Sign up for Design News newsletters
GM’s Classic Concept Cars Displayed in the Petersen Museum’s Motorama Exhibit
See six dream cars from General Motors’ 1950s traveling Motorama show at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
6 Slides
Already have an account?
The GM Motorama Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum.The Petersen Automotive Museum
At a Glance
- Motorama was a traveling spectacle
- Ran from 1949 through 1961
- Showcased upcoming design and technology trends
Babies weren’t all that boomed during America’s post-World War II years. The car industry rode a growing economy to unprecedented success. General Motors sought to harness the popularity of new cars with a traveling showcase called Motorama.
The Motorama was a spectacle. Held in lavish hotel ballrooms and large auditoriums, the shows featured interactive displays, orchestras, and live song and dance performances. It ran from 1949 until 1961 as a showcase of the wildest dreams of GM’s chief stylist, Harley Earl.
Motorama let Earl present new ideas to the public in the form of "Dream Cars," visionary non-production experimental autos that showed off design and technological features that would find their way to production automobiles in the future.
The Petersen Automotive Museum has corralled six Motorama dream cars from the 1953 to ’55 period. Cars on display include the 1955 LaSalle II Roadster, 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne, 1955 LaSalle Sedan, 1953 Buick Wildcat, the 1953 Pontiac Parisienne, and a completely original and unrestored 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special.
The exhibit is on display through March 2026. Click through the gallery for a closer look.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
You May Also Like
Editors' Choice
Jan 28 - Jan 30, 2025
Jan 28 - Jan 30, 2025
The must-attend event for chip, board, and systems design engineers. DesignCon is the premier high-speed communications and system design conference and exposition, offering industry-critical engineering education in the heart of electronics innovation — Silicon Valley.
Register Now