Talk about fortuitous timing. Yesterday at lunch several of my peers and I were discussing architecture as it relates to the new GM Design bldg being constructed after 50 years. The discussion was around embracing taking a historic piece of architectural history and adding a contemporary addition. Much like when the Louvre added the glass pyramid in front of the existing structure. The original Saarinen structures were considered the Industrial Versailles when built in the mid '50's. Now they're adding a new structure to increase the 'studio footprint. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The infamous 'flying saucer desk.' Passed by it for many years. Some additional shots of the lobby area, with the stairway to the studios/exec offices Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It looks like she's sitting in a teacup. Did that go in with a wider theme back in the day or was it a stand-alone statement? All the best, Andrew.
Come to think of it... the dome was also 1950s, right? If the dome is likened to the top half of a sphere, is the desk the bottom half? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login FChat needs a thinking smiley. Image Unavailable, Please Login All the best, Andrew.
Ya know, in the decades I spent time there, that NEVER occurred to me. But now that you mention it...........
It might be easier to spot when the two halves are the same size as one another on a device screen. All the best, Andrew.
One thing we can say about Lamborghini is their design consistency. https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/news/lamborghini-one-offs-invencible-and-autentica Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had mentioned the Alexander Bros previously, but I think this was a high point for them. This still looks awesome to me. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Over the years, Pininfarina had a collaborative relationship with Cadillac & GM Design. I had never seen this particular Pininfarina Cadillac before. Image Unavailable, Please Login Cadillac Concept 1959 Starlight CoupePininfarina was working hard for Cadillac's business during this period. Besides the above-noted four-place coupes and cabriolet, the company created this Starlight coupe, so named due the upper part of its roof panel crated of Plexiglas. If it got warm inside, the driver needed only close the power-operated sunshade that slid up out of a special compartment behind the rear seats.
And another one: Cadillac Concept 1958 Cabriolet Four-PostiThis four-seat convertible was another thought-starter, projecting what an American convertible could look like in an Italian suit. The flanks are clean, the wire wheels add sportiness, and you can see Pininfarina's interpretation of the traditional Caddy fins at the back. The front end is the least successful aspect of the car, with a somewhat featureless grille area and somewhat ungainly quad headlights. Image Unavailable, Please Login Not my comentary.
"Cadillac Series 62 Pinin Farinia Concept. Norman Granz, a Beverly Hills concert promoter and record producer, had a new Cadillac Series 62 shipped from Detroit to Italy to receive custom coachwork by Pinin Farina (later, simply Pininfarina). The design was similar to the Pinin Farina 200 displayed at the Geneva Exhibit. The two-door, two-seater roadster had design similarities to its Series 62 siblings and the Lancia Aurelia PF200 Concept. In the front were rounded headlights, similar to the Series 62 (and PF200), and a similar chrome bumper with Dagmars. The round chrome grille was completely different from the Series 62, although Pininfarina retained the Cadillac 'V' positioned within its radiator grille to remind onlookers of its Cadillac heritage. The rear end had similar tail fins to the series 62, a chrome bumper that stretched from side-to-side, dagmars, and a slight boattail trunk. The rear-tail fins and full-length bumper were similar to the PF200, as were the round grille, raked windshield, and similar hood shape. The unique PF200 roadster was the first of a short run of similarly styled cars that Pinin Farina constructed over the next four years, with only the prototype featuring the circular nose, and no two PF200s being identical" Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Probably the least Cadillac like.
Cadillac Concept 1961 Brougham Coupe "Jacqueline"Italian people are often enamored with politics in America, and everyone was enamored with America's first lady, circa 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy. Pininfarina designed and built this elegant concept coupe in honor of Mrs. Kennedy, and it made its world debut at the Paris auto show that year. The wheelbase is long, and as is typical of Pininfarina, the roof pillars are thin to create a feeling of openness." Image Unavailable, Please Login
MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST Named by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the world’s most powerful car” in 1977, the MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST has clocked 183 mph! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login The ultimate expression of British engineering endeavor, creativity and ingenuity, John Dodd’s “Beast” is being offered for sale by auction through Europe’s largest classic car marketplace carandclassic.com. In highly original condition, 19 feet long and powered by an ex-aircraft 27-litre Merlin engine, the legendary history of MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST is wholly intertwined with that of its creator, John Dodd, who passed away at age 90, in December 2022. The Beast’s rolling chassis, however, started life in 1966, built by Paul Jameson as a road-going car originally powered by a 27-litre Meteor Rolls-Royce engine. John Dodd, who built the car’s gearbox, eventually acquired and sent it to Santa Pod Raceway owners Fibre Glass Repairs to be bodied. It was then that it gained a Rolls-Royce grille and mascot, in a nod to the engine’s provenance. Image Unavailable, Please Login Even fire couldn’t put an end to such a project, as – when the Beast was damaged whilst coming back from Sweden – Dodd simply decided to improve on the original concept: a new V12 Merlin engine was acquired and fitted (the same unit powering the Beast today) and a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow grille was added. A legal court battle could not put a stop to Dodd, who may have fled after losing his case against Rolls-Royce (who objected to the brand name being used for The Beast), only to have the car join him later on in Spain, where it was kept in regular use. Ironically, the V5 still lists The Beast as a Rolls-Royce. A custom interior includes a bank of red switches which are used to initiate the starting sequence for the Merlin engine. The front suspension uses Austin elements whilst the rear is derived from a Jaguar XJ12 and sports a heavy-duty Currie axle. Image Unavailable, Please Login The heart of the MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST is its naturally-aspirated V12 Merlin engine which reportedly delivers around 750 horsepower at the flywheel. In 1973 the RAC recorded the car at a top speed of 183 mph. The Guinness Book of Records listed it as the most powerful road car in the world in 1977. Fuel economy won’t break any records however at a reported two mpg! Image Unavailable, Please Login “Car & Classic was the logical choice for the first sale of the Beast in its 50-year history” says Car & Classic CEO Tom Wood. “Our online auction is now the largest in the UK and the site attracts millions of people monthly. Not that this car will need much promotion – it is so famous it can be referred by its nickname, ‘The Beast’, and classic car enthusiasts will immediately know which example of eccentric motoring heritage we’re talking about. The MERLIN V-12 ROLLS-ROYCE BEAST auction starts on March 9th and lasts for seven days. For more information about Car & Classic auctions, please visit https://www.carandclassic.com/
My thinking is that both spheres are slightly less than half- maybe missing the final 15 degrees of the arc. My impression is that the arc never goes completely vertical, which it would at the half-way mark. for an instant.
I George Barris is indisputably the "King of the Kustomizers," the most phenomenal kustom car builder ever. This book collects the incredible photos of early hot rods and custom cars taken by George Barris in the 1950s to early '60s. As a sculptor of cars, George Barris knew well the angles and lighting that would bring out the beauty of these creations, both his own and those of others. A treasury of images, the photographs in this volume capture the early parts of the kustom culture movement, when people wanted to stylize their cars and make them look more sleek, different, powerful and personal. Early Hot Rod and Kustom Kulture features hundreds of photos including notable customizers from all over the country, in addition to Barris' own creations. Many of these unique photographs have never been seen before. Barris also photographed the people and personalities of this iconic time, capturing builders and owners, as well as pinups and models. George captured all the styles of the early era of customs and hot rods, both East Coast and West Coast, reflecting the wide range of trends and scenes. A beautiful collection seen through the lens of master customizer George Barris. Kustom Photography George Barris began making custom cars in the early 1940s with his brother Sam. George bought a German-made twin lens reflex Rolleiflex camera and began photographing cars as a way to promote his business. It then became a way to educate other kustomizers. George recorded and wrote how-to stories offering information and photos on kustomizing techniques, sharing his work as well as that of other builders from all over the country. George captured thousands upon thousands of moments in time when the beauty, style or sheer outrageousness of an automobile was visible only to a gathered crowd. George Barris' artful documentation of early car culture serves as an important chronicle of custom car history, capturing the best the best of burgeoning hot rod and kustom kulture. His first work to appear in print was virtually concurrent with the beginning of auto enthusiast magazines known as "little pages" such as Hot Rod, Car Craft, Custom Cars, Hop up, Rod & Custom, Motor Life, Spotlite and others. Although much of his fame surrounds the incredible kustom cars he built, George's endeavors as a photographer are just as important as any other facet of his life. Image Unavailable, Please Login
1955 Cadillac Elegant Special. In the early 1950s, when the streamlined shapes of jet airplanes first became part of the public's consciousness, two friends decided to conceive & build a unique American sports car. Harry Birdsall, a commercial artist & Joe Mascari, a New York contractor, devised a futuristic luxury two-seater, based on a 1953 Cadillac chassis and running gear, and featuring a unique two-piece folding convertible hardtop. They hired now-legendary automobile designer Albrecht Goertz and named their creation the Elegante. Their goal was to target an upscale market of discerning customers. The futuristic, airplane-inspired two-seat retractable hardtop used the remains of a 1953 Series 62 convertible that had caught fire at the White Plains Cadillac dealership. Albrecht Goertz, a friend who went on to design the BMW 507 and the Datsun 240Z weighed in on the project. Harry also had a close friendship with Zora Arkus-Duntov, the designer of the Corvette. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Still have my Hot Wheels take on that beauty! Original recipe sold in good company at the Pete a while back ... https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Icons_of_Speed_%26_Style
IMHO, a more successful result than the Birdsall/Goertz car.......the Ghia/Ali Khan/Rita Hayworth car...yummy! Image Unavailable, Please Login Interesting to compare with the Pinin Farina car also.....
BTW: the image of the staircase in the GM Tech Center pix makes me think "phygital"........in todays marketing-speak....... Image Unavailable, Please Login All things considered, the interior design stands up very well in todays commercial design thinking....
