Have you heard of Harley Earl?

I have started asking around and am surprised of the amount of people that have not heard of him. Have you, without googling?

 

then I guess you have heard of him. It's not a trick question. I have recently made acquaintance with his grandson and we have been talking about his existence and I have been asking around and am shocked, really, at the amount of people that have not heard of him.

Not a trick question

 

I see at the time I voted 5 other old guys had already voted

 

I'm 41 and never heard of him. My dad's 76 an knew he was a car designer but not for what company.

 

I remember GM launching a big ad campaign for Buick featuring the "ghost of Harley Earl".

They were meant to showcase the new Buick, but all they really showcased was just how far the Buick division and GM itself had fallen.

They used an actor that looked nothing like Earl, and also tried to insert Tiger Woods into the whole mess. Earl would leave his hat behind on some ugly Rendezvous.

Earl would go on about how fabulous his latest creation was, like he was designing from the grave. I'm sure he was turning over in it instead!

It was nice for GM to pay homage to Harley Earl, but it was a totally inept disaster, and disappeared quickly.

[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfOMmETWlzc[/nomedia]

[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcNsvMykU0s[/nomedia]


David

 

I actually thought the commercial was pretty cool, there are actually several versions, but the dissapointing thing to me was the Rendezvous

 

I never new about him until I was old.

 

I like the shots recreating the unveiling of his show cars, and the forties-fifties glamour, but trying to rub that mystique off on the mediocre stuff they were showing, well, that's just sad.

This campaign came out around the same time Cadillac was showing the incredible cars from it's past, and that was kind of cool. But it was right at the beginning of their new "Art and Science" styling theme, and they could sort of get away with showing bold designs of the past next to some bold designs of today. A '59 convertible with an XLR. Both bold. It worked better IMO.

David

I can't find the ad I'm thinking of, but this is a fun Cadillac ad, and shows some of Earl's bold influence.
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji8d5u2VhY8[/nomedia]

 

some of the product coming out these days is cool, I like all the Cadillacs, even the SRX, the Buicks really look like Lexuses... I like

Camaro is cool, and Vette of course, but that's about it. They need more cool cars.

 

Today, GM could maybe get away with those ads. Their entire lineup is so improved since in the last couple of years, that having Harley Earl go on about the new LeCrosse or the Enclave might have been a little more convincing. Maybe.

David

 

I have been a car nut since birth, especially classics (you can ask my mom. First word was "truck") so when I was a kid and everyone wanted a Lambo or Ferrari I wanted a 57 Chevy. So yeah, I've heard of mister Earl.

I will have to say the new stuff is an improvement over the stuff they had in the old ads.

I also think we can agree that the Rendezvous was better looking then it's sibling the Aztec.

Now if GM could make a RWD Impala that looked classy and not so cookie cutter that would be interesting.

 

Amen to that. Deep down I would really like a '96 ImpalaSS.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/96-I...ewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item53dfa96e23

 

Yep!...Sure have........ And no google needed.

 

I wonder if Harley Earl turned over in his grave when GM made those commercials? If he didn't I would be surprised cause that man had more style and class, I don't think he would like or approve the design of the new cars at all.

I didn't have to google him I read about Harley Earl and some of his early designs before he went to work for GM. He designed some great cars on his own before he went to work on at GM

 

No Sh**!! He's most likely still spinning from what the morons did to GM and has'nt even seen these comercials. Tiger woods saying..."I see dead people"...WTF is that about and WTF does that have to do with selling CRAP new GM cars?