1 – Introduction
1.1 Harley Earl
A temperamental Hollywood figure fascinated by cars was considered the most influential automobile designer of the twentieth century that transformed the manner that Americans looked and bought cars as well as the inventor of the profession of automobile styling.
Harley J. Earl was the man who delivered the American car of the Fifties its distinctive glow and swagger, all tailfins, two-tone colour and chrome.
(Bayley, 1990)
Harley was strongly inspired by contemporary aircraft design, his designs were decorated with fins and chrome ornaments, he is also well known as the first to discover design dynamics as an instrument of brand leadership with the idea of developing show cars to grab the public’s attention.
The pioneer of freeform sketching and clay modeling as automotive design techniques. “Earl revolutionized car design by introducing clay modeling and he is considered the father of this innovation.” (Tumminelli, 2004, p. 382)
1.2 Harley’s life
Harley J. Earl was born in Hollywood on 22 November 1893. His father J.W.Earl who started working as local coach builder in California, decided in 1908 to launch the company called Earl Automobile Works which allowed him to anticipate the potential of the private car. Due to a field injury that led to septicaemia, Harley had an aegrotat from Stanford University and had to take over the company from his father who wasn’t able to continue anymore.
In 1918 the first cars designed by Harley at Earl Automobile Works began to appear at the Los Angeles Auto Show, his name was seen in the newspapers announcing their astonishment at his sensational designs. He became famous among the Hollywood film celebrities and started supplying his cars in polychromed variety and in very high finish. (Bayley, 1990)
Bayley (1990, p. 33) concludes that “The demand for cars with a special character for special clients allowed Earl to create an identifiable shape, making the beginning of the perception that cars should be tailored for the individual consumer’s needs – a principle which he later applied, with awesome success to mass production. ”
On April 10, 1969, in West Palm Beach, Harley Earl died, aged 75 from a stroke, leaving behind a universally adored legacy.
2 – Work
2.1 General Motors
In the late 20s the big automobile companies such as General Motors and Ford didn’t have a design department, so Alfred Sloan president of General Motors decided to invite Harley Earl to design the first Cadillac La Salle, a lower-priced luxury model. As it was such an extraordinary success it changed the course of automobile history, as a result Harley was asked to start industry’s first in house department of design. (KingRoseArchives, 2009)
The marriage between Harley Earl and General Motors continued in the postwar years, to produce more innovative automobiles. He set the pace for car styling internationally, both as a profession and as a practice, bringing young designers to share his vision of twentieth century dream car.
(Sparke, 2002)
2.1.1 The Art and Colour Department.
After making an exceptional reputation when designing the Cadillac La Salle, Harley founded the Art and Colour department at General Motors and later became vice president of the company.
He was responsible for creating a special identity for the American automobile style and introducing several important innovations including the radiator grille, tail fins, fluted pressings, built-in luggage compartments, and wrap-around windshield screens. (Triggs, 1992)
Knoedelseder (2018) as cited by SCHLEIER (2018) believed Earl came up with a way to change the look of the cars without bringing down the corporation because of multimillion-dollar retooling costs.
Harley Earl was fascinated with colours and continually worked on their development. Many design features of the fifties are Harley’s invention, such as pastel colours, the hard top roof and the panoramic windshield.
(Tumminelli, 2004)
3 – Harley’s most iconic designs.
– Buick Y concept car (1938)
In 1938, Earl’s team designed what he labelled the Buick Y-Job, the world’s first concept car. Among its now-standard features: a power convertible roof, power doors and windows, and retractable headlights. This proved the first true concept car that never went into production. Earl kept it for himself and began driving it to work every day. So Buick Y also hold another distinction: the world’s first vanity car. (SCHLEIER, 2018)
“His intention was to design the car for the future, the stuff of dreams rather than reality.” Sparke (2002, p. 25)
– Buick Le Sabre concept car (1951)
The ’51 Buick Le Sabre was considered the car of the future and the child of Harley Earl. It is noticeable the influence of jet aircraft design and many aeronautical themes into the Le Sabre, including an instrumental panel that has an altimeter, tachometer, and compass. Earl was indeed affectionate with this vehicle that it also became his personal car.
(The ’51 Buick LeSabre Concept is Still Ahead of the Times. 2014)
– Firebird experimental car (1953)
The first gas turbine automobile built and tested in the United States was the Firebird 1.It was designed strictly as engineering and styling experiment. Its purpose was to determine whether the gas turbine could be used as an efficient and economical power plant for future vehicles.
– Cadillac Bel Air (1957)
The 1957 Bel Air has become symbolic of American classic cars and has long been one of the most popular rides at car shows. When it was first released, Ford was quite competitive with it.
(Classic Car Travel Guide, 2017)
4– Additional Information
4.1 Inspirational
Harley Earl created the first all – female design team called Damsels of Design, he believed that they could help make automobiles that appealed to female consumers. Thus, laid the early foundation to help women obtain the same legal, economic, vocational and social rights as men.
(First Women Car Designers, 2018)
Earl also found the Art Center College in Los Angeles by funding scholarships programs in partnership with General Motors, to give lectures regarding his design methods.
Harley Earl was the first to organize automobile festivals or motoramas to showcase his dream cars for the public viewing. (Triggs, 1992)
4.2Philosophy
Harley’s personal vision was to transform the automobile for the masses, for him was possible to combine luxury, comfort and style in an automobile that was not out of the reach of most people. His achievement was clearly visible when he made General Motors the dominant auto manufacture for decades.
“ You can design a car so that every time you get in to it, it’s a relief – you have a little vacation for a while.”
Bayley (1990, p. 149)
5 – Conclusion
Harley was an American visionary and a car affectionate, ahead that brought the dream car to Americans in a most affordable way. Considered to be the father of modern automotive design, leaving an unique car legacy style worldwide as well as innovative car design methods.
Earl’s real talent was his critical eye for design, which he focused firmly on the final outcomes. Earl was an uncanny commercial critic, with an extraordinaire ability to anticipate the sales success of a design. (Gartman, 1994)
“ People like something new and exciting in an automobile as well as in a Broadway show – they like visual entertainment and that’s what we stylists give them” Gartman (1994, p. 82)
6 – References
The ’51 Buick LeSabre Concept is Still Ahead of the Times. (2014) Available from: https://www.motor1.com/news/69626/the-51-buick-lesabre-concept-is-still-ahead-of-the-times/ [Accessed Nov 8, 2018].
Book review: The Cars of Harley Earl by David W. Temple, (2017) Classic Car Travel Guide, -04-10T14:16:29-05:00. Available from: https://www.classiccartravelguide.com/book-review-cars-harley-earl-david-w-temple/ [Accessed Nov 8, 2018].
First Women Car Designers. Available from: http://www.harleyjearl.com/first-women-car-designers/ [Accessed Nov 8, 2018].
Harley earl was the daddy of auto design, (2008) Automotive News, 82 (6308), pp. 6. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=32814098&site=eds-live.
Barthel-Bouchier, D. (2006) Fashioning steel, Contexts: Understanding People in their Social Worlds, 5 (1), pp. 34-39. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=21614813&site=eds-live.
Bayley, S. (1990) Harley Earl. Grafton.
Clarke, S. (1999) Managing design: The art and colour section at general motors, 1927-1941, Journal of Design History, 12 (1), pp. 65-79. DOI: 10.1093/jdh/12.1.65.
Gartman, D. (1994) Auto-opium :Social History of American Automobile Design. Routledge.
Rothenberg, R. (2002) Harley earl’s ghost represents automotive style renaissance, Advertising Age, 73 (39), pp. 22. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=7412381&site=eds-live.
SCHLEIER, C. (2018) Harley earl put the style in american cars, Investors Business Daily, , pp. N.PAG. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=132514745&site=eds-live.
Sparke, P. (2002) A century of car design. London: Mitchell Beazley.
Triggs, T. (1992) Harley earl/rayond loewy: Pioneer of american industrial design, Journal of Design History, 5 (2), pp. 157. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=32925035&site=eds-live.
Tumminelli, P. (2004) Car design. Düsseldorf; London: Te Neues.
KingsRoseArchives(2009) Harley Earl – GM Designer Extraordinaire [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYY9GUrrkds&t=70s [Accessed 7 November 2018].
7 – List of Figures
1934 LaSalle Automobile Patent – Patent Print, Wall Decor, Automobile Decor, Automobile Art, Classic Car, LaSalle Patent, GM Patent, (2017) myPatentPrints, -10-09T09:30:36+00:00. Available from: https://www.mypatentprints.com/product/1934-lasalle-automobile-patent-patent-print-wall-decor-automobile-decor-automobile-art-classic-car-lasalle-patent-gm-patent/ [Accessed Nov 11, 2018].
America’s Car Design Pioneer. Available from: http://www.harleyjearl.com/ [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
The Da Vinci of Detroit, (2016) Today I Found Out, -09-12T05:39:44-08:00. Available from: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/09/da-vinci-detroit/ [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
The Damsels of Design: The Women Who Changed Automotive History | The Takeaway, (2016) Wnyc, . Available from: https://www.wnyc.org/story/gms-all-female-design-team/ [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
Earl Automobile Works and Don Lee Coach & Body Works: | Hemmings Daily. (2015) Available from: https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/05/04/earl-automobile-works-and-don-lee-coach-body-works-the-coachbuilder-that-begat-the-most-important-man-in-car-design/ [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
GM Corporate Newsroom – United States – Images. Available from: https://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/photos.detail.html/content/Pages/galleries/us/en/history/corporate_historical.html [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
GM Heritage Center (2018) [Image] Available from: https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-vehicle-collection/1957_Chevrolet_Bel_Air_Convertible.html
Independent Design Firm. Available from: http://www.harleyjearl.com/harley-earl-design/ [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
Oldsmobile Golden Rocket : pour les gentlemen de l’espace. (2016) Available from: http://www.lagazettedhector.fr/oldsmobile-golden-rocket/ [Accessed Nov 11, 2018].
Where the future happened: Updating GM’s Design Dome.(2015)
Available from: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2015/05/02/gm-general-motors-design-dome-building-renovation/26660911/ [Accessed Nov 13, 2018].
Association, H. V. (2016) Making the Register: Buick Y-Job, Historic Vehicle Association (HVA), -08-26T09:38:34-05:00. Available from: https://www.historicvehicle.org/making-register-buick-y-job/[Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
Maven, S. (2018) Torpedo Nose Three-Way Tie? 1951 GM LeSabre, 1951 GAZ ZIS-112, 1953 Manta Ray. Available from: https://blog.myclassicgarage.com/torpedo-nose-three-way-tie-1951-gm-lesabre-1951-gaz-zis-112-1953-manta-ray-a823e6051fac [Accessed Nov 10, 2018].
Patterson, T. (2016) What makes a car ‘sexy’? Available from: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cnnphotos-car-details-steven-edson/index.html [Accessed Nov 12, 2018].