11 Game-Changing Automotive Designs by Harley Earl

Key Insights

Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1893, Harley Earl is widely regarded as the father of American automotive design. In the late 1920s, his exceptional talent caught the attention of General Motors Chairman Alfred Sloan, who recruited him to lead the design direction for GM’s car lines. Earl accepted the offer, relocated to Detroit, and soon gained remarkable influence over GM's product development.

Throughout Earl's 31 years at General Motors, the company dominated the automotive industry. His leadership inspired designers and stylists to introduce countless innovations that solidified GM's position at the forefront of automotive design.

1. The Auto-Styling Studio

Before Earl arrived in Detroit, car designs were mostly created by engineers with little sense of cohesive and visually appealing shapes. Earl’s establishment of the Art and Colour Section (later renamed Styling) changed this. GM's division reshaped the entire auto industry, with competitors quickly establishing their own styling studios. From then on, the visual design of a car became just as important as its mechanical components in the product development process.

2. The Wraparound Windshield

The innovative 1951 LeSabre concept car introduced a striking new windshield design that curved dramatically at the ends to meet the pillars, offering a futuristic appearance and a panoramic view. This design was soon featured in the 1953 Cadillac Eldorado and 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta, quickly becoming a standard feature on most American cars of the 1950s.

3. Model-Line Hierarchy

One of the standout innovations by GM Chairman Alfred Sloan was the model-line hierarchy, which offered a range of vehicles with varying prices and status levels. The idea was to ensure that GM had the right product for every consumer, at each stage of the automotive market, while inspiring them to strive for the next level. Harley Earl's designs perfectly aligned with this strategy, offering a seamless progression of style and prestige across models like Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs.

4. The Dream Car

Harley Earl popularized the concept of the 'dream car,' or concept car – a one-of-a-kind vehicle built exclusively for display at auto shows. These spectacular, futuristic cars not only showcased upcoming design trends but also stirred the public's anticipation for what was to come in the automotive world. Earl used the public's reactions to these dream cars to gauge the potential success of future production models. His 1938 Buick 'Y-Job' is considered the first true dream car.

5. Clay Modeling

Even before joining General Motors, Earl was a trailblazer in the concept of transforming a two-dimensional design into a three-dimensional model by creating clay prototypes of his concepts. Using clay as a modeling medium significantly streamlined and accelerated the design process, enabling designers to visualize shapes and forms that were otherwise challenging and time-intensive to create using metal.

6. Dagmars

The 1951 LeSabre dream car introduced a number of design innovations, including prominent, bullet-shaped bumper guards. These features, later dubbed "Dagmars" after a popular TV personality, became iconic styling elements on 1950s Cadillacs.

7. The Chevrolet Corvette

Harley Earl drove the LeSabre show car over 45,000 miles, using it as his personal vehicle for automotive events. In September 1951, he took the LeSabre to a sports car race in Watkins Glen, New York. Inspired by the enthusiasm of the import car owners he met there, Earl realized America needed its own affordable sports car. This vision led to the debut of the Chevrolet Corvette at the New York Motorama in January 1953, a moment that became a defining chapter in automotive history.

8. Integrated Body Design

At the beginning of his career in automotive design, Harley Earl encountered cars that were simply a mix of mismatched parts. Earl envisioned a vehicle as a unified entity and began designing each individual part to seamlessly fit and complement the overall vehicle design.

9. Tailfins

Earl had a strong fascination with aircraft design and eagerly incorporated these motifs into car styling. Specifically, the twin-boom tail of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning influenced his work. The 1948 Cadillac was the first production car to feature these decorative tailfins, which set off a trend that culminated in the dramatic fins of the 1959 Cadillac. Over the years, tailfins became more modest and were largely phased out by the mid-1960s.

10. Copious Chrome

Chrome trim was a quick and effective way to add flair to cars, and Harley Earl was a true expert at incorporating this shiny automotive feature. However, by 1958, he embraced the idea that 'more is better,' and GM designers went overboard, layering on so much chrome that cars looked like over-the-top, glimmering chariots. Soon after, Detroit began to dial back the excessive use of chrome.

11. Rear-Mounted Television Cameras

Earl had a strong passion for automotive technology. Instead of using traditional rear view mirrors, the 1956 Buick Centurion show car featured a cutting-edge TV camera that transmitted a live rear view to a small screen mounted on the dashboard. This innovative feature, which foreshadowed rear view cameras, started appearing in SUVs and high-end cars in the early 2000s. Earl's forward-thinking approach was well ahead of its time.