Detroit Style—Car Design in The Motor City—11/2020

This exhibit should be recorded/documented.
As a wishful thinking, this exhibit to tour major cities around the world.

Fabulous exhibition. I could go through these images over and over again (I have already). Love the peeks inside of the car design world and its history.

I only wish that some 1950s concept (like the Packard Predictor or even a Mopar concept) had been displayed together with LeSabre and Firebird III rather than a normal production Chrysler 300. While I love the 300 and certainly drove one, it is grouped together with two cars that were both concepts– originally wild departures from a normal production automobile.

In the heyday of the concept car in Detroit, LeSabre and Firebird III would have been afforded a completely different status from a production car. I guess one had to be there.

A young art person –appreciative, but unfamiliar with car history and design asked me, “So what years did they sell these cars?” (referencing all three as production vehicles).

I also have to wonder… is the 1970 HemiCuda in this show the same red pilot car that debuted at Cobo Hall new with a mini-skirted model? I still have the photos I took at the original unveiling.

Thanks for sharing the exhibition photos.

I went to the exhibit. It was not crowded and I had plenty of time for a thorough review. I worked in the Tornado for a year and a half and was not happy.

The images and cars as everyone agrees were stunning.
However, The choice of some of the content as displayed was misleading as there were sketches in the Toronado exhibit that were done after, some long years after, the 1966 Toronado was created in Oldsmobile Studio.

There is an exhibit book also and the Toronado design description is almost incoherent. I was in Oldsmobile Studio thoughout the entire Toronado program so was very curious about what the exhibit would show. I know museum speak is different than that of normal humans but I find no acceptable excuse for the DIA to change history.

I also disagree with the showing of a junk car sculpture in the exhibit and I think that display was more relevant to the museum creators than the art work and the cars in it. It was a surprise to see it included.

I do not know if they did it on purpose or if they are just totally car design ignorant. The book description is shot through with gross timing and content errors. I assume they researched the project with someone but not with the GM archivists as I contacted them and they did not participate with the design history.

The information was obviously put together by someone ignorant of the design process, even confusing the term “formal” for “form”. Totally confusing, worst of all they listed the designers, Stan Wilen, Dave North and myself but left out Frank Munoz who recently passed away.

Regarding the Firebird lll, in about 1963 I read in the Monday paper that Cobo Hall in Detroit was first opening on the orevious Sunday and a stunning image was shown of the Firebird lll driving up a parking garage ramp. That explained me seeing it driving on the Eastbound I-94 Freeway the previous day as i drove west over the Woodward Avenue bridge.
It came over the bridge in the traffic traveling in the opposite direction. It did look like it was from the Moon.

DICK RUZZIN

Naturally I was thrilled to be a part of this show, and I have to thank Robert Edwards’ persistence in valuing automotive art and hoping to get this recognition by the DIA. We have wonderful history on this town! I thought the show was clean and orderly, and my only suggestion would be to have more automotive art on display.