History (More) Dream Cars and Nightmares -- the clay studio edition

Here's the second in the Dream Cars and Nightmares miniseries... this one on the critical modeling phase of automotive styling/design. A car is often won or lost in the clay studio. Here's a big photo gallery with nearly 60 examples, including some real winners and losers and, we hope, a few surprises...enjoy.


Dreams and Nightmares -- the Clay Studio Edition | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

 

What a gold mine of photos. I love this stuff...

 

Great link. Ah, the audacity of the nightmares, you gotta love it.

 

Some great stuff there Bill. I really love this one, not as a car but as a fighter jet! The second one is so ugly they'll never build that one!

 

^^That models called the airovette. the model survived, the guy who bought its selling casts of it. but far beyond the average persons means no doubt.

 

So that's where the Star Wars Y-wing came from!


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his Studebaker model actually belongs to a guy on here. I don't remember his name.

 

I sure would like to know more about the 1950 Ford Muroc clay model. More pics are needed PLEASE!!!!!!

Thanks for the link lots of neat stuff in there.

 

Willys Aero

 

You want it, you got it. Looks straight out of Gerry Anderson, doesn't it?

 

I'm seeing a Ford Falcon in that picture....
Must be the front face....

 

That is slick!....
It would look kinda goofy driving down the road with it though....

 

plodge55aqua

The model was damaged when shipped to him, he's in the process of restoring it.

 

DOH! I knew that was a Willys. too much holiday eggnog. either way the guy is on here... unless there are 2 of those. this one was like plaster rather than clay

 

i am a clay modeler here in detroit area, this is a old clay modeling kit from 73 ive had. coolest job ever

 

cool stuff!

 

Great pic's. But it look's like some "Crack Head's" were hired
way back then !!!!! LOL

 

Hey, I sold you that at Autorama last year!

 

ya, you did. i took it to work after and people flipped out. they had never seen one before

 

Same car.. Actually it was plaster.. never Clay from what Ive been told.. so theres a few books that are wrong..




I bought a few photos from off of Ebay.that were from the AMC archives,,. all to find out the Guy is a collector of Protos as well...

 

Very cool kit! The box art is intriguing. Can you show us what all is in it?

 

Very cool enjoyed this post very much

 

The car in the bottom photo was a proposal for the 1957 Chrysler 300. Imagine that in production.

 

How about driving it at Bonneville?

 

Wow, this Stude model is incredible. And that's from the 40s?!

 

Glad this roof line didn't make production. Imagine trying to get that to flow right after chopping the top.

 

Thats Different.. Pretty Cool though..

 

What a great thread! I am fascinated with concept cars from any era. It's almost like getting a sneak peek inside the super-secret world of automotive design.

Some of those cars were hideous, and it's a good thing they never saw production. Others were stunning. In the past, I have seen some shots from the GM studios during the Bill Mitchel era that had some designs that were absolutely beautiful. Those guys were at the top of their game in the '60s, and it would been a blast to have worked there.

Thanks for starting this thread, and I hope that others can post up some pictures that maybe we haven't seen before.

 

Yes, the car started out as the "613 Concept" and much of the front and side styling did become the '57 Chrysler 300C. The concept itself went beyond clay and became a running driving car. It was Virgil Exner's personal car while working for Chrysler. The photo reflecting the picket fence down the right side is literally taken in the Exner family driveway. As a completed car it was referred to as "The Five Hundred".

Surely the car survived. WHERE IS IT?

 

Awesome Thread guys.