2025

by A. Wayne Ferens
Published 11.5.2025

Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie (1908-2002) was born in New York and began his career as a teenager in yacht design. Although he was a high school drop out his design talents propelled him to the head of Ford's automobile design department.

After the market crash in 1929 Gregorie came to Detroit hoping to find work as an automotive designer. He was hired by General Motors at the age of 21 in the design department, but as the economy worsened he was let go the following year. In 1931 Gregorie was hired into Ford Motor Company by Edsel Ford and was asked to design a car for the Ford market in Europe. Gregorie designed the Model 'Y' which was well received by consumers in Germany, France and England. The Model Y was powered by a 933cc (56.9 cu in) Ford sidevalve engine and was available in two-door and four-door respectively.

ModelY The Model Y 1932-1937 was also known as the "Ford 8" due to its fiscal horsepower rating. The car was produced in six countries in Europe as well as Australia and Japan. Photo: Ferens collection

Due to the success of the Model Y and Gregorie's compatibility with Edsel, "Bob" Gregorie was the obvious choice to lead Ford's new design department in 1935. Gregory left Ford Motor Company shortly after the death of Edsel in 1943, but his design innovations were significant in the success of the company.

One of his first assignments as chief of design was the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr. In 1934 the Burlington Railroad introduced a sleek new streamlined passenger train called the Zephyr. It broke the speed record on the Chicago to Denver route. In 1936 Ford tried to transfer some of the train's glamour to it's new streamlined Lincoln Zephyr automobile by picturing the two side-by-side.

Zephyr The Zephyr (1936-1942) was assembled at the Lincoln plant in Detroit bridging the gap between the Ford V8 Deluxe and the Lincoln Model K. It competed against the LaSalle, Packard and the Chrysler Airflow. The Museum of Modern Art called it "the first successfully streamlined car in America." Photo: Ford archives

The 1940 (1939-1942) Lincoln Continental designed by Bob Gregorie with it's smooth lines and elegant proportions reflected the classic tastes of Edsel Ford. The exterior was designed with European styling elements including a rear-mounted spare tire. It was powered by a 292 cu in (1939 was 267) 120 hp @ 3900 rpm L-head V12 engine. A cabriolet and a coupe version were produced.

LincolnCont The 1940 Lincoln Continental was selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1951 as one of the eight best prewar automotive designs. Photo: Ford Motor

The iconic 1940 Ford designed by Gregorie is even to this day, celebrated for its innovative design, performance and cultural significance featuring a streamlined body and a unique grill design. It was powered by a 221 cu in V8 85 hp engine that appealed to a growing consumer base. The Deluxe coupe was very popular due to its combination of style, performance, reliability and affordability with a starting price of $700.00.

The '40 Ford offered some new features as well:

You could start the car by a pedal activated electric starter or by a hand crank
A foot pedal operated parking brake
Trunk access by folding down the back seat
Windshield wiper
Gearshift on the steering post
Improved shock absorbers and softer springs
Adjustable drivers seat
Chrome bumper guards and whitewall tires
Hydraulic brakes
Sealed Beam Headlights

After a decade of the great depression the consumer was again out in full force. Sales of the popular 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe totaled 29,717 vehicles. Post war America saw these vehicles as timeless classics cherished by generations.

As World War II was winding down Bob Gregorie returned to Ford Motor Company at the request of Henry Ford II. The company would carry over models from 1942 when auto production restarted in July 1945. Ford knew they could produce those pre-war models for so long and needed new models on the drawing board to the keep sales momentum going. Gregorie got to work on his next design that stretched the new models from 114 inch wheelbase to 118 inches. Corporate 'bean counters' rejected models that would increase cost and criticized the new designs as too radical. After a lot of back and forth bickering between Gregorie, his design staff and corporate bureaucrats it was finally decided in late 1947 that Bob's new stretched wheel base design would be approved for production

Mercury

The post-war design included a lower top profile, lower stance, full fade-away fenders, a massive grill flanked by parking lights, liberal use of chrome & stainless brightwork, and an overall lower and wider stance and feel. Ladies and gentleman I give you the all new 1949 Mercury.

In 1947 at age 38 Bob Gregorie again left the employ at Ford Motor Company and moved to Florida. He returned to his early career roots designing yachts and enjoying his retirement until his passing in 2002 at the age of 94. He never designed automobiles again after leaving Detroit.

Bibliography:

Los Angeles Times 12/5/2002

The Henry Ford Collections

Edsel Ford and E.T. Gregorie by H. Domingquez 1999

Ford & Mercury advertising

By A. Wayne Ferens
Published 10.29.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Ford Motor Company Archives
Published 10.22.2025

Read more: The Ford Econoline Truck

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 10.15.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 10.8.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 10.1.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 9.24.2025

by Ron Alpern
Images Courtesy of the Reuther Library at Wayne State University and the Detroit Historical Society
Published 9.17.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 9.10.2025

by Brian Yopp, MotorCities' Deputy Director
Images Courtesy of the Gilmore Car Museum
Published 9.3.2025

Gilmore Garage Works group shot A recent group shot of the students and mentors participating in the Gilmore Garage Works program.

From some people's perspectives, cars provide pure utility. They can get you from Point A to Point B. For others, classic cars provide entertainment or recreation as a nice weekend hobby.

In the case of Gilmore Garage Works, cars can provide invaluable life lessons.

An earlier group of participants in the Gilmore Garage Works program

In 2012, MotorCities supported a grant to the Gilmore Car Museum to connect at-risk, Kalamazoo-area high school students with local mentors as they worked together on classic automobiles. The incentive was that you needed to remain enrolled in school in order to continue in the after-school vehicle restoration program. What the students learned about body repair and internal combustion engines paled in comparison to what they learned from auto engineers and other professionals serving as mentors from their community who showed them a world of possibilities.

A recent student participant in the program

After a brief interruption to the COVID pandemic, the program has expanded and continues to be a success. Many students who have graduated from the program have returned to act as professional mentors.

According to the Gilmore Car Museum's Director of Education, Fred Colgren, this program has filled a void regarding student access to traditional auto shop classes that used to exist at many high schools, but now are relegated to vocational education centers at the Intermediate School District (ISD) level -- if they exist at all. Students come to the Gilmore Garage Works building on the museum's campus twice a week after school from September through June and work with a mentor to develop a variety of skills, including engine building, repairs and welding. They work on restoring actual vehicles from the Gilmore's extensive collection of cars, trucks and motorcycles.

The Gilmore Garage Works building

Gilmore Garage Works is hosting an upcoming Open House on Tuesday, September 23 where parents and students can tour the building, meet their future mentors and learn more about the specifics of the program.

I recently made the trip to Hickory Corners in Kalamazoo County to the Gilmore Car Museum's campus to speak with Colgren, Program Manager John Chapman, and Eli and Conner -- two recent participants in the program. You can watch the interview here.

MotorCities Deputy Director Brian Yopp (center), flanked by the Gilmore Car Museum's Director of Education Fred Colgren and Garage Works Manager John Chapman (left) and students Eli and Conner (right)

MotorCities has also launched a new page on our website to spotlight amazing programs taking place at our partners. Gilmore Garage Works is the first program featured, and we will add new stories quarterly. You can find the new page by clicking here.

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of the Ferens Collection, Motor Trend, and Road & Track
Published 8.27.2025

A view from above of the Ford GT 90 concept

Today's super cars are so advanced in engineering and technology -- even the word “exotic” is passe’. Words describing these new ultra-machines being tossed around the car industry include adjectives like extreme, hyper, super, or super-hyper. Yes, these new “exotics” are probably all of those things and more.

Look at some of today's “extreme machines” and see what they have in common -- those super Ferrari limited models like the LaFerrari, Lamborghini Veneno, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren Senna, Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Zonda to name a few. For starters, all use advanced construction materials like carbon-fiber, high-strength aluminum, magnesium, titanium and other exotic materials. Most are hand-assembled using advanced structural adhesives or welding techniques. When automation is used, it is of the highest-tech most advanced computer controlled robotic manufacturing processes known to man.

When it comes to hyper-performance, many use radically designed V8s, V12s even V or W-16 cylinder engines with multi-valves, multi-cams, multi-turbos, etc. Some are even using advanced hi-tech hybrid systems that produce four-figure horsepower levels from their power units. Many of these super cars are not evolutionary, but revolutionary to say the least. So, when did this "hyper-revolution" start and who started it? Let's take a look back to the 1990s.

A front end view of the Ford GT 90 concept

One car comes to mind -- the Ford GT. No, not the early welded steel/fiberglass, cast iron carbureted V8 GT40 from the 1960s, but Ford's hyper-super-exotic concept car built in 1995 known as the GT-90. Some call it the greatest concept GT car ever made. Yes, it was made to run and drive. When a large high-volume automobile company like Ford Motor Company invests hundreds of thousands, even millions (estimates of $3-million for the GT-90) into a “dream car,” one must dream down the road so to speak.

Starting with some super car basics -- as used in the then Ford-owned Jaguar, as in Jaguar XJ-220 -- Ford laid the foundation of the GT-90 on the XJs chassis and suspension, and also used the Jag’s smooth shifting five-speed manual transmission.

The cockpit of the Ford GT 90 concept

Ford molded it's “New Edge” designed body out of exotic and very expensive hand-laid, light-weight, high-strength, carbon-fiber material. This 3,200 lb. super car had subtle styling details reminiscent of the original GT40, especially on the front of the vehicle.

A rear view of the Ford GT 90 concept

To give it that mind-blowing super hi-performance, Ford sliced and diced two of its modular 4.6-liter fuel-injected V8s as used in the Lincoln and created a 6.0-liter DOHC 48 valve, quad-turbo (Garrett T2s) aluminum V-12 -- pumping out 720 horsepower and 660 lb. ft. of torque from its mid-engined power unit. Other hi-tech features included touch-panel entry, passing car sensors, speed-activated air dam and a gorgeous spacious blue oval-colored interior with individual gauge pods and a multi-control center console.

The powerful engine that drove the concept to high-performance heights

First debuted at the 1995 Detroit Auto Show, the Ford GT-90 super car became an instant sensation. On the track, it produced performance numbers in the range of 0 - 100 mph in six seconds and a top speed of 230 mph. If the super or hyper name fits, wear it!

Ford never intended to put the car into production, but the company continued the “New Edge” design through the 2000s on many of its popular production models. Was this just a styling exercise, or did Ford secretly intend to build an exotic super performance hyper-car? I mean a ultra-super-performance-exotic-hyper car like the new Ford GT that can be purchased through special order -- in limited numbers of course ...

Bibliography

Motor Trend, December 1, 1995

Road & Track, April 1995

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of General Motors Heritage Archives, Spotlight Hobbies Inc. and Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Published 8.20.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Black Hawk Museum and Ruxton Automotive Archives
Published 8.13.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives and General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 8.6.2025

By Jeffrey D. Brasie
Images Courtesy of Checker Motor Cars and the Checker Car Club of America
Published 7.30.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 7.23.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 7.16.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Robert Tate Collection
Published 7.9.2025

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of the Ferens Collection
Published 7.2.2025

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of Ford Motor Company, The Henry Ford, the Ferens Collection and the Nixon Library & Museum
Published 6.25.2025

2025

Remembering Eugene "Bob" Gregorie: His Most Significant Designs At Ford Motor Co.

When Convertibles Thrilled Daytona

The Ford Econoline Truck

What Will the Next Generation Chevrolet Corvette Look Like?

Remembering Vincent Geraci, Automotive Designer

The 1949 Nash was an Entirely New Postwar Design

Remembering the General Motors Class of 1956

Exploring Southwest Detroit's Industrial Legacy

Chrysler Had Great Success with Their Muscle Car Advertising

Gilmore Garage Works: Training the Next Generation

Remembering the 1995 Ford GT-90 Concept

Remembering the Great-Looking 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle

Remembering the Rare Ruxton Automobiles

Bryan Nesbitt Becomes General Motors' 8th Head of Design

Checker Cab's Michigan Connection

The 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt was an Early Concept Model

Remembering the Chevrolet Vega

Inside Facts on the 1951 Studebaker Line

Remembering Racing Engineer Phil Remington

Lincoln for President

Remembering "Mr. Corvette," Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov

Remembering Edsel Ford's Lincoln Designs from the 1940s

Remembering American Motors' Class of 1967

Mid-Century American Vehicles Named After Fish

Remembering the 1969 Mustang Shelby GT 350/500 Models

Stellantis to Celebrate 100 Years of Chrysler History

Remembering Bill Porter, Great GM Designer & Auto Historian

Ford's Engine That Could

Remembering the Oldsmobile Aerotech Concept by Ed Welburn

Early Chevy Corvette Advertising Was Great for Framing

Remembering Moulton B. Taylor, Creator of the Flying Aerocar

Remembering the 1970 Mercury Cougar "El Gato" Show Car

Remembering Detroit's Automotive "Golden Jubilee" in 1946

The Cord Automobiles Offered the Best Designs & Great Ads

Remembering the Great Automotive Artist, Peter Helck

Remembering the Pontiac Fiero, an Exciting Automobile

Remembering the Ford Pantera

The 1960 Plymouth XNR was a Classic Concept by Virgil Exner

Remembering General Motors' Class of 1967, a Very Good Year

Lincoln: When Luxury Ruled the Road

Remembering the Gulf Oil Corporation

The New Pontiac Transportation Museum Displays Great History

Remembering the Popular 1970 Chrysler Hurst Edition

The 1955 Ford Thunderbird Turns 70 Years Old

Remembering the Ford GT40 MKIII Road Car