Synopses & Reviews
In the postwar exuberance of America, General Motors launched their Motorama, an all-out extravaganza that turned the marketing of new cars and designs into a cultural event of national proportions. GM’s Motorama brings this short-lived but unforgettable tradition back to life with words and period photographs that revisit the posh venues, such as the Waldorf Astoria in 1953, where celebrities in Broadway-style shows and phalanxes of glamorous models introduced the public to “Dream Cars” destined to become legends—the GM LeSabre, Cadillac Le Mans, and the Chevrolet Corvette prototype. This book recreates the drama of the eight shows staged between 1949 and 1961, focusing on the cars designed under the leadership of the founder and head of GM Design, Harley Earl. The cars that emerged from the mind of Earl are today among the most desired of the twentieth century. Previously unknown facts about the fate of the Dream Cars—some of which seemingly disappeared—and a glimpse of GM’s recent crop of concept cars are offered in the book’s final two chapters.
Review
Road and Track, May 2007
“Ample captions and fully researched text explain the one-off production, and destruction, of this American studio’s creations. This book would grace the coffee-table in any of today’s uber-chic downtown lofts.”
Car Collector, March 2007
“GM’s Motorama is the best book I have seen on the history of GM’s dream cars and the evolution of their concept. This handsomely designed 10x10 inch book is lavishly illustrated with many never before seen photos, and so well-written you don’t want to put it down … this is about as much book as you could ever hope to get for only $40. This is the summer’s must have car book.”
Review
Classic Chevy, June 2007 “...this book [is] a real page-turner....A tour through this remarkable new book on Motorama not only traces the history of these splendid show cars – it brings an important message through [its] final chapter. Temple’s book is a very readable, colorful, exciting, and spontaneous testimony to that heritage.”
Ol’ Skool Rodz, May 2007
“David Temple (along with the book’s designer, Jennifer Bergstrom) has done a masterful job in presenting the material for this book … This book is a wonderful look back at GM’s days as the world leader in the automotive industry … You should own this book.”
Synopsis
In the postwar exuberance of 1949 America, General Motors mounted its first Motorama, an all-out extravaganza that turned the marketing of new cars and designs into a cultural event of national proportions. GM’s Motorama brings this short-lived but unforgettable tradition back to life with detailed text and period photographs that revisit the posh venues, such as the Waldorf-Astoria, where celebrities in Broadway-style shows and phalanxes of glamorous models introduced the public to “Dream Cars” destined to become legends, including the 1951 LeSabre, the Cadillac Le Mans, and the Corvette prototype. Later, the Motorama introduced cars like the turbine-powered Firebirds, the Olds F-88, and the Pontiac Bonneville Special. Author David Temple recreates the drama of the eight Motoramas staged between 1949 and 1961, focusing on the cars that took center stage and came to define an era of auto styling.
Synopsis
The General Motors Motorama was created to showcase the products of the corporation, which included not only automobiles from Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and GMC, but also its auto parts and non-automotive divisions. More notably, it featured experimental automobiles, or “Dream Cars,” created to test public reaction to new ideas. These cars also exposed the public to advanced concepts—a simple but effective way to introduce features that would be found on automobiles in the near and distant future. Certainly, there are no cars rarer or more uniquely styled than the Dream Cars of the 1950s. These Dream Cars are fascinating not only for their peculiar history, but also for their styling. GM’s Motorama and its futuristic styling moved people, as the cars embodied freedom itself and provided a vision of a bright future ahead.
Synopsis
In the postwar exuberance of America, General Motors launched their Motorama, an all-out extravaganza that turned the marketing of new cars and designs into a cultural event of national proportions.
GM’s Motorama brings this short-lived but unforgettable tradition back to life with words and period photographs that revisit the posh venues, such as the Waldorf Astoria in 1953, where celebrities in Broadway-style shows and phalanxes of glamorous models introduced the public to “Dream Cars” destined to become legends—the GM LeSabre, Cadillac Le Mans, and the Chevrolet Corvette prototype. This book recreates the drama of the eight shows staged between 1949 and 1961, focusing on the cars designed under the leadership of the founder and head of GM Design, Harley Earl. The cars that emerged from the mind of Earl are today among the most desired of the twentieth century. Previously unknown facts about the fate of the Dream Cars—some of which seemingly disappeared—and a glimpse of GM’s recent crop of concept cars are offered in the book’s final two chapters.
Synopsis
The story of the eight GM Motoramas staged between 1949 and 1961, featuring the cars introduced at these extravaganzasincluding the Corvette prototype.
Synopsis
This book recreates the drama of the eight GM Motoramas staged between 1949 and 1961, focusing on the cars that took center stage and came to define an era of auto styling. In words and period photographs GMs Motorama revisits the star-studded extravaganzas that introduced the public to dream cars” destined to become legendsfrom the 1951 LeSabre and the turbine-powered Firebirds to the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and Corvette prototype.
Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword by Chuck Jordan
Editor’s Note: Looking Back to the Future by Dennis Adler
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction: Capturing the Hearts and Minds of Impressionable Male Adolescents by David E. Davis Jr.
Part I: The Beginning
Chapter One: Birth of the Experimental Car and the GM Motorama
Part II: The Motorama Cars—Stars of the Show
Chapter Two: Motorama Cars of Chevrolet
Chapter Three: Motorama Cars of Pontiac
Chapter Four: Motorama Cars of Oldsmobile
Chapter Five: Motorama Cars of Buick
Chapter Six: Motorama Cars of Cadillac
Chapter Seven: GMC’s Sole Motorama Dream Vehicle
Chapter Eight: LaSalle IIs and Firebirds—GM’s V-6 and Turbine Power Projects
Chapter Nine: An Era Ends
Chapter Ten: Twins, Triplets, and Quadruplets
Part III: The LEGACY—Motorama Car Mysteries and GM’s Newest Concepts
Chapter Eleven: Fates of the Motorama Cars—Mysteries Solved and Unsolved
Chapter Twelve: GM’s Newest Concepts
Appendix A: Number Built and Status of Motorama Show Cars
Appendix B: Where and When