Capturing the art of the auto

  

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The tail fin defined the Cadillac during the fifties and none shouted Cadillac like the P-38 Lightning aircraft-inspired tailfins found on the 1948 – 1956 models.  A close-up shot of this 1955 Cadillac Eldorado iconic fin best personifies the luxury brand’s tail fin legacy.

I’ve been eyeballing automobiles since 1954.  Regardless of where I am – in a parking lot, on the freeway or on Niles Avenue – my eyes screen each car that passes by.   I can’t help it.

In the 58 years since my automotive awakening I’ve acquired a fondness for a number of the older cars once spotted on the highways.  Of late I have made an effort, when attending car shows, to capture images of these favorites with my camera at car shows.

With some cars, I like only a portion of the overall design, like the grille or the rear taillight.  So over the past many years, I’ve been drawn to photograph only a section of the vehicle in an artistic fashion.   Some have actually come out pretty nicely and can almost be consider works of art – at least to my eyes. 

I was pleasantly surprised recently when someone visited the Concours d’Elegance of Southwest Michigan’s Facebook page and wrote a complimentary remark about a photo I had posted of a 1955 Cadillac Eldorado rear quarter fender view.  I had used this particular photo when I announced the recent decision by the Concours National Advisory and Executive Boards that the Cadillac would be the featured marque in 2013 to commemorate the luxury automaker’s 110^th anniversary.

The Facebook visitor’s comment, “This picture in undeniably beautiful” made my day and got me to thinking about some of the other photos of cars that I’ve taken over the past 10 – 15 years. 

So I opened my iPhoto album – now filled with 5,452 images – and looked for my favorite pictorial “car parts,” so-to-speak.   I found a number that really ring my bell.

The aforementioned 1955 Cadillac photo is at the top of the list.   If you want a photograph of GM’s luxury division that say loud and clear “I’m a Cadillac,” then I feel this photo accomplishes the task.   I only shot the tail of the car and from slightly above.  The famous P-38 Lightning aircraft-inspired tail fins were used on the Cadillac from the 1948 original until through 1957 model.

This picture resonates even though the trunk on the vehicle in the photograph isn’t completely closed.  The strong sculptural statement of the finned taillight simply carries the day.

Another photo that garners comments when I share it is one I took many years ago while visiting Carlisle, (Pa.) Chrysler Nationals.  I’m a huge fan of Virgil Exner, Sr.’s 1955 cars that featured the “Forward Look.”  But what makes my photo of this particular Dodge notable isn’t the car’s handsome grille, but rather the dramatic effect caused by reflection in the chrome trim from the overhead stripped canvas tent.  It reminds viewers of peppermint candy and makes the photo memorable.

I often discover that shiny car surfaces make great mirrors for self-portrait.   In 2009 at Hershey, Pa., I came across a really nice black 1954 Buick Special. 

In 1954 GM introduced all-new Olds, Cadillac and Buick models.  I liked the cars a lot because they all featured the first mass-produced wraparound windshields.  Of the three GM luxury cars, I have always favored the Buick and its rear subtle fin.  When I spotted the black 1954 Special at Hershey, I had to take a photo of that fin.  The self-portrait was just a bonus.

I’m not savvy enough to use PhotoShop.   I take a photo and if it turns out great, it’s pure luck.   I attended the since-discontinued Venetian Festival car show some years back and took a photo of a nice two-tone 1955 Chevy Bel Air.  

This image isn’t quite a work of art but it captures perfectly the essence of the new, clean styling of the popular Chevy.  Most folks seem to like the 1957 Tri-Five Chevy better than the initial ‘ 55, but I’ve always been won over by the clean, pure lines of the original.  

Few cars are introduced that are perfect in every way.  With the ’55 Chevy I wouldn’t change a thing.  The 1955 Chevy is one of those perfect cars, in my opinion, and this photo shows why.  This cleanly designed, unadorned beauty represents the very best from GM’s top designer Harley Earl.

I admire all classic Packards and can understand why the luxury brand remains a favorite of serious collectors.  At Hershey this past fall I spotted a beautiful roadster from afar.   I wasn’t drawn to it because it was a Packard, but because of its beautiful color.  It shouted, “Look at me!” 

On closer inspection, I became enamored by the beautiful wheels on the 1929 automobile.   Disc-like, they were painted the same color as the car’s body.   Most importantly, in the wheel’s center, was the traditional Packard red hexagon.  This photo captures flawlessly the combination of colors and shapes that work beautifully together and pleases the eye.

Great art?  No, but it reveals perfectly the elegance of the era.

If you would like to see my photos that I’ve mentioned in today’s column in high definition, please visit my blog site at http://darscars.blogspot.com/.  I will post all the photos that I’ve mentioned.  I also welcome your comments on my blog. 

By the way, if readers use Facebook and have not yet visited the Concours d’Elegance of Southwest Michigan Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ConcoursSWMI), please do so.   And while on your visit, please “like” us.   It will keep you connected with the many activities of the fundraising event.

 Take a shiny, curved chromed surface and add color stripes from an overhead tent and you have a dramatic photograph.  This 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer was snapped by Dar at a Carlisle, Penn. Chrysler National show a few years back.

Whether up close or from afar, an automobile painted a gorgeous color will capture attention.   And none did it better than this 1929 Packard at Hershey.  Dar snapped the automobile’s wheel, capturing both the elegance of the wheel design and the stunning turquoise and red color combination.

 A 1954 black Buick Special rear fender makes for a perfect mirror to caption a self-portrait.  This photo may not be great art, but it speaks to the writer because the ’54 Buick is a favorite of his.

Both Dar’s grandfather and brother owned a 1955 Chevy.  The all-new car was one of Chevrolet’s most significant models, as it introduced not only its famous small block V-8 but also fresh, clean new styling, as shown in this rear quarter view that still looks fabulous 57 years later.

         

Dowagiac duo's dynamic car

With a thorough restoration completed the day before the Concours car show, this beautiful 1932 Auburn Speedster Boat Tail roadster won the hearts of both judges and visitors by winning both the Big Boy Restaurant Best of Show trophy and the Corvette Central People's Choice trophy.  Fewer than 75 Speedsters were built in 1932 and owners Don and Joan Lyons of Dowagiac bought their automobile from an owner in Grand Rapids.  Photo provided by Mark Parren

At last summer’s Concours car show, one automobile truly stood out.  It was such a standout that it garnered both the affections of the public and winning the People’s Choice trophy as well as the heart of the judges in receiving the Best in Show trophy.  Rarely does the same vehicle earn that dual accomplishment.  I’m speaking, of course, about Don and Joan Lyons’ 1932 orange and black Auburn boat tail Speedster.

Before I share Don and Joan’s story on how they acquired and restored the rare Auburn, I’ll share a little history about the Auburn.  The Auburn Automobile Company was founded in Auburn, Indiana as the Eckhart Carriage Company in 1875.  Experimenting with automobiles early on, by 1909 the company had absorbed two other failed automakers and had moved into a larger plant.  The plant, after limited success, was closed during World War I due to a materials shortage.

Following the war the Eckharts sold out to a Chicago investment group who revived the business but met with little financial success.  In 1924 the group sold the automaker to Errett Lobban Cord, a highly successful auto salesman who then went on to aggressively market the company’s unsold inventory.

In 1926 E. L. Cord expanded the Auburn Company by partnering with the Duesenberg Corporation, an automaker famous for its racing cars.  The year 1929 also saw the introduction of a third model, a front-wheel drive car that E. L. put his own name on, the Cord L-29. 

Unfortunately, the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company offered fabulous but expensive vehicles in a depressed market severely beaten by the Great Depression.  Sales plunged and the A-C-D Company went bust by 1937 but not before a number of outstanding vehicles were designed and built.   Those include just about any model of the mighty Duesenberg, the stunningly beautiful, Gordon Buehrig-designed 1936-37 Cord 810/812 and any number of fabulous Auburns including the Lyons’ beautiful 1932 Auburn Speedster that was designed by Alan Leamy.

The automobile that garnered nearly all of the votes in the People’s Choice balloting at the Concours was a product of the E. L. Cord years.  The Auburn Speedster (we only later stuck the Boat Tail label on the car) was a car frequently seen in wealthy communities like Hollywood and Palm Springs.

What attracted wealthy buyers to the Auburn was both stunning looking vehicles and powerful performance.  The 1932 Auburn Speedster provided a fast ride by offering a 268 cu. in./4.4-L straight eight that boasted 100 bhp.

A few years back I wrote a column about Don Lyons and his extensive automobile collection.  He has owned a number of fabulous vintage cars and, like his father before him, did a lot of the restoration and mechanical work himself.  

Folks in Dowagiac know Don as Mayor Lyons, a position he has held for the past 15 years.  Though now retired, he continues to serve as chairman of the board of Lyons Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of plumbing fixtures located west of Dowagiac on the city’s edge.  He also remains active with the Heddon Museum in Dowagiac, which chronicles the many contributions of the Heddon family to the Dowagiac area, especially their fishing tackle company.  Readers wanting more information about the museum may either visit www.heddonmuseum.org or call 269 782-5698.

One of my first questions to Don when I interviewed him for this column was how he managed to acquire his rare Speedster.   He didn’t attend the Scottsdale, Arizona auctions; rather he found the car in Grand Rapids.  He had known of the car for a number of years and in 2009 he convinced the owner to sell.

According to Don, there were three series of Auburn Speedsters:  those built in 1928-29, those produced in 1931-33 and the last batch in 1935-36.  There were no Speedsters built in 1930 or 1934. I was amazed to hear that in total only about 75 1932 Speedsters built. Don’s favorite is the 1932 model and that’s the one he and Joan bought.

Once the purchase was made, the Speedster’s next trip was a visit to Bill Godisak’s Sun Ray Restoration in Dowagiac for a complete restoration right down to restoring each facet on every nut and bolt in order to preserve the original old style fasteners.  Ultra-Tech Racing Engines in Mishawaka, Indiana rebuilt the car’s motor.    The Ultra-Tech team put in new bearings, bored out the cylinder block, fitted new pistons and rings and ground the valves, which resulted in a “better than new” motor. 

While the Auburn Speedster would look sensational in bare steel, it looked downright ravishing in a striking black and orange paint job.   Don says that back in 1932, for $50 extra, Auburn would paint your Speedster any color you wanted.  I’m sure glad black and orange was selected.   It has a look-at-me effect on his Speedster.

Speaking of paint, I was told by Don that the restoration of the Speedster was completed at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 3.  That was the day before the St. Joseph Concours’ event!  Thank you, Don, for getting the job done on time.

I asked Don if he had plans to show his Speedster at other Concours.  None are planned at the moment but he is thinking of nominating the automobile for the Concours d’Elegance of America car show in Plymouth, Mich. (formerly the Meadowbrook Concours) held each July just prior to the St. Joseph Concours.

Happily, I learned that Don still has a few vintage cars in his collection.   He has a 1932 Packard Super Eight 7-Passenger Sedan and a 1925 Dodge panel truck, which sports an original advertisement for the James Heddon and Sons fishing tackle company.   He also is currently restoring a 1910 Stoddard-Dayton Model K that has been languishing on the back burner for over 35 years.  Those of us on the Concours team are hoping that Don and Joan bring the newly restored Stoddard-Dayton to a future St. Joseph Concours and the Dodge panel truck to the 2014 event.   The planned Concours’ featured marque for 2014 is Dodge.   The Niles-based Dodge Brothers started the Dodge brand in 1914.

I’m writing this column on Halloween day.   I can’t think of an automobile more appropriately painted to drive to a masked ball at the Ritz than Don and Joan’s black and orange Speedster.   Maybe they’ll loan it to me next year.  You think?

Longtime automotive enthusiast and collector Don Lyons and his wife Joan stand before their trophy winning 1932 Auburn Speedster Boat Tail roadster at the 2012 Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan automobile show last August 4.  The newly renovated black and orange vintage car drew rave reviews from all who saw it on display in Lake Bluff Park.  The restoration of the Auburn was completed at 5:00 p.m. on the day before the car show.  Photo provided by Jim Meister

Shown with Dar and his 2013 Buick Verano at the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan are (l. to r.) Steve Brock, Plant Manager; Matt Purdy, GM Vehicle Performance Manager for Small, Compact and Mini Cars and Carter Sperry, Quality Operations Manager.  The 1,824 workers at the Orion, Michigan auto plant assembled Dar's Verano on October 30 and Dar toured the plant and checked out his new car on November 1.

 GM gives Dar a royal welcome

There is nothing like a visit from Santa to lift one’s spirits…and boy, did I have a Christmas morning experience on November 1.  My “little boy” eyes opened wide and they stayed that way for two hours when at 10:10 a.m. I arrived at the expansive GM Assembly Plant in Orion Township, Michigan – just off I-75 in Lake Orion, north of Detroit - and began an experience of a lifetime.

Readers following this column know that back in September I finally ordered a new car to replace my now-sold Neon.  The process for me to decide which car to buy was a long and arduous journey.  Buying a new car is a pretty big deal for most of us but especially for someone like me who loves cars and buys them infrequently.

When it became known that I had settled on the American-made Buick Verano, I was given a tip from friend Steve Purdy of Williamsburg, Mich., a fellow auto journalist (he’s the Detroit Editor of TheAutoChannel.com website) and a charter member of the local Concours car show, that I should get in touch with his nephew Matt.  

As it turned out, Matt holds the title of Vehicle Performance Manager: Small, Compact and Mini Cars at General Motors and he helped oversee the development of the Verano.

I did contact him, and often.   The really kind man had to put up with me over a number of months as I emailed innumerable times to check on things.  I wanted to know what new colors would be added if I waited until the 2013 model year to order my Buick.   Would the 2013 model have a backup camera, I asked?

A most important question that I asked Matt was whether it would be possible for me to be at the plant when my new car was being assembled.   It has always been a dream of mine.  He wasn’t sure but he promised to check.  

Soon I heard from Phil Colley at Buick Communications and then I heard from Plant Communications Manager Kevin Nadrowski.

It wasn’t long before Kevin sent me a schedule.  The Verano build date would be just before or on Thursday, November 1 and I was to arrive at 10:10 a.m. on that date for a tour.

I’ve mentioned before that my son-in-law Tom Burch is a GM employee with an office in the corporate headquarters at the Renaissance Center in Detroit.  He, naturally, asked if he could accompany me on my visit.

After arriving at the Orion Assembly Plant on Giddings Road in Lake Orion, Tom and I were shown a short safety video in the plant’s lobby.  Soon after we were joined by Nadrowski and Purdy.  Next we were introduced to Tony Hufford, the UAW Local 5960 Communications Coordinator, and were given the required safety gear.

It was a good thing I had Tom along.  We walked along the floor of the 4 million-square-foot factory, and I had become completely mesmerized by the whirl of machine and man busy building an automobile.  I had forgotten that I had brought my camera and wanted lots of photos.   Tom took charge and took 74 photos.

With Kevin as our guide and Matt as an escort, Tom and I were given a thorough tour of the plant.  We were impressed with how efficiently the plant was laid out and how clean the site was.  Kevin pointed out the many changes at the plant that improved working conditions and added equipment that upgraded the quality of each car assembled.

As we concluded our walking tour, Kevin arranged for me to meet both Plant Manager Steve Brock and Quality Operations Manager Carter Sperry.  They took time and explained all that GM and the Orion management and labor team has done and is doing to build the best automobiles in the world. 

Carter, who is responsible for every vehicle that comes off the production line, patiently explained to me that GM and Orion have established clearly identifiable standards to meet so that dependable cars are built consistently.  And it’s his job that those standards are followed.  I was very, very impressed and have complete confidence that my Verano will be a car to be proud of.

Orion was opened in 1983 and has 1,824 hourly and salaried workers.  Over its lifetime it has built everything from luxury cars like Cadillac and Olds 98 sedans and mid-size models like Malibu and Pontiac G6.  Workers at Orion have built 4.6 million GM vehicles. 

Workers and management are proud of a safety record:  10 million man-hours of operation without a lost workday.  The plant also was the first GM facility to receive the Clean Corporate Citizen designation by the State of Michigan.

Following a massive, $545 million retooling in 2010, the plant now produces the Chevrolet Sonic sub-compact hatch and sedan and the compact Buick Verano.  Using a combination of up-to-the-moment modern robotic equipment and the deft hand of highly trained workers, Orion assembles 825 vehicles a day, one third being Buick Veranos.  The plants annual capacity is 160,000 units with workers presently putting in four, ten-hour shifts weekly.  That schedule will change early next year when the plant goes to a more traditional five day/eight-hour schedule.

Then – there it sat in a well-lighted space. My new Buick beckoned.  The GM team gave me plenty of time to examine and admire my new car.  I was introduced to Gary Jager, the team member who had just completed giving my car a thorough Global Customer Audit including a dynamic 15-mile road test, an eight-minute soaking in the water test and a 3-hour top-to-bottom examination. 

The final surprise?  Carter invited me to take my new car for a drive.  A quick spin on public roads near the plant in my new car was the final highlight of my visit.  I was very aware that this courtesy was a rare gift and I enjoyed every moment of it.
  
I was incredibly impressed with the GM team that met with me.   I’d need pages of space to write all that I want to share about my experience as a guest of these professional and committed GM employees.

We hear so much negative stuff about how poorly our domestic auto industry have done in the past.  What we don’t hear is news about how well the industry is doing today.   Gone are the days when management and unions were at loggerheads.  Today is a new era in union/management cooperation and the positive results of this development are American-built automobiles that are equal in style and quality to any vehicle built in the world. 

The men and women who now design and build cars for the Domestic Three automakers have a crystal clear vision of what needs to be done to succeed.  I’ve never been prouder of the accomplishments of our American workers, designers and engineers and know that my new Verano is well built and will provide me with years of dependable and satisfactory service. 

I can’t wait for it to arrive in my hometown for delivery. 

Big grilles, side sweeps and fender jewelry

The current "hot" automotive design trend used by designers is the sculptural side sweep.  Utilized successfully on the Hyundai Sonata, the design device gives a vehicle the appearance of being longer and in motion.  In addition to sedans, coupes and convertibles, the side sweep is also found on a number of crossovers and a few minivans.

Auto News trade journal writer Lindsay Chappell wrote a column a while back on auto design.  He started his article with this statement:  “When it comes to designing a new car, it’s really, really hard to do anything new.  Disassemble the pieces of the coolest new designs, and the chances are you’ll have the funny feeling that you’ve seen them all before.”  I can add an amen to that!

Oliver Stefan, head of design for the Volkswagen brand, explained to Lindsay that auto designers using the same design elements on different models around the global industry can’t be helped.  Stefan explains, “I have been working on new design ideas before and I will go to a motor show and look around.  And I will see the same idea already showing up in other cars there.   It’s a remarkable thing.”

According to Stefan, designers from around the world read the same car magazines, go to the same movies and they see the same technologies.  He says similar design cues are not the result of corporate espionage but “just…the same ideas floating up in different places.”

Chappell then goes on to list the long list of auto design elements found on a large number of vehicles worldwide.  Let’s start with one that has been with us the longest, the stylized side vent on the front fender.   I don’t recall who started this practice on a family sedan or SUV, but in the old days they were only found on roadsters. 

Today, you find the chrome pieces on everything from the most expensive SUV (the Cadillac Escalade is a good example) to an inexpensive sub-compact like on the little Ford Fiesta.  But the trend is fading and fewer vehicles use the useless design device.

The current “big thing” design element is the use of a noticeable accent line along the side of a vehicle.  It’s hard to find either a car or crossover without one.  It has become so prevalent on the smaller crossovers that this writer has a devil of a time telling them apart, as they all look the same. 

The ubiquitous accent line can be seen on dozens of vehicles with the Hyundai Sonata being the poster child of the marque using it early and with great success.  According to designers, the angled line, starting high at the rear fender and “lunging” forward and downward to the front fender, give the impression of motion.

Another universal adaptation of a design element mentioned by Chappell is locating the radio antennae on the top of the roof back by the rear window.   According to Chappell, Volkswagen had the clever idea of offering this feature on several models several years ago.  Now the design cue is found on nearly all models of vehicles, from stately luxury sedans to minivans.  According to Chappell, the stubby little radio knob on the roof gives vehicles “ the personality of a remote-controlled toy racer.”

I’m sure most readers have noticed the increase use of LED “eye lashes” on the front-ends of a number of vehicles on sale today.   Chappell shows a photo of an Audi as one of the first to using this design element across all of its models.   In effect, the bright line of lights serve as both a clever and distinctive design cue and also effectively serves as a bright daylight running light.   While not all of the American brands have embraced this newest look, it probably will only be a matter of time before the trend is more widespread.  The all-new Cadillac ATS and XTS have the feature, as does the refreshed Chrysler 300 and 200.  Even Ford has joined the parade and offers the LED lights on a number of new models including the Escape.

Car nuts reading this column are probably familiar with the 2002 BMW 7 Series and its controversial “Bangle Butt.”  Devotees of BMW who didn’t like the new look gave the derisive term to the car.  They weren’t happy when BMW head designer Chris Bangle opted to use a larger and higher rear end than previous generations. 

Well, observers may have not liked the new look but BMW buyers did.   That generation of the 7 sold better than any other.  In the ensuing decade a number of luxury automakers have adopted the look as well as others, including GM with the re-skin of the Chevy Malibu.

Other styling trends mentioned by Chappell that seem to have caught all designer’s fancy include the roof spoilers on crossovers that extend over the rear window.  The Civic CR-V and the Chevy Equinox are examples.   Oversized radiators are the rage with many brands.  Probably the biggest advocate of the big grille is Audi on the car side and GMC with its Terrain and Ford with the Super Duty on the truck side.

I’ve complained in a previous column about poor visibility in current vehicles.  It seems that all the automakers have followed the recent trend in putting really thick “C” and “D” pillars on cars and crossovers/SUVs.   This look is cool but I hope it only stays popular for a short time. 

So there are a slew of auto design elements that seem terribly derivative.   Auto News’ Lindsay Chappell asked, “Why is that.”  Clay Dean, former executive director of GM’s global design and Cadillac design director, told Chappell that there are two primary reasons why this has happened between competitors.   Says Dean, “We have crash standards and pedestrian protection guidelines that tell us what we have to do”  “How far can a hood deflect before it hits the engine?  Those issues affect what the front of a car looks like.”

Dean also adds, “If a design shows up at an auto show today and people like it, you’re going to see those same trends on other concept cars within the year.  I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” 

So will we ever see a huge departure in how a vehicle looks in the foreseeable future?  Sadly, it doesn’t look that way.   For cars and trucks to sell well, you have to please the masses.  Taking chances on a bold, new, never-before-used automotive design is a risk few, if any, automakers are willing to take.