1955 Packard Request

Due to a steady flow of requests to bring out a modern interpretation of its classic pre-war grille, Packard developed the "Request" prototype and debuted it at the 1955 Chicago Auto Show. Based on the 1955 Packard 400 two-door hardtop, the front design on the Request dream car did characterize the traditional grille, and the car also wore custom-built split bumpers and modified front sheet metal. Creative Industries constructed the one-of-a-kind Request for Packard, and the handsome 2-tone exterior was painted in pearlescent white, with copper-colored top and side accent strips

A third Creative-Packard project was the 1955 Packard Request show car which debuted at the 1955 Chicago Auto Show. Packard had received a number of requests to bring out an up-to-date version of their pre-1951 classic-era radiator and decided to placate the critics with their "Request", hence the 1955 Request show car.

Designed by Dick Teague, the Request was built using a modified Patrician with a new front end treatment utilizing a classic-era Packard-style grill separated by two massive front bumpers. The vehicle’s hood and fenders were molded using reinforced Plaskon polyester resin, a product of the Barrett Division of Allied Chemical. In a 1978 interview with Leon Dixon, Creative’s Gary Hutchings recalled: "We had a heck of a time finding a place with tanks big enough to plate those huge front bumpers. We finally got ’em done over in Hamtramck (a Detroit suburb)."

Source: Internet

1954 Packard Panther Daytona

1954 Packard Grey Wolf II / Panther / Panther Daytona

The 1954 Packard Panther Convertible was produced as a concept car with muscle. Packard also designed the Panther with then-revolutionary materials in mind.

Chevrolet wasn’t the only major automaker tinkering with the use of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) in auto bodies in the 1950s. Packard — which had considered using this then-revolutionary material as early as 1941, primarily as a means of continuing auto production in the face of wartime steel shortages — was dabbling in the field, too.

In 1953, the company again considered using the material and decided to build a two-seat convertible sports car with a GRP body.

Packard’s chief stylist, Richard A. Teague, was given the task of hastily styling the car. No time was allowed for him to construct a full-size mock-up, so management approved his design directly from a small one-sided model.

A running version was completed in 1954, using the 127-inch wheelbase Cavalier chassis and the metal floorpan common to all Packards of that year.

It was originally to be called "Grey Wolf II," after Packard’s famed 1903 race car. But upper management didn’t like the name’s connotation, so "Panther" was chosen instead.

To lend its massive "sports car" some performance credentials, Packard gave the Panther a 359-cubic inch straight eight, the biggest engine available. The first two cars got McCulloch centrifugal superchargers, boosting the engine’s output to 275 horsepower.

Despite the car’s rather generous dimensions, it actually performed well, at least in a straight line. With no major modifications other than a small racing windshield, Panther Number 2 went 131.1 mph at Daytona Beach, Florida, an unofficial class record.

But ultimately, the Panther was overshadowed by Packard’s many other woes, relegating the car to a sidebar in the last chapter of the venerable company’s history.

Only four Panthers were made, all of them essentially hand-built prototypes. Packard never seriously considered putting the car into production, despite heavy lobbying by one of its distributors.

Today people’s opinions of the Panther seem to be mixed. Packard enthusiasts will generally admit that the front end is not particularly elegant but consider the rest of the car sleek and interesting.

Designer Richard Teague wasn’t so kind. In 1986, he said of the Panther, "I can’t stand it. But then, I didn’t like anything I did."

All four Panthers are believed to still exist. The silver example shown here is the first one. It is owned by the Mitchell Corporation of Owosso, which finished the bodies and interiors for the Panthers. The car, bearing added Mitchell nameplates, is currently housed in the company’s private museum in Owosso, Michigan.

Source: Internet

1953 Packard Balboa-X

Designed by Richard Teague

The 1953 Packard Balboa-X, as it was officially called, was a hardtop based on the Packard Caribbean convertible. The main point of interest on the car was the canopy-style C-pillar. Caribbeans never recieved a hardtop like the Balboa's, but they got a conventional one (covered with Hypalon) in 1956.

Drivetrain of the Balboa-X was stock Caribbean with a 327 c.i. Straight Eight that was distinguished from lesser Clippers Deluxe's engine by hydraulic valve train adjustment, and from the more expensive Patrician 327 by 5 instead of 9 main bearings.

Source: Internet

1952 Packard Special Speedster

Source: Internet

1952 Packard Pan-American

The Packard Pan-American is a concept car produced for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1952.

Conceived as a moderate-performance two-seater by Hugh Ferry, president of Packard, it was built by Henney, which was responsible for fitting custom hearse and ambulance bodies on Packard chassis. A status symbol for a carmaker at the time, this sort of car was a very unlikely project for Packard.

With styling by Henney, it was based on the 1951 Series 250 convertible, and ready in time for the 1952 New York International Motor Sports Show. Sectioned and channelled, in a fashion reminiscent of the 1953 Skylark, and wearing the trademark Packard grille, it "was elegantly trimmed throughout".

Packard spent US$10,000 building the Pan-American, and management tried in vain to imagine, let alone develop, a market for a roadster projected to cost at least US$18,000, at a time when the top-line Lincoln Capri six-passenger convertible went for US$3,665, the premier eight-place Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood US$5643, and even Packard's Patrician 400, their most expensive production model, was only US$3,767, and a six-seater.

As many as six examples were built. The Pan-American did inspire a successful six-place model, the Cavalier, which debuted in 1953.

Source: Internet

1948 Hudson Commodore

1948-1949

The major innovation of the Hudson line was the "step-down" design. Unlike traditional body-on-frame construction which forced passengers to climb up to enter their vehicles, Hudson designers placed the passenger compartment down inside the chassis. A sturdy perimeter frame encircled the passenger compartment. As a result, Hudson passengers stepped down into the car. The result was a low center of gravity and enhanced road holding.

Source: Internet

1954 Hudson Italia (Touring)

Hudson Italia (1954-'55): Hudson's swan song, sung in Italian

The Hudson Motor Car Company was founded in 1909 and quickly found favor for its cars' solid engineering and well-rounded performance, traits that they brought to their stylish and successful post-war Step-Down cars. With the automaker financially struggling but looking towards the future in the early 1950s, their compact Jet sedan would form the foundation for a bewitching, handcrafted sports coupe with one of the most distinctive faces of the immediate post-war era.

What is this unusual Hudson, with its sporty egg-crate grille, distinctive triangle-peaked front bumper and wild fender-top air intakes? It's an Italia! There is a very good reason why the stylish grille of the 1954-1955 Italia very much resembles that of a Pinin Farina-styled Ferrari of the period. This car was penned by Hudson's director of styling, Frank Spring, a cosmopolitan American, educated in Europe, who kept abreast of international styling trends of the day. Adding input to the car's design was Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, chief designer of Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, whose firm was celebrated for their beautiful designs and lightweight "Superleggera" construction methods. Carrozzeria Touring would use this method to build the aptly named car.

The egg-crate grille used on all 25 production Italias differs from the one on the prototype that was presented to Hudson executives for approval; while the pre-production coupe featured a shallow grille whose central cross-hatch element was cast as a single unit, similar in style to the texture seen on 1956-1957 Hudsons, the Italias that followed that pre-production model all used a complex unit made from individual elements. The metal in production grilles was chrome-plated brass, chosen for its easy workability and inexpensive cost.

Source: Internet

1955 DeSoto Adventurer II (Ghia)

The 1955 DeSoto Adventurer II concept car was more Ghia of Italy than Exner of Detroit.

A second DeSoto-based exercise, the 1955 Adventurer II, was mainly Ghia’s work and never a serious production prospect. Though larger than the original Adventurer, it had seats for only two. The front bumper was dispensed with; up back, the plastic backlight was retractable into the rear deck.

Similar only in name to the first DeSoto Adventurer designed by Virgil Exner in 1954 as Chrysler’s answer to the Chevrolet Corvette, the 1955 DeSoto Adventurer II Concept Car was more Ghia of Italy than Exner of Detroit. The Adventurer II was commissioned by Chrysler and designed by Ghia by Luigi Segre and Giovanni Savonuzzi for the European car show circuit. With Chrysler Hemi V-8 power and Italian coachowrk, the DeSoto Adventurer II was larger than the first Adventurer; it was much more of a two-seat grand tourer rather than a sports car. After its launch the car was shown at all the major car shows, finishing up at the Moroccan Auto Salon where it was acquired by King Mohammed V of Morocco in 1955. It was then bought by American Diplomat Armand Archer, who kept it until 1985.The car features a retractable rear window and fitted luggage. A cosmetic restoration was completed in 1989. It has been driven 200 miles since then and currently only shows 15,000 total miles since new.

Source: Internet

1954 DeSoto Adventurer I (Ghia)

The arrival of Chevy’s two-seat Corvette in 1953 prompted the dashing one-off 1954 and 1955 DeSoto Adventurer concept cars.

Though visually related to earlier Exner specials, it mounted a 1953 DeSoto chassis cut to a suitably sporty 111-inch wheelbase. Despite the close-coupled coupe styling with no rear side windows, the Adventurer could hold four in comfort.

Highlights included a new iteration of the inverted-trapezoid grille, functional side exhausts, another quick-fill fuel cap, the usual chrome wires wearing "wide whites," off-white paint, and minimal bright accents.

Aggressive side exhausts foreshadowed a feature of the far-distant Dodge Viper. A small rear hatch allowed access to the spare tire, but luggage space was evidently next to nil.

The interior was swathed in black leather with white piping, and satin-finish aluminum set off a dashboard with a complete bank of circular gauges.

Exner tried very hard to get the DeSoto Adventurer approved for limited production. But as Maury Baldwin, one of his staffers, later recalled, "Management at that point was very stodgy. A lot of people attributed it to the old Airflow disaster. They were afraid to make any new inroads."

Exner lobbied hard for a production version of the racy 1954 DeSoto Adventurer, and though it came closer to approval than any of his other specials, Chrysler management just didn’t have the courage.

"If it had been built, it would have been the first four-passenger sports car made in this country..." Ex said. "Of course, it had the DeSoto Hemi [a 1953 stock 273 with 170 horsepower]. It was my favorite car always..."


Source: Internet

1977 American Motors AM Van

AMC AM/VAN 4x4 Concept, 1977


Source: Internet

1968 American Motors AMX GT

American Motors AMX/GT, 1968

The AMX/GT was shown to the public in 1968, shortly after the production AMX was announced. According to stylist Dick Teague, it was "for all intents and purposes a forerunner of the Gremlin."

American Motors' top brass new they needed a new compact offering to replace the aging Rambler, but as was often the case at the independent automaker, money was tight. Designers, however, had an idea: take the all-new two-seat AMX, lop off the seductive fastback and flying buttresses, and add both a rear seat and a stubby Kamm tail. Voila-the AMX was transformed from a muscle-bound coupe into a lumpy four-seat compact car.

Hotness then (1-10): 6

The AMX (along with its larger Javelin sibling) was one of the cleanest-looking muscle cars around, but its aesthetics were no match for the concept's tall, angular rear end.

Hotness now (1-10): 7

We'll bump the score up only because hindsight is 20/20. Yes, that roofline is still ungainly, but it was executed in a much cleaner fashion than it would be on the Gremlin, which launched two years later. The sliding rear cargo drawer was also more useful than the Gremlin's cargo hold, which was accessed by flipping up the small rear window.

Could it have saved the brand?

In this form, it's anyone's guess, but the idea did help sustain AMC during the '70s. A similar rear end grafted onto the 1970 Hornet coupe created the Gremlin, which allowed the company to compete, for a while at least, in the burgeoning small car market.

Source: Internet

1967 American Motors AMX-III

The AMX III, not to be confused with the better-known AMX/3, was essentially a Javelin station wagon. First shown at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1967, its styling presages the Hornet Sportabout.

Source: Internet

1966 American Motors Vixen Concept

The AMC Vixen concept car of 1965 was the work of designer Dick Teague. It loosely previewed the 1970 AMC Hornet production car.

The Vixen is a sporty, semi-fastback adaptation of the Cavalier design principle with many of the same features of interchangeability. Dimensions are the same as those of the Cavalier, but with the windshield moved back to make the hood line 12 inches longer.

The long hood and short deck proportions of the Vixen follow the basic “envelope” design concept, with the blending of the upper and lower body forms to complete the one-unit shape.

The sports grille design incorporates a “quad Venturi” look with deeply recessed rectangular headlights contained within an outer perimeter to give the front end an appearance of boldness and individuality.

The sleek hood displays a functonal air-intake “blister” to further promote the Vixen’s sports-car look.

The landau-type roof has a series of canted vents on the rear portion. The vents are angled at 45 degrees for see-through visibility when parking or backing up. A sliding glass quarter window under the surface-mounted vents permit flow-through ventilation when desired.

The Vixen’s deeply recessed rear window is concave and non-reflective. Its unique shape and positioning make it appear invisible from inside or outside the car.

Non-glare black paint in the trunk area maintains the low light refraction of the concave window to add to the illusion of invisibility. The balance of the car is finished in bright, sun-yellow paint.

Source: Internet

1966 American Motors AMX

Another AMX (American Motors Experimental) prototypes, similar to the running Vignale car. This car does not appear to have the Ramble seat, and the door handles are in a different position.

The AMC AMX concept cars were early looks at what would become one of AMC’s signature model lines: the sporty 1968 AMC Javelin pony car coupe and its two-seat companion, the 1968 AMC AMX muscle car.

Newly installed AMC chief Robert B. Evans had breezed in believing that the key to AMC’s future was "to do things differently -- find new ways to do new things and try new ideas." Accordingly, he put Teague to work on what ultimately became a quartet of show cars with plenty of new ideas that promised to jazz up AMC’s image in a big way. To ensure plenty of exposure, Evans sent the cars on a nationwide tour as "Project IV," billed as a traveling "auto show of the future."

While none of the Project IV cars saw production per se, one provided a preview of a near-term AMC model. That, of course, was the unique two/four-seat AMX, the direct forerunner of the Javelin-based two-seat fastback that appeared during 1968.

The show model had originated in AMCvs advanced styling section under Chuck Mashigan in October 1965. Unveiled four months later as a non-running mockup built from a trashed American, it attracted such favorable notice that AMC hired the famed Vignale works in Italy to build a fully operational version for Project IV. It was finished in just 78 days.

Though differing somewhat in details, both the "pushmobile" and the Vignale AMXs had the same tight shape -- what Teague called a "wet T-shirt look" -- plus the whimsically named "Ramble Seat." The latter referred to a pair of jump seats that folded up from the rear cabin floor to provide al fresco accommodation for two occasional riders, whose comfort was enhanced by a back window that swiveled up to double as an auxiliary windshield.

The Vignale AMX also had a pair of small rear seats inside, for use when the Ramble Seat wasn’t. Both show models rode a 98-inch wheelbase like the eventual showroom AMX, and the "runner" carried the same new 290-cubic-inch AMC V-8 that would be standard on production AMXs.

Alas, the Ramble Seat was deemed too costly and impractical for the street. So was another show-car feature: a striking "cantilevered" front roofline with no visible A-pillars; instead, door glass extended right around to the windshield for an ultra-clean appearance. Somehow, Teague managed to conceal a functional roll bar within. Incidentally, beige leather covered all seats in the runner, which also featured a center console with electric push-button controls for the Ramble Seat.

Source: Internet

1964 American Motors Tarpon

1964 AMC Rambler Tarpon Fastback Coupe Concept Car

Derived from the American, the Tarpon was the car that AMC could have, should have, but didn’t make in response to the Mustang. Instead AMC built the Marlin, which, on the larger Classic chassis, was too big to be a pony car, too slow to be a muscle car, and cursed with ungainly proportions due to the Classic’s stubby hood. The Tarpon wasn’t perfect, either, but its awkward side window treatment (which prefigured the Marlin’s) could have been fixed easily, along with some tweaks to the stock American front end, to create a convincing sporty car. First shown in January 1964, the Tarpon was well-received, but the project was moved to the Classic platform because AMC lacked a small V-8 to fit in the smaller car. By 1966 AMC had fit the new 290 into a slightly elongated American, but by then the Marlin was in the second year of its unsuccessful run.

Source: Internet

1956 Rambler Palm Beach (Pininfarana) Concept

AMX Rambler/Nash Palm Beach (Pininfarina), 1956

This was a forecast/dream car for American Motors/Nash. This "one off" Palm Beach concept exemplifies the ideas that could have possibly directed American Motors to greater success in 1956. This one-of-a-kind Italian dreamcar was unfortunately never given consideration for production.

Executed to the requirements of the American Nash Corporation is Farina's special Palm Beach Nash Rambler. It is an elegant two-seater coupe, aimed specifically at the U.S.A. sporting market. The sides are convex from the front to the central section of the car and the removable top is fashioned with a shallow channel under the rear window. Unusual is the use of thick Plexiglas bumpers, which are styled into the lamp decor. Although they would be ineffective in a heavy collision, they should serve well for manoeuvring in traffic as the material is very resilient and saves a lot of weight.

Source: Internet

1997 Plymouth Pronto Concept

The affordable five-door four-passenger 1997 Plymouth Pronto concept sedan was, according to John Herlitz (VP of Product Design) "another clever response to Plymouth’s calling for unique, affordable transportation...Before setting out to create Pronto, we gathered guidelines and specs for designing traditional four-passenger sedans. Once we studied all of this information, we threw it out and built a new vehicle from the ground up for our next generation."

Pronto had a spacious interior, roll-back fabric roof, and distinctive stand-alone bumpers. Its tall architecture seats passengers higher within the vehicle and gives them more of a command-of-the-road feeling. Styling was "New Plymouth:" "Much in the same fashion that we seasoned the Dodge brand with Viper cues, we will seek opportunities to season the Plymouth brand with Prowler cues," said Chrysler VP Walling. (This would lead to the PT Cruiser.)

Body panels would be made of Acrylonitrile/Styrene/Acrylate (ASA) plastic and have a single molded-in color which would simplify assembly and eliminate the painting process. The exterior would also feature stand-alone, blow-molded front and rear bumpers which, along with plastic trim, offer two molded-in color options compatible with interior trim.

Source: Internet

1960 Plymouth XNR (Ghia) Concept

XNR - Exner used this compact two-seat roadster to explore an asymmetrical, driver-oriented design theme with sculptural fender blades.

While Ford’s Falcon was running away with the compact-car market, Exner was transforming Chrysler’s compact, the Plymouth Valiant, into his most radical idea car of all, the 1960 Plymouth XNR concept car. (Say the initials quickly.)

Representing the peak of his enthusiasm as head of Chrysler design, its imaginative "Asymmetrical Styling" was bold, to say the least — especially for a Plymouth. The car was likely intended to be a preview of the similar but far more subtle styling then being planned for Chrysler’s 1962 showroom models.

The car could seat two, but was best suited for a single occupant, the driver.

Thus the huge port-side headrest-cum-tailfin, which was intended to emphasize the driver while harkening back to late-1950s racing-car design, exemplified by the likes of Jaguar’s D-Type and XKSS.

The driver sat behind a dramatically curved "personal" windshield; a smaller, fold-own windscreen was available for the protection of a passenger. Additionally, the passenger sat somewhat lower than the driver — a design touch intended to minimize the negative effects of the wind.

The frame of the XNR’s grille was constructed of heavy-duty materials and doubled as the car’s front bumper. The "X-motif" rear bumper was a visual reminder of the car’s name and essentially asymmetric nature.

Quad headlamps nestled in a big mesh-filled bumper/grille roughly oval in shape. The passenger seat was normally covered by a metal tonneau, but a small fold-flat auxiliary windshield was provided should a co-pilot be aboard.

The interior was finished in black leather and aluminum. Of the car, Exner remarked he was "striving to avoid the static and bulky, which is ugly and not what an automobile should look like. The goal is to try for the graceful look, with a built-in feeling of motion. The wedge shape expresses the function of automobiles because it imparts a sense of direction."

Though XNR rode Valiant’s tidy 106-inch wheelbase, prominent overhangs stretched overall length to 195 inches. Height was just 43 inches to the top of the fin.

What excited sports-car fans — and prompted rumors of imminent sale — was the XNR’s engine. Power came from the hairiest version ever developed of Valiant’s 225 Slant Six, which pumped out 250 horsepower — 1.11 horses per cubic inch.

"We took [XNR] to the Proving Grounds and had a professional drive it," Exner said later. "He lapped at 151 or 152, which wasn’t bad for that time."

As a production sports car the XNR would have been unique; in racing guise it would likely have trimmed most anything in its displacement class.

But again, Chrysler decided there was just no market; even if there had been the styling would likely have seemed just too far out to sell well. Finally, Exner’s abrupt firing in 1962 killed any chance the design might have had for being refined into something more practical for production.

Incidentally, the XNR was one Exner special not built by Ghia, though the Italian coachbuilder did manage something similar on its own a bit later. Alas, its Valiant Assimetrica had none of the XNR’s flair, and never went beyond the one-off stage.

Source: Internet

1958 Plymouth Cabana Concept Wagon

The 1958 Plymouth Cabana was station wagon concept which featured an unusual roof configuration. The rear third of the roof was all-glass and acted as side windows and rear window also.
















Source Internet

1956 Plymouth Plainsman (Ghia)

1956 Chrysler "Plainsman" Concept Car

Chrysler Corporation unveiled the experimental Plainsman "idea station wagon" during the January, 1956 Chicago Auto Show. Mounted on a 115-inch wheelbase Plymouth chassis, the 2-door wagon accented a Western theme with its "Palomino beige" finish, gold-colored Texas Longhorn medallion and hand-worked bronze trim which was chrome plated. A unique cantilever, stepped roof contained a centered louvered ventilator that provided draft-free ventilation of the 8-passenger cabin, and the padded white fabric top covering the rear two-thirds of the all-steel roof was weather-resistant. Clever idea on the Plainsman that made its way into the 1957 station wagon models by Chrysler Corp. was the spare tire and wheel hidden behind the right wheel and accessed via a lift-up panel.

Source: Internet

1954 Plymouth Explorer Special Concept Car

 Like a majority of other Chrysler Corporation dream cars of the period, the rakish Plymouth Explorer was bodied by Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy. Its hand-formed aluminum coachwork was distinguished by carefully sculpted contours and accentuated by horizontal spears on the sides.





Source: Internet

1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept Car

Plymouth’s sleek Belmont concept car rode on a Dodge chassis and was powered by a Dodge V-8. It was the 1st Plymouth experimental car with a light plastic body, had an overall length of nearly 192-inches and was only 32 inch high at the top of the door. The 150 horsepower engine came mated to Plymouth’s Hy-Drive 3-speed semi-automatic transmission. Finished in a light green metallic paint, the Belmont’s exterior went well with the white leather 2-seater interior and had a full set of racing instruments, and radio controls built-into the center armrest.

The Plymouth Belmont was the first plastic-bodied (reinforced fiberglass) Chrysler “idea car,” an experiment in new materials and design brought out in the same year as the DeSoto Adventurer.

 The Belmont was a convertible, made for the 1954 Chicago Auto Show by Briggs Manufacturing (rather than the usual Ghia, because Chrylser had just bought Briggs); it was designed in the Advanced Styling Studio, under the supervision of head stylist Virgil Exner. Underneath the fancy curves was a chassis shared by Plymouth and Dodge, with a 114 inch wheelbase. The V8 engine was, according to the numbers, the 14th allocated to Plymouth, which had no V8 powered cars at the time; it was used in Dodges as the Red Ram, and squeezed 150 horsepower out of its 241 cubic inches, good at the time. The transmission was the corporate semi-automatic, sold by Plymouth as the Hy-Drive.

The Plymouth Belmont was long (191.5 inches), low (49 inches), and sleek, painted light metallic blue (it would later be repainted in red), with what passed for an aerodynamic theme; it also had turbine styling cues, not surprising given that Chrysler was seriously intending to release a turbine engine at the time (“[Chrysler’s] gas turbine has solved high fuel consumption, exhaust heat problems usually associated with turbine engines.”) The roof itself was a soft top hidden behind the seats, with a hard cover.

According to Second Chance Garage, Belmont used a stock engine, except for chrome valve covers and a low-profile air cleaner (to allow the hood to close) on the standard Stromberg WW-3-108 carburetor. The wheels were stock Chrylser options, and tail lights were from the prior year’s Chryslers; various pieces were taken from standard cars across the Chrysler Corporation lines. The windshield itself was made of Plexiglass. Virgil Exner had gotten permission to keep the Belmont after it was shown; it was sold in 1968, and changed hands a couple of times before being left on its own a garage. It was later rescued and is now in Don Williams’ collection in New Jersey.

Source: Internet

1954 Oldsmobile Cutlass Concept Car

Oldsmobile Cutlass Experimental Car, 1954

The 1954 Oldsmobile Cutlass Concept had a road height of 51.5 inches, and a body of reinforced plastic. An aviation theme was prevalent throughout the Cutlass from aircraft-style instrumentation to sleek tailfins.

Another name that would see mass production (and in a much bigger way than the Starfire), Cutlass was billed as "the ultimate in hardtops." Mounted on a 110 inch wheelbase, it featured fastback styling with a louvered backlight, the combination bumper-grille, swivel seats (much in advance of Chrysler’s) and copper-toned glass for screening harsh light. The copper-metallic Cutlass was a predictive car in many ways; today’s Saab 900 uses a copper-tinted glass, having determined that color to be the most effective.

Source: Internet