Another Raymond Loewy custom...

Hi

Anyone know if this still exists ?

Boano (Italy )rebodied '55 Jag XK140 for Loewy ,supposedly fire-damaged in a Californian bodyshop.....hope it didnt get scrapped..

 

Wow!, not sure what to think yet. Might need some time to settle in. I am kind of thinking the mini truck airhorns are my favorite part and was obviously a real trend setter that clicked with the truckers.

 

With some variations looks similar to the Avanti.

 

You don't suppose it was the famous Barris fire in the fifites?

 

With some variations it looks similar to a turd sandwich.

 

Scrapping it may have been the kindest thing to do.

First the Caddy and now this? I'm beginning to believe it WAS the staff at Loewy's Studio who did the good work. This makes that Caddy look good.

Deano

 

After the Avanti, Loewy lost his car design marbles. His logos were still pretty good tho (Continental, PanAm, International Harvester "IH").

Slightly O/T, but this might be the bitchin'est picture ever -- Loewy at a cocktail party at the Neutra House in Palm Springs, circa 1970 (he's in the plaid sportcoat)

 

Aww,I'm a fan of Loewy's and his pic doesn't show!?

That is an ugly car for damn sure!
Like someone lost a bet or something?

 

From the side it looks nice.. but that front and back..........DAMN UGLY

 

Boy.......now that shore is fancy.

Did Cruella Deville have a gay/ hairdresser nephew?......

 

ill tell ya there are some cars i am GLAD are only one of a kind.

 

Loose some of the gingerbread trim and of course the air horn and it looks like a lot of stuff that was coming out of the euro styling studios in the 50's and 60's. I'd drive it.

 

Just been looking at "Barris Kustoms of the 1950s" book (Barris & Fetherston ) p.76........photo outside Barris' Lynwood shop in '57 after the fire...
Mentions Archie Moore's "magnesium" xk & Jayne Mansfield's xk120 amongst 14 cars damaged or destroyed.....

hard to tell from the mess in the photo ....but feeling it might be Loewys car was one of those destroyed...
The horns, spotlights ,overriders,were later additions ,& both upper and lower grilles were originally chromed and without the round "thing".......
As it appeared originally it was great '50s Italian coachbuilding ,a bit ott ,but nice

 

That thing is so fugly, you'd have to tie a pork chop around it's neck to get the dog to play with it.

In the book called " Studebaker's Finest" by John Bridges, he pretty much confirms that it was his design team at Studebaker and not him that designed the extremely beautiful (then and still) Starliner coupes of 53 and 54. In fact, the changes he personally wanted to make to their design (and got defeated on) would have lessened the design of of it.

This (car pictured above) may not have been his fault though as a lot of stuff being designed inItaly at the time was pretty gaudy.

BTW - For anyone that is a fan of the 53/54 Studebaker Starliners - the book I mentioned is the best history of that car and it's design you'll ever find. well worth the high price you'll have to pay for it...

Later,

 

Hey,

I don't find that design that far off----when ya look at some of the
'vulgar tripe' Earl & Mitchell foisted on the world in the late 50s &
early 60s! Hell, on a larger chassis, it'd of probably flown as a Buick
or Pontiac!

I wonder if the house in the photo, circa 1970, is the one that Loewy
basicly held the design team of the Avanti captive in ,until they 'finished' it?

Swankey Devils C.C.

"Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"

 

Dude in the orange shirt had a nice conversation I bet

 

they didn't need no stink'n Viagra back in '70

 

I think his Jag is cool.

I like it a lot better than his Lancia...

 

The Jag kinda reminds me of something Jean Graton would draw...

 

Yuk.

 

Those pants are concealing a very hairy bush, I'm certain of it.

 

I like the back, but the front blows donkeys.

 

Is that the same house where Suzanne Sommers got sniped in Dirty Harry?

 

All those early cars, the Lancia, Jag and a BMW had their good and bad points..it looks like, thankfully, the later designers of the Avanti picked all the good points and threw out the bad and came out with a really nice car in the 63 Avanti..

 

I cant remember where I found this, but I thought it was cool...

 

Maybe this is "just ahead of its time" and its time hasen't gotten here yet...

 

Me, too,except there are no cliffs here in Florida.

 

i bet he did to as those pants are see through and i dont see a bikini either

 

Hold on...'63 Riviera by Mitchell...."vulgar tripe". I think not.

 

and you guys laughed at Bob Schoonoven's 65 chevy!!