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Walter C. Jerome of Worcester, Massachusetts was a man possessed by a mission to make the world’s safest car. In the end, he failed to advance auto safety but Jerome’s segmented sedan might easily qualify as the world’s strangest car. Primarily concerned with head-on collisions, Jones split his car in two, hoping the front section would absorb collisions, leaving the passenger cabin untouched. Using a heavily modified 1948 Hudson sedan as a rear section, he built a raised turret to provide the driver with maximum visibility, a goal he furthered with a 360 degree wrap-around screen that constantly rotated past built-in squeegees to wipe it clean. Pictured: 1948 Hudson Commodore Wrap-around rubber bumpers protected the Sir Vival’s bodywork from errant motorists in slow speed collisions but they were just one of Jerome’s innovations. The Sir Vival was years ahead with seat belts, a padded interior, and built-in roll bars. Auto safety has two parts: passive safety concerns passenger protection once a collision occurs, and active safety, or a car’s ability to avoid accidents due to handling and braking qualities. Like most Americans, Jerome focused only on passive safety, ignoring the fact that his car’s awkward separation into dual modules necessitated atrocious handling. The Sir Vival appeared on magazine covers. Jerome had fancy two-color sales brochures printed that extolled its virtues. But its fifteen minutes in the spotlight quickly elapsed and it sunk without a trace. Amazingly, the eccentric Sir Vival turned out to be a survivor after all. A little the worse for wear, it remains in the care of Bellingham Auto Sales in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Source: Jim Cherry, Classic Autos Examiner

The Classic REAF-1950 / РЭАФ-50 (1950) was a car designed by Vsevolod Bahchivandzhi and his team around 1940-1950. This car is an Experimental Car. Source: OldConceptCars.com

Delahaye’s final luxury model, the 235, was introduced in 1952, bearing a refined version of the famous 135 chassis and engine, now increased to 160 bhp, and a dramatic new grille courtesy of Philippe Charbonneaux. It proved too little too late, and just 84 examples of this chassis were produced before Delahaye production came to an end in 1954. Inarguably, the most beautiful and audacious 235s were the flamboyant, artistic designs created on a pair of chassis by Carrosserie J. Saoutchik. One of these was this car, chassis no. 818039, a spectacular modern, airy fastback coupe with a large curved rear window, in three sections; headlights integrated into the top of the front fenders, with fog lights mounted below; and a one-piece windshield, providing a light and uncluttered effect. The gorgeous flowing fender lines and elegant chromed “notch” in the rear fins, a nod to Pininfarina styling of the time, combined with pillarless windows and a restrained use of chrome to make an exceptionally well-proportioned and glamorous four-seater coupe. Saoutchik exhibited the coupe, finished in Velasquez Gray with a blue leather interior, as the literal centerpiece of their stand at the 1952 Paris Salon, then once more at the concours held at the casino in Enghien-les-Bains on 20 June 1953, where it received the Grand Prix d’Honneur. The car’s first owner is unknown; it is first known to have been registered in 1959 to a Claude Martin, in the department of Seine-et-Oise, as 5678 CX 78; this location’s proximity to Enghien-les-Bains indicates that it was likely sold new there following the concours. It reappeared again in 1979, for sale from Martin at the Château de Bressuire, by which time it had been finished in French Racing Blue! In 1984 it was acquired by Jean-Claude Aubriet, the French racing driver known for his many entrants in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who retained it for the next three years. By this time it had gained the sliding sunroof, believed to have been a period installation. The Delahaye was brought to the U.S. in the late 1980s, and was restored by the late Mike Fennel in its present rich metallic aubergine hue, with a supple tan interior; importantly, it is very true to its original form, including the correct chrome “sweep” on the flanks of the body, with no extraneous brightwork or flourishes. Only the original bumpers were removed, and replaced with delicate chrome “bumperettes,” lightening and arguably improving the design. In this form, the car was presented at the 1990 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning a class award. It has been kept since in a private collection, and remains in very nice overall condition. The engine block bears its original, correct casting numbers, indicating that it is the original unit, and the car is also believed to retain its original chassis number tag. Source: Darin Schnabel ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

“Spine-jolting acceleration that stems from phenomenal low-speed torque; ridiculous ease of motion; paralyzing brake power; positive steering…in the best Bugatti tradition; and with all the sort of lounging comfort one has no right to expect, even from the modern sports machine.” John Bentley was describing the Cunningham C-3 for readers of The Autocar in 1952. He was not alone in his enthusiasm. In Road & Track, John Bond said taking the car through his favorite S-bend was a “revelation…no sway, no squat, no squawl.” Said another road tester: “It’s pretty hard to believe. You’ve never driven anything like it in your life.” Yet another was more explicit: “Driving this car is not unlike harnessing Niagara Falls… a suddenly opened throttle parallels the kick of a JATO assist rocket.” Modifications to Chrysler’s massive hemi had provided the C-3 with about forty more horses than stock. The Cunningham production car’s easy cruising speed was 107mph. Top speed was about 135. Depending upon transmission, zero to 60 could be accomplished in 6.9 seconds (Cadillac three-speed) or 8.5 seconds (Chrysler Fluid-Torque). To qualify his cars for Le Mans, Briggs Cunningham had no choice but to become an automobile manufacturer. Initially, he planned to build 25 cars in 1952 (the Le Mans minimum), followed by 50 in 1953. Total actual production turned out to be only 18 coupes and 9 convertibles. Consequently, though priced in the $10,000 range, very expensive for the times, the cars cost Briggs yet more to build. Unquestionably, the Cunningham was the most exciting American sports car of its era and one of the most handsome sports cars anywhere. Giovanni Michelotti styled the body; Vignale built it in Turin, Italy. In 1953 the Cunningham Continental Coupe was one of just two American cars (the Studebaker Starliner from Raymond Loewy’s studio the other) selected by Arthur Drexler of New York’s Museum of Modern Art for landmark status among the world’s 10 best contemporary automobile designs. Review by: The Revs Institute First 8 photos by: Peter Harholdt Last 9 photos by: RM Auctions

The Orbitron is a bubble top show car built by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth in 1964. The car was designed by Ed "Newt" Newton. Newt designed the Orbitron to look like a slingshot dragster with space-age influences. The car's distinctive nose incorporated a set of red, green, and blue lights. The lights were intended to function like television tubes, which, when illuminated together, would create a strong white light beam. Dirty Doug and Dick Cook assisted Ed in the building process. Under the hood, the Orbitron featured the engine from Ed Roth's own 1955 Chevrolet daily driver. The 283 motor was painted blue and dressed up with Corvette valve covers and three chromed Stromberg 97's. The engine was hooked to a Powerglide two-speed transmission. The rear end came from a 1956 Chevrolet. The frame was hand-made out of 2x4 inch rectangular tubes. The front of the frame featured a handmade four-bar setup with a cross-leaf spring on a suicide perch. The front axle was a dropped early Ford V8-60 tube axle with finned Buick drums and Lincoln brakes. Everything was chrome plated by Model Plating in Bell Gardens. The car ran on Astro slotted chrome wheels wearing single-groove Inglewood whitewall cheater slicks and Cal Custom fake knockoff caps. Source: CarStyling; Wikipedia; WheelsAge

The Abarth 1500 Biposto was an experimental coupe designed by Franco Scaglione, who worked for Bertone at the time. It was displayed at the 1952 Turin Motor Show. Following the Turin Show, it was purchased by Packard and brought to Detroit, where it was used for design inspiration. Source: Wikipedia

The Holden Hurricane was an experimental research vehicle, revealed in May 1969. The car has a mid-mounted 4147cc V8 Holden engine, producing 280bhp. The two-seater Hurricane displayed an electronic digital instrument display, station-seeking radio, Comfortron automatic temperature control air conditioning, and a Pathfinder automatic route indicator. The rear vision was provided by a TV screen in the console, connected to a wide-angle lens camera activated by the ignition. As its code name suggests, RD 001 was the first product of the GMH Research and Development section, staffed by a small squad of engineers working in conjunction with the Advanced Styling Group at the Fishermans Bend Technical Centre. RD 001 stood just 990mm high and had no doors in the conventional sense. An electro-mechanically powered canopy swung forward over the front wheels, combining with twin “astronaut type” power elevator seats which rose and pivoted forward, along with the steering column, for ease of access. Occupants were lowered to a semi-reclining position, and the roof closed over. The car could not be started until the canopy was locked down, the seats fully lowered, and the driver”s fully retractable, automatically locking seat belt secured. Other safety innovations were a foam-lined fuel tank, integral headrests, digital readouts, interior padding, and a fire warning system. The wind tunnel-tested fiberglass body was finished in an experimental aluminum flake-based metallic orange paint and mounted on a steel box-section perimeter frame with rubber insulated mountings. Under the Hurricane”s pivoting engine hood, set forward of the rear axle, was an experimental 253 cubic inch Holden-designed and built V8 with a four-barrel carburetor. Source & Images: OldConceptCars.com

This Sledgehammer reached 254.76 mph at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio and became the world’s fastest street-legal car for some time. Reeves Callaway built it up in Connecticut as an example of what was possible with the new ZR1 and turbocharging its LT5 engine. The result was an 898 bhp coupe that still retained luxuries such as air conditioning and a radio. Callaway achieved this power using a NASCAR-spec block with Mahle pistons and forged connecting rods. The top-end included a Brodix aluminum head fed by twin Turbonetics T04B turbochargers. The suspension was addressed by Carroll Smith, who lowered the entire car one inch and fit 17-inch Dymag aluminum wheels with specially-made Goodyear tires. On October 26, 1988, at 3:45 PM, John Lingenfelter drove the Sledgehammer to its record speed of 254.76 mph on the 7.5-mile oval track at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio. Source: supercars.net (Richard Michael Owen)

The Ferrari Modulo was a concept car designed by Paolo Martin of Pininfarina and produced in 1970. It was initially shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1970 in black and subsequently repainted white and displayed at the 1970 Turin Motor Show and the 1970 Osaka World Fair. The Modulo was not intended to be a racing prototype but as a futuristic styling exercise and research vehicle, which abandoned traditional styling and construction techniques in favor of futuristic ideas. It amazed the public at the time, and it earned 22 international design awards. The Ferrari Modulo was based on a 512S chassis and running gear and featured a mid-mounted Ferrari quad-cam 5-liter V12 engine, producing 550bhp at 8,500 rpm and a claimed maximum speed of 360km/h. The Modulo had a length of 4,480 mm, a width of 2,048 mm, and a height of 935 mm. Source: pininfarina spa. Images: Pininfarina; www.shorey.net; Lotusespritturbo.com; www.benedictredgrove.com; www.classicdriver.com

The Alfa Romeo Proteo concept, unveiled at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show, was a high-performance, high-tech two-seat sports car proposal. Styled by the prolific designer Walter de'Silva, the Proteo was based on a shortened platform borrowed from the Alfa Romeo 164 3.0 liter V6 saloon. The Proteo featured the same 260 horsepower V6 powerplant as the 164, and power was sent to all four wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. The Proteo also featured 4-wheel steering to improve low-speed maneuverability and high-speed stability. Shortly after the Proteo was debuted, Alfa Romeo announced their plans to produce the car in limited numbers of around 2,000 examples. Three fully-functional prototypes were even constructed, lending credibility to the news. Unfortunately, only weeks before the car was due to final development and production, the head honchos at Alfa Romeo decided that the project was too risky financially and pulled the plug. Source: diseno-art Images: Alfa Romeo

With his retirement looming, the window of opportunity for a mid-engine Corvette was narrowing. Famed Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov did not want to do the Wankel-rotary-engine-powered Four-Rotor Corvette project, which itself was an evolution of the mid-engine XP-882 prototype. Familiar with the Wankel engine since 1955, Duntov knew that the basic design was inefficient because of the surface-to-volume ratio in the combustion chamber. Additionally, the Chevy Vega was scheduled to be the first Wankel-powered car produced by General Motors, and Duntov didn't want the Corvette to be powered by a Vega engine. But GM president at the time Ed Cole was hot on the Wankel and tactically said, "yes" to the mid-engine Corvette, but only with a Wankel in the middle. Duntov had no choice. Duntov made the best of it and told his engineman, Gib Hufstader, "Make me a fast car!" Hufstader's solution later won a U.S. patent. The layout consisted of two separate Wankel engines, one on each side of a shaft that ran back to the bevels at the transmission output. Each engine was 90 degrees out of phase to smooth out the performance. A toothed and grooved cog belt ran the ignition, alternator, and fuel pump, while a V-belt controlled the air conditioning, power steering, and water pump. The combined size of the two engines was 585 cubic inches and was rated at 350 to 370 horsepower. Hufstader said the setup could make as much as 480 horsepower with some development. He pulled it all together in just two months. In July of 1972, Cole, with Duntov, took the completed, body-less car out on the GM Tech Center check road. Legend has it that the car hit 148 mph and was still accelerating when they had to slow down. The sound was described as an "incredible shriek!" As development continued, Duntov eventually cornered GM vice president of design Bill Mitchell and said, "Let's put a deadline on this. The Paris show." Mitchell agreed and assigned the project to Hank Haga and Jerry Palmer. Mitchell wanted to see a break from the Kammback design, something pointed and streamlined, similar in flavor to the Mercedes-Benz record-breakers of the 1930s. Palmer recalled: "It was a very hard car to design. After my second shot, Mitchell said, 'Hey, this is like baseball, kid—three strikes and you're out.' " "Mitchell wanted a teardrop shape," Haga explained. "The design problem was to put together a piece of equipment that didn't have a tail 40 feet long. It started with a long nose and tail … it looked like a record car rather than a Corvette. So we did several overlays and got a fair balance between the nose and tail. We kept shortening it, and that's how it evolved." With the basic shape set, everyone in the design group fell in love with the car. With a 72-degree windshield slope, wheel flares, and vents behind the rear glass, the drag coefficient was 0.325—astonishing for its day. Other details included the engine's side cooling intakes, bifold gullwing doors, and a deep, V-angled front windshield. Chevrolet Interiors created the cabin with plush leather and suede seats, a digital smoked-black instrument display that pivoted along with the telescopic and tilt steering wheel. The center console had more digital gauges, warning lights, radio, climate controls, transmission selector, and handbrake. Both the Two-Rotor (a.k.a. the XP-987 GT) and Four-Rotor Corvettes started making the auto-show circuit rounds beginning with the 1973 Paris show, to mixed reviews. Automotive magazines went crazy with speculation, but the project stalled when Cole decided to scrap GM's Wankel project altogether. As a result, the Fur-Rotor was never properly developed and didn't run well. Flat out, it was a monster; at any other speed, not so good. Designers tried to take the body design and make it a producible car, but every production issue solved detracted from the beauty of the original. "Death by a thousand cuts," said Palmer. Eventually, Bill Mitchell had the Four-Rotor sent to the Design Center to retrofit the all-aluminum XP-895's drivetrain and a 400-cubic-inch small-block. The new Aerovette was relegated to show-car duty. Chief Engineer Dave McLellan said, "Showing the Aerovette was a sign of what wouldn't be produced." This might have been the first production mid-engine Corvette if not for the Wankel distraction. Duntov later said that the car was equal with the 1957 Corvette SS as his favorite one-off Corvette. When Zora retired, he was given a detailed model of the Four-Rotor, while the former head of GM design Ed Welburn said that he and his coworkers used to look at the car on their lunch breaks. "I knew every inch of it, and I didn't even work on it." Now that's an inspiration! Source: The Four-Rotor Corvette Prototype Was the ‘Almost’ Mid .... https://www.motortrend.com/news/1973-four-rotor-corvette-prototype-mid-engine-chevrolet-corvette-history/ Images: www.shorey.net

At the 1960 Turin Auto Show, BMC's Italian partner Innocenti showed a small Spider built upon Sprite underpinnings. The car was the first design of Tom Tjaarda's, drawn for Carrozzeria Ghia. Ghia's partner firm OSI built the bodyshells when the car entered production in early 1961. The original Innocenti 950 Spider had the Frogeye's 948 cc engine with 43 hp (32 kW), 624 of these were built. Later in 1961, an uprated 46.5 hp (35 kW) was installed. In February 1963 the 1098 cc "S" model was introduced, this also had front disc brakes to cope with the extra power. The 1100 has 58 hp (43 kW) and could also be fitted with a removable hardtop. The Spider wasn't a mere reshelling, as the entire bulkhead was moved forward to provide longer doors and a more modern look. Unlike the spartan Frogeye, the Spider also had wind-up windows and a permanent windscreen. 4,790 of the 950 Spiders were built, and 2,074 of the 1100 cc Spiders. The Innocenti Spider originally sold well in Italy, with production running at 13 cars per day in 1962, but it had a hard time competing against the cheaper Sprite in export markets. As more modern competitors arrived and as the British-built Sprite was modernized, sales dropped precipitously, with only 63 cars built in 1965. Thus, Innocenti presented the reworked Innocenti Coupé in September 1966, still with the same 1100 engine as seen in late Spiders. The badging on the car simply read "Innocenti C". The Coupé's all-new bodywork was wider and longer than the Spider's, and the wheelbase was extended by 150 mm to 2,180 mm (85.8 in). The floor pan was reworked to allow for the seats to be mounted lower than in a Sprite, making the cabin less cramped. It was competitively priced in the Italian market, slotting nicely between the smaller Fiat 850 Coupé and the bigger Fiat 124 Sport Spider. Only 794 were built when production ended in 1968. Source: CarStyling.ru

A very talented man called Tom Tjaarda became one of GHIA's leading stylists, and he made a big impression with the 1959 Selene, a sort of super-sleek forward-control "people carrier'. Its follow-up, the Selene II of 1962, had a central driving seat and two rear seats facing backward. The 1959 Ghia Selene came out of the famed Italian design house, but the vehicle's unique characteristics may have been too much even for cutting-edge designs of the era. Look closely at the images, and you'll quickly realize that what you think is the front of the car is the back, and vice-versa. What appears to be a split radiator grille framed by headlights is the back bumper and rear taillights. The front end of the car not only has no telltale grille, but it also overhangs the front wheels, and the driving position is well in front of the wheels, which must have made for some disorienting first drives. Built only as a concept car, the vehicle was never fitted with an engine; but it looks like there was room for one under the rear trunk lid. The designers rounded off the front end so severely to reduce drag and increase efficiency, but to us, the whole thing looks awkward, both to drive and to see in an oncoming lane. Check out the 1962 Ghia Selene II. Source: 95 Octane Images: www.shorey.net; www.tom-tjaarda.net

Tom Tjaarda (1934 – 2017) was an automobile designer noted for his work on a broad range of automobiles — estimated at over eighty — from exotic sports cars including the Ferrari 365 California, De Tomaso Pantera and Aston Martin Lagonda Coupé to high-volume popular cars including the first-generation Ford Fiesta (1972) and the Fiat 124 Spider (1966). For his work, Tjaarda was honored at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as well as the 1997 Concorso Italiano. Jalopnik called Tjaarda "one of the defining automotive designers of the 20th century." Noted automotive designer and journalist Robert Cumberford called Tjaarda "one of the world’s most accomplished Italian car designers." Car Design News called him "one of the great unsung heroes of the car design world." Born in Detroit, Tjaarda was the son of Irene Tjaarda[6] and Dutch-American auto designer John Tjaarda (born Joop Tjaarda van Starkenburg, 1897–1962), designer of the 1935 Lincoln Zephyr. Tjaarda's parents divorced in 1939 and he lived with his mother in Detroit. Tjaarda studied high school in Birmingham High School, Birmingham, Michigan (1953 renamed to Seaholm High School). Tjaarda studied Architecture at the University of Michigan and presented an automobile (a sport station wagon) rather than building design for his senior thesis — winning an internship at Carrozzeria Ghia, the renowned Italian design house. In 1958, he moved to Turin, Italy, where his career began and where he continued to live and work. Tjaarda started his career at Ghia with the Innocenti 950. By 1961 had moved to Pininfarina, where he went on to work on designs that included the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, the Ferrari 330GT 2+2, the Fiat 124 Spider, and the Ferrari 365 California. He later returned to Ghia, where he designed the Isuzu Bellett MX1600 concept, the De Tomaso Pantera, and the De Tomaso Longchamp. In 1981, Tom was appointed as Director of Fiat Advanced Studios. In 1984, he started his own independent design firm, Dimensione Design.

Battista "Pinin" Farina (later Battista Pininfarina; 1893 - 1966) was an Italian automobile designer and the founder of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coachbuilding company, a name associated with many of the best-known postwar sports cars. Battista Farina was born in Cortanze, Italy. The tenth of eleven children, his nickname, "Pinin" (the youngest/smallest (brother), in Piedmontese), referred to his being the baby of the family, and in later years it also referred to his short stature of 5 feet (1.52 meters). He started working in his brother Giovanni's body shop at the age of 12, and it was there that his interest in cars was born. He stayed at Giovanni's Stabilimenti Industriali Farina for decades, learning bodywork and beginning to design his own cars. He formed Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 to focus on the design and construction of new car bodies, and quickly gained prominence. Only Carrozzeria Touring was more sought-after in the 1930s. His work for Ferrari, starting in 1952, would become his most famous, though much of it was managed by his son, Sergio, who ran the firm until shortly before his death, on 3 July 2012. Sometime in the early 1950s, Stabilimenti Farina was absorbed into the by now much larger Carrozzeria Pininfarina. The last design personally attributed to him was the 1600 Duetto for Alfa Romeo. This was first seen by the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. He died less than a month later. He officially changed his name to "Battista Pininfarina" in 1961. The change was authorized by the President of the Italian Republic, acting on a proposal made by the Minister of Justice.

The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is a convertible sports car marketed by Fiat for model years 1966-1985. Designed by and manufactured at the Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina factory, the monocoque, front-engine, rear-drive Sport Spider debuted at the November 1966 Turin Auto Show with styling by Tom Tjaarda. Fiat later marketed the car as the Spider 2000 (1979-1982). After being retired by FIAT, Pininfarina continued the production of the model under his own brand as Pininfarina Spider Azzura for the North American market and Pininfarina Spidereuropa for the European market for three more years, from 1983 until 1985. Honoring its legacy, in 2015 a successor of the Fiat 124 Spider was presented at the LA Auto Show. The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was designed by Pininfarina and styled in-house by Tom Tjaarda. The 124 Sport Spider, 124 Sport Coupé, and 124 sedan share much of their running gear – and, in the case of the coupé, platforms. The Sports Spider uses a shorter platform along with a shorter wheelbase, and in contrast to the Pininfarina styled and manufactured spider, Fiat designed and manufactured the coupé in-house. The succession of build series of the 124 was designated internally as AS, BS, BS1, CS, and CSA. AS models had a torque tube transmitting power to the rear wheels; this crack-prone design was replaced by a trailing-arm rear axle with the second series (BS) during 1969 — which was manufactured alongside the AS for the first six months of 1970. The early AS cars also have smaller taillights, while the BS receives a mesh grille and black-rimmed gauges inside. In July 1970 the 1.6-liter BS1 appeared; this model is recognizable by its twin humps on the bonnet and bumper overriders. The CS series Spider arrived during 1972. Also in 1972, a sports version of the Spider debuted, required for type-approval of its rally version, and was marketed as 124 CSA (C-Spider-Abarth). The vehicle has a capacity of 128 hp. In three years, Fiat manufactured less than 1000 CSA models, which were intended for sale to individual clients. The car was manufactured by Fiat (with a Pininfarina body) in Turin until October 1981, when Pininfarina took over manufacture in their San Giorgio Canavese plant. Serial numbers started over from zero, while the eleventh digit in the Vehicle Identification Number was switched from an 8 to a 5. The Fiat Spider 2000 ended manufacture in July 1982, and after the Italian summer holidays, production of Pininfarina-badged cars commenced in its place.

The Seville, introduced in May 1975 as an early 1976 model, was Cadillac's answer to the rising popularity of European luxury imports as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. GM planners were becoming concerned that the division's once-vaunted image as the “standard of the world" was fading, especially among the younger generation of car buyers. Over time, European luxury cars had become quite luxurious and even more expensive than the much larger Cadillacs. As the market share of these imports continued to climb, it became obvious that the traditional American automotive paradigm of "bigger equals better" had begun to falter. The Seville became the smallest and most expensive model in the lineup, turning Cadillac's traditional marketing and pricing strategy upside down. Source: Wikipedia

The Pontiac Phantom (also called the General Motors Phantom and given the internal code name "Madame X") is a concept car created by General Motors (GM) in 1977. The Phantom was designed by Bill Mitchell and Bill Davis at Mitchell's "Studio X." Mitchell was an accomplished designer for GM who had designed the 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special, added tailfins to the 1948 Cadillacs, and designed both the 1963 and 1968 Chevrolet Corvettes. The Phantom was conceived by Mitchell as a retirement gift to himself and was also the last project for his Studio X, which had reopened to design the car. The lines of the Phantom are evocative of the late-1930s Cadillacs that Mitchell had designed earlier in his career. The Phantom is a fastback two-seat coupe built on the chassis of a Pontiac Grand Prix. It only consists of a fiberglass shell and does not have a drivetrain, rendering it inoperable. The car was considered a "personal expression" of Mitchell's. He described the Phantom as "the kind of car I'd like to drive." Mitchell elaborated that "with the energy crisis and other considerations, the glamour car would not be around for long. I wanted to leave a memory at General Motors of the kind of cars I love." In the words of Jerry Hirshberg, who would later become head of design at Nissan, Mitchell "was fighting old battles and withdrawing increasingly from a world that was being redefined by consumerism, Naderism, and an emerging consciousness of the environment." The Phantom project was initially supported by Pontiac, although they did not maintain support throughout development. Mitchell sent the car to the Milford Proving Grounds to impress GM's directors. However, when the executive vice president of product planning and technical staff, Howard Kehrl, saw the car, he ordered it to be removed immediately from the proving grounds. After designing the Phantom, Mitchell retired in 1977, holding the director of the General Motors Styling Division at the time. The car is currently in the collection of the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. Source: Wikipedia Images: www.shorey.net

While the first-generation Seville had proved quite successful, it failed in its primary mission of winning over younger import buyers. Marketing research indicated that the car was most popular with older women who wanted a Cadillac in a smaller, more maneuverable size. For the 1980 model year, the Seville's K-body platform became front-wheel drive, based on the E-body Eldorado, Buick Riviera, and Oldsmobile Toronado. Length and wheelbase were similar, with the car losing 0.3" in wheelbase and gaining 0.8" overall. The new model featured independent rear suspension and was the first American car to have a standard diesel engine, carried over from the previous generation. Cadillac's new 368 cu in (6.0 L) L62 V8 with Digital Fuel Injection was a no-cost option except in California, where the fuel-injected Oldsmobile 350 remained available as a no-cost option. The razor-edged bustle-back rear styling drew inspiration from English coachbuilder Hooper & Co.'s "Empress Line" designs from the early 1950s, which were considered a dramatic, modern take on the mid-'30s style of trunk/body integration. In addition, long hood/short deck proportions were inspired by luxury cars of the 1960s. The Seville's "statement" styling was one of the last vehicles designed by Bill Mitchell, appointed by Harley Earl in 1936 as the Cadillac’s first chief designer. It was swiftly imitated by the 1982–87 Lincoln Continental sedan and the 1981–83 Chrysler Imperial coupe. Sales were strong at first, but disastrous flirtation with diesel engines and the ill-fated V-8-6-4 variable displacement gasoline engine, coupled with poor quality control eroded Seville's standing in the marketplace. The Seville introduced features that would become traditional in later years. In 1981, memory seats appeared—a feature not seen on a Cadillac since the Eldorado Broughams of the late 1950s. This option allowed two stored positions to be recalled at the touch of a button. Also new for 1981 was a digital instrument cluster. The "Cadillac Trip Computer" was a precursor to this option in 1978. Available until 1985, it was considerably less expensive than the trip computer and featured just a digital speedometer and fuel gauge. Engine options changed for 1981: the V8 was now equipped with the V8-6-4 variable displacement technology. However, the engine management systems of the time proved too slow to run the system reliably. A 4.1 L (252 cu in) Buick V6 was added as a credit option. Puncture-sealing tires were also new. In 1982, Seville offered heated outside rear-view mirrors with an optional rear defogger. Inside, a "Symphony Sound" stereo cassette tape system was available. The previously standard diesel engine became an option with the introduction of a new 4.1 L (250 cu in) HT-4100. This engine had a number of reliability issues, such as weak, porous aluminum block castings and failure-prone intake manifold gaskets. For 1983, the Buick V6 was dropped and a new "Delco/Bose" stereo cassette system was offered at $895. Initially looking like a standard Delco radio, from 1984 onward it featured a brushed gold-look front panel and bulbous lower interior door speaker assemblies. This was also the last year for an available 8-track stereo system. From 1983 through 1985, it was available with a fake cabriolet roof option which gave the appearance of a four-door convertible. Source: Wikipedia

The XP-755 concept car, also known as the Mako Shark, was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of General Motors Styling and Design head Bill Mitchell. With the 1963 Corvette C2 design locked down in 1961 as a concept for future Chevrolet Corvette, the groundwork for the XP-755 was laid. Building on the 1958 XP-700 "double bubble design," the XP-755 added design elements to the soon-to-be-released C2 Corvette. In keeping with the name, the streamlining pointed snout and other detailing were partly inspired by the sleek, fast-moving short-fin mako shark. The '61 Corvette tail was given two additional tail lights (six total) for the concept car. The concept was also inspired by Bill Mitchell's 1959 Stingray racer XP-87 which also influenced the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. The Mako Shark debuted at the New York Coliseum at the 1962 6th International Auto Show, and the car was a success on the auto show circuit. With many of Mako's design elements making it into production on future Corvettes, it successfully built hype for the forthcoming generation of Corvette. Like many show cars, the Mako Shark underwent styling and detail changes over time. The hood and front end were modified, and the interior was updated. The vehicle also lost the distinctive "double-bubble" canopy. The car was retroactively dubbed the Mako Shark I when the Mako Shark II debuted. The car now resides in the GM Heritage Collection. Charles M. Jordan's son, Mark, reports that the XP-755 was built out of the 1958 XP-700 Corvette show car. An apocryphal story has it that Mitchell had an actual mako shark mounted on the wall in his office and ordered his team to paint the car to match the distinctive blue-gray upper surface blending into the white underside of the fish. After numerous attempts to match the shark's color scheme failed, the team hit upon the idea of kidnapping the fish one night, painting it to match their best efforts on the car, and returning it to the office. Mitchell never realized the difference and pronounced himself pleased with the team's duplication of nature's handiwork on the vehicle. 1961 XP-755 Shark: Larry Shinoda restyled the XP-700, retaining its bubble roof and reshaping the nose to resemble the Sting Ray's. The paint job was inspired by a shark Bill Mitchell caught in Bimini, and the engine was supercharged. 1962 Mako Shark: Yet another redo on the XP-700/755 removed the bubble roof, updated the interior, and freshened up the nose to include a bumper bar. Source: Wikipedia Images: GM; www.jameshaefner.com