It’s fair to say that, as a professor of Industrial Design at California College of the Arts, a frequent speaker on the history of car design, and a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance judge, I’ve seen a lot of beautifully restored examples of design excellence. But this year, while I was considering entrants in the Figoni Centennial 1923-1937 class at Pebble Beach, a largely unknown flash of burgundy rumbled into view, took its place on the 18th fairway, and jettisoned my mind from its tufted leather library chair of familiarity. The car in question? The 1953 Kurtis Sorrell SR-100 prototype.
In November 1953, Robert ‘Bob’ Vern Sorrell shocked the automotive world when his innovative creation made its world debut at the Fourth Annual International Motorama (aka the ‘Petersen Motorama’). It earned an ‘Award for Excellence’, becoming the subject of critical acclaim and notable contemporary media coverage. Then, just as soon as it had surprised and delighted everyone, it vanished from public view.
Sorrell had long held a passion for mechanical objects, and enjoyed draughting his ideas on paper. Like many from this era, on completing his military service he was eager to work in the fast-paced automobile industry. Lacking a formal education, in 1948 he enrolled at California’s El
