Rendering by Pete Wozena
About Jeff’s Collection: “I began collecting after reading car designer biographies and seeing styling art published in Collectible Automobile Magazine during the mid 1980’s. By contacting retired designers, I found that some were willing to give or sell pieces from their portfolios. I always had a deep interest in automobile design history, especially GM, and was fascinated with the designers stories, especially the early days with Mr. Earl and Mitchell. I read everything I could find and interviewed many people in the design field over the years. Chuck Jordan and most of the designers I met were supportive of my efforts and agreed this art was special and should be saved, I cherished it. After some time, I found a small network of like-minded collectors to trade and share information with. Much of the art from the Earl/Mitchell eras has been lost and it’s rare today to find much of anything, I continue to look and remain interested in adding to my collection.” If any Dean’s Garage readers have information about available studio artwork, advertising illustrations, or models, contact Jeff.
There are four other posts on Dean’s Garage that feature studio artwork. Enter “rescued” as a search term.
Wow! What great stuff– from an era when the dreamy-looking stuff really LOOKED dreamy, but you could still IMAGINE it actually being made. Like the piece attributed to McHose… they should have MADE that one! And the concepts back then didn’t all look like jelly beans or potatoes with frowns. Congratulations to Mr. Gold for saving this important history that still continues to disappear even as we speak.
Jeff’s collection is fabulous. I’m one of the fellow collectors of this art. I was hooked on canson car design renderings at the age of 4 in 1969 when inheriting my older brothers old car magazines. The first piece I ever saw was a Chuck Pelly rendering of a then new 64 turned into a roadster style hot rod. It had the art center look to it all these drawings posess. I still have that magazine today. I also appreciate collectible automobile for their articles on designers over the years. Bill Michalak (retired designer) of G.M. has been a close friend and great source of helping me locate original design renderings.
You might be interested to learn that Ms. Susan Skarsgard at GM Design is in the process of creating the Archives on Design project for the Heritage Center. She is interested in contacting former GM designers, and receiving their art work.
For all of us who managed to get the art out of the studios, it is a way to give it back to someone who will really appreciate it and make it available to future designers and historians.
This is fabulous … just great. So much of this art was just discarded by the design studios.
This period in American automobile design is one of the most creative and revolutionary in the history of automotive design and it was all done by hand.
Thank you very much.
I would love to see some truck designs featured here. I know Chuck Jordan’s mid-’50s work has been featured before…. I love the ’50s view of ‘futuristic’ truck styling.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful art. I am so glad there are so many like us who want to preserve this incredible automobile history. So much talent is shown here. I have enjoyed looking at it.
Hi Jeff, and Gary Smith,
Larry Griffin, a fellow deisgner at Ford when we were there in the early ’60s, sent me the info on my old rendering. Wow—to be in the pile with Chuck Jordan and Homer Lagassy—what an honor!
I had 4 years with Ford of England and 3 years in Detroit. Those were the days we designed the “barges,” giant, chrome-layden behemoths! The times have sure changed. I also had the great experiance when Ford sent me work with Carroll Shelby and to do the 1967 Shelby Mustang.
Thanks very much for effort
Charles McHose.
Thanks for posting all of this great artwork, as a car designer currently working in a studio I can’t help but drool over vintage render’s like this. Keep posting!
Jason Battersby
Gary, I really like 2 of the persots: the Essence of Buick, and the ’68 4-4-2 by Dallison. Do you have any idea if these are still in print or where copies might be found? I would love to find that Dallison print in particular. Thanks for a fascinating site!Greg
In the few pieces displayed above I can see many of the production cars that featured design elements from the concept artwork. Thanks Jeff for your passion to collect and preserve this historical artwork!