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- General Motors Firebird Concept Model, 1952-1953 - The dramatic Firebird concept car wowed audiences at the 1954 General Motors Motorama. Harley Earl took inspiration from jet fighter planes in designing the vehicle. Power came from a 370-horsepower gas-turbine engine that drove the rear wheels. (The large exhaust nozzle at back was just for show.) When subsequent Firebirds appeared, the original received the retronym "Firebird I."
- 1952-1953
- Collections - Artifact
General Motors Firebird Concept Model, 1952-1953
The dramatic Firebird concept car wowed audiences at the 1954 General Motors Motorama. Harley Earl took inspiration from jet fighter planes in designing the vehicle. Power came from a 370-horsepower gas-turbine engine that drove the rear wheels. (The large exhaust nozzle at back was just for show.) When subsequent Firebirds appeared, the original received the retronym "Firebird I."
- 1927 LaSalle Roadster - In 1926, Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president of General Motors, sought a lower-priced companion to the Cadillac to fill out General Motors product line. He lured a custom designer named Harley Earl to Detroit for the project and the result was the 1927 LaSalle, the first mass-production car to be consciously "stylized." The stylish and affordable LaSalle marked the demise of individually designed and prohibitively expensive custom cars.
- 1927
- Collections - Artifact
1927 LaSalle Roadster
In 1926, Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president of General Motors, sought a lower-priced companion to the Cadillac to fill out General Motors product line. He lured a custom designer named Harley Earl to Detroit for the project and the result was the 1927 LaSalle, the first mass-production car to be consciously "stylized." The stylish and affordable LaSalle marked the demise of individually designed and prohibitively expensive custom cars.