Harley Earl - GM Designer Extraordinaire

Harley Earl, the larger than life, first head of styling for a major automobile manufacturer gave the world the joy of excess in color, chrome and steel. Recruited by GM in the late 20s to transform its drab autos and make them stand out from the offerings of its competitors, Earl transformed the industry and the American psyche.

He invented the annual model change over, the concept car and put swagger and some Hollywood panache into a staid industry. While its hard to defend his buoyant designs as fine art, he captured the imagination of millions worldwide, especially in Post WWII America, who embraced the outlandish vehicles as proof that there will be a big and better tomorrow. He knew how to create and sell dreams. Which is what he learned from his neighbor, C. B. DeMille.

• Category

  Autos & Vehicles

[Jason Carpp]

Awesome video! Thanks for posting! I've heard of Harley Earl, but I didn't know that much about him and his influences, and what influenced him to design such interesting cars.

[mrpitv]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment.

[opfredet]

This clip was made by GM Design in the 1980s. They were going thru some hard design times then. The dept head who chose the cheesy old musical score to accompany this short documentary on Detroit's modern master was surely a looser.

If you want to know more on the creator of Detroit's dependency on design, search "official Harley Earl website" or "Harley Earl Americana" to see excellent 6-min mini documentary clip on Earl up at youtube.

[mrpitv]

Thanks for the comment and the suggestion.

[MegaBoots10]

Unfortunately, there will never be a designer like Harley. It's too bad because the cars made today are safer and more dependable but can't they design cars that are both beautiful and efficient? A pretty design does not cost anymore than these shapeless orbs we have today. I'm a car buff but I have trouble distinguishing the various makes, both foreign and domestic.

[mrpitv]

I have to agree to a point. I think what Ian Callum is doing at Jaguar is quite remarkable. Also Henrik Fisker at his own car company has style and performance. The Bentley Continental GT is beautiful and timeless. The Lamborghini Gallardo is nearly perfect. The Porsche 911 is another timeless design and then there's Ferrari. The VW concept car, the UP Lite, a diesel hybrid, has both efficiency and beauty. We'll see if it comes to fruition. but I agree, Harley Earl was the best.

[feedoggie]

WELL DONE! However, I'm sure Harley is rolling over in his grave with the goings-on at GM, not to mention the bland designs of the auto industry as a whole.

[sociablyclussy]

What a great American !!!!

[Jason Carpp]

You're welcome. I've always been interested in cars and car design.

[Nelson G]

Wish he were alive now so that American cars can look good.

[Nelson G]

He's the man.

[Don Dressel]

chevy has picked it up with their new cars but they should show their dealers how to treat customers!! I tried to get a 2012 zl-1 camaro but got dicked around so I bought a new challenger SRT and I love it! I grew up with chevrolet in the 70s owning a 65 impala s/s and a 69 camaro and stupidly selling both!

[dlwatib]

Earl designs made GM great. But he didn't always have good design sense. That LeSabre concept car was atrocious! And there was an early Corvette prototype in the video with buck teeth. Hideous!

Nevertheless, Earl was responsible for a truly remarkable period of GM domination that Bill Mitchell was able to maintain for another decade.

[David Palo]

Harley Earl was the epitome of innovative design and engineering. I doubt we will ever see another like him, he lived in a free America where real mean dreamed of a better tomorrow.My biggest regret in life is that I was not able to carry his torch into the future.

[Grant MacLaren]

Raymond Loewy called Earl's creations "Jukeboxes on Wheels." 'nuf said.

[Cody Marshall]

So it was GM that had these innovations, Mercedes and BMW.