History More Dream Cars and Nightmares

Here's the latest in the Dreams and Nightmares series...as always, some concept cars and prototypes that set the style for their era, and others that make you want to spoon your eyes out. But they're all interesting...


Dreams and Nightmares Chapter Three | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

 

Thanks for doing this, Bill! Sad that most of these cars were destroyed or left to rot after they had served their purpose.

 

My pleasure. We can be thankful that some of the cars were saved. And of course, many of the cars were little more than rollers, which is in part why they were scrapped.

 

Good Post Bill !!! It is very interesting to see what dream cars were built by the Big 3. The Corvette is especially interesting as the first prototypes included a Fast Backand a Wagon (Nomad) The Corvette Wagon was later produced in 55 as the Chevrolet Nomad Wagon. I believe that it is Superior Glass that has tried to revive the Corvette Wagon in kit form or tun key (not cheap) GM went on to produce a Corvette based Buick Wildcat, Pontiac Bonneville and an Oldsmobile version. The Olds version sold at auction last year for big bucks. I think it was called The Rocket 88 (not sure)
More info on these great cars by doing a Google Search on Harley Earl (GM Chief Designer) Thanks for a few memories................. Jeff

 

I do like that LeSabre

 

Hey Bill,

Great post/feature..........

Any shots of the Plymouth " Super Sport " from 1962, the one that never saw production?

Thanx

 

Another interesting thread, Bill. Thanks Here are some shots of the 1965 Dodge Charger II, which I had never seen before.

 

That's a rare bear. Let me see what I can do. Stay tuned.

 

Thanks and you're welcome!

Lots of Harley Earl and GM Styling material at the web site (link below). Simply click the departments or the tag cloud to browse.

 

Very interesting car...has some elements of a stillborn turbine car design.

 

You would never know this looking at the cars, but two of them, the Thunderbird Italien and the Dodge Charger III, were the product of the same designer, Vince Gardner.

 

Anyone remember this one? I was 13 when I first read about the guy that restored this. It was a hot rod article in the early 2000s. Had a great story on how it survived. This was the first use of the charger nameplate

 

Vince Gardners Thunderbird Italien is still alive,well, and fully restored!

 

Re: More Dream Cars and Nightmares ..Studebaker museum 2012

 

There was a guy in Okla. that made a clone of that red charger concept car.

 

Yes, indeed. Sold for over half a mil at B-J in 2008, may have changed hands since.

 

In the May, 2013 issue of Car and Driver magazine, there is an article on Page 78 about Warhoops auto salvage yard near Detroit. Seems he aquired several of the GM Motorama cars including a fiberglass 56 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham Town Car. His other treasures were a 55 La Salle II Roadster, 55 La Salle II Sedan and the 55 Chevy Biscayne.

Interesting reading.

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Many of these cars, for example the Motorama vehicles, were discarded and cut up because they were not real cars with operating chassis and drivelines. When they were recovered in recent years they were upgraded into running vehicles. In that sense they are now something they never were.

 

That's what this was. Had no engine and a wood frame. Even the dash was made of wood.

I'm also wondering if it was a full sized car. Those guys in it look awfully big.

 

I don't know this but I will guess the car is of normal size but the two passengers are sitting high in the body. In these showcars the chassis tend to be rather crude with the frame not not proprerly Z'd or C'd vs. the body, creating a very high floor.

This is a common deal to this day. If you remember the orange 2007 Camaro convertible concept that was featured everywhere a few years back, I'm 6'3" and my entire head stuck up over the windshield. It didn't matter because we were not allowed to drive it on public roads or exceed 35 mph. I believe the car was actually built on an old Cavalier floorpan or something, maybe an S10. Nothing worked, entire dash was fake. It was essentially a self-propelled mockup.

As you can probably tell from the website, I am a big romantic about all things Motor City. I have to admit that it was disappointing to me as a tot when I learned that many of the fabulous dream cars and concepts are not what they seem -- and also that often, they aren't even built by the automakers but by job shops around the Detroit area. It was like learning that Santa is your dad.

 

Yep, check out the floor height. The car had a low roof height for a limo, too -- around 56 inches if I recall.

 

WTF that place is 20 min from my house im going to have to check this out!

 

Found a few more photos on the Internet, starting with this Packard Panther .....

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Packard Special Speedster .....

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Packard Pan American .....

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1955 Chevrolet Biscayne .....

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I would rock this in a heart beat.

 

The Olds F-88 was local here for a while...cool car in person!

 

Also always loved the corvette fastback concept. Think it was called the Corvair or Corsair. I ended up with a complete set of "Nomad News" (for free) from the late 60's I think up to the late 80's... they did a multi issue spread on the Waldorf Corvette series.

 

I've always loved the Packard Special Speedster but it does look like a flower car...