Otto #1412 - Ron Will's 1961 Fisher Craftsman Guild Winner

[Otto Puzzell]

Know what it is?

Please, respond below and share your knowledge what this is, and who built it
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Thanks!

[Allemano]

Great looking car! (at least from that angle)

[Ray B.]

Aaaargh! (says the frustrated professionnal)

[Otto Puzzell]

Patience, young Skywalker.

[Ray B.]

Oh, I was just "in awe" (to quote English Bob). I've no idea what it is, but eager to know.

[Ultra]

Pontiac?

[Otto Puzzell]

No, not a Pontiac (or any other brand, actually). The designer of this car did go on to do design work at General Motors, though mostly for another brand there. He currently resides in a city that shares its name with a model once sold by Pontiac.

(That's a whole lotta clues in one reply) 

[Otto Puzzell]

Experts?

[guido66]

Is that city Bonneville?

[Otto Puzzell]

Nope

[guido66]

Catalina?

[Otto Puzzell]

More than twenty-six miles across the sea, from Santa Catalina is the answer you'll see.

BTW, it's a little-known fact that the only city on the island of Catalina shares its name with a car made by a Japanese company.

[pnegyesi]

Ventura?

[Otto Puzzell]

Not Ventura.

[75america]

Fisher Body Craftsman Guild, Ron Will's 1961 national award winning entry.

[Otto Puzzell]

That's it.

Mr. Will went on to a successful design career with General Motors, worked primarily in the Corvette / Camaro studios. He worked on the Aerovette show car and did the primary design work on the 25th Anniversary Corvette. Other projects included Camaros, the Vega and # 898 show cars. Will left GM to design his own 3 wheel high mileage specialty car called the Turbo Phantom (seen in this puzzle): http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1327.msg11817#msg11817

After the Phantom project, Will went to work at Subaru from 1980 to 2006. The Subaru Outback concept and first production models were his design, and the Forester concept was also completed under his direction. He worked as liason between the US designers and the Japan design team.

Will moved to Phoenix, Arizona and started Phantom Design in '06, a small company that does design and (fittingly) scale model mock-ups of automotive designs.