“I remember taking it to work and wanting to change lanes and all you had to do was just stab the throttle and the thing would “choo-choo” and it would skid over. You didn’t have to move the steering wheel, it would just shift lanes. It was wonderful.”—Steve Pasteiner

Several years ago I was interviewed by Andrew Filippone in regards to my involvement with and my thoughts about the Buick Grand National. Others that were interviewed include Bill Porter, Steve Pasteiner, Tony Assenza, Don Sherman, Csaba Csere, Martyn Schoor, and Doug Nigro. The trailer from Vimeo is a short teaser from Andrew’s documentary.

More information is on Edmunds Inside Line, including links to Andrew’s Facebook page where you can keep up with the progress of the documentary.

Check out the other posts about the Buick Grand National on Dean’s Garage.

Black Air – “Misfit” Teaser from Andrew Filippone Jr. on Vimeo.

Epilogue

The last hurrah for the Turbo Buick was in a Pontiac. In 1989 Pontiac needed a performance boost for the Indy Pace Car and its replicas. So they shoe-horned a Buick Turbo V6 into 1,555 GTAs with all the trick SCCA suspension and brake pieces and finally the Turbo Buick found its way into a host body where the chassis was up to the power. There was no difference between the pace cars and the replicas. Pontiac’s Turbo Trans Am.

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 work at the San Diego Automotive Museum. The artwork display coincided with a spectacular display of rare Ferraris that opened on October 11, 2008, and ran for three months.

The League is currently exhibiting at the Skillman Annex Branch of the Detroit Library:

Recapturing the Magic—Visions of the Future American Automotive Design
November 14, 2009 through April 15, 2010
Skillman Annex Branch of the Detroit Public Library, 121 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48226

For more information about the League of Retired Automotive Designers, contact Ron VanGelderen.

[Show as slideshow]

The League of Retired Automotive Designers came about following the 2004 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild ‘REUNION,’ for which automotive afficionado/enthusiast, Ron Van Gelderen had visited and photographed the Guild’s exhibit of Model Cars at the Eyes On Design Concours. These two events having been coincident with each other. Following this, Ron Van G. contacted Chuck Jordan and this writer, our having been the co-organizers of the FBCGuild Reunion, to inquire as to what was next after gathering all these Guildsman/Designers together after so many years of being scattered In various corners of the auto industry, some of us at GM, others at Ford, Chrysler and the other automotive companys too?

We decided to keep those of us who had become automotive designers together and we would do what we all loved, design cars, only, now that most of us were retired, we all could participate, in selected venues, together (not being competitors anymore), and do this for the fun of it. The initial League Group included Virgil Exner, Chuck Jordan, Wayne Kady, John Mellberg, Elia Russinoff and Ron VanGelderen (who was to become our Administrator). We all spread the word about the League’s informal charter, and 5+ years later, we now have approximately 60 members.

Our first show was an exhibit sponsored by the Cadillac La Salle (Owner’s) Club, called ‘Images of Cadillac in 2006, and in 2008 we participated in an exhibit at the SanDiego, CA., Automotive Museum, called Cavalino Rampante, Celebrating Italy’s Prancing Horse, sponsored by the Ferrari Club of America.

Our most recent exhibition called, Recapturing the Magic!, Visions of Future American Automotive Design, is currently displayed at The Skillman Annex of the Detroit Public Library. The exhibition is ‘free,’ and all are invited to attend during normal library hours.

Next on our plate Is an exhibition at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana, opening this November. The theme of the exhibition will be ‘Designing a new Studebaker.

Retired Automotive Designers interested in learning more about joining the League, should contact:

Ron VanGelderen, Administrator
The League of Retired Automotive Designers

Robert (Bob) Ackerman
1969-1996 Design manager, Chrysler Corporation
1960-1969 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Art Center Graduate
1969-1996 Design manager, Chrysler Corporation
1960-1969 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Art Center Graduate

Robert Barnes
1968-2005 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1968 Cleveland Art Institute Graduate

Richard Lee Beck
1968-2007 Designer, Ford Motor Company
1968 Art Center Graduate
1964 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 3rd, Nat’l Sr. Award

Graham Bell
1974-1998 Chief Designer, Ford Motor Company
1960-1974 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1955-1960 Designer with British Airways
Wayne State University, Art Center, Harrow Art/Tech College, United Kingdom

R. Preston (Press) Bruning
1963-2000 GM Design
1980-1990 Automotive Design Instructor, CCS, Detroit
1961 Pratt Institute Graduate

George Camp
1963-2001 Senior Designer, GM Design
1963 Art Center Graduate

Joan K. Creamer
1965-1966 GM Design Staff
General Electric Corp.
Textron Staff Designer
1987 Joan Creamer Design
1966 Cleveland Institute Graduate

Paul Deesen
1954-1996 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1954 Pratt Institute Graduate

Virgil M. Exner, Jr.
1967-1988 Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1957-1967 International Design Consultant
1958-1961 U.S. Air Force Officer
1957 University of Notre Dame Graduate
1947 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Jr. Award

Allan Flowers
1980-2006 Chief Designer, Nissan Design America
1964-1980 Assistant Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate

Anthony Frassetto
1972-2002 Design Specialist, Ford Motor Company
1970 Art Center Graduate

Darwin Hawthorne
1964-2002 Auto Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1964 Art Center Graduate
1960 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Award

Bob Hubbach
1962-1967 GM Design
1967-2001 Design Manager, Chrysler Design Center

Roger E. Hughet
1959-2001 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Ray Isip
Ford and Chrysler Designer
Pratt Institute and Art Center Graduate

Charles M. (Chuck) Jordan
1949-1992 Vice President, GM Design
1949 M.I.T. Graduate
1947 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

Wayne A. Kady
1961-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1961 Art Center Graduate

John Mellberg
Creative Design Specialist, Thomas Bus (Daimler Trucks, N.A.)
1968-1972 GM Design
1968 Art Institute of Chicago and University of Chicago Graduate
1966  Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 2nd, Nat’l Sr. Award

David S. McIntosh
1964-2003 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 Art Center Graduate

William (Bill) Michalak
1966-2001 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Pratt Institute Graduate

Howard D. (Buck) Mook
1967-1997 Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1967 Art Center Graduate

Richard (Dick) Nesbitt
Creative Design Consultant, Author
Designer with Ford Motor Company
1970 Art Center Graduate

Steve Pasteiner
1966-1989 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design

John Perkins
1962-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 GM Institute Graduate
1955 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Honorable Mention

David (Dave) Royer
1965-1996 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1965 Carnegie Tech Graduate

Elia (Russ) Russinoff
1955-1995 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1954 Pratt Institute Graduate
1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

John Samson

Richard Wells
1978-2007 Chief Designer, Ford Motor Company
1975-1978 Sr. Designer for Massy Ferguson
1973 Center for Creative Studies Graduate

Ron Will
1981-2006 Product Planning and Design Manager. Subaru of America
1976-1981 Independent Designer; created Turbo Phantom
1966-1976 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate
1961 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

Don Wood
1959-1997 Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Dennis Wright
1959-1996 Assistant Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

The 1981 Buick Regal Indy Pace Car graphics originated as one of a variety of assignments for special promotional vehicle illustrations that Herb Fishel had me do freelancing under the name of Performance Design, including the Buick Grand National. See “Early History of the Buick Grand National and Performance Design” for the background as to how that happened. I was assigned to Buick One Exterior Studio, but the Regal was in Buick Two Studio. One day I was working at my drawing table when Herb walked through the studio toward Buick Two with my pace car sketch under his arm. I didn’t know what would happen since I didn’t think anyone knew of my freelance activities. Nothing was ever said about it, however. Even though I did the concept, Steve Pasteiner, Assistant Studio Chief in Buick Two, executed the design. He held to the sketch pretty closely, perhaps because Herb told them that’s what Buick wanted, I don’t know.

Original concept rendering dated 1980 of the 1981 Buick Regal Indianapolis Pace Car by Performance Design.

This was Steve Pasteiner’s rendering of my earlier proposal.

Publicity photo included with Buick’s press kit.

The 1981 pace car did not have a turbocharged engine, but rather a modified 281 hp 4.1 liter V6. Oddly a sheet was included in the press kit showing Moly’s Turbo Six logo with the following explanation. I didn’t write this, but I do remember something like this as part of the original pitch Herb used to sell the logo to Buick management. Comments in brackets are mine.

About the Buick V6 Logo

This text was on the back of the page with the logo imprint found in the Pace Car’s Press Kit. Molly created the logo.

As the Buick V6 becomes more dominant in the market place, the Buick V6 logo will take on increasing significance. The logo represents a “6” which is emphasized to indicate the Buick V6 is unique and special. Additionally, the logo represents a lower case “b” which could be utilized to develop a performance image logotype exclusively “Buick” [That’s really a stretch]. The flow of the logo is also symbolic of the spinning or turbine action of a turbocharger. Turbocharging can also be emphasized by using warm-to-hot color combinations [the advantage of turbocharging is using waste exhaust gas to spin an impeller. But that process also heats the incoming compressed air which is a disadvantage solved to some extent by an intercooler]. The arrowhead draws attention and gives forward, aggressive motion [except it’s facing backwards]. This is complemented by the slant of the logo—again emphasizing aggressiveness. The logo symbolizes the Performance Engine of the Future  [but there is no turbo in the pace car].

I never liked the Turbo logo.

My trip to Indy

There is an interesting story relating to the ’81 Pace Car. Many months passed from the time Herb first carried my Pace Car sketch into the studio and May, 1981. Then one day I received a phone call in the studio asking me if I’d like to go down with the group that developed the Pace Car at Buick to Indy for one of the qualification sessions in early May. I readily accepted, and I was told I would receive a written invitation. So, I thought, Herb must have arranged to have me be included even though my only contribution was only the original proposal. It’s not like I wasn’t part of the real team. Steve Pasteiner also was going, and I met him at the Flint airport the morning of the flight to Indy. I found it odd that I never received the written invitation, but as they checked our names as we boarded the aircraft, my name was on the list. I remember there was some confusion after we arrived. They seemed to be short one set of credentials and a jacket that delayed things a bit.

Me at Indy, May 1981

Back from Indy compete with complementary jackets.

I did learn that another member of the group was an engineer also named Gary Smith, and surmised that the call I received inviting me to the event was a mixup. I figured this out early in the day, maybe even on the plane, and my heart sank. But by that time I was already there. No one ever said anything about it. It was a great day. The best part is that they flew me home.

[Click here to see a gallery of images of the Pace Car garage and the Buick group from Flint on the first day of qualifying.]

This particular Grand National has a junkyard dog menacing look about it.

Herb Fishel worked under Vince Piggins at Chevrolet’s performance group. In the late ’70s, Lloyd Reuss and Buick Motor Division lured him away to start their own performance department. Herb would make frequent trips from Flint to the GM Tech Center at Warren, Michigan, attempting to get Buick Exterior Studio design and modeling support to create special performance vehicles. Buick Studio, run by Jerry Hirschberg, had its own problems with complying with Design managment requests and other corporate pressures and had little interest to help Herb with his projects that would simply rob time and talent from higher priorities. Whenever there was some performance oriented project, Jerry would always involve me in the project. Frankly, I was the only designer in the studio more interested in performance cars than my career. I had been in Buick Studio from late 1973, transferred from Pontiac Studio, and had designed the graphics for the 1975 and 1976 Buick Century Indy Pace Cars.

Frustrated with Buick Studio’s lack of complete cooperation, Herb approached Buick managment. After presenting his case, managment asked if there was any other way to get these projects accomplished. That’s all Herb needed to hear. Herb approached me to see if I was interested in doing projects on a freelance basis. Performance Design was created as a way for me to work for Buick independently of the studio. I left General Motors in 1988 and kept the name Performance Design as my freelance design business.

I created a variety of concept renderings for Herb using Buick Century and Regals. There were concept cars, race car paint schemes, and one vary notable concept, the Buick Grand National. The GN might have been Herb’s idea, I’m not sure, but he had me work up a rendering showing what it might look like. The rendering is dated 1980.

Rendering showing three Grand National proposals, dated 1980. Notable features included body colored bumpers, chrome steel wheels (on the red car), and black moldings.

Herb also had Moly Designs working on the GN concept, and he and Herb developed the all-red GN proposal. Moly Designs created the turbo-6 logo. I remember seeing that car on display for review on the Design Staff viewing courtyard. My original GN concepts had three GN proposals, one was all black, and another was all red with a black stripe. Moly was able to capture the feeling of the GN idea and added refinements of his own in executing one of those concepts. I remember that his all-red prototype better captured the essence of what Herb was after than any of the two-tone themes that were beginning to become a trademark of Design Staff’s idea of what a performance car was supposed to be. The whole idea of trying to make a performance car out of a Buick was a bit obtuse anyway, seeing that Buick had no real performance platforms like Chevrolet or Pontiac. Kind of like making a race horse out of a camel.

Original Grand National styling prototype created by Molly Designs for Herb Fishel and shown to Design Staff and Buick Division management. There is a similarity between Molly’s car and my sketch. Wisely, Molly left off the stripe.

During the ’70s all of the production studios were split except Cadillac. There were three Chevrolet studios, and two Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick studios. Buick One ended up with the Electra, LeSabre, and Riviera, and Century while Buick Two had responsibilites for the Skyhawk and Regal. The 1978 Regal body design was actually done by N. Gray Counts who was a designer in Buick One. Steve Pasteiner was the Assistant Studio Chief in Buick Two. Any official studio work done on any of Herb’s specialty Regal vehicles would have to go through that studio. But at first Steve only executed concepts that were developed as a result of Herb’s involvement with Performance Design, including the 1981 Indy Pace Car. Steve got the credit for it because he did a rendering based on my proposal, and excuted the scheme in the studio. Credit for the 1981 Regal Indy Pace Car wasn’t that important to me, and since I was in Buick One, I had no influence on it’s execution. Besides, I wanted to keep a low profile because of the extracurricular activites with Buick.

Original concept rendering dated 1980 of the 1981 Buick Regal Indianapolis Pace Car by Performance Design.

There is a rendering by Steve Pasteiner that shows a two-tone GN, reportedly being a 1982 Grand National. I don’t remember the rendering or the car, but the GN never really changed from its original sinister one-color paint scheme. Probably the two-tone proposal was done to try and recapture the momentum and influence that Herb was gaining with Buick. There were a lot of two-tone paint scheme proposals floating around the studios in those days.

If all Buick had going for the GN was paint and graphics, it would be relegated to the scrapheap of history. But of course the Buick 3.8 Turbo provided the concept with enough power to come to the forefront of performance cars in the mid 1980s. That was the the decade of radical downsizing due to the influence of governmental regulation. GM’s performance marks had yet to catch up with the new rules and figure out how to build performance cars again. So the Turbo Buick was the first to step up to the plate and hit a home run.