The 1958 Firebird III will make sure you and your wife arrive for your dinner date on the moon ... in style!
World War II had recently ended and the United States was thriving. Soldiers had returned from their posts overseas and were ready to spend their hard earned paychecks. The country was growing and new highways were being built. The American car industry found itself in the midst of a design boom, and the Motorama era was born.
Often called the Golden Age of GM, the Motorama era was filled with wild concepts that evoked the spirit of true American innovation. The official Motorama shows were traveling exhibits that allowed the country to catch a glimpse of what was possible in the future of automobile design. The first show toured the country in 1953, and five more shows followed over the course of the next eight years.
At this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Motorama was resurrected, and GM donated 12 of their own vehicles (as well as a few from private collections) to the event.
Even among the glitz and glamour of such cars as those on display at the Concorso Italiano or the ones sold at the RM Auction, this collection of vehicles represents a wonderful era in the history of American auto making -- a time when designers weren't concerned with such terms as CUV, Hybrid, or CAFE regulations -- they simply allowed their imaginations to run wild, while they produced some beautiful machines that led the way for many technical innovations down the road.
Some more of the vehicles from the Motorama show:
When I think of this era, I can’t help but think of this clip: