Today marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of one of America's greatest automotive stylists, William Leroy (Bill) Mitchell (7/2/1912 -
9-12-1988). Best known for the 1963 and 1968 Corvette, he was the designer primarily responsible for some of the best-looking production cars that GM ever produced:
1960 Corvair - 1963 Corvette - 1963 Buick Riviera - 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix - the entire line of 1965 full-sized GM cars - 1966 Olds Toronado -
1970 1/2 Camaro & Firebird - 1976 Cadillac SeVille - 1977 Chevrolet Caprice - 1980 Cadillac SeVille, and more than a dozen Corvette show cars (e.g., Mako Shark, Manta Ray, etc.)
Mitchell was flambouyant, creative, controversial, outspoken, dictatorial, and both admired and despised by members of GM staff. However, there is no denying his talent as a designer.
"Bill Mitchell ruled over GM design staff during its most creative and exciting years in corporate history. No matter his mood, his manner, his style - he gave the place a verve and excitment it never had before or since. He brought out the best creative energies from all of us, and he oversaw the design of the greatest diversity of cars ever produced."
GM Interior Designer George Moon
Perhaps the best way to describe his philosophy is through direct quotation, so I'll present my 10 favorite "Mitchell-isms":
#10) "If you want a well-styled automobile, buy a Corvette ... if you
want a cake of soap, buy a Ford."
#9) "My way has never involved market research, what a lot of bull.
Frank Lloyd Wright didn't go around ringing doorbells asking people
what kind of houses they wanted."
#8) "I think the committee approach to automotive design is ... well
what I think is unprintable."
#7) "A good designer has got to be creative, and to be creative you've
got to be dissastisfied and discontent. It makes for a terrible
personality."
#6) "There isn't a good-looking car that I did that market research had
anything to do with. And market research never touched the
Corvette - never. I shudder to think what would have happened if
it had."
#5) "General Motors has the money for competiton. I've always thought
they should use it. We've had some hairy Corvettes that never got
out."
#4) "That's the fun of a sports car. There's so much you can do with it
to make it more exciting, you're not constricted. You've got the
freedom of knowing that what you do isn't destined to be used for
a car pool."
#3) "Designing a small car is like tailoring a suit for a dwarf."
#2) "I abhor the subjugation of beauty and elegance to function. A
dumb-looking box is still a dumb-looking box."
#1) " A car has to have enough interest so that it looks different each
time you glance at it, you see a little more. That's what a
Corvette should always be."
Sources: A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car
Design. Michael Lamm and Dave Holls, 1997. ISBN 0-932128-07-
06. (A masterpiece on the topic.)
Corvette: A Piece of the Action. Wm. L. Mitchell and Allan
Girdler, 1984. ISBN 0-915038-44-7.
9-12-1988). Best known for the 1963 and 1968 Corvette, he was the designer primarily responsible for some of the best-looking production cars that GM ever produced:
1960 Corvair - 1963 Corvette - 1963 Buick Riviera - 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix - the entire line of 1965 full-sized GM cars - 1966 Olds Toronado -
1970 1/2 Camaro & Firebird - 1976 Cadillac SeVille - 1977 Chevrolet Caprice - 1980 Cadillac SeVille, and more than a dozen Corvette show cars (e.g., Mako Shark, Manta Ray, etc.)
Mitchell was flambouyant, creative, controversial, outspoken, dictatorial, and both admired and despised by members of GM staff. However, there is no denying his talent as a designer.
"Bill Mitchell ruled over GM design staff during its most creative and exciting years in corporate history. No matter his mood, his manner, his style - he gave the place a verve and excitment it never had before or since. He brought out the best creative energies from all of us, and he oversaw the design of the greatest diversity of cars ever produced."
GM Interior Designer George Moon
Perhaps the best way to describe his philosophy is through direct quotation, so I'll present my 10 favorite "Mitchell-isms":
#10) "If you want a well-styled automobile, buy a Corvette ... if you
want a cake of soap, buy a Ford."
#9) "My way has never involved market research, what a lot of bull.
Frank Lloyd Wright didn't go around ringing doorbells asking people
what kind of houses they wanted."
#8) "I think the committee approach to automotive design is ... well
what I think is unprintable."
#7) "A good designer has got to be creative, and to be creative you've
got to be dissastisfied and discontent. It makes for a terrible
personality."
#6) "There isn't a good-looking car that I did that market research had
anything to do with. And market research never touched the
Corvette - never. I shudder to think what would have happened if
it had."
#5) "General Motors has the money for competiton. I've always thought
they should use it. We've had some hairy Corvettes that never got
out."
#4) "That's the fun of a sports car. There's so much you can do with it
to make it more exciting, you're not constricted. You've got the
freedom of knowing that what you do isn't destined to be used for
a car pool."
#3) "Designing a small car is like tailoring a suit for a dwarf."
#2) "I abhor the subjugation of beauty and elegance to function. A
dumb-looking box is still a dumb-looking box."
#1) " A car has to have enough interest so that it looks different each
time you glance at it, you see a little more. That's what a
Corvette should always be."
Sources: A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car
Design. Michael Lamm and Dave Holls, 1997. ISBN 0-932128-07-
06. (A masterpiece on the topic.)
Corvette: A Piece of the Action. Wm. L. Mitchell and Allan
Girdler, 1984. ISBN 0-915038-44-7.
Of course, nobody ever told him that - they'd have been history.
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