The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost sales with displays of concept cars and halo models, and they grew out of Alfred P. Sloan’s yearly industrial luncheons at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
General Motors Motorama at a glance
| Organiser | General Motors |
|---|---|
| Years | 1949-1961 |
| First show | Transportation Unlimited Autorama, Waldorf Astoria, January 1949 |
| Origin | Sloan’s industrial luncheons from 1931 |
| Total visitors | 10.5 million |
| Biggest year | 1956, more than 2.2 million |
| 1953 | more than 1.4 million; first year called Motorama |
| Final show | 1961, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Basel |
| Transport | more than 100 trucks |
| Staging | lifting, revolving platforms called grass-hoppers |
| Notable cars | Corvette, Firebird I-III, Golden Rocket, Cyclone |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the General Motors Motorama.
History of the General Motors Motorama
Origins
Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan’s yearly industrial luncheons at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, which began in 1931. The shows were almost invariably held in conjunction with the New York Auto Show, traditionally staged in the first week of January. The purpose was to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy concept cars and other special or halo models.
1949 to 1954
After the Second World War the first show, called Transportation Unlimited Autorama, was staged at the Waldorf Astoria in January 1949; between New York and a Boston extension nearly 600,000 people saw it. Seven special Cadillacs were exhibited, including a Series 61 coupe and a Series 62 sedan with special paint, plus the Caribbean, the Embassy and the Fleetwood Coupe de Ville on the Series Sixty Special chassis. The 1950 show drew more than 320,000 visitors to see the Cadillac Debutante, a convertible trimmed in leopard skins. There was no Autorama or Motorama in 1952, when Cadillac celebrated its golden anniversary instead.
1953 and 1954
The show officially became known as Motorama when it began to travel around the country in 1953. That year more than 1.4 million visitors saw it, and the opening day in New York drew 45,000. There was a revue with orchestra, singers and dancers, and the exhibits included the Buick Wildcat, Pontiac La Parisienne, Oldsmobile Starfire, Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac Orleans and Le Mans. In 1954 more than 1.9 million visitors attended, starting on January 26 at the Waldorf Astoria, where the experimental Oldsmobile F-88 and Cutlass, Buick Wildcat II, Chevrolet Nomad, General Motors Firebird XP-21 and Pontiac Bonneville Special were shown, all with fibreglass bodies.
1955 and 1956
The 1955 show visited New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston between January and May, showing the Buick Wildcat III, Chevrolet Biscayne, Pontiac Strato Star, Oldsmobile 88 Delta, LaSalle II roadster and sedan, and Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. In 1956 more than 2.2 million visitors attended the same circuit; featured cars included the Buick Centurion, General Motors Firebird II, Oldsmobile Golden Rocket, Pontiac Club de Mer and Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. No shows were held for the next two years, though Cadillac displayed show cars at various venues in 1957 and 1958.
1959 to 1961
The 1959 Motorama was held from October 16 to 22, 1958, at the Waldorf Astoria before moving to Boston, and showed the General Motors Firebird III and Cadillac Cyclone. The final show was held in 1961 in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and from November 21 to 23, 1961, the exhibit was brought to Basel, Switzerland, with more than a million visitors. More than 100 trucks were needed to move the shows around the country, each arriving at a precise time and in a given order, and cars and simultaneous revues appeared on lifting, revolving platforms known as grass-hoppers. In total 10.5 million visitors saw Motorama between 1949 and 1961.
Design and features
- Travelling show: from 1953 Motorama toured American cities rather than staying in New York.
- Concept cars: the Corvette, Firebird concepts and Wildcat studies were unveiled there.
- Revue format: orchestras, singers and dancers performed alongside the cars.
- Grass-hopper platforms: lifting, revolving stages presented the cars.
- Huge logistics: more than 100 trucks moved each show between cities.
General Motors Motorama versions
- Autorama (1949): the first post-war show, at the Waldorf Astoria.
- Motorama 1953: the first travelling edition and the first to use the Motorama name.
- Motorama 1956: the best-attended year, with more than 2.2 million visitors.
- Motorama 1961: the last show, also taken to Basel.
The General Motors Firebird concepts were Motorama stars, and the shows also launched cars such as the Corvette. Other General Motors subjects are in the General Motors collection.
Sources
- General Motors Motorama, English Wikipedia: history, shows, visitor numbers, cars exhibited
