Topic: Solved - NEH 2002: Future car pictured at 1944 Industrial Design Show featured in LIFE magazine

[Carnut]

What's this, from when and where - for 1 point?

ANYONE FOUND GIVING ANSWERS GLEANED BY USING GOOGLE SEARCH BY IMAGE MAY BE BANNED FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD!

[Carnut]

Experts?

[mymokke]

US?

[hugo90]

There are some details that look like Hudson.  Was this intended to be a Hudson?

[motorcar1]

Is it from the early 1950's?

[Carnut]

US?

Yes!

There are some details that look like Hudson.  Was this intended to be a Hudson?

Don't know that there was any specific make involved...

Is it from the early 1950's?

No!

[mymokke]

I found something similar ........ are these two by the same designer?

[Carnut]

I think it's very closely linked!

[motorcar1]

In attempt to figure this one out;

The shape has a lot in common with the Thunderbolts Temulis worked on with Chrysler?

The cab seems to be very close and deep >>going forward.
Perhaps a front cargo area, engine in the rear.
This somewhat leads me to think of Tuckers.

The fold away headlights lead me over to Gordon and Bens work, initiating in 1933-34 pop up headlights>>respectfully.

I believe that Flajole?sp, also designed and rendered a few drawings like this also.
Since you discarded the early 50's, is it late 50's

Are we getting any closer Carnut ?

[Carnut]

Not really, no!
It's much earlier than the late '50s.
As I mentioned it's not an actual proposal for a specific make of car, more a suggetion of what future cars might look like.
But where was the picture published, when and why?

[Trommel]

By Brooks Stevens, similar to the "Victory car" proposals, possibly from Popular Mechanics?

[mymokke]

Found it! This was part of a series of designs trying to show what the future would look like through the eyes of industrial designers. This car was drawn by Don Mortrude in 1943 for the 1944 show. According to the site I found, it was published in LIFE magazine.

[Carnut]

Found it! This was part of a series of designs trying to show what the future would look like through the eyes of industrial designers. This car was drawn by Don Mortrude in 1943 for the 1944 show. According to the site I found, it was published in LIFE magazine.

Yes, that's it.
It was one of a series of drawings shown at the Industrial Design Show of 1944, and I think the picture you posted earlier was also one of the same series in the feature in LIFE magazine.
Well done.

[streamliner]

I think the second drawing was drawn by George Walker and/or Ted Ornas.  If not, it must have been derived from their drawing.  They had done it in 1942 for Bohn Aluminum and it made its way into an article BETTER LIVING IN THE POSTWAR WORLD By NORMAN V. CARLISLE and FRANK B. LATHAM New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1944 (sorry for the caps, cut and paste).  Walker filed a design patent on it in 1943.  It looks like the Edsel-type front was replaced with a more conventional setup.  But who knows, maybe it's not related...  Any other pics from the LIFE article? 

I couldn't get away from the original puzzle looking like Brooks Stevens either.

[Otto Puzzell]

I couldn't get away from the original puzzle looking like Brooks Stevens either.

He was taller, by quite a bit

[Carnut]

 Any other pics from the LIFE article?  

Here are a few of the more interesting ones (I seem to have been wrong saying that the other image posted came from the same series - I can't find it!):

[Carnut]

And a few more...

[streamliner]

There's some of the Tremulis connection:  John Tjaarda was Tremulis' boss at Briggs in 1937 and again in 1939, and George Walker was Tremulis' boss at Ford in the 1950's.  No doubt they all knew each other and built on each other's talents...  Amazing work!