Chevrolet's HHR Retromobile

Aside from the need to pay attention to aerodynamic efficiency and the effects of improved metal stamping, glass-forming, and other technologies related to car body shaping, there has been little in the way of styling evolution since around 1950 (see my book dealing with this).  Shapes of automobiles are essentially a matter of style.  For that reason "retro" designs -- that recall style details from several decades earlier -- do not bother me much.  Or at all, provided the result looks interesting or even good.

This post deals with the retro Chevrolet HHR (model years 2006-2011).  A Wikipedia entry provides some background information including that its styling can be attributed to Bryan Nesbitt, who also had a hand in styling the Chrysler PT Cruiser.

As best I can tell, the PT Cruiser, a sales success with more than one million sold, inspired General Motors to launch the HHR.  However, the HHR was only a moderate marketplace success with sales less than half those of the PT Cruiser.

Styling was inspired by "Advance Design" Chevrolet trucks from the late 1940s and early 50s, though the HHR was in no way a copy.

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This is a PT Cruiser.  Not related to any historical design, but evoking customized hot rods derived from mid-1930s sedans with lowered front springs.  Chrysler's styling chief Tom Gale was a hot rod fan, which probably helped the Cruiser to reach production.  Very cute and very popular.  A number were assembled for the European market.

The Chevrolet HHR.  A scaled-down station wagon with truck-like styling cues such as the grille and heavy bumpers.  Not as cute as the Cruiser and lacking the PT's emotional impact.

1950 Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck.  The part from the cowling forward served as inspiration for HHR front end styling.  (Barrett-Jackson auction photo.)

Rear view of an HHR.  The license plate looks Belgian, though this is a factory promotional vehicle.

An HHR panel truck style.  Apparently HHRs were considered to have commercial appeal and some indeed were used in that capacity.

Publicity photo of an HHR as a recreational vehicle.  The only HHR I ever drove was on the Hawaiian island of Maui.  I didn't do water sports there, and the car seemed under-powered.

Bunkie Knudsen's Long-Nose Cars

Semon Emil "Bunkie" Knudsen (1912-1998) was the son of General Motors' President William S. Knudsen who didn't quite gain the GM presidency himself, and so in February 1968 was hired by Ford Motor Company to be its president.

Knudesen then hired Larry Shinoda of Corvette styling fame to stir up Ford's design efforts.  This and others of his initiatives, combined with resistance from Ford people resulted in his August 1969 firing by Henry Ford II and eventual replacement by Lee Iacocca.  Knudesen's Wikipedia entry is here, and here is an appreciation from Hemmings.

One curious legacy of Knudsen's short Ford tenure was the introduction of long "noses" on the grilles of some of Ford's models.  The generally accepted story is that they were inspired by Pontiac front ends of the second half of the 1960s.  Knudsen was general manager of Pontiac 1956-61 and is credited with drastically changing the division's reputation and improving sales.  So even though he went on to other duties at GM, it's highly likely that he kept a fatherly eye on Pontiac.

Pontiacs began to grow noticeable central grille noses by around 1965 and these became fairly large by the 1969-1970 model years.  Even though he had left General Motors before the 1969 Pontiacs were announced in the fall of 1968, there is little reason to doubt that he was aware of the direction Pontiac styling was taking.  He liked this theme, and so had it applied on some 1970 Ford company models whose styling was set while he was president.

Here is some visual evidence:

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1965 Pontiac Grand Prix - Mecum auction photo

1968 Pontiac Bonneville - Barrett-Jackson auction photo

1969 Pontiac Grand Prix - Barrett-Jackson auction photo
Examples of Pontiac styling that might have inspired some 1970 Ford Motor Company designs.

1970 Mercury Cyclone

1970 Mercury Montego Brougham

1970 Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Motor Company cars shown above have more extreme noses than the Pontiacs.  All of them, especially the Thunderbird, seem poorly protected from frontal impacts.

Aesthetically, I think the Thunderbird comes off best thanks to its more logical prow shaping.  The Mercurys feature a flat center section on their noses whose slightly blunt effect strikes me was less "natural" than the possibly ship-inspired Thunderbird nose.  The "gunsight" motif on the Cyclone is an actual design distraction that probably was a concession to marketing a high-performance car.

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Footnote: Here is the 1970 Ford Thunderbird Tridon concept car.  It was probably intended to help legitimize the long-nose styling theme, but quickly disappeared not long after Knudsen's departure from Ford.  Lee Iacocca had other ideas to implement such as vinyl-covered roofs and small "opera windows" on C-pillars.

The Unfortunate Jowett Jupiter Factory Bodies

Only about 900 examples of the Jowett Jupiter sports car (1950-54) were built, according to this source.  In part that was because Jowett was a marginal firm (see here).   Another factor might have been the Jupiter's styling.

The Jupiter was engineered around 1948 and announced at the British International Motor Show at Earl's Court at the end of September 1949.  Its factory-based styling, probably done in 1949, seems to have been inspired by the Jaguar XK120, introduced at Earl's Court in 1948.  Therefore, it could be considered "advanced" by British standards of the time.

Unfortunately for the Jupiter, even though it followed the XK120 checklist of styling features, the result was ill-proportioned.  The front half of the car seemed too tall and the rear half too low.  Plus, the front was filled with fussy details.

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Jaguar XK120

Jowett line

Jowett Jupiter

Auction-related photos of a restored Jupiter

Chevrolet's Odd SSR Convertible Pickup Truck

What Were They Thinking when General Motors ordered into production the Chevrolet SSR (Super Sport Roadster, 2003-2006)?

True, pickup trucks had become a significant share of the vehicle market.  And yes, both Chevrolet and Ford had introduced sedan-derived pickups back in the 1950s (the El Camino and Ranchero, respectively).  But the SSR, although essentially similar, offered a few new twists.  First, it featured a retractable top, making it a convertible pickup.  Second, the styling was based on that of Chevrolet pickup trucks from around 1950 and not a current passenger car.

For more background on the SSR, its Wikipedia entry is here.

As it happened, the SSR was a sales flop.  One possible reason might have been that, unlike the heyday of the El Camino, pickup trucks had become quite civilized, much less rustic.  So the market for refined pickups having pleasant interiors was already taken.  Furthermore, the SSR didn't offer a lot of cargo carrying room.  And the convertible feature sold the message that the SSR was actually a frivolity.

The styling was interesting, basically well done considering the package stylists were handed.  A few quibbles are in the captions below.

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These images show the top raised and retracted.  Front protection seems non-existent, though there must have been a bumper bar buried someplace.  Nevertheless, the hood would probably suffer damage in any but the most minor collision.  A stronger-looking impact panel would have given the SSR a more serious, practical, truck-like appearance.  The grille could be rearranged so that it still echoed 1950 Chevrolet trucks.

The same can be said regarding protection at the rear.  Here, the tailgate looks like it could easily be damaged.

Studebaker's "Airplane" Front-End Styling

More than once I've mentioned that around 1950 automobile stylists in America began using aircraft and science-fiction space ships as inspiration for possible future designs.  Flashy air intakes, faux jet exhausts and other such details appeared on a number of cars during the 1950s.  Perhaps the most obvious example of airplane style borrowing, aside from the later tail fin fad, was the frontal design for 1950 and 1951 Studebakers.

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1947 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe
This design was sensational when it first appeared shortly after the end of World War 2.  The Higher-priced Commander and Land Cruiser models had a different grille, but Studebaker front ends changed little over the 1947-49 model years.

1950 Studebaker Champion De Luxe 3 passenger coupe
The first major facelift was in place for the 1950 model year.  Most of the changes were forward of the cowling.

1950 Studebaker front end - Barrett-Jackson auction photo
The view of the grille is impeded by clutter.  Oddly, in a time when large chromed bars were expected on grilles of American cars, Studebaker offered little more than two dark holes.

1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe - Howard Baker estate auction photo
The following model year the grille was larger (though I'm not sure of the openings actually were ... I need to inspect an actual '50 Studie).  The central spinner was restyled as well.  At any rate, now there is a lot of brightwork, if not heavy chromed bars.  Another change was the addition of a flat panel (apron) connecting the front bumper to the car body.

1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe
A better image I found on the Internet, but do not know its origin.  For 1952 Studebaker reverted to a more conventional front design whose grille hinted at what to expect on the totally new 1953 models.

A major characteristic of the 1950 facelift was the tapering of the fenders to the headlight housings along with the tapering of the hood and central part of the front to a circular ensemble greatly resembling an airplane's propeller spinner.  This yielded a trio of circular focus points.  1949 Fords also had a central "spinner" detail, but on a front end that was far less sculptural than Studebaker's.

I really don't know what to conclude about this design.  It clearly is not in keeping with the Spirit of The Automobile.  Its strong airplane influence is too foreign.  Yet it has a curious appeal; as a boy I enjoyed looking at 1950-51 Studebakers.  Moreover, 1950 calendar year American production was nearly 270,000 cars, a big improvement over 1949's nearly 230,000, and the best ever, post-World War 2.

Fiat Punto: First Generation

The first-generation Fiat Punto (1994-1999 model years) was voted European Car of the Year for 1995, according to this Wikipedia entry.  It also mentions that styling was by the Italian master, Giugiaro.

That vintage Punto holds a special place in my memory.  Not for its styling.  And not for any other characteristics it might have had.  As a matter of fact, I have no real memory of the latter.  That's because a 1996 Punto was the first car I ever drove in England and my still-strong memories are of my disorientation and struggle to deal with driving on the"wrong side" of the road.  (Tip: before setting out, fix in you mind the location of the inside rear-view mirror -- that done, much of the rest falls into place.)

As for the Punto's design, it was tall and space-efficient.  But the exterior was a bit soft and nondescript.  Presumably Giugiaro was breaking away from his hard-edge, crisply-formed, large-windowed "three-box" mode he used successfully for Volkswagen and other clients.  The Punto was not one of his better results.

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A four-door Punto similar to the one I rented, though this seems to be a 1999 version.

Two views of the two-door Punto.  Rather soft and bland, though the side and bumper rub-strips helpfully tighten things up a little.  The blending of the rear impact panel and the rear wheel opening is a bit awkward, but the package Giugiaro was given left little room for creativity here.  I might have opted for more squared-off openings front and rear.

Did the 1949 Vedette Inspire the 1953 Plymouth Grille Design?

Vedette can be translated into English as meaning either "scout" or "star" (the latter in the context of entertainment).  I suspect that Ford of France folks intended the meaning to be "star."  But for the purposes of this post, "scout" might possibly apply.

The Wikipedia entry for the Vedette brand is here.

A while ago I wrote about 1947-1955 grilles for Plymouth, Chrysler Corporation's entry level brand.  The grille design for 1953 Plymouths has always puzzled me somewhat.  It consists of a thick horizontal bar with several raised, chromed, vertical ridges wrapped around it along with some vertical grooves incised.  Quite different from the sculpted-looking chromed shapes then current on the fronts of American cars.

Where did Plymouth stylists come up with that theme?

I had always assumed someone must have doodled it and management thought it was a good idea.  Now I'm not so sure.  It seems that early Vedettes (introduced at the fall 1948 Paris auto show) featured a similar theme.  Might a Chrysler stylist have noticed it and played around with variations for the 1953 Plymouth?  If any reader knows for sure how Plymouth got its '53 grille design, let us know in Comments.

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1953 Plymouth publicity material

1949 Vedette - sales photo
This seems to be an entry-level Vedette: no chrome decoration on the grille bar.

1950 Vedette - sales photo
A fancier Vedette.  Compare this grille to that of the Plymouth above.