Object Timeline

1956

  • Work on this object began.

2017

2024

  • You found it!

Drawing, Concept Car

This is a Drawing. It was designed by Pete Wozena and from the office of General Motors. It is dated 1956 and we acquired it in 2017. Its medium is pen and ink, airbrush and ink on paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

This unusual automobile design concept is typical of the experimental approach of General Motors designer Pete Wozena. The absence of a front grille on this car suggests that it is a concept for a rear-engine vehicle, a technological aspect that allowed for greater freedom when designing the front of the automobile. Wozena’s decorative scheme for the hood combines a pinched nose, large headlight pods running the length of the hood, and retro 1930s front fenders to create a unique design composed of recognizable motifs popular in 1950s automobiles.

This object was donated by Alexandra Herzan and Paul Herzan. It is credited Gift of Alexandra and Paul Herzan.

Its dimensions are

Frame H x W x D (approx.): 53.3 × 59.7 × 3.2 cm (21 in. × 23 1/2 in. × 1 1/4 in.)

It is signed

Signed in graphite, lower right: S-1956 W O Z E N A

Cite this object as

Drawing, Concept Car; Designed by Pete Wozena (American, 1918–2006); Office of General Motors; pen and ink, airbrush and ink on paper; Frame H x W x D (approx.): 53.3 × 59.7 × 3.2 cm (21 in. × 23 1/2 in. × 1 1/4 in.); Gift of Alexandra and Paul Herzan; 2017-39-9

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

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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/1108951103/ |title=Drawing, Concept Car |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>