By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of General Motors Archives & Special Collections, Mecum Automotive Auctions
Published 11.6.2024
1955 Chevrolet assembly line (GM Media Archives and Special Collections)
If there was one designer that had a positive influence on automotive design during the 1950s and 1960s, it was Clare MacKichan (March 10, 1918 - February 10,1996). A graduate of the University of Michigan in 1937 with a degree in mechanical engineering, MacKichan was chief designer for the Chevrolet studio from 1951 to 1962. He worked first under General Motors design chief with Harley Earl and then later with Bill Mitchell.
GM Design Staff, early 1950s. Clare MacKichan seated second from right. (GM Archives and Special Collections)
MacKichan had a hand in many popular Corvette models throughout the 1950s and 1960s, leaving a positive design mark on many popular GM models. He was also responsible for the introduction of the 1954 Corvette at GM’s Motorama event at the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 1953-54. This exhibit drew thousands of spectators who thoroughly enjoyed the new Corvette show car on display for the first time.
Early Corvette shows, including the Corvair concept (GM Archives and Special Collections)
The 1955–1957 Chevrolet models were also very popular among American car buyers. The front end 1955 Chevrolet grille designed by MacKichan was a great topic of discussion for many, including automotive historians like me.
1956-57 Chevrolet design studio (GM Archives and Special Collections)
For many years, both automotive historians and past GM/Chevrolet designers have said that MacKichan was a great designer, who really thought with his head. He was a very creative and charismatic individual who took the lead on many Chevrolet design proposals. Other talented Chevrolet designers included Carl H. Renner, Charles Stebbins, and others.
1955 was a great year for the auto industry. The first eight weeks saw one million cars sold, with General Motors alone delivering over 450,000 vehicles by mid-February. MacKichan was part of Chevrolet’s iconic designs for 1955-1957, which some automotive historians referred to as the “Hot Ones.”
1958 Chevrlolet Bel Air Impala press photo (GM Archives and Special Collections)
MacKichan once said this about designing the1957 Chevrolet models: “The 1957 front end was radical, one of those things whose absence on the first generation 1955 Chevy is easy to understand.”
In 1957, Ford passenger car production passed Chevrolet for the first time since 1935. However, in 1958, MacKichan and Chevrolet’s design team designed and introduced a more powerful and great looking model called the Impala. The new 1958 Chevrolet designs gained 30 percent of the passenger car market for the first time in its history.
1959 Chevrolet rear design (GM Archives and Special Collections)
The 1958 Chevrolet designs were dropped after just one year because of body sharing at General Motors. MacKichan said this about the 1959 Chevrolet designs: “In 1959, we went to a shared body shell with Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick. This was an effort to save money in the corporation.”
Clare MacKichan (GM Archives and Special Collections)
In 1962, MacKichan left Chevrolet and was sent to Germany with the task of establishing the Opel design studio. He created many great-looking design proposals with Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine. Later, he and Erhard Schnell started work on an exciting sports car design. Known as project “1484,” the resulting car was the first generation Opel GT made from 1968 to 1973.
1968- 1973 Opel GT design under the direction of Clare MacKichan (Mecum Automotive Auctions)
In conclusion, Clare MacKichan was a very talented automotive designer, responsible for many iconic Chevrolet models. He was inducted into the Corvette Hall Of Fame on September 1, 2011. MacKichan died on February 10, 1987. Although he is gone, his great designs will always be a respected part of Chevrolet’s history for generations to come.
Bibliography
General Motors/Chevrolet Hall of Fame.
Clare Mackichan. GM/Chevrolet Category: 2011 Induction. National Corvette Museum.
Chappell, Pat. “The Hot One Chevrolet 1955-1957.” Dragonwyck Publishing, 1977.
Ludvigsen, Karl. “Corvette, America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car: The Complete History.” Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1973-1974.