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introduced in the late 1970s, some of the last designs that he would lead—and all largely based on themes first developed in his 1976 Cadillac
Seville. However, when it came to compact and subcompact cars, Mitchell, who often struggled with alcoholism, reflected that "Small cars are like vodka. Sure people will try them out but they won't stay with them."
333:
re-worked into one pane of curved glass) for the 1964 Corvette coupe. The 1963-1967 Stingray (in both coupe and roadster editions), with its slightly bulged front and rear quarter-panels, would be one of the first
General Motors cars to feature what came to be known as "Coke bottle" styling, creating an aggressive and muscular look.
420:
165:, and the 1980-85 Cadillac Seville. Mitchell spent the entirety of his 42-year career in automobile design at General Motors, eventually becoming Vice President of Design, a position he held for 19 years until his retirement in 1977. His design stewardship at General Motors became known as the 'Bill Mitchell era'.
332:
Mitchell's fondness for split rear windows as featured on the 1957 Buick and on the 1963 Corvette
Stingray coupe was not shared by some of his fellow stylists or the buying public and both cars dropped the feature after a measure of public resistance. The split rear window would be eliminated (and
356:
During the 1973-74 energy crisis, which brought on a greater demand for smaller cars in place of the larger cars that had been GM's bread and butter profit machine for decades, Mitchell oversaw the styling and design efforts of GM's downsized full-sized and intermediate-sized cars which were
254:
In
December 1958, Harley Earl reached GM's mandatory retirement age of 65 and thus retired from his position as chief stylist. The 46-year-old Mitchell succeeded him as General Motors Vice President, Styling Section. Mitchell set out to break with the styling cues used under
755:
772:
A vice president of design at
General Motors for 19 years, Mr. molded the appearance of hundreds of car models, including the 1963 Buick Riviera and the 1970 Camaro. His designs were transformed into more than 72.5 million automobiles, according to
213:, who had founded the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) (a forerunner of the Sports Car Club of America) in 1931. Mitchell became the official illustrator of the club and his sketches for the club eventually came to the attention of
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321:, under Mitchell's direction. The designs for both the 1963 Corvette and the 1963 Riviera were accepted by their respective divisions on Christmas Eve 1961, in what Mitchell referred to as perhaps the greatest moment of his life.
870:
230:
Based on sketches
Mitchell created as the official illustrator for the ARCA, Harley Earl recruited Mitchell to General Motors' then new Art and Color Section on December 15, 1935.
999:
380:
Following his retirement from
General Motors, Mitchell ran William L. Mitchell Design, a private design-consulting firm, from 1977 to 1984. He was a vocal critic of the new
883:
William L. Mitchell, a former vice president for design at the
General Motors Corporation, died of heart failure Monday at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.
137:
Mitchell is responsible for creating or influencing the design of over 72.5 million automobiles produced by GM, including such landmark vehicles as the 1938
646:
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dealer and developed a talent for sketching automobiles at an early age. He grew up in
Greenville, Pennsylvania and New York City. Mitchell attended the
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After his retirement from
General Motors, Mitchell operated a private design consulting firm, William L. Mitchell Design, from 1977 to 1984.
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384:'s styling, which he referred to as "bland." Bill Mitchell died at the age of 76 from heart failure at William Beaumont Hospital in
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Mitchell stepped down as chief stylist in July 1977 following his 65th birthday. The last car he designed at GM was the 1977
340:, which, like other GM models introduced for that year, used curved side-window glass to enhance its "Coke Bottle" profile.
306:, "a baby Cadillac". The Riviera also featured frameless glass in the front doors, giving hardtops an even sleeker look.
123:
946:(Hardcover ed.). Stockton, California, United States: Lamm-Morada Publishing Company Inc. pp. 172–187.
368:. He was also instrumental in the design of what would become the 1980-85 Cadillac Seville. On August 1, 1977,
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An encounter with a shark, while skin diving in the Bahamas, inspired Mitchell's Corvette Shark show car, his
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The 1977 Cadillac Sedan deVille featured slightly downsized styling influenced by the 1976 Cadillac Seville
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Bill Mitchell developed a love for automobiles and a remarkable talent for sketching them at an early age.
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In 1936 Earl appointed Mitchell as the Chief Designer in the then newly created Cadillac design studio.
43:
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The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe featured what is sometimes referred to as "Coke bottle" styling.
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122:. Mitchell worked briefly as an advertising illustrator and as the official illustrator of the
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Savage, Jeff S. (1993). "Electra with a Centurion and a Le Sabre and a boat-tail Riviera".
209:. While working at the agency, Mitchell met brothers Barron Collier Jr., Miles Collier and
205:
where he prepared layouts and advertising illustrations, including U.S. advertisements for
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64:
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Officially Licensed by General Motors Design, a chronicle of GM's first century of design
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Mitchell also influenced the dramatic styling of the second generation 1965 rear-engine
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On May 1, 1954 Mitchell became General Motors Director of Styling under Harley Earl.
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was one of Mitchell's famous designs during his tenure as Chief of styling at GM.
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Head of design at General Motors 1958-1977; innovations in automotive design
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302:. He had originally envisaged the design for Cadillac Division, as a new
298:. According to a popular story, Mitchell got the idea for the Riviera in
806:"Salute to William L. Mitchell - Vice President - General Motors Design"
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He hated all the chrome, he hated the fat fins, he hated the excesses...
291:
206:
279:
In the 60s, Mitchell promoted what he called the "sheer look," a more
942:
Lamm, Michael; Holls, Dave (1996). "Chapter 10: The Mitchell Years".
926:(Hardcover ed.). United States of America: MRC Publishing, Inc.
201:
After completing art school, Mitchell joined the New York City based
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174:
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Bill Mitchell was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame by the
242:
Director of Styling (under the Vice President of styling section)
675:"75 years of General Motors Design: Bill Mitchell - The Car Guy"
250:
Vice President, Styling Section (in charge of all styling at GM)
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944:
A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car Design
372:
succeeded Mitchell as Vice President of General Motors Design.
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283:, "shoulderless" drop off from a car's windows to its sides.
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Nielssen, Eric (July 9, 1977). "GM's Mister Style retired".
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Of all the 72 million cars for which he was responsible...
149:, the 1959-1984 Cadillac DeVille, the 1963–65 and 1966-67
869:. New York, New York. September 15, 1988. Archived from
615:
970:
The General Motors Quick Reference Site. Archived from
815:. General Motors Corporation. July 1977. Archived from
286:
Mitchell gave GM designers the assignment of combining
729:"Bill Mitchell, General Motors Head of Design, Part I"
217:, then head of General Motors Art and Color Section.
756:"Corvette Stingray Creator William L. Mitchell Dies"
118:(July 2, 1912 – September 12, 1988) was an American
735:. Corvette Action Center, Inc. 2010. Archived from
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34:
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749:Mitchell was born July 2, 1912, in Cleveland...
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563:Chrome Colossus: General Motors and Its Times
8:
294:styling cues to create Buick's classic 1963
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978:
899:"The Reminiscences of William L. Mitchell"
842:. Dearborn, Michigan. 2004. Archived from
42:
31:
863:"William L. Mitchell, Auto Executive, 76"
1008:General Motors vice presidents of design
924:Driving Style: GM Design's First Century
584:"Bill Mitchell's Swan Song: The Phantom"
518:
27:American automobile designer (1912–1988)
903:Automobile in American Life and Society
840:Automobile in American Life and Society
408:
785:. General Motors. 2010. Archived from
681:. Car Design News, Inc. Archived from
673:Winding-Sørensen, Jon (June 9, 2003).
565:, Mcgraw-Hill; 1st edition July 1980,
762:. Washington, D.C. September 18, 1988
653:. MotorTrend Magazine. Archived from
582:Schreiber, Ronnie (August 31, 2014).
130:to join the Art and Color Section of
7:
905:. Dearborn, Michigan. Archived from
647:"Icons: Auto Designer Bill Mitchell"
712:from the original on July 16, 2011
708:. National Corvette Museum. 2010.
604:William L. Mitchell Biography 2004
551:(Winter, #4). Watsonville, CA: 51.
364:concept, which now resides at the
25:
645:Robinson, Peter (December 2006).
460:General Motors Design Impact 1977
124:Automobile Racing Club of America
922:Cantey, Mark R. (January 2008).
702:"Bill Mitchell (1998 Induction)"
179:Carnegie Institute of Technology
1086:People from Royal Oak, Michigan
836:"William L. Mitchell Biography"
173:Bill Mitchell was the son of a
1:
1096:American automobile designers
616:National Corvette Museum 2010
221:At General Motors Corporation
197:At Barron Collier Advertising
813:General Motors Design Impact
1112:
897:Crippen, David R. (1985).
382:fourth-generation Corvette
203:Barron Collier Advertising
126:before being recruited by
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388:, on September 12, 1988.
185:and later studied at the
147:1955-57 Chevrolet Bel Air
41:
1091:General Motors designers
398:National Corvette Museum
313:and the production 1963
234:Chief Designer, Cadillac
183:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
169:Early life and education
18:Bill Mitchell (designer)
640:(4209). United Kingdom.
504:GM Heritage Center 2010
780:"Mitchell, William L."
733:Corvette Action Center
392:Awards and recognition
353:
329:
317:, largely designed by
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143:Cadillac Coupe deVille
139:Cadillac Sixty Special
116:William Leroy Mitchell
531:Winding-Sørensen 2003
421:"Digital Collections"
351:
327:
270:
226:Art and Color Section
789:on November 24, 2010
739:on November 18, 2010
492:Washington Post 1988
425:www.thehenryford.org
187:Art Students' League
909:on October 21, 2010
477:New York Times 1988
386:Royal Oak, Michigan
120:automobile designer
96:Automotive designer
84:Royal Oak, Michigan
968:GM Design Timeline
783:GM Heritage Center
706:corvettemuseum.com
354:
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191:New York, New York
76:September 12, 1988
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953:978-0-932128-07-2
933:978-0-615-26435-6
657:on April 30, 2011
571:978-0-07-013493-5
521:, pp. 43–45.
315:Corvette Stingray
155:Corvette Stingray
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16:(Redirected from
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132:General Motors
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36:Bill Mitchell
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1042:Wayne Cherry
1036:Chuck Jordan
1023:
972:the original
943:
923:
913:November 13,
911:. Retrieved
907:the original
902:
882:
877:November 13,
875:. Retrieved
871:the original
866:
855:
850:November 13,
848:. Retrieved
844:the original
839:
826:November 13,
824:. Retrieved
817:the original
812:
798:
793:November 13,
791:. Retrieved
787:the original
782:
771:
766:November 13,
764:. Retrieved
759:
748:
743:November 13,
741:. Retrieved
737:the original
732:
721:
716:November 13,
714:. Retrieved
705:
694:
689:November 13,
687:. Retrieved
683:the original
678:
666:
661:November 13,
659:. Retrieved
655:the original
650:
637:
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589:February 15,
587:. Retrieved
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428:. Retrieved
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366:Sloan Museum
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78:(1988-09-12)
61:July 2, 1912
29:
1081:1988 deaths
1076:1912 births
1050:(2003–2016)
1044:(1992–2004)
1038:(1986–1992)
1032:(1977–1986)
1030:Irv Rybicki
1026:(1958–1977)
1020:(1940–1958)
1018:Harley Earl
370:Irv Rybicki
288:Rolls-Royce
281:aerodynamic
257:Harley Earl
215:Harley Earl
211:Sam Collier
141:, the 1949
128:Harley Earl
1070:Categories
1048:Ed Welburn
651:MotorTrend
625:References
57:1912-07-02
545:AutoPhyle
400:in 1998.
271:The 1963
134:in 1935.
100:executive
710:Archived
304:La Salle
1056:(2016–)
634:Autocar
430:May 23,
338:Corvair
296:Riviera
292:Ferrari
207:MG cars
950:
930:
569:
145:, the
86:, U.S.
67:, U.S.
820:(PDF)
809:(PDF)
404:Notes
376:1980s
344:1970s
300:Paris
263:1960s
175:Buick
948:ISBN
928:ISBN
915:2010
879:2010
852:2010
828:2010
795:2010
768:2010
745:2010
718:2010
691:2010
663:2010
591:2016
567:ISBN
432:2024
290:and
98:and
73:Died
51:Born
773:GM.
638:147
189:in
181:in
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511:^
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