Corvette Glossary Of Terms

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Earl, Harley J.

November 22, 1893–April 10, 1969 – was the first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques. He subsequently introduced the “concept car” as both a tool for the design process and a clever marketing device.

Influenced by the English and European sports cars being raced on road racing circuits after World War II, Earl decided that General Motors needed to make a sports car. Design work on “Project Opel” began as a secret project. He first offered the project to Chevrolet general manager Ed Cole.  Cole accepted the project without hesitation, and the car was offered to the public in 1953 as the Chevrolet Corvette.