I'm going to start this off in shop talk; because these musings will encompass a lot of other cars outside of these forums - but will render a continuing thread that will stay with 71-73 Mustangs.
My name is Al Clark - I was born on the wrong side of the Atlantic because the good lord, either thought my love for American Auto excellence will be strengthened by my inability to readily touch it, or he just wanted to punish me for something I did in a previous life... either way I'm stuck... and just so grateful to the intardnet to allow me to make friends by connecting like this.
Just so as you are fully aware as to how backward we are; I'm the ONLY limey Brit in England who understands, loves and has driven (At Texas Motor Speedway with Team Texas) Nascar. Plus one of the precious few here privileged enough to be able to grab from the USA, some juicy cars of distinction and move them on to new customers...the precious few with a pulse.
What joy you guys have created. 442 Olds, 58 and 66 Impala's, GTO's Trans Am's, T'Birds, Vette's, Charger, Challengers, Roadrunners and Dusters...and of course the lovely Mustangs... so let's start ...here's Part 1.
Car Connections. PART 1.
I hope you guys will enjoy these. There will be some amusing anecdotes and alternative ways of looking at auto history.
Let’s face facts. There have been some fairly galactically ugly, loathsome and shit machines served up to us buying publics through the past six decades
Some that the designer/stylists, I’m certain would wish to disassociate themselves from. Perhaps because they; after the subsequent hangover, realised they were high as a kite on Absinthe or drugs when they put pen to paper. That’s why 1970’s wallpaper and other furnishings looked the way they did. All the designers were high on LSD.
Take that desperate drug lord John DeLorean for example. Before the ludicrous 1970’s with tie-dye, long hair, Watergate and platform shoes, he styled for GM’s Pontiacs and came up with some real icons back in the 60’s. He’s also known as father of the Muscle Car…( I love GTO’s)… Yet some years later after perhaps overdosing on something stronger than Absinthe, he’s sadly remembered for the gargantuan catastrophe that in the movie Back to The Future, took his stainless steel creation twelve minutes to reach 88 Miles Per Hour…. Now I know why it was prefixed the “DMC 12”.
By the way the 1970’s for those of you, who don’t know, was the decade when all good taste and style took a long vacation. For those of you who DO KNOW, and if dare look at the photographs of your parents wearing “A” line flares with pockets in the knees, you, like me, will be calling the police.
Back to it then…
Do you like cars because of MPG, styling, how many seats, how practical, how much Walmart you can stuff into the middle of it, how many people you can fit inside?
NO? … I also don’t have the chromosomes to seek out a car justified only on MPG, or the strand of DNA to have me ache over how many people I can fit inside – especially when we all know 99% of its distressed life will only have one occupant in it anyway.
So…let me take you through a small tour by measuring cars by stylists instead.
Anyone here heard of Michelotti, Agnelli, Gandini, Barris, Scaglietti, Giugiaro, Earl, Tjaarda, Schinoda, Schinella, Oros, Clark, Dellara, Exner, Towns, Najjar … and so many more?
If we are to begin the journey toward 71-73 Mustangs we MUST, first off introduce Harley Earl before we can go any further.
I know what some of you will say.. “but Al you idiot… Harley Earl??? …wasn't he a designer for GM? … how in the name of blue transvestite f**k did he connect with Ford?” ::thumb::
He didn't directly; however, we will commit capital automotive offenses if we leave him out, because there is one very special reason he connects directly by style. Let’s not forget that he spearheaded many concepts and innovations such as; central door locking, push button starting, electric tops; a lot of functionality we take for granted today was being pioneered way back in the 1940’s.
Is the measure of true genius this? “He who changes his entire industry forever”. Hence Harley was considered the “Da Vinci of Detroit”.
Here’s a creative connection… Harley Earl was born in Los Angeles in 1893 just as the America was pioneering the world, by changing from Steam to Gasoline.
Harley was the first to remove running boards, the first to model in 1:1 scale in clay – this gave birth to the “concept car” for live exhibitions and car shows and inspired hundreds of young, up and coming stylist/designers.
Also in a way he connected with all cars, even today. His work opened minds and paved the way for a lot of cars by eroding all the design barriers. It’s through his seminal work by inspiring, encouraging and coaching a new breed of penmanship we have Corvettes, Riviera’s, Chargers, Challengers…and of course Mustangs.
Next up is Gale Halderman who at the time was at college just as the great Earl styled the 1953 Sweep-spear models of Buicks and Joe Oros did his apprenticeship under Earl before moving on to Ford.
So Yes !… even that dumb assed diesel filled VW, BMW or Audi on your driveway today has something in its form and function that Harley Earl began all those years ago. But that’s not the connection or that of the other stylists he forged.
There’s something else he did for us… he gave us the fastback in passenger cars. ::thumb:: ...thanks Mr. Earl
.
Part 2 … to follow
My name is Al Clark - I was born on the wrong side of the Atlantic because the good lord, either thought my love for American Auto excellence will be strengthened by my inability to readily touch it, or he just wanted to punish me for something I did in a previous life... either way I'm stuck... and just so grateful to the intardnet to allow me to make friends by connecting like this.
Just so as you are fully aware as to how backward we are; I'm the ONLY limey Brit in England who understands, loves and has driven (At Texas Motor Speedway with Team Texas) Nascar. Plus one of the precious few here privileged enough to be able to grab from the USA, some juicy cars of distinction and move them on to new customers...the precious few with a pulse.
What joy you guys have created. 442 Olds, 58 and 66 Impala's, GTO's Trans Am's, T'Birds, Vette's, Charger, Challengers, Roadrunners and Dusters...and of course the lovely Mustangs... so let's start ...here's Part 1.
Car Connections. PART 1.
I hope you guys will enjoy these. There will be some amusing anecdotes and alternative ways of looking at auto history.
Let’s face facts. There have been some fairly galactically ugly, loathsome and shit machines served up to us buying publics through the past six decades
Some that the designer/stylists, I’m certain would wish to disassociate themselves from. Perhaps because they; after the subsequent hangover, realised they were high as a kite on Absinthe or drugs when they put pen to paper. That’s why 1970’s wallpaper and other furnishings looked the way they did. All the designers were high on LSD.
Take that desperate drug lord John DeLorean for example. Before the ludicrous 1970’s with tie-dye, long hair, Watergate and platform shoes, he styled for GM’s Pontiacs and came up with some real icons back in the 60’s. He’s also known as father of the Muscle Car…( I love GTO’s)… Yet some years later after perhaps overdosing on something stronger than Absinthe, he’s sadly remembered for the gargantuan catastrophe that in the movie Back to The Future, took his stainless steel creation twelve minutes to reach 88 Miles Per Hour…. Now I know why it was prefixed the “DMC 12”.
By the way the 1970’s for those of you, who don’t know, was the decade when all good taste and style took a long vacation. For those of you who DO KNOW, and if dare look at the photographs of your parents wearing “A” line flares with pockets in the knees, you, like me, will be calling the police.
Back to it then…
Do you like cars because of MPG, styling, how many seats, how practical, how much Walmart you can stuff into the middle of it, how many people you can fit inside?
NO? … I also don’t have the chromosomes to seek out a car justified only on MPG, or the strand of DNA to have me ache over how many people I can fit inside – especially when we all know 99% of its distressed life will only have one occupant in it anyway.
So…let me take you through a small tour by measuring cars by stylists instead.
Anyone here heard of Michelotti, Agnelli, Gandini, Barris, Scaglietti, Giugiaro, Earl, Tjaarda, Schinoda, Schinella, Oros, Clark, Dellara, Exner, Towns, Najjar … and so many more?
If we are to begin the journey toward 71-73 Mustangs we MUST, first off introduce Harley Earl before we can go any further.
I know what some of you will say.. “but Al you idiot… Harley Earl??? …wasn't he a designer for GM? … how in the name of blue transvestite f**k did he connect with Ford?” ::thumb::
He didn't directly; however, we will commit capital automotive offenses if we leave him out, because there is one very special reason he connects directly by style. Let’s not forget that he spearheaded many concepts and innovations such as; central door locking, push button starting, electric tops; a lot of functionality we take for granted today was being pioneered way back in the 1940’s.
Is the measure of true genius this? “He who changes his entire industry forever”. Hence Harley was considered the “Da Vinci of Detroit”.
Here’s a creative connection… Harley Earl was born in Los Angeles in 1893 just as the America was pioneering the world, by changing from Steam to Gasoline.
Harley was the first to remove running boards, the first to model in 1:1 scale in clay – this gave birth to the “concept car” for live exhibitions and car shows and inspired hundreds of young, up and coming stylist/designers.
Also in a way he connected with all cars, even today. His work opened minds and paved the way for a lot of cars by eroding all the design barriers. It’s through his seminal work by inspiring, encouraging and coaching a new breed of penmanship we have Corvettes, Riviera’s, Chargers, Challengers…and of course Mustangs.
Next up is Gale Halderman who at the time was at college just as the great Earl styled the 1953 Sweep-spear models of Buicks and Joe Oros did his apprenticeship under Earl before moving on to Ford.
So Yes !… even that dumb assed diesel filled VW, BMW or Audi on your driveway today has something in its form and function that Harley Earl began all those years ago. But that’s not the connection or that of the other stylists he forged.
There’s something else he did for us… he gave us the fastback in passenger cars. ::thumb:: ...thanks Mr. Earl
.
Part 2 … to follow
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