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CPP's Open House
January 23, 2012, 5:44 pm

1953 Chevrolet Corvette 'Noland Adams'
The 1953 Corvette was designed by the very talented Harley Earl, Chevrolet’s chief designer. GM listened to the demands of the GI’s that returned from Europe wanting an American sports car. Production was limited to only 300 units the first year so selling the entire production of the entirely new model was not a problem. The first Corvette reached the end of the assembly line on June 30, 1953. The first 53’ Corvettes were all built by hand, in the back of a customer delivery garage in Flint Michigan. Chevrolet made it clear the new Corvette would only be available to high profile executives and people of power and influence. An example is John Wayne received a Corvette for promotional events. . The first two 1953 Corvettes were engineering test cars and according to official records, were destroyed. Of the first 300 Corvettes, approximately 225 are known to exist today.


1967 Chevrolet Nickey/Bill Thomas 427 Stage III Camaro
The introduction of the 1967 Camaro as Chevy’s answer to the Mustang was much anticipated by both Chevrolet dealers and the buying public alike. The sporty little “pony car” was expected to set a new standard for high performance, and while most thought the Camaro’s new 350 CI engine would far surpass the performance of the small block Mustang, Nickey Chevrolet of Chicago had bigger plans for the Camaro. Working with legendary Chevrolet race car and engine builder Bill Thomas in California and GM performance manager Vince Piggins behind the scenes, Nickey developed a plan to install the potent 427 Corvette engines into the Camaro body as soon as they were available in late ’66. Bill Thomas Race Cars would convert the cars to be sold in the west, and the famous drag racer Dickie Harrell was brought in to kick off the car building and sales program in Chicago. The publicity resulting from this unique strategic alliance was historic.

1969 Pontiac GTO From The 2004 Film, The Punisher
This sinister-looking 1969 Pontiac GTO is one of five cars built for stunt use in the 2004 Lions Gate Films comic book movie thriller The Punisher, which starred Tom Jane and John Travolta. One of just two remaining cars, it was used in the main car action scenes and in the famous “bridge burnout” scene so popular with the film’s legion of fans.

The Punisher GTO is powered by a 400/350 HP V-8 fitted with an Edelbrock carburetor and aluminum intake manifold and mated to a Hurst-shifted 3-speed manual transmission for durability, with a scattershield installed for an extra margin of safety. Tubular control arms, Fox shocks and a Richmond Gear Positraction rear end lend further durability, while front disc brakes and dash-mounted Line Lock enable smoky burnouts. Special effects figure prominently inside the all-aluminum interior, which also features retracting shuttered window armor, a custom dash, roll cage and frame reinforcements.

The Parade of Progress Breaks All Attendance Records in Mexico City
Attracting the largest attendance in the history of its travels, the General Motors Parade of Progress closed an eleven-day engagement in Mexico City on January 19, 1938. More than 457,000 persons visited the traveling "circus of science and research" during the engagement. Previously, the exhibition's best day had been one in Oakland, California, when 30,000 people attended. Mexico City broke this single-day attendance record with an opening-day crowd of 79,000 people. On no day did less than 25,000 attend.

Robert Reder, 1917-2011 Co-founder of Monogram Models, renowned model hobby kit company
When Robert Reder was 13, he discovered his first model airplane kit. Using a combination of thin music wire, balsa wood, tissue and a rubber loop, he created a magical flying toy that changed his life. In a memoir, Mr. Reder recalled his feeling when he and his cousin watched the plane fly. "When we flew the model and it would actually rise-off-ground, I was hooked!" Mr. Reder wrote. "Model building and flying became a part of my life."

Eventually, Mr. Reder transformed his fascination with building model planes into a successful business and co-founded Monogram Models Inc., a company known today as Revell Inc., the world-renowned maker of model hobby kits. "The company started in my grandmother's basement," said daughter Renee Zalatoris. "He built the company from scratch, and it became so successful. So, to me that was one of his greatest achievements."

Van and Fritz- The Famous Pontiac Artist By: Robert Tate
During the early fifties, automotive illustrations dominated magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Life, and other well know publications. While some firms began to switch to photography, many automotive companies relied on the talents of artists. Arthur Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman were two of the best illustrators in the automotive community. Van Kaufman was a professional illustrator who had spent many years with Disney Studios and had never done any automobile advertising. Van Kaufman was chosen as the background artist while Arthur Fitzpatrick, who started out as a consulting designer to General Electric and Packard automobiles, illustrated the car.

The Start of American Dealerships
In the beginning of the auto industry (1900-1920) there were over 600 manufacturers. Most did not survive after the production of one or a few cars. Because it was a risky venture to invest in cars banks were reticent to lend money to new automobile ventures. Plus, most car inventors had great mechanical skill and ideas but lacked business sense and experience. They could get a car built but then wondered – what do I do now to sell it so I can make more cars.

The Damsels of Design
The Damsels of Design Besides being women, Anne Asensio, Chelsia Lau and Diane Allen all have two things in common. One, they happen to be three of the most respected automobile designers in the world today. Second, they owe their careers in large part to car designer icon Harley Earl.

It was Earl, GMs visionary Vice President of Design from 1927 until 1958, who broke masculine ranks by hiring his first woman car designer in 1943. At the time it was an unheard of move in the rough and tumble world of auto production back in the days when Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower occupied the White House.

Pro-Werks Releases New Fill Cap Assembly
January 12, 2012, 6:11 pm