In the late 1940s, America was riding high. A seemingly endless world conflict was over at last, and returning GIs, flush with saved-up combat pay, were anxious to resume interrupted lives; they wanted to finish educations and have families. Food shortages and gas rationing were a thing of the past, replaced with insatiable cravings for new homes, new appliances and most of all, new cars. New highways were being built. Americans were moving, resettling, and reawakening to myriad possibilities. Optimism reigned.

The once-powerful British and European auto industries, and the fledgling Japanese one, were struggling to rise from the rubble. Everyone looked to America for inspiration. After all, the most powerful and wealthy nation on earth had created the war-winning “Arsenal of Democracy.” People all over the world could only imagine what this would mean when it was redirected toward peaceful purposes.

Through 1946 and 1947, postwar US cars were basically warmed-over 1942 models, but by the mid-20th Century, General Motors was synonymous with the best of advanced American automotive design.

And there was nothing to match the spectacle, the creativity, the optimism and excitement—the sheer magnitude—of a remarkable series of auto shows hosted by General Motors. The now-legendary GM Motoramas were lavish traveling road shows that toured the country six times between 1953 and 1961, displaying the creativity and style of each individual GM division while reflecting GM’s optimism for postwar America.

The Motorama era has often been called the Golden Age of GM design, partly because of the immense creativity evidenced in the show cars themselves and partly because many of the seemingly fanciful ideas and outlandish styling cues seen at the Motoramas actually found their way into the stylish production cars offered thereafter by GM—and others. While the Motoramas lasted, they were rolling proof that designer Harley Earl and, later, Bill Mitchell—and all the GM stylists—were at the top of their game.

The first official GM Motorama toured the country in 1953, and five more Motoramas followed over the next eight years. These shows featured specially built concept cars, often one for each GM division, displayed on elaborate turntables and multilevel, cantilevered platforms. And the cars were treated as stars; they were accompanied by

a large cast of actors, singers and dancers, and musical reviews and theatrical productions were staged around them. 

About 54 concept cars (the exact number is uncertain) were built for and displayed in this unique series of automotive extravaganzas. GM also exhibited some “custom” production models, with special paint, upholstery, accessories and trim.

Created to tease the public, the Motoramas gave showgoers a glimpse of future styling, gauged enthusiasm for soon-to-be-produced advanced features and tested public reaction to dramatic styling cues. While the underlying intent was to display design expertise and advanced engineering, the primary purpose was to encourage the purchase of new GM vehicles.

Due to their complexity, and the sheer expense of creating and presenting them, the Motoramas were not held annually, so it was very exciting when a new one was announced.

Ed Welburn, who is now GM Vice President of Worldwide Design, still remembers the first Motorama he attended, with his father, at age 8: “The car that absolutely stunned me was the Cadillac Cyclone. W-O-W! That was the dream car that made me want to be a car designer.” 

The Motoramas flourished, grew in scope and complexity—and then ended because the escalating cost of the ever-more-elaborate displays ultimately outpaced the perceived sales and public relations benefit.

Many of the original 1950s-era Motorama concept cars were broken up and destroyed soon after they first appeared. Built for the most part for display, they were seen as obsolete stage props that were no longer needed and were taking up valuable space. Some became test mules, but many could not—or should not—be driven. They certainly could not be sold; liability issues were a great concern.

A few concept cars were retained by GM, and several survivors were loaned to the Henry Ford Museum. Sadly, many cars were junked and are now lost forever. In a few cases, wrecking yard personnel couldn’t bring themselves to destroy these beautiful cars, so against orders, some were hidden and thus saved.

Decades have now passed, and some Motorama cars have since been rescued from wrecking yards and then preserved or restored. The best-known private collection of GM Motorama concepts is owned by Joe Bortz, from Chicago. Bortz, who calls himself an “auto archaeologist,” has spent three decades locating, researching and resurrecting dream cars. He helped organize the first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance exhibitions of these cars back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, returning them to the public’s attention and encouraging auto manufacturers to dream once again.

The Motorama exhibit at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours will be the largest to date. General Motors has generously transported twelve of its own Motorama cars, as well as five of Joe Bortz’s, to this event. It has also helped to transport the Futurliner formerly owned by Bortz and now owned by the National Automotive & Truck Museum of the United States. The so-called “Waldorf Corvette,” the first 1953 model ever shown at a Motorama, is on display courtesy of F. C. Kerbeck. And the Oldsmobile F-88 roadster, owned now by John S. Hendricks, appears courtesy of the Hendricks Collection at the Gateway Colorado Auto Museum.

In the 21st Century, enormous, specially dedicated, single-company traveling exhibits like the hallowed GM Motoramas are a thing of the past; they would be frighteningly expensive to produce. Yet major automotive events like the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and similar events in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Paris, Geneva and Pebble Beach, are still used to preview new car design concepts.

The rationale hasn’t changed. But now, once their auto show days are over, GM carefully retains and preserves each special creation, recognizing that they are important links in the continuous chain of its design history—and that of the auto industry as a whole.

If there’s a major difference between the Motorama fantasies of the mid-20th Century, and the GM concept cars of the new millenium, it’s that, for the most part, today’s dream cars are typically built as precursors to soon-to-be production cars. One could argue that it’s no longer necessary to tease showgoers with what might be; today’s more sophisticated buyers want a realistic preview of what’s actually coming. Present-day auto stylists still attempt to push the envelope with eye-catching shapes, but the principal premise—for the most part—is to prepare future buyers for a dramatic shift in design leading to new production models and sales.

Today, an impressive GM design renaissance, sparked by Bob Lutz and led by Ed Welburn, is well underway at Cadillac and Buick, and is evolving at Pontiac and Chevrolet. As the 21st Century unwinds, the legacy of Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell remains in very good hands.

Ken Gross is a highly regarded automotive historian and journalist as well as a member of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Selection Committee.

Copyright © 2008 Pebble Beach Company. Excerpted from the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Program and used with permission from the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. All rights reserved.