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	Chevrolet Corvette C1 (Motorama, 1958)

Motorama was an auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. An auto show, or motorshow, is a public exhibition of current Automobile models debuts Concept cars or out-of-production classics General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category A halo vehicle, or halo model, is a Automotive industry marketing term for an automobile/car or other Motor vehicle, designed and

Origins

Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's yearly industrial luncheons at New York City's Waldorf Astoria, beginning in 1931. Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr ( May 23, 1875 – February 17, 1966) was a long-time President and Chairman of General The City of New York The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is a famously luxurious hotel in New York Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They were almost invariably held in conjunction with the New York Auto Show that for many years was held traditionally in the first week of January. The New York International Auto Show is an annual Auto show held in late March or early April

1949's Autorama

After World War II, the first show, Transportation Unlimited Autorama, was staged again at the Waldorf Astoria, in January 1949. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Between the New York City venue and the Boston extension, nearly 600,000 people saw the show. Seven "special" Cadillacs were exhibited including, inter alia, a Series 61 coupe and a Series 62 sedan that were standard except for a special paint finish; also shown were The Caribbean, the Embassy, and the Fleetwood Coupe de Ville, all built on the Series Sixty Special chassis. The Series 61 replaced the small Series 60/65 (except for the upscale Sixty Special) in 1939 The Series 62 was a series of cars produced by Cadillac, designed to replace the mid-sized Series 70 in 1941 The Sixty Special name has been used at Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Bill Mitchell -designed Series 60 derivative

1950

During the 1950 edition, more than 320,000 visitors were able to admire the Cadillac Debutante, a special convertible trimmed in leopard skins. The Cadillac Debutante was exhibited at the Chicago Auto Show as a concept car in 1950 The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring There was no Autorama or Motorama in 1952. Cadillac celebrated its Golden Anniversary (50 years of production) in 1952, and two show cars were on display at various venues around the country: the Townsman, a custom Series Sixty Special sedan, and the Cadillac Eldorado special convertible that went into limited production in 1953. Cadillac is a Brand of Luxury vehicles owned by General Motors. See also Cadillac Eldorado Brougham The Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2002

1953 and 1954 Motorama

The show officially became known as Motorama when it began to travel around the country in 1953. That year more than 1. 4 million visitors saw it; Motorama's opening day in New York drew 45,000 visitors. There was a revue, with orchestra, singers, and dancers. Exhibited at this venue were the Buick Wildcat, Pontiac La Parisienne, Oldsmobile Starfire, Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac Orleans and Le Mans. The Buick Wildcat was a full-size automobile produced by the Buick Division of General Motors from 1962 to 1970 The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many The Cadillac Orleans was a Concept car developed by Cadillac for the 1953 Auto show circuit The Cadillac Le Mans was a concept car developed by Cadillac in 1953

More than 1. 9 million visitors attended the show in 1954; it started on January 26 in the Waldorf Astoria, New York. On display were the experimental Oldsmobile F88 and Cutlass, Buick Wildcat II, Chevrolet Nomad station wagon, General Motors Firebird XP-21 and Pontiac Bonneville Special, Cadillac El Camino, LaEspada and Park Avenue; they all had Fiberglass bodies. A cutlass is a short thick Sabre or slashing Sword, with a straight or slightly curved Blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a Hilt often The Chevrolet Nomad was a Station wagon model produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate For the latter General Motors-produced vehicle see Pontiac Firebird. The Pontiac Bonneville Special is a purpose-built Concept car unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954 the first 2-seater Sports car Pontiac ever Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre see Spelling differences) is material made from extremely fine Fibers of Glass.

Cover of 1956 Motorama program features modern art meant to frame GM's showcars against a futuristic background. Image includes artist's rendering of GM's Firebird III showcar at lower left.

1955 and 1956 Motorama

The 1955 show dates were New York (January 20-25), Miami (February 5-13), Los Angeles (March 5-13), San Francisco (March 26 to April 3), Boston (April 23 to May 1). Exhibited at these venues were the Buick Wildcat III, Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad, Cadillac LaSalle II roadster and sedan, and Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. The Chevrolet Nomad was a Station wagon model produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. See also Cadillac Eldorado Derived from a Cadillac Concept vehicle exhibited during the GM Motorama of 1955 the

In 1956 over 2. 2 million visitors attended. The dates were New York City (January 19-24), Miami (February 4-12), Los Angeles (March 3-11), San Francisco (March 24-April 1), Boston (April 19-29). Featured cars included Buick Centurion, General Motors Firebird II, the Oldsmobile Golden Rocket, Pontiac Club de Mer, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and Eldorado Brougham town car. The Buick Centurion was sold by the Buick division of General Motors from 1971 through 1973 replacing the Buick Wildcat as the sporty rendition of For the latter General Motors-produced vehicle see Pontiac Firebird. The Pontiac Club de Mer was a purpose-built concept car that was unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1956 to celebrate GM's commitment to Futuristic design See also Cadillac Eldorado Derived from a Cadillac Concept vehicle exhibited during the GM Motorama of 1955 the Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will recognize the 1956 show as the Motorama featured in the short film Design for Dreaming. Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American Cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced Design for Dreaming ( 1956) is a musical Sponsored film about a woman (played by Thelma "Tad" Tadlock) who dreams about a masked man

No shows were held for the next two years. In 1957, however, Cadillac did display a couple of show cars at various venues. These were the Cadillac Director and the Eldorado Brougham town car of the previous year. Also, in 1958, a special Eldorado Biarritz convertible toured various automobile shows; it was equipped with a rain sensor designed to automatically raise the top and all window glass, in case of a rain shower. A rain sensor or rain switch is a switching device actuated by rainfall

Design for Dreaming, the 1956 Motorama film, can be found here. Design for Dreaming ( 1956) is a musical Sponsored film about a woman (played by Thelma "Tad" Tadlock) who dreams about a masked man

1959-1961 Motorama

The "1959" Motorama was held from October 16-22, 1958, at the Waldorf Astoria, New York City, before moving on to Boston. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Shown in these two east coast cities were General Motors Firebird III and the Cadillac Cyclone. For the latter General Motors-produced vehicle see Pontiac Firebird.

The final Motorama show was held in 1961 in New York , San Francisco and Los Angeles. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. More than one million visitors attended.

More than 100 trucks were needed to transport Motorama shows around country, each arriving at a precise time and in a given order. Cars and simultaneous revues were displayed on lifting, revolving platforms known as "grass-hoppers".

A total of 10. 5 million visitors saw Motorama shows between 1949 and 1961.

A Touch of Magic was the official film for the 1961 Motorama. A Touch of Magic is a 1961 musical Sponsored film about a married couple who experience the "magic of the present

References

• Gunnell, John, Editor (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.   pp. 745-757