'Til Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away

Last week my friend, and fellow blogger, wrote a piece on her love of retro futurism in home design. I may have played a small role. You see, we had a brief discussion on 1950’s design and she ran with it from her way so I decided to run with mine.

As a kid one Christmas I got a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air Convertible Barbie car. Love is the only word I could use to describe how I felt about that car. I lost interest in the Ferrier I already had, it just wasn’t as cool. For years the Chevy stayed in my closet because I couldn’t bear to part with it. It came to represent a time in history I will never be a part of but will always have a fascination with.

Because of that toy car I now drool at the site of any automobile influenced by the Space Race. I mean, just look at the ’57 Chevy. It actually looks like it could take off and land on the moon! The chrome accentuates in all the right places and the instrument panel looks like it came straight off a rocket ship. Sadly though, it’s not the kind of car I would like to drive.

During the late 1940s and early 50’s members of The Greatest Generation came home from World War II, got married, and moved to the suburbs. The working class man needed a vehicle he could not only commute in but also take his wife, 2.5 children and the family dog on a picnic or to a drive-in movie or something. Gas was also $0.25 a gallon then. By today’s standards this car runs like glue and guzzles gas. But at least it still looks good.

As long as there was Cold War tension there were museum quality car designs. Even England and France got in on the act with their Austin Healey, Jaguar MK II, and Renault Caravelle. I’d drive the Jag or the Healey in a heartbeat. I’m not picky.

But, alas, it seems the minute Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon Americans gave up on producing beautiful cars. The 70s were a confusing time for motor vehicles. And, in truth, it was a confusing time for America. How else can you explain the AMC Pacer? It screams “does my butt look big in this?” and I just don’t get it. Wayne of Wayne’s World drove a Pacer and it was a giant joke. These were not the cars that inspired the Beach Boy. And the 80’s weren’t much help.

Enter the DeLorean. In three of the greatest movies of all time this was a car that literally transcended time and space. But it was ugly and completely rubbish but it, too, looked out of this world (in an art gallery far, far away). This was supposed to be the car of the future. Until the company went belly up.

To be honest, I’m not looking forward to the cars of the future. I found a picture of a Mazda Kaan (see below) that looks like a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Hopefully it will never go to production. Even if it does look like a rocket ship. I’m sure it’s environmentally friendly and it probably comes part easily for cleaning and storage.

No, the future of car design doesn’t not excite me much. Nothing seems to compare to the design of the 50s/ 60s era. Perhaps it never will. You see, I live on what’s known as the Space Coast of Florida. I grew up here. Every other school field trip I took was to Kennedy Space Center. And now I’m counting down the days to the last ever shuttle flight. Or at least until funding is restored, which may not happen for years. So it seems America is out of what’s left of the Space Race.

It was good while it lasted. And some designs really have lasted. Take the Ford GT, for example. Originally built in the early 60s the GT40 looked fasted because it was fast. It may not have appeared as if it drove off the pages of a 194- Sci Fi poster but in most ways it looked out of this world without being alien. But here’s the thing, the overall design hasn’t changed much, it’s only been tweaked. The GT still exists today, proving great design really is timeless.


I just hope that time is somewhere around 1957.