1986 Chevy Pickup

Chuck Jordan, Automotive Futurist and Fin Fanatic, Remembered at Concours

PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Near the end of my last telephone interview with Chuck Jordan, the retired head of design for General Motors, he suggested I travel to his home to, as he put it, “collect the stories” before old-timers like him died, taking their tales with them.

About a year after our conversation, the man who spent more than half of his 83 years designing cars for G.M. was dead, and I never availed myself of his invitation.

Last weekend provided ample time for stories, however, as the Concours d’Élégance of America here paid tribute to cars Mr. Jordan personally designed or strongly influenced. The tribute included a panel discussion by people who worked alongside him during his remarkable tenure.

The collaboration of concours officials and General Motors was secured to assemble a special display here called Ten Important Automobile Designs Honoring Chuck Jordan. The vehicles ranged in vintage from the 1956 Buick Centurion concept car, which a young Mr. Jordan designed for the G.M. Motorama show, to the 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora .

Jordan was only 30 years old in 1957 when he was appointed to lead the Cadillac design studio. He later became head of exterior design for G.M., then of design for G.M. of Europe and returned to Michigan as director of design — essentially, second only to the vice president of design. From 1986 until his retirement in 1992, Mr. Jordan was G.M.’s design chief.

The assembled speakers were keen to expand the discussion of his accomplishments to include his involvement as a design manager in the creation of cars like the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and how that car and its blistered fenders still influenced vehicles around the world today. They recalled how close G.M. came to shutting down its sagging Cadillac division until the 1992 Seville and Eldorado rekindled sales, and discussed the significance of the 1988 Cadillac Voyage and 1992 Corvette Sting Ray III concepts.

And they talked about Mr. Jordan, how he stressed the importance of proportion, how he pushed for designs that weren’t square and angular but emitted a subtle beauty born of simplicity.

As Roger Hughet , another retired G.M. designer said in summary, “Chuck Jordan wanted shape, not cardboard cars.”

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CAR SPRINGS - 56 Chevy Pickup – $$$$ Spent on Restoration – $16750

Just reduced over 00! With over K invested–at 750 it’s an absolute steel! This truck originally had a 1956 GMC cab and was replaced by a 1956 Chevy cab which looked the same at the time. It is powered by a completely rebuilt 350 w/rebuilt 350 turbo tranny and represents a long range and very expensive project. Features and changes are as follows: an ’86 Camaro front clip, forward tipping hood has all new brackets (but original fittings available), new chrome grill, new chrome front bumper, headlights assembly, front disk brakes, single rear leaf springs and all shackles pins, etc which lowered the back to be equal with the front, digital shaved dash, power steering, freshly rebuilt bed, chrome header, new wiring harness, ’87 Cadillac taillights, rolled rear, new gas tank, there are 1500 miles on the new tires, the interior has 2 covered single seats (40′s) from two 60/40 1995 Suburbans. All hoses and cables were replaced, there is a custom steering wheel and the steering column is from a 1986 Chevy car, head lights and turn signal lights are new as are the chrome front bumper and chrome front grill. The oak floor boards have new chrome strips, the chains have been removed from the tailgate and it has the new “inside of bed” tailgate w/locks, taillights are from a 1986 Cadillac and there are new chromes wheels and tires. More pictures and video coming soon! Much has been done that has not been fully listed and some minor things need to be completed.

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