A film about the good days of GM when a dream was made a reality. Here you will see (in color) the making of the 1959 Chevrolet Belair from clay all the way to the real thing. Enjoy Joe Qld Australia
Wonder how many computer aided designs of today will be remembered for their elegance and beauty in 50 years.... The people in this film created one of todays most sought after body styles ever - the iconic '59 Bel Air or Impala with the "Saucy rear deck" as it was called back then..... And they did it with skilled hands conveying generations of craftmanship into a true master piece! No mumbo jumbo - just paper, plywood clay and KNOWHOW......
And to think, the basic sketches were probably started in 1955, approval and first mock ups in 1956 or 1957 at the latest. It took a considerable amount of time to build the tooling for the sheet metal, get all the vendors in place for all the little pieces and bits and have it ready by July of 1958 if not a little sooner. Back then they used to to a "model changeover shut down" in early summer for a few weeks. Times sure have changed.
Funnilly enough, that means that the looks of the late 50's were akin to the middle of the 50's designs, and the 1954-55-56-57s designs were early 50's idea concepts. That means tons of models were thought up from 1946 to 1950 alone. Incredible absolutely just embarking on what could of been the big change into something truly surreal as though the time wasn't surreal enough. Some people/folks remember Manhattan or Chicago like the back of their hand, I remember the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's like the back of my hand.
These were actually a crash redesign in response to the 1957 Chrysler Corp designs. Read 'The Cars Of Harley Earl.' He actually hated the design, but he had reached GM's mandatory retirement age of 65. Willuam H 'Bill' Mitchell was responsible for these designs.
That they were. The original face-lifted '58 was completely discarded. Work began in December '56 or January '57, 7 days a week over several months, with the model we all know almost complete by May '57, except for minor details. The other 4 divisions had to do the same thing, so all 5 were on the same page, and were very close to production-ready by July/August '57.This was shockingly fast, and just in the nick of time. @jonathanmorrisey5771
I've had 3 '59 2 door Impala hardtops in 1977, '79 & '98, 2 had the 283 powerglide & one had the 348 turboglide. I miss those cars terribly I grew up with the '59 Chevy's when they were everywhere. Now they're dinosaurs & it's sad.
I agree..time to find the 1959 and 1960 and rebuild each and everyone of them. Iam currently looking for one of each to gently restore back to original condition. I grew up riding in those Classics of the time! The fins were far beyond anything Cadillac ever attempted!
@@MC-gp9ke My 3rd car in 1978 was a '59 2 door Cadillac series 62 I bought at an auction I didn't want it but I kept bidding on it. I like the '59 Chevy's better.
Style and design that has yet to be matched! Bring back those styles and designs. A Duplicate of the 59 and 60 would be best sellers! I'd take a pair of each!!
Be nice if GM remade them again I grew up with the 59 & 60 Chevy's. the problem is it would be too expensive to produce today. Only the rich can buy them. Chevrolet was never a luxury car.
@@winggullseagull1230 Agreed. .imagine a brand new 59 or 60 in the drive way. I would buy one..be less expensive than the costs Iam looking at for off frame restoration . I'd still finish my restoration and own a new one if Chevrolet made them again. .looked at a 59 station wagon and two El Camino. .booth would only make one..Glad to chat with a 59 and 60 enthusiast!
@@MC-gp9ke I agree if GM remade them & if it was affordable they would sell. Because now the outrageous batwing style is now appreciated. I had 2 '59 Impala's in the 1970's when they were dirt cheap. I could've bought a mint original condition '59 2 door Impala for $1,200 in 1980 & I had to spend hours at the sellers house thinking about it I finally decided not to buy it & bought a '59 Ford Retractible instead. Looking back now I wished I would've snapped it up. The same year I could've bought a '60 2 door Impala in mint condition by the original owner for $800 & I didn't buy it. Much to my regret. Both were stock & black paint with red interior. I always wanted the 59 & 60 Chevy's at the same time. It never happened.
I purchased mine at 17 and it was same age 1960 impala. Was stolen and a complete burned out car. Still looking for a 1960 or 1959 to restore into show room condition and make one a daily driver! Iam in Western Canada!
@@MC-gp9ke How times have changed, I've never heard of a '60 Impala stolen. In the '70's I always kept my 2 59 Impala's outside they were safe. In those days you couldn't give those cars away. They were cheap & ignored & unwanted. I like the '60 Chevy's too my aunt bought a '60 2 door Impala brand new 283 with the rare 4 speed floor shift. My first '59 2 door Impala I wrecked in 1977 I made the mistake of getting too obsessed with the car. it was demolished & not worth fixing at the time. It was a present by my ma. I was only 17 & I failed to yield & CRUNCH !! Very stupid & one of the reasons these cars are gone because of reckless driving
@@winggullseagull1230 Agreed how times have changed. That's funny. .either people didn't like or want those Classics at the time or they were treasured and wanted by those of us. They certainly were cheap back then as I remembered. The lack of driving skills and popularity of these cars definitely put many wrecked and in the scrap yard. My family owned several and some neighbors. I know that I was completely upset that they put mine on fire and was a complete right off. My parents were Adamant that I didn't buy another one. If I only followed my thoughts.. I'd probably have more then a couple still around. However I am now looking and expect to be doing most likely off frame restoration. Hope that you get to drive one again. I hope to own a couple. I'm currently talking to a guy who has a station wagon which is running out on a farm . He's asking a small fortune. .but a wagon will be worth it!
@@MC-gp9ke Back in the '60's & '70's everyone wanted the '55, '56 & of course the '57 Chevy's.The tri-five Chevy's were king. After I wrecked my first '59 Impala in 1977. The next year my dad bought me my 2nd car a '57 Bel Air 4 door sport coupe like the one he bought in 1957 he sold it in 1968 to a kid for $250 it was still in mint condition. In 1978 he paid $1000 & I kept it for awhile & sold it for $1700 the same year, my point is even then the '57 Chevy's were a hot ticket item. No other cars could compete & hold a candle to the tri-five's. I liked them too i've had '4 '57 Chevy's a 2 door hardtop in 1981 & I also sold it for a profit. A convertible in 2011 which I bought & sold twice & lost money. And another 2 door hardtop in 2014 which I also lost money. I thought the '57 Chevy's would always be good investment cars but even those went down in value in the 21st century. Before I bought the '57 Ragtop in 2011 I had a chance to buy a '59 Impala convertible in 2011 I had the cash & I didn't buy it. And I regret it because now the '59's are more desirable than the '57's . I never got over that car accident with my first '59 Impala in 1977 it scarred me. The '59 Impala's are my "Christine" i almost bought another '59 4 door sedan post impala in 2015 I had the money but I couldn't pay for the shipping. Something keeps stopping me from getting into the "devils" car again. Strange things have happened to me with '59 Chevy's they are the only cars that make my heart race giving me goosebumps. My dream is to have a '58, '59 & '60 impala or Bel Air at the same time. And make the '58 Impala my driver. I've never had a '58 Chevy.
For all the complaining you hear about women being oppressed today, look at how many we employed at GM and invloled in various aspects of the business even in 1959.
Most of this documentary or film diary of the birth of the '59 Impala started in late '56 GM's design staff got a sneak peak of Chrysler's upcoming '57s in the summer of '56, and were both very impressed and horrified that their cars already looked dated by the sleek and finned Chrysler products. It was already too late to re-do the '58, and the '59 could NOT be the facelift of it per normal they'd planned. There was still time, but not much, to completely overhaul the the '59s. This included Pontiac through Cadillac as well. A 7 days a week crash course was done starting in late '56 and was nearly complete by May and June except for refinements and details, but the hard part was done. Seeing the pictures I've seen online of the Chevy and Buick from mid-'57, that was them in near completion. I understand the '60 GM's were underway by late '57, and the '61's in '58 and '59. The Corvair meanwhile was being designed and refined between '56-'58 like the Ford Falcon and 'Quiksilver' Ford which was the all-new '60 Galaxie, an even more shocking departure from the '59 model (as Chevy's was from the '58), which we can all agree was drastically radical.
My first car was a '59 2 door Impala in 1977, I was 17 & I knew about the rumor of '59 Chevy's lifting up at higher speeds. Because of the deep air pocket of the fins where wind trapped under the fins would push & lift the car up like an airplane. It's true because I would drive on the freeway doing 80 to 90 mph & it did lift the back end up & started to drift. It's no rumor & it was known in 1959 & buyers were put off by it & it's probably why Ford outsold Chevy that year. It was a bit scary & I slowed back down I was a stupid teenager back then. I got into a bad accident with the '59 Impala. Not a good idea to fly the '59's. They're not airplanes. LOL,
To me it really was the era of excess in styling. Form definitely did not follow function. Cartoonish, gimmicky, covered in gingerbread. Not at all like the clean, crisp and some would say cold mid-century architecture featured herein. I think the 1961 Ford/Lincoln lineup set a better standard for example. More honest and clean and brought people back to something tasteful.
Change has to come. the era of car "bling" was truly all over in the early 70's. The 50's was a time when a car was a statement that said "i made it" , now a car is one more item we have and replace every few years.
@@jimmycline4778 you finish his sentence lowering the credibility of his point, but that was all you talking. How about you try shutting the hell up instead Mr Cline because surely I think it would do you wonders.
The reason and it was the ONLY reason the 1959 GM designs came about was because of the 1957 Chrysler Corp. cars. The '58's were all new and lasted that one model year only, then scrapped because GM nearly wet its collective pants.
You don't worry about safety if you know how to drive. Yeah, it was big tanks with sloppy steering. I'd still rather have those cars than what they come up with today.
These new safer cars are just as bad as those old cars. People drive like god damn lunatics because they think they are safe in their tin tanks, well guess what they are safe under normal conditions and not driving into the back of another car at 97 mph like most of these morons do because they are busy texting & driving.
You sound verbatim to a Tesla stroker. You think we didn't adjust safety in our automobiles. It wasn't even an issue because we already nailed 1 out of the 7 genres of automobile understanding, one is infinite and will never be finished, "design". Although frankly it was finished by the eyesores of today, If we ever recreate automobiles from back then with idiotic " improvements", no doubt sold for 50 to 80,000 dollars, and a greedy revolting 600 dollars purchase for the color red, blue, and yellow that they ever "creatively" give as a "callback", I will gladly pull the trigger at my temple.
Wonder how many computer aided designs of today will be remembered for their elegance and beauty in 50 years.... The people in this film created one of todays most sought after body styles ever - the iconic '59 Bel Air or Impala with the "Saucy rear deck" as it was called back then..... And they did it with skilled hands conveying generations of craftmanship into a true master piece! No mumbo jumbo - just paper, plywood clay and KNOWHOW......
not many.
america
Not many, but I bet those old timers back then didn't increase shareholder value like these top tier schools graduate brainiacs do today. ;-)
The Most Beautiful Chevrolet Impala Ever Produced, Even Better Than The 1957 Bel Air, Kudos To The Stylist And Designers
When cars were really art!
And to think, the basic sketches were probably started in 1955, approval and first mock ups in 1956 or 1957 at the latest. It took a considerable amount of time to build the tooling for the sheet metal, get all the vendors in place for all the little pieces and bits and have it ready by July of 1958 if not a little sooner. Back then they used to to a "model changeover shut down" in early summer for a few weeks. Times sure have changed.
Funnilly enough, that means that the looks of the late 50's were akin to the middle of the 50's designs, and the 1954-55-56-57s designs were early 50's idea concepts. That means tons of models were thought up from 1946 to 1950 alone. Incredible absolutely just embarking on what could of been the big change into something truly surreal as though the time wasn't surreal enough.
Some people/folks remember Manhattan or Chicago like the back of their hand, I remember the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's like the back of my hand.
These were actually a crash redesign in response to the 1957 Chrysler Corp designs.
Read 'The Cars Of Harley Earl.' He actually hated the design, but he had reached GM's mandatory retirement age of 65.
Willuam H 'Bill' Mitchell was responsible for these designs.
That they were. The original face-lifted '58 was completely discarded. Work began in December '56 or January '57, 7 days a week over several months, with the model we all know almost complete by May '57, except for minor details. The other 4 divisions had to do the same thing, so all 5 were on the same page, and were very close to production-ready by July/August '57.This was shockingly fast, and just in the nick of time. @jonathanmorrisey5771
I bought a '59 Chevy Biscayne 2dr last week. Fun car.
I've had 3 '59 2 door Impala hardtops in 1977, '79 & '98, 2 had the 283 powerglide &
one had the 348 turboglide. I miss those cars terribly I grew up with the '59 Chevy's when
they were everywhere. Now they're dinosaurs & it's sad.
I agree..time to find the 1959 and 1960 and rebuild each and everyone of them. Iam currently looking for one of each to gently restore back to original condition. I grew up riding in those Classics of the time!
The fins were far beyond anything Cadillac ever attempted!
@@MC-gp9ke My 3rd car in 1978 was a '59 2 door Cadillac series 62 I bought at an
auction I didn't want it but I kept bidding on it. I like the '59 Chevy's better.
i love it !
this is the hollywood of american automobile history ! the GM design plant !
1946 to 1976 !
and one name
harley earl and his gang !
كل الاحترام والتقدير والمحبة
رجال أعمال ازكاء وممتاز
ماشاء الله تبارك الله
Ì just love all these videos.love TH-cam. Could watch all day long.
Love these videos,can watch them ALL DAY LONG
3:00...check out the pedestrian impalers! (wisely not adopted in the final grill design).
Cool, but no, unsafe at any speed!
Style and design that has yet to be matched! Bring back those styles and designs. A Duplicate of the 59 and 60 would be best sellers! I'd take a pair of each!!
Be nice if GM remade them again I grew up with the 59 & 60 Chevy's. the problem is it would be too expensive to produce today. Only the rich can buy them. Chevrolet was never a luxury car.
@@winggullseagull1230 Agreed. .imagine a brand new 59 or 60 in the drive way. I would buy one..be less expensive than the costs Iam looking at for off frame restoration . I'd still finish my restoration and own a new one if Chevrolet made them again. .looked at a 59 station wagon and two El Camino. .booth would only make one..Glad to chat with a 59 and 60 enthusiast!
@@MC-gp9ke I agree if GM remade them & if it was affordable they would sell.
Because now the outrageous batwing style is now appreciated. I had 2 '59 Impala's in the 1970's when they were dirt cheap. I could've bought a mint original condition '59 2 door Impala for $1,200 in 1980 & I had to spend hours at the sellers house thinking about it I finally decided not to buy it & bought a '59 Ford Retractible instead. Looking back now I wished I would've snapped it up. The same year I could've bought a '60 2 door Impala in mint condition
by the original owner for $800 & I didn't buy it. Much to my regret.
Both were stock & black paint with red interior.
I always wanted the 59 & 60 Chevy's at the same time. It never happened.
I had a 59 Impala 2 dr ht white red interior,348 and p glide,GREAT CAR!, Iloved it!!.
So did I it was my first car when I was 17, '59 Chevy's were exciting.
I purchased mine at 17 and it was same age 1960 impala. Was stolen and a complete burned out car. Still looking for a 1960 or 1959 to restore into show room condition and make one a daily driver! Iam in Western Canada!
@@MC-gp9ke How times have changed, I've never heard of a '60 Impala stolen.
In the '70's I always kept my 2 59 Impala's outside they were safe. In those days you couldn't give those cars away. They were cheap & ignored & unwanted.
I like the '60 Chevy's too my aunt bought a '60 2 door Impala brand new
283 with the rare 4 speed floor shift.
My first '59 2 door Impala I wrecked in 1977 I made the mistake of getting too obsessed with the car. it was demolished & not worth fixing at the time. It was a present by my ma.
I was only 17 & I failed to yield & CRUNCH !! Very stupid & one of the reasons these cars
are gone because of reckless driving
@@winggullseagull1230 Agreed how times have changed. That's funny. .either people didn't like or want those Classics at the time or they were treasured and wanted by those of us. They certainly were cheap back then as I remembered. The lack of driving skills and popularity of these cars definitely put many wrecked and in the scrap yard.
My family owned several and some neighbors. I know that I was completely upset that they put mine on fire and was a complete right off. My parents were Adamant that I didn't buy another one. If I only followed my thoughts.. I'd probably have more then a couple still around. However I am now looking and expect to be doing most likely off frame restoration. Hope that you get to drive one again. I hope to own a couple. I'm currently talking to a guy who has a station wagon which is running out on a farm . He's asking a small fortune. .but a wagon will be worth it!
@@MC-gp9ke Back in the '60's & '70's everyone wanted the '55, '56 & of course
the '57 Chevy's.The tri-five Chevy's were king. After I wrecked my first '59 Impala in 1977. The next year my dad bought me my 2nd car a '57 Bel Air
4 door sport coupe like the one he bought in 1957 he sold it in 1968 to a kid for $250 it was still in mint condition.
In 1978 he paid $1000 & I kept it for awhile & sold it for $1700 the same year, my point is even then the '57 Chevy's were a hot ticket item. No other cars could compete & hold a candle to the tri-five's. I liked them too i've had '4 '57 Chevy's a 2 door hardtop in 1981 & I also sold it for a profit. A convertible in 2011 which I bought & sold twice & lost money. And another 2 door hardtop in 2014 which I also lost money.
I thought the '57 Chevy's would always be good investment cars but even those went down in value in the 21st century. Before I bought the '57 Ragtop in 2011 I had a chance to buy a '59 Impala convertible in 2011 I had the cash & I didn't buy it. And I regret it because now the '59's are more desirable than the '57's . I never got over that car accident with my first '59
Impala in 1977 it scarred me. The '59 Impala's are my "Christine"
i almost bought another '59 4 door sedan post impala in 2015 I had the money but I couldn't pay for the shipping. Something keeps stopping me from getting into the "devils" car again.
Strange things have happened to me with '59 Chevy's they are the only cars that make my heart race giving me goosebumps.
My dream is to have a '58, '59 & '60 impala or Bel Air at the same time. And make the '58 Impala my driver.
I've never had a '58 Chevy.
If any of these people in the video are still alive they're about 100 years old
Fabulous !!!
I love the whole aesthetic of this era in the US, busily building itself a science-fiction utopia of endless optimism and prosperity.
For all the complaining you hear about women being oppressed today, look at how many we employed at GM and invloled in various aspects of the business even in 1959.
Most of this documentary or film diary of the birth of the '59 Impala started in late '56 GM's design staff got a sneak peak of Chrysler's upcoming '57s in the summer of '56, and were both very impressed and horrified that their cars already looked dated by the sleek and finned Chrysler products. It was already too late to re-do the '58, and the '59 could NOT be the facelift of it per normal they'd planned. There was still time, but not much, to completely overhaul the the '59s. This included Pontiac through Cadillac as well. A 7 days a week crash course was done starting in late '56 and was nearly complete by May and June except for refinements and details, but the hard part was done. Seeing the pictures I've seen online of the Chevy and Buick from mid-'57, that was them in near completion. I understand the '60 GM's were underway by late '57, and the '61's in '58 and '59. The Corvair meanwhile was being designed and refined between '56-'58 like the Ford Falcon and 'Quiksilver' Ford which was the all-new '60 Galaxie, an even more shocking departure from the '59 model (as Chevy's was from the '58), which we can all agree was drastically radical.
The '59 Chevy could fly. Not intentionally. Entertaining video.
Thanks
My first car was a '59 2 door Impala in 1977, I was 17 & I knew about
the rumor of '59 Chevy's lifting up at higher speeds. Because of the deep
air pocket of the fins where wind trapped under the fins would push & lift the
car up like an airplane. It's true because I would drive on the freeway
doing 80 to 90 mph & it did lift the back end up & started to drift.
It's no rumor & it was known in 1959 & buyers were put off by it & it's
probably why Ford outsold Chevy that year.
It was a bit scary & I slowed back down I was a stupid teenager back then.
I got into a bad accident with the '59 Impala. Not a good idea to fly the '59's.
They're not airplanes. LOL,
Success!
Ahhhh back when life imitated art
This film was produced by the Jam Handy Organization, one of the leaders of Detroit’s once massive film industry.
Few cars today are designed from imagination but are designed in a wind tunnel for fuel efficiency...Sad.
I would slap a motor in this clay model and drive that!
My Dad has one of these cars!
What's the Annoucers name? He sounds so familiar
My guess would be John McLeish. He did a ton of narration / voice-over stuff back then, especially for Disney and many U.S. Government films.
u ppl sure had, ur smarts on back then
Amazing how we evolved over time 👏
Devolved. Clearly
Best cars in the world are American cars, still drive old American car and always
Impala not Belair....
Now they tear down statues splash red paint on buildings along with vile graffiti and burn down churches. I miss the old days.
My uncle had a 4 door too kh
To me it really was the era of excess in styling. Form definitely did not follow function. Cartoonish, gimmicky, covered in gingerbread. Not at all like the clean, crisp and some would say cold mid-century architecture featured herein. I think the 1961 Ford/Lincoln lineup set a better standard for example. More honest and clean and brought people back to something tasteful.
Change has to come. the era of car
"bling" was truly all over in the early 70's.
The 50's was a time when a car was a statement that said "i made it" , now a car is one more item we have and replace every few years.
Give a hundred
Beautiful! Just don't hit your head on that unpadded metal dash! Lol
Most impalas had a padded dash,mine did
@@packingten What? Your 2008? LOL!
@@jimmycline4778 you finish his sentence lowering the credibility of his point, but that was all you talking. How about you try shutting the hell up instead Mr Cline because surely I think it would do you wonders.
Yes, very funny. It was fibreglass, and safety was always in place.
What a moronic statement! 🤨🧐😠A millennial no doubt!🙄
The one you see here are Bel-Air no Impala was made in Australia , if we had some they came as import only.
The 59 chevy impala was a beauty, the like of which We'll never see built again in today's souless & sterile computerised designs!!!🤨🙄💩😣
Biscayne...BelAir.....Impala. 3 different models. Learn something about what you post.
The reason and it was the ONLY reason the 1959 GM designs came about was because of the 1957 Chrysler Corp. cars. The '58's were all new and lasted that one model year only, then scrapped because GM nearly wet its collective pants.
all that effort ... for one model year.... what a waste!
2years. 1959 and the '60 facelift.
The same body style was used in 1960 with some minor changes
so interested in design how about safety ? these cars were death traps mize well drive a shopping cart down the highway
You don't worry about safety if you know how to drive. Yeah, it was big tanks with sloppy steering. I'd still rather have those cars than what they come up with today.
These new safer cars are just as bad as those old cars. People drive like god damn lunatics because they think they are safe in their tin tanks, well guess what they are safe under normal conditions and not driving into the back of another car at 97 mph like most of these morons do because they are busy texting & driving.
You sound verbatim to a Tesla stroker. You think we didn't adjust safety in our automobiles. It wasn't even an issue because we already nailed 1 out of the 7 genres of automobile understanding, one is infinite and will never be finished, "design". Although frankly it was finished by the eyesores of today, If we ever recreate automobiles from back then with idiotic " improvements", no doubt sold for 50 to 80,000 dollars, and a greedy revolting 600 dollars purchase for the color red, blue, and yellow that they ever "creatively" give as a "callback", I will gladly pull the trigger at my temple.
When did all our cars since those days get so damn ugly. With drab depressing colors?
The real gangsters wore suits and created products and business, you lowriders remember this