July 2, 1912 Bill Mitchell, a famous American car designer, was born. His father was a car dealer and his mother worked in an advertising agency. Apparently that’s why Bill successfully connected craving for drawing and love for cars. After graduation, he worked as an artist at the American Racing Club. In 1935 Harley Earl, then head of the General Motors aesthetics and color section, saw his work and immediately invited Mitchell to work for himself. Soon 23-year-old Bill Mitchell became one of the leading employees of the department. He participated in the creation of many GM models. His most notable works were Cadillac Sixty Special (1938), Cadillac Coupe DeVille (1949), Chevrolet Bel Air (1955-57), Buick Riviera (1963-65 and 1966-67), Corvette Stingray (1963-67), Cadillac Seville (1975-79) and Chevrolet Camaro (1970-81). When the «fin» style of the 1950s began to become obsolete, Bill Mitchell succeeded Harley Earl as Vice President of Design. He was a supporter of large, powerful and fast-moving cars, road «dreadnoughts». When the oil crisis struck in the late 1970s and consumers turned their eyes to small cars, Bill Mitchell retired at the age of 65. He worked for GM for 42 years, 19 of which he led the department of design. The years of his work at General Motors are called the «Bill Mitchell era».
Cover: AMSRUS
