The Gilmore Auto Museum will soon host a rare encounter of historic concept vehicles as part of its new “Defined by Design” exhibit, highlighting GM’s most ambitious design era. Opening in the museum’s Heritage Ballroom, the exhibition centers on eight original Motorama “Dream Cars” from the Joe Bortz Collection, many of which have not appeared together in decades.
The exhibit takes heavy influence from Harley Earl, the pioneering head of design at General Motors, who helped make concept cars both a design exercise and a marketing tool. Between 1953 and 1964, the GM Motorama show toured the country, presenting experimental vehicles previewing the styling, materials, and technology that would later reach production. Earl once explained his approach succinctly: “My job is to make people fall in love with GM products before they are even made.”
This philosophy is clearly visible in the vehicles assembled for this exhibition. Motorama cars emphasized dramatic proportions, jet age inspiration, and advanced features that signaled confidence in American industry. By bringing them together under one roof, the Gilmore Car Museum reinvents a format not seen since the original touring show.
The Motorama exhibition serves as the centerpiece of a broader exhibition that traces more than a century of automotive design. Additional vehicles range from the Brass Era through the 1960s, including famous examples like the Duesenberg SJ and the 1963 Chevy Corvette. The result is a curated progression that illustrates how experimental thinking filtered into mainstream production over time.
A related lecture featuring Richard Earl, grandson of Harley Earl, is scheduled for April 11th and is included with general admission tickets. The exhibit is expected to remain open for approximately a year, providing plenty of opportunities for fans to see an important chapter in GM design history.
The presentation underscored the long-term impact of Motorama. This vehicle was never intended for the assembly line, but its influence remains. In this case, the exhibit functions less as nostalgia and more as documentation of how GM shaped modern automotive design.
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