Bill Mitchell’s Final Volley: The 1977 Pontiac Phantom Posted on April 8, 2023 by MCG Image Unavailable, Please Login As the powerful and opinionated GM styling boss Bill Mitchell retired in 1977, he delivered his final parting shot to the automotive design world: the Pontiac Phantom. Image Unavailable, Please Login Much like his predecessor and mentor Harley Earl, the powerful Bill Mitchell ruled the General Motors styling studios as his own private kingdom, while his tenure there produced some of the Motor City’s most beautiful cars, including the 1963 Buick Riviera and 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. But by the mid-1970s, both consumer demands and GM’s internal politics were changing, and Mitchell’s design theories and bombastic personal style were increasingly out of fashion. With age 65 and retirement looming in the summer of 1977, Mitchell delivered his final parting shot: the Pontiac Phantom. Image Unavailable, Please Login Working with a young designer named Bill Davis in GM’s experimental X studio, Mitchell envisioned the Phantom as a pure expression of his own personal taste from the start, without regard for GM division management or consumer trends. A long, low, but close-coupled coupe, the full-size studio model was originally designed with a severe notchback roofline, which was quickly replaced by a sweeping fastback sillhouette that extended all the way to the rear bumper (above). The look was neoclassical, recalling the dramatic European coachbuilt designs of the 1930s. (The project’s original name was Madame X, after a Harley Earl Cadillac theme inspired by Alexandre Bisson’s theatrical drama.) Mitchell despised the downsizing trend of the 1970s and the boxy, squared-up shapes it required, equating small-car design to “tailoring a suit for a dwarf.” In a 1979 interview, Mitchell recalled, “You know, years ago when you went into an auto styling department, you found sweeps. Racks of them. Now they design with a T-square and a triangle.” The Phantom was his final response to all that. Image Unavailable, Please Login As the story goes, Mitchell planned to unveil the Phantom to the top GM brass in a product display at the Milford Proving Ground. But the presentation was blocked by engineering executive Howard H. Kehrl, who evidently now held more power than the GM styling chief and was not a Mitchell fan. Kehrl, who ultimately became a GM vice chairman, has been called the father of the Oldsmobile diesel. Mitchell’s project died then and there, and so it was that the Phantom never received a drivetrain or a functional interior. Mitchell retired in July of 1977 with his final vision incomplete. Fortunately, the fiberglass studio glider was preserved and later donated to the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan, where it can be seen today. Image Unavailable, Please Login Not one of my favorite Bill Mitchell creations to say the least.
Supposedly Ford will introduce a 'special Mustang' at Pebble Beach this week. The initial release whether accurate or not dent look promising to me. We'll have to wait and see. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Another thread had it rumored as a mid-engined Mustang, so I was anticipating a 2+2 GT with Mustang styling cues. If that tuner-style rebodied Mustang is the big reveal, that'll be a disappointment. All the best, Andrew.
LAMBORGHINI Lamborghini Lanzador electric car concept leaked! Image Unavailable, Please Login By Tushar Kelshikar Published on August 17, 2023 Lamborghini is all set to showcase its first all-electric concept car at Pebble Beach soon. Here’s the first leaked image confirming its official name – Lamborghini Lanzador. The Lamborghini Lanzador is expected to be a 2+2 grand tourer. However, looking at the leaked image, the car seems to be more of a 2-door, 4-seater SUV. Image Unavailable, Please Login The design of the Lanzador appears to have been inspired by the Urus. The car has a similar front fascia with sleek LED headlights, square-ish wheel arches that are flared for a more muscular look and a sloping roof line. Image Unavailable, Please Login While technical details of the Lanzador are still under wraps, we can expect it to be powered by dual electric motors. In fact, Lamborghini has already revealed that it would share its underpinnings with other VW Group brands like Bentley and Porsche. Source: @actu.auto.fr
Does anybody know if Robert Cumberford’s “By Design” columns in Automobile magazine are archived anywhere? It would be great if they were published as a collection but that seems unlikely.
No they aren’t, but I’ve saved many of them over the yrs. Any particular vehicle you’re looking for his comments on? Or just a general appreciation for his style?
The latter, but thanks for the offer. I struck up an email correspondence with him a long time ago. I think it was about one of his columns.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Big day today: Lamborghini and I came to the mutual agreement that moving forward, I will not be a new owner. Saved myself a lot of angst......
Ford built a GT3 and GT4 Mustang to race in 2024 based on the current production car so maybe they're revealing something around that. Conversely, a mid-engine Mustang would be super cool.
@Ford unveils the Mustang GTD, a race car made for the street that features lightweight construction (like lots of carbon fiber and magnesium wheels), a rear transaxle and 800+ hp. And oh, a $300,000 price tag. “We looked at what Mazda had done and especially what Porsche had done in terms of their racing programs and we thought maybe we could do it even better,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said when presenting the car in Pebble Beach. That’s a tall order, but it will be exciting to see this beast on the road. Image Unavailable, Please Login
