cars for the first time with a massive 425 V-8 driving the front wheels. The
swoopy design borrowed from another all-time American great, the Cord 810 of
the 1930s. The thin grille, hidden headlights, graceful roofline and long hood
were the distinguishing features of this milestone car that was good enough to
find a spot in the collection of Jay Leno, a noted fan of great design.
2009 Pontiac Solstice
coupe: Just to prove the point that great American designs aren’t part of the
distant past, the Solstice coupe bears inclusion on any list of fine American
automotive designs. The original Solstice convertible was an attractive but
space-challenged sports car; its alteration into a coupe, however, solved the
myriad packaging problems and from the rear three quarters gave the car a
pleasing and aggressive look that is quite spectacular in dark colors. Sadly,
it was a victim of the GM bankruptcy. Just over 1,100 production models were
built before the Delaware factory, the Solstice and Pontiac itself
were consigned to the automotive fossil record.
