2014 League of Retired Designers Project

July 12, 2015 4 CommentsLeague of Retired Designers

The 2014 project by the League of Retired Automotive Designers was to create designs for Ford models no longer made; ’37 Ford, Lincoln Continental, Thunderbird, ‘49 Mercury, Turnpike Cruiser. The designs were shown at the Eyes on Design and Ford Hall of Fame.

Thanks to David McIntosh.

Designers that participated in the project:

Richard Lee Beck
1968-2007 Designer, Ford Motor Company
1968 Art Center Graduate
1964 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 3rd, Nat’l Sr. Award

Robert L. Barnes
1968–2005 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1965–1967 NASA Development Project
1968 Clevenland Institute of Art Graduate

Paul A. Down, FIDSA
Professor of Industrial Design, University of Notre Dame

Virgil Exner, Jr.
International Designer of Automobiles and Power Boats
Retired 1988 as Ford Design Executive
1958–1961 U.S. Air Force Officer
1956 AB, 1957 MA University of Norte Dame

Anthony Frassetto
1972-2002 Design Specialist, Ford Motor Company
1979–1981 Ford of England
1970 Art Center Graduate

Wayne A. Kady
1961-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1961 Art Center Graduate

Darwin Hawthorne
1964-2002 Auto Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1964 Art Center Graduate
1960 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Award

John Houlihan
2007–present; VP of Design, BullToro Watch Co., LLC
2005–2006 Adjunct Professor at University of Bridgeport
2001–2007 Consultant Designer
1979–2001 Timex Corporation, Director of Design
1978–1979 Milton Bradley Corporation, Manager of Toy Development
1971–1978 General Electric Corporation, Senior Product Designer
1970–1971 GM Design Staff, Exterior Designer
1966 University of Notre Dame, ID Major

Roger E. Hughet
1959-2001 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Rolph Kneefel
1969–2008 Ford Motor Company, Design
1975 Wayne State Graduate Assistant
1960 Art Center Graduate

F. J. (Bud) Magaldi
1966-1999 Auto Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1966 Art Center Graduate
1965 Styling Award, Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild

David S. McIntosh
1964-2003 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 Art Center Graduate

Howard D. (Buck) Mook
1967-1997 Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1967 Art Center Graduate

William (Bill) Moraniec
1964–2001 Ford Motor Company Design Manager
1963 Center of Creative Studies Graduate

John Perkins
1962-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 GM Institute Graduate
1955 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Honorable Mention

Elia (Russ) Russinoff
1955-1995 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1954 Pratt Institute Graduate
1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

Bernard (Bernie) Smith
1950–1988 Assistant Executive, Design, for all GM Advanced Design Studios
1950 Central Academy of Commercial Art

Stuart (Stu) Shuster
General Motors, Assistant Chief Designer, Commercial Vehicle Interiors
General Morors Industrial Design Department
University of Cincinnati Design School Graduate

4 Comments

July 12, 2015 at 5:13 am

E55

You have such a fantastic blog and always have terrific articles. However, on this installment, the pics are so small that they cannot be viewed. Also, is there any way to include some commentary of each designer?
July 12, 2015 at 5:24 pm

Thomas Paul

Re: 1957 Mercury Cruiser interpretation Wow! What a great production ready rear. Fresh, unique, clean. Distinctive enough for a Continental.
July 13, 2015 at 12:07 am

98 REGENCY

This was nice to see the proposals and and ideas. These guys should come out of retirement and work for the car companies. They understand the cars and the brands. They had proposals that really represented the brands. Those Lincoln Continental proposals look great as well as several of the Thunderbird proposals. I always felt if Ford revives the Thunderbird, the bullet birds( 1961-1966) would be a great place to start. These ideas look better than the cars they are building now. They have distinction and are fresh in the approaches and are instantly recognizable.
June 19, 2020 at 12:28 pm

Howard Pelcman

Howard Pelcman
1968 Styling Award FBCG
Honorable mention, NJ

I so look forward to these styling exercises. Seeing these renderings takes me back
to the seventh grade; wood shop, when I saw my first poster of the FBCG.
I took a different path but I feel deeply connected to those of you who made
automovtive design your career. Thank you.

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