The Great Barn Discovery Uncovers Overlooked GM Designs from 1940 | Carscoops

      A folder filled with sketches dated 1940 has been discovered in a barn in New York, showcasing the early works of some of America's most significant car designers.

      These sketches originate from the GM-owned Detroit Institute of Automobile Styling and feature the talents of younger designers who would later influence many US automotive icons.

      Among the most renowned American car designs of the 20th century are the 1955-57 Tri-Chevys, 1961 Lincoln Continental, and 1963 Buick Riviera. A recent discovery in a New York barn has shed light on the initial flashes of brilliance from the designers behind these classics.

      Car enthusiast Josh Quick found over 80 long-lost designs while searching for antique tractor parts in Conesus, south of Rochester. Initially intrigued by the 1940 sketches, he had no idea of their historical significance.

      Quick, who operates the Quick Speed Shop YouTube channel and is well-versed in vintage American cars, soon recognized the names beneath the sketches, names integral to shaping US car design in the 1950s and 1960s, and grasped the importance of his find.

      The artwork originates from a 1940 semester at the Detroit Institute of Automobile Styling, a program founded by GM icon Harley Earl in 1938, which aimed to train the next generation of American automotive designers and ensure GM recruited top talent.

      All sketches appear to stem from a brief to design a Buick for the 1942 model year. However, due to the US entering WWII in 1941, the MY42 cars would not materialize, and the modern pontoon styling characterized by integrated fenders wouldn't become standard in Detroit until the end of the decade. Futuristic aircraft and monorails in the background enhance the ‘tomorrow’s world’ motif.

      The well-maintained 80-page folder features contributions from designers like Ed Glowacke, who advanced Cadillac during the mid-tail fin era, Clare MacKichan, known for Chevrolet's iconic ’55, ’56, and ’57 sedans along with early Corvettes, and Ned Nickles, who designed the remarkable 1963 Buick Riviera.

      Some of the emerging designers would go on to achieve great success outside GM: Joe Oros played a role in creating the Ford Mustang, Gene Bordinat became a vice president at Ford, and Elwood Engel led Chrysler design throughout the 1960s.

      The family of the farmer whose estate sale led to this discovery is unaware of how or when the sketches came into his possession, but the folder is now securely with GM’s archivists, who have digitized the entire collection and archived the original drawings alongside other materials from the DIAS.