Object Timeline

1946

  • Work on this object began.

2017

2018

2024

  • You found it!

Drawing, Concept Car

This is a Drawing. It was designed by Don Butler. It is dated 1946 and we acquired it in 2017. Its medium is airbrush and ink on illustration board. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Don Butler's gleaming burgundy Concept Car is labeled "Sensation" just above the left front tire. He probably developed this design while working for Hudson Motor Car Company, as indicated by the insignia on the metal hood ornament. The protruding chrome bumper and grill distinguish the vehicle but it is the centrally placed steering wheel, located in the middle of the front bench seat, that emboldens the concept. While this approach was proposed in other mid-century car designs, the center steering wheel never took off because it is not spatially efficient.

It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Paul Herzan and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

Its dimensions are

35.6 × 48.3 cm (14 × 19 in.)

It is signed

Signed in red color pencil, lower right: Don Butler / 10 - 2 - 46

Cite this object as

Drawing, Concept Car; Designed by Don Butler (American, active mid-20th century); airbrush and ink on illustration board; 35.6 × 48.3 cm (14 × 19 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Paul Herzan and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund; 2017-18-23

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1108806801/ |title=Drawing, Concept Car |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>