Progress Through Freedom (1/3)

With the IM01, InMotion will show the world innovations in the field of automotive. Now, if one holds the desire to innovate, a glance into the past might be the best way to start…

America, at the end of the 1940’s. This was the ‘Atomic age’, a genuinely exciting time. As an American you would have seen the very first nuclear power plant go operational on the 20^th of December ’51 in Idaho. Just a year later, deHavilland introduced the Comet, the first commercial jet aircraft. Then, in 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was created, to stimulate nuclear research and reduce the threat of nuclear warfare.

In the same year, the Sputnik was sent into orbit, starting the ‘space race’ between Russia and the USA. Over the next decade America saw the rise of satellites and rockets. The grand finale came of course with the Apollo 11 mission, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to set foot on the moon.

This is the mindset of a generation, and fueled by their achievements, their influence could be noted throughout the community. Especially in the American automobile industry. This is the first part in our three-piece special, aiming the spotlight at the innovations and innovators of the 1950’s and ‘60’s. For your convenience, the text in this series will be accompanied by the finest pictures we could find. This time we call for discussion. We want to know what you think. Which cars or novelties are the coolest? What is the most impressive new technology?

This first part is meant as a teaser. We already set the scene, now we will introduce the players. Much like the space race itself, the automotive concept scene at the time was lead by the two super-powers; Ford, and General Motors.

The ‘General Motors styling division’ was the first to ever release the ‘concept car’, a one-off vehicle by a major brand, made just to poll the public’s opinion. The Buick Y-Job, in 1939. The man who led the styling division was a former coachbuilder from Hollywood. Harley Earl. This is the man who authorized the first tailfins on a production vehicle. The Autorama shows, and the Chevrolet Corvette…  his idea’s. So this was the right man for the job. The GM styling division’s task description: “Study the question of art and color combinations in General Motors products.” Remember Henry Ford’s famous quote: “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.” The GM styling division was high tech, stylish and innovatory.

Ford had to keep up. This meant Ford had to adjust their view. So they needed something similar to the GM styling division. The ‘Ford advanced styling studio’ was created. The man behind it, or at least for the era we’re interested in, Alex Tremulis. He had an impressive resume, designing for Cord, Duesenberg, Chrysler, Packard, and briefly, GM’s styling division. And Ford had its mind set on creating even more impressive concepts than GM… “This car is quite obviously powered by some unknown propulsion system as yet undiscovered on Earth.  There is no doubt in our minds  that most of these designs can be readily refined and developed into successful automobiles.”

Next time we will introduce some of the most creative vehicles from the hands of these visionairies. For now, enjoy the gallery of selected highlights. And tell us which camp you are in… GM, or Ford?

If you would like to read more about either of the two, follow these links:
General Motors - Ford


For the innovations by InMotion, visit http://inmotion.tue.nl