From its beginnings in 1927 to his retirement in 1959, Harley Earl was the head of GM's Art and Color Section, later known as the Design and Styling Department.
Earl began his automotive design career working at his father's business, Earl Automotive Works in Hollywood, California, where he designed and built customized "dream" cars for members of the film industry.
In 1919, Earl showed off a customized Marmon Phaeton and a Chandler Town Car. Both received rave reviews and brought Earl Automotive Works to the forefront of the automotive industry. Later that year, west coast Cadillac distributor Don Lee bought the Earl's business, with the stipulation that Harley stay on as Chief Designer.
The new company specialized in building customized bodies to fit a Cadillac chassis, producing about 100 vehicles during 1925. It didn't take long for the manufacturer to wonder why this west coast company ordered so many cars without their bodies.
Cadillac saw Earl's designs and they liked what they saw. They challenged him to produce a less expensive alternative to the then-current Cadillac. The result, the 1927 LaSalle, and a job offer from GM Chairman Alfred Sloan. Earl headed to Detroit, where he worked with GM until his retirement.
Harley Earl's designs were ahead of their time. His vision of cars with undulating curves, low and long bodies and airplane-inspired fins and cockpits led GM through the next 30 years. A few of his best known creations include:
- The late '30s Buick Y-Job, the automotive industry’s first concept car. Features of this car showed up on GM vehicles throughout the 1940's.
- 1948 Cadillac (with the first tailfins).
- 1951 Buick LeSabre, with airplane styling and innovative features such as a dual gasoline and alcohol fuel system and a moisture sensor that automatically lifted the convertible top during a rainstorm.
- The mid-fifties Chevy Nomad, a sporty looking 2-door station wagon.
- The '50s Firebird I, II, and III, a series of concept vehicles with airplane styling and experimental engine designs.
- The 1953 Corvette.
While there have been numerous successful designers for the automotive industry, Harley Earl's futuristic ideas guided GM styling through three decades and influenced the designs of every other car line from the late 1920's to today.
