If you are fascinated by streamlined cars of the Depression era you may want to take a look at three helpful resources. Over at Curbside Classic, Paul Niedermeyer (2018) has posted a terrific photo essay about an exhibit of streamlined cars and motorcycles called “The Shape of Speed: Streamlined Automobiles and Motorcycles, 1930-1942.”
You can also learn about the exhibit from its curator, automotive historian Ken Gross. He presented a lecture June 17 to introduce the “The Shape of Speed,” which will run at the Portland Art Museum through September 16.
Gross offers an overview of the 17 cars and two motorcycles displayed in the exhibit. For example, he discusses the evolution of the Graham’s styling in the 1930s, which culminated in the infamous 1938-40 “sharknose” (see my take here, which includes a fake redesign).
Gross also sheds light on how museums gain access to rare classic cars. This is very much a wealthy person’s pastime due to the stratospheric cost of classics. Listening to Gross talk about the owners of some of the exhibit’s cars sounded a bit like an episode of the television show, Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous (Wikipedia, 2018).
An auto history colleague of mine has dismissed Gross’s presentation as overly long and rambling. Perhaps I’ve sat through too many graduate-level lectures, but I nevertheless found Gross to be worth a listen — with the occasional assistance of the “forward” button.
It makes sense that Gross was asked to guest curate this exhibit. He is the former executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California as well as a prolific writer of books and articles about old and new cars (McCourt, 2013). Go here for a list of books sold through Amazon that Gross has written or co-written.
This brings me to a third resource about streamlined cars — Curves of Steel: Streamlined Automobile Design (2009). This book is based upon the catalog of a 2008 exhibit at the Phoenix Museum of Art, which displayed 22 streamlined cars. Writers contributing to Curves of Steel included automotive historians such as Gross, Beverly Rae Kimes, Phil Patton, Richard Adatto and Diana Meredith. Each car is presented with historical images and contemporary photographs by Michael Furman. I haven’t actually seen the book but, given the stature of its authors and photographer, imagine that Curves of Steel is worthy of display on the richest and most famous of coffee tables. Of course, it will cost you — $75 on Amazon.
If you are in the Portland, Oregon area between now and September 16 you could also see the “The Shape of Speed” exhibit. Check out our calendar listing here.
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RE:SOURCES
- McCourt, Mark J.; 2013. “Ken Gross.” Hemmings. Posted December; accessed August 16, 2018.
- Niedermeyer, Paul; 2018. “Museum Classics: ‘The Shape of Speed’ — A Sublime Collection of Streamlined Cars.” Posted August 1; accessed August 16.
- Stein, Jonathan A.; 2009. Curves of Steel: Streamlined Automobile Design. Coachbuilt Press.
- Wikipedia; 2018. “Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous.” Last edited June 17; accessed August 16.
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