League of Retired Automotive Designers—Ferrari Design Exhibit

The League of Retired Automotive Designers is an informal group of mostly retired automobile designers whose ability has been honed by years of experience and who still have the creativity, passion, enthusiasm, energy, and ambition to design cars and trucks for the fun of it.
The League created a Vision for Future Ferraris, and displayed their [...]

GM Styling Advanced Design and Pre-production Photos

Thanks to Tom Falconer for these great Design Staff photos. Some of the photos in this collection is of an Advanced Design scale model show. If anybody knows more information about the show or the designers, please email me. As additional information becomes available, I will update the post.
I vaguely remember seeing a full-size fiberglass [...]

Modes and Motors

Modes and Motors was a publication produced by General Motors Styling Section in 1938. It is reproduced here in its entirety because its message of what automobile and product design is supposed to represent is lost on today’s world. Modes and Motors is a snapshot into the way designers used to think about their profession. [...]

Posted in: Books, Car Design, GM Design Staff by Gary Smith 2 Comments

Design Staff Directory, January, 1988

Dean’s Garage is spooling up for the new year with several interesting new posts. They will include artwork of Harry Bradley, scans from a rare booklet called Modes and Motors produced by General Motors Styling Section in 1938 (thanks to Richard Nesbitt), and artwork/photos about Chuck Jordan (thanks to Mark Jordan). So stay tuned.
You might [...]

Larry Shinoda Interview Video

Larry Shinoda Interview

Gary Moore features the Golden Sahara II by George Barris on I’ve Got a Secret

Studebaker Lark Daytona Wagonaire with sliding roof

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Commercial with Desi and Lucy

’73 GTO/Grand AM Development

Renderings by Geza Loczi and Charley Gatewood

Grand AM Development from How Stuff Works
The 1973 Pontiac Grand Am started out in the development stages as a GTO. But the muscle era was drawing to a close and, very much aware of that, Pontiac decided to change the car’s character. Instead of continuing to make the GTO [...]

More Saved Studio Sketches

Chalk and marker rendering by Tom Semple

The day Tom Semple and I nearly did each other in.
I became interested in motocross motorcycles in the ’70s, and rode in the woods with several GM designers and sculptors including Larry Brinker and Bernie Smith. One Saturday several of us met up around Mt. Grampian ski area in [...]

Sports Cars of the Future by Strother MacMinn

Sports Cars of the Future, written and illustrated by Strother MacMinn, was published in 1959 by Sports Car Press, Ltd. It is softbound, 5.25″ x 8″, 128 pages plus cover, and dedicated to John and Elaine (Bond). MacMinn was one of my Transportation Design instructors at Art Center. I remember that he bought a [...]