The annual LeMay car show consistently showcases an impressive collection of cars and trucks, including the organization’s private collection and vehicles displayed by their proud owners. This year’s event, the 42nd-annual show, offered a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of American car design, particularly from the mid-1930s to the mid-1970s.
The LeMay Collection, housed in a sprawling campus outside Tacoma, Washington, boasts over 1,500 vehicles. This article delves into the design trends of this era, highlighting some remarkable vehicles and the stories behind their iconic looks.
1937 Packard Twelve: The Enduring Legacy of the “Donut Pusher”
The 1937 Packard Twelve, a car renowned for its elegant design, exemplifies the enduring legacy of classic design elements. Its most striking feature, the “Goddess of Speed” hood ornament, also known as the “donut pusher,” holds the title of the longest-used mascot in American automotive history.
This iconic ornament, along with the Packard’s distinctive hood line, made the car instantly recognizable, even to children. Sadly, this level of design continuity has become a rarity in contemporary automobile manufacturing.
1941 Studebaker: Art Deco Elegance on Wheels
The 1941 Studebaker Commander marked a departure from the traditional radiator-style grille, embracing a more streamlined, ship-like prow. This design shift, spearheaded by renowned designer Raymond Loewy and his team, including Virgil Exner, ushered in a new era of automotive aesthetics.
The Commander’s design is a testament to the allure of Art Deco, evident in its subtle two-tone sweepsphere and the multi-level front bumper adorned with red stripes. This car is a perfect example of how automotive design can seamlessly blend elegance with aerodynamic efficiency.
1950 Oldsmobile 98: A Pioneer of Post-War Design
The dawn of the 1950s saw General Motors assert its dominance in automotive styling. The 1950 Oldsmobile 98 embodied this trend, boasting a sleek, modern design characterized by a one-piece windshield and sculpted side styling. This innovative design language marked a significant departure from pre-war aesthetics.
Interestingly, the fastback four-door body style, a unique feature of the 1950 98, failed to resonate with buyers and was discontinued after a single year. Despite this, the 1950 Oldsmobile 98 remains a significant milestone in post-war American car design.
1953 Hudson Hornet: Engineering Prowess Meets Dated Design
The 1953 Hudson Hornet was a car that epitomized the saying, “it’s what’s inside that counts.” Renowned for its superior handling, thanks to its innovative “step-down” chassis, the Hornet offered an exceptional driving experience, even surpassing some of its more powerful competitors.
However, as the 1950s progressed, the Hornet’s once-advanced engineering was overshadowed by its increasingly dated styling. This ultimately led to the demise of the Hudson brand, proving that even exceptional performance couldn’t always compensate for lagging aesthetics.
1953 Chrysler Wagon: Ahead of Its Time, Yet Stuck in the Past
The 1953 Chrysler Town & Country wagon presents a fascinating contradiction in automotive design. While it boasted a forward-thinking feature – a roll-down rear window – it was burdened by outdated styling. This juxtaposition of innovation and antiquated design elements made the Chrysler an intriguing anomaly.
1953 Chrysler Town & Country rear quarter
Despite its awkward transition between old and new, the Chrysler wagon, with its copious chrome accents, embodies the design ethos of its era, where more was often considered better.
1954 Kaiser Darrin: Embracing Eccentricity
The early 1950s witnessed a surge in two-seater cars from independent American automakers, each striving for a unique identity in a crowded market. The Kaiser-Darrin, with its unconventional design, epitomized this trend.
While opinions on the Darrin’s overall design varied, its most memorable feature remained its distinctive anteater grille. This unusual design element, a testament to the era’s penchant for bold experimentation, set the Darrin apart, even in a sea of unconventional automobiles.
1956 Studebaker Hawk: A Design Derailed by Excess
The 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk stands as a cautionary tale of how excessive ornamentation can compromise a car’s original design intent. The Hawk, initially conceived as a sleek, European-inspired design by Raymond Loewy’s firm, fell victim to the era’s obsession with chrome.
1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk rear quarter
The result? A car whose once-clean lines were obscured by an overabundance of chrome accents, illustrating the fine line between tasteful embellishment and design overkill.
1958 DeSoto: The Rise and Fall of Fins
The late 1950s witnessed American car design explore various stylistic avenues, with tailfins emerging as a dominant theme. The 1957-58 Chryslers and DeSotos, particularly, showcased some of the most aesthetically pleasing interpretations of this trend.
These fins, often attributed to designer Virgil Exner, were more than just stylistic flourishes. They aimed to improve rear visibility and enhance a car’s aerodynamic stability. However, as the size of cars continued to increase, the practical benefits of fins became negligible.
1959 Ford Galaxie: The Dawn of the Brougham Era?
While some automakers embraced towering tailfins, Ford charted a different course, favoring a more horizontal, squared-off design language. The 1959 Ford Galaxie exemplified this approach, introducing a boxy yet elegant aesthetic that foreshadowed the popular “brougham” look of the late 1960s.
Despite its departure from the prevailing fin craze, the Galaxie proved to be a tremendous success for Ford, demonstrating that a well-executed design could captivate buyers even without resorting to outlandish styling cues.
1963 Cadillac: Redefining Luxury with Restrained Elegance
The 1963 Cadillac marked a pivotal moment in American car design, signaling a shift away from the excesses of the late 1950s. Its understated, boxy shape, a significant departure from Cadillac’s previous rocket-inspired designs, ushered in a new era of restrained elegance.
This design shift, perhaps influenced by the 1961 Lincoln Continental, showcased Cadillac’s willingness to embrace a more understated aesthetic without compromising its luxurious identity.
1964 Ford Compacts: Efficiency Meets Shared DNA
The 1960s brought about a significant shift in American car manufacturing, driven by the need for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The 1964 Ford Falcon and its Mercury Comet sibling embodied this new philosophy.
These compact cars, sharing key body panels like doors, maximized production efficiency without sacrificing stylistic differentiation. This approach paved the way for future models, including the iconic Ford Mustang, which was loosely based on the Falcon’s platform.
Mid-60s Sporty Coupes: The Rise of Homogeneity
As the American auto industry matured, competition intensified, leading to a noticeable increase in design similarities across different brands. The wildly popular Pontiac GTO, with its simulated full-width taillights, became a prime example of this trend.
The GTO’s design cues were quickly adopted by competitors, as seen in the 1967 Dodge Coronet 500. This trend highlighted the increasing difficulty of achieving true design distinction in a market saturated with similar models.
1967 Mercury Cougar: A Design Triumph Born of Compromise
The 1967 Mercury Cougar, often hailed as one of the most visually striking Mercurys ever produced, offers a compelling case study in the art of design compromise. While it shared certain design elements with other personal luxury coupes of the time, such as hidden headlights and full-width taillights, the Cougar possessed a unique character.
Its distinctive front end, a fusion of two separate design proposals, created a captivating tension between its pointed fender edges and upright grille, demonstrating that successful design often emerges from unexpected sources.
1969 AMC Javelin: A Fleeting Moment of Clean Design
In a sea of increasingly flamboyant designs, the 1969 AMC Javelin stood out for its refreshingly clean and understated styling. However, this design philosophy proved short-lived.
1967 Ford Mustang and AMC Javelin
Seeking to boost the Javelin’s sportiness, AMC introduced exaggerated fender bulges in its later models, aligning with the prevailing design trends. Unfortunately, this stylistic shift failed to resonate with buyers, highlighting the fickle nature of automotive trends and the challenges of anticipating consumer preferences.
1971 Buick Riviera vs. VW bus: A Tale of Two Extremes
The 1971 model year presented a stark contrast in automotive design philosophies. On one hand, you had the opulent, gas-guzzling 1971 Buick Riviera, a car designed for making a statement. On the other hand, there was the humble Volkswagen microbus, a paragon of practicality and fuel efficiency.
1971 Buick Riviera and VW bus
This juxtaposition perfectly encapsulates the diverging paths of the American and import car markets. While American automakers continued to prioritize style and power, often at the expense of practicality, import brands focused on fuel efficiency and affordability, attributes that would eventually reshape the automotive landscape.
1976 Pontiac Firebird: The Enduring Appeal of Graphics
The 1970s witnessed a surge in the use of graphics and stripes as integral elements of car design, particularly on sporty coupes. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, adorned with its now-iconic phoenix hood graphic, stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of this trend.
1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am hood decal
Initially met with resistance, the phoenix graphic, symbolizing rebirth and resilience, quickly gained popularity, becoming synonymous with the Trans Am’s performance-oriented image.
1970-76 Chevrolet Malibu: Witnessing a Decade of Change
The Chevrolet Malibu, a mainstay in the American automotive landscape, underwent a dramatic transformation throughout the 1970s, reflecting the broader shifts in design trends and consumer preferences during this tumultuous decade.
The 1970 Malibu exuded a trim, athletic aesthetic, while its 1976 counterpart embraced a more luxurious and substantial presence, characterized by opera windows and elegant pinstriping. This evolution underscored the shift in emphasis from sporty performance to luxurious appointments.
This journey through the evolution of American car design from the mid-30s to the mid-70s reveals a fascinating interplay of innovation, imitation, and adaptation. It highlights a period of immense creativity but also reveals the industry’s vulnerabilities, setting the stage for the dramatic changes that would come to define the following decades.
