Dream Cars (205)A
CARography takes a trip down memory lane to look at Dream Cars, from the Thunderbolt to the Firebird III to the granddaddy of them all, the Chevrolet Corvette. Every era of American automobiles had its "cars of the future," mechanical marvels manufactured on the cutting edge. The dreamers who made them guided automobile technology into the next era — while drawing awed crowds and, sometimes, enormous financial rewards.
We'll take a look at the concept creations of the last 100 years, and re-visit the GM Motoramas, the hotbed of post-World War II Dream Cars. Then on to see what was on the cutting edge in the crazy 60s and 70s, the weird 80s, and the 21st century. We'll show you who owns these coveted classics in the modern day. And now, back to the future.
Dream Car Facts:
- Art Deco refers to an art movement of the 1920s and 1930s, involving a mix of modern decorative art styles.
- Originally priced at $10,000 each, five Silver Arrows were built by a crew of 30 workers over a three-month period.
- The Phantom Corsair was built with a modified Cord 810 engine and chassis.
- At 25, Gordon Buehrig became the chief body designer for Duesenberg.
- Harley Earl's first auto design was a $28,000 streamlined auto body for actor Fatty Arbuckle.
- Aluminum and magnesium were used to build the body of the 1951 LeSabre.
- Each tail fin of the 1951 LeSabre contains rubberized 20-gallon fuel cells.
- A moisture sensor in the 1951 LeSabre raised the top if it started to rain and seats were thermostatically controlled, utilizing the same principle as electrically heated flying suits.
- 320,000 people attended the 1950 GM Motorama in New York.
- Life magazine selected Raymond Loewy as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century.
- In 1955, a television special hosted by Bob Hope brought the Motorama to American living rooms.
- The Firebird III used a joystick to accelerate, brake and steer.
- The design of the Thunderbolt was based on a 1940 Chrysler Crown Imperial frame.
- The Thunderbolt was dubbed "The Car of the Future" in 1941.
Resources:
ONEmedia.com
www.onemedia.com
History of influential designer Raymond Loewy.
The Retrofuture
www.retrofuture.com
Inside the mystique of the Firebird III.
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