There are many books and stories written by writers about Harley Earl, but none from the perspective of a car designer who worked in the design profession for 40 years, and in the environment that Earl created for those who followed him.
This is my story about Harley Earl.
Earl: An Overview
Harley J. Earl was born in 1893 in Hollywood, Calif. While he began his education at Stanford University, he left there to work with and learn from his father at the Earl Automobile Works that was founded in 1908.
The company rapidly expanded and became a popular source for custom-designed vehicles for many Hollywood stars. Eventually the shop was purchased by Cadillac dealer Don Lee, but having become known for his design work, Earl stayed on as director.
On a visit to the Don Lee Cadillac dealership, Lawrence P. Fisher, the General Manager of Cadillac, met Harley Earl and had the opportunity to observe his work.
Fisher was reportedly impressed with Earl’s techniques and his design work, offering to commission Earl to design the 1927 models of the forthcoming new LaSalle marque.
The success of the LaSalle would convince GM President Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. to create General Motors’ “Art and Colour Section” in 1927, with Harley Earl as its first director. Earl was 34 years old at the time. Thirteen years later, in 1940, Earl was named as the first Vice President of Styling at General Motors. Earl retired in 1958 and died in 1969.
Building a Place for Design
Harley Earl was a Cadillac designer before he came to Detroit.
