While Harley Earl’s most recognized contribution to the auto industry was the Tail Fin, this does not do justice to possibly the most influential, and not so well known, auto designer we’ve seen in the US…..Ever. He was an artist pure and simple and a modern artist at that and he was a genius at integrating art, science and showmanship into every product. Here was a man who showed America how Art and Industry could join to create some of the most function and beautiful automobiles we have ever seen. While Henry Ford asked “Does it work?” Earl went on to further ask “How should it look?” and “Why should it look that way?” The scope of his work is staggering, from the 1927 La Salle to the 1958 Firebird III creation.
When I look at the Harley Earl designed 1953 Corvette and see the impact it had and still has on the American consciousness, I begin to understand the importance of this understated yet vitally important genius.
I only wish today’s designers had the balls or plain ability to start such a large nationwide trend as the Tail Fin.
For further reading on Harley Earl go to
www.corvettemuseum.com/library-archives/hof/earl.shtml
