2019 League Project: Stutz

November 15, 2019 8 CommentsLeague of Retired Designers

League of Retired Designers 2109 Project

The League of Retired Designers took on a Stutz Bearcat redesign as their 2019 project.

Participants included: Richard Lee Beck, Steve Brown, George Camp, Joan Klatil Creamer, Paul Down, Virgil Exner, Jr., Darwin Hawthorne, Don Johnson, Wayne Kady, David S. McIntosh, Howard D. (Buck) Mook, Bob Munson, Steve Pasteiner, John Perkins, and Gary Smith

Thanks to Dave McIntosh.

UPDATE: The Dean’s Garage Book will be available in January, 2020.

Designers that participated in the project:

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

Steven Brown
Conceptual Imagineering Independent Design Consultancy Automotive and Product design
International Truck Scout concept vehicle
Senior Designer, Chrysler RT Minivan Integration Center Interior design
Senior Creative Designer, GM Design StaffContributed to Buick Bengal show car, Rendezvous Lead Interior Alias designer
GM Advanced Vehicle Engineering
United Technologies Automotive
Findlay Industries
Collins and Aikman
American Truck and Coach

George Camp
1963–2001 Senior Creative Designer, GM Design
1963 Art Center College of Design Graduate

Joan Klatil Creamer
Creamer Design
1966 Cleveland Institute of art, Industrial Design major
1965 GM Design summer Intern
1966 GM Design Staff—First woman exterior designer at GM, working in Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Advanced Buick studios
General Electric Corp—providing design guidance for consumer electronics / major appliance development
Gorham Division Textron—Staff designer Product Manager; Gift / Collectible Division
1987 Joan Creamer Design Office—Providing I.D. consultation

Paul A. Down, FIDSA
Professor of Industrial Design, University of Notre Dame

Virgil Exner, Jr.
International Designer of Automobiles and Power Boats
Retired 1988 as Ford Design Executive
1958–1961 U.S. Air Force Officer
1956 AB, 1957 MA University of Norte Dame

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

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

Donald A. Johnson
1969 Center for Creative Studies Graduate
1968-1984 General Motors Design Staff- Senior designer
Zimmer Corp. Director of Design.Notable design: Zimmer “Quicksilver”
Toyota Distributers—Director of Product Design
D.A. Johnson Design
Avelate Corvette, Avelate “Fifty-Three” Corvette, Ford racing Technologies—FR 500, Mustang FR 200 Focus, Knudsen Automotive- “Rage” Mustang, Thunderbird “Thunderflite” 1961, “Merc-in-time” 1950 Mercury

David S. McIntosh
1964 Art Center Graduate, BPA, Transportation Design
1964-2003 Asst. Chief Designer (1980), GM Design
Advanced Design Studios (1988–91 Buick Reatta concept and production design; 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix Concept; 1970 Corvair Facelift Proposal; 1990 Saturn Coupe Preliminary Concept)
1991 Monte Carlo Show Car; 1995 Monte Carlo and Lumina
2000 Cadillac Catera (Opel, Germany)
Speed Vision Corporate Strategy and Cadillac 15-Year Vision; Cadillac Cross-Over Concept

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

Bob Munson
1976 Kettering University, BME
1971–2013 GM Design Center
2000 Design Manager

Steven D. Pasteiner
1966–1989 Assistant Chief Designer, Buick, Chevrolet I
1989 Advanced Automobile Technologies

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

Gary Smith
1973–1988 GM Designer
1988-Current Graphic, Industrial Design; Performance Design

8 Comments

November 16, 2019 at 12:14 am

Jim Simpson

Always a pleasure seeing these designers still have a major passion for creating incredible shapes…
November 16, 2019 at 12:59 am

Joe gagan

Beautiful work, everyone. Made my week. So gorgeous.
November 16, 2019 at 6:54 am

Joel R Yelich

Excellent, thank you! It’s nice to see all the different interpretations in one place and I’m having a hard time picking favorites.
November 16, 2019 at 2:48 pm

EDWARD P MATULA

STUTZ What a great theme to create a new modern concept of the classic mark.
Nice job!
November 17, 2019 at 10:24 pm

jay maechtlen

What they said!
November 18, 2019 at 8:01 am

Howard Pelcman

Howard Pelcman

3rd place, NJ. Design Excellence Award 1968.
Looking at these concepts makes me feel the way I did all those years ago.
I will never get tired of seeing these visions.
When is that future gonna get here.
January 22, 2020 at 7:16 am

DICK RUZZIN

WOW!

Some GREAT Stutz design themes. The best collection that I have seen yet.
And, Bob Munson has burst on the scene. I think he will inspire everyone with his clear, silky images of elegant and sporty cars. TRUE ART.

Best to all,
Dick Ruzzin.
December 17, 2021 at 7:59 am

Sam Stutz

I just found this and it is so awesome! Love to see the what the classic Stutz cars could look like now.

Leave Comment

Book is excellent reading. I like all the practical jokes that you played on each other. Haven’t put it down yet.

Paul Alflen
Gary, Just received your book and read part of it, and can’t wait to finish it! EXCELLENT BOOK WOW! Thanks!

Carl Kofron
It’s a book whose pages you’ll return to again and again…sometimes just to look, other times to read and learn and to laugh!

Helen Hutchings
It brought back so many memories. The book captures some of the antics that took place. I recommend Gary’s book for anyone that has an interest to get a glimpse of an era long gone.

John Manoogian II
Very impressed with the emphasis on the “people stories.” Most people think of GM in terms of the cars, whereas you focused on the designers that created the cars. Congratulations on your excellent and personable narrative.

Roy Lonberger
Great book! It will provide many hours of interesting reading. Thank you for writing and publishing it!

Charles Pieier
All the wonderful anecdotes and photos bring laughter and smiles of recollection of the years at GM Design. The other content is equally entertaining, too! One can keep returning to its pages, finding a new topic of interest each time.

George Camp
Gary’s book focuses on the people who drove designs and events at GM Design. It is always informative, sometimes funny and sometimes sad. Picture are breathtaking. Extremely well done.

James Rice
Thank you Gary for this wonderful publication vicariously delivering the human condition nectar recalled from the good old days at GM Design.

Bill Boudreau
Closest thing to an actual time machine I have experienced! The photos, quotes and artwork really transported me back to what was a fabulous time at GM Design.

Len Casillo
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed The Future is Back. Great stories and wonderful comments! Excellent selection of illustrations and photos!

Peter Brock
The book is providing lots of interesting reading along with so many great photos, illustrations and renderings.

Sheldon Payne
It’s like going to a family reunion and meeting all your old friends, the studios and the models all over again. I can almost smell the fresh clay reading your book.

Ron Will
Reading the stories and anecdotes of designers who shared their experiences in this book allowed me to vicariously imagine what it would have actually been like to have worked in a studio. Thumbs Up Gary!!

Steve Sicklick
Great book Gary. It’s like taking a trip down memory lane!

Dennis Burke
I’ve enjoyed the Dean’s Garage book. I know a lot of the designers and places you mention; it’s like a reunion or old-home week.Thank you very much for putting everything together in such a beautifully organized, fun, illuminating way.

Michael Lamm