[...] My desire to design cars for General Motors started at the age of eight. Like many other kids with the same goal, I was fortunate to actually see my dream come true. Employment came by way of Chuck Jordan in 1966 during my last week at Pratt Institute in New York. During my 35 [...]

Mr. Mieczkowski is an associate professor and chair of the History Department at Dowling College on Long Island. “My name’s Harley Earl.” So says the nattily dressed man appearing in the new television advertisements for Buick cars. Buick, the ads proclaim, represents the “Spirit of American Style.” Just who was Harley Earl? He’s certainly not [...]

Harley Earl stands in the GM desert proving ground in the early 1950s with three Firebird concept cars. The series has the auto industry’s first design chief returning to take stock in today’s models, such as the Buick Rendezvous, and suggesting that great things are still to come. “The intent of this campaign is to [...]

Despite what the members of Earth First! might think, body-on-frame architecture is still necessary for those vehicles that need true off-road capability, towing ability, and which may see severe duty. This is not to say that they can’t afford to lose a little weight. However, it’s hard to reduce weight when crash standards are increased. [...]