DESIGNING DREAMS: Essays on the inside story of GM, Harley Earl and America's Golden Automotive Age
DICK RUZZIN
Veloce (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$29.99 hardcover, available now
Rating: 5* of five
The Publisher Says: Explore the artistry of the Golden Age of American cars with Dick Ruzzin, one of the designers of the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Discover General Motors' legacy, Harley Earl's vision, and the creative process behind automotive art. Featuring essays, sketches, and photos, Designing Dreams celebrates the passion and enduring impact of car design.
A design book, an art book and an automotive history book. If you love car design you must have this book. It describes in detail automobile creation, the design of the iconic Oldsmobile Toronado and the people who created it. The Toronado is now seen as the most significant design representation of the Golden Age of the American Automobile.
Step into the world where cars became dreams on wheels. In Designing Dreams, Dick Ruzzin unveils the untold story of General Motors, Harley Earl’s groundbreaking vision, and the artistry that defined America’s Golden Automotive Age.
At the centre of this compelling collection of essays is the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado—a revolutionary front-wheel-drive luxury car that remains an icon of design and innovation. As one of its designers, Ruzzin provides an insider’s perspective on its creation, offering a rare glimpse into the radical ideas and creative energy behind this automotive masterpiece.
After 40 years at General Motors Design, Ruzzin reflects on the profound influence of Harley Earl, the pioneer car designer who elevated automobiles into works of art. Earl’s creativity and design philosophies reshaped the industry, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire.
Illustrated with over one hundred sketches and General Motors Design’s archival images, this book explores the passion, artistry, and precision behind automotive design. It captures the essence of a unique profession that combines function with beauty, producing cars that are both practical and beautiful.
Designing Dreams is more than a history of car design—it’s a celebration of the people, ideas, and innovations that made the automobile a defining symbol of American ingenuity. Perfect for car enthusiasts and design lovers alike, this is a journey into the heart of creativity and the Golden Age of the American Automobile.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: What a ride! The Toronado, whose design and development feature in this book of course, but really the Wayback Machine ride into the era when early September was the moment the 196{x} cars arrived in dealerships with soaped windows that had little, teasy gaps; the car magazines (Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Autoweek) hit the newsstand for us car freaks...all male...to grab, drool and dream over the latest iteration of a logo, use of a name from the past or rename a model range, displacement of block (409! 429! 350! all cubic inches, all with their own stories, details, merits)....
Every woman I've ever known, and any of you reading this now, are rolling your eyes and sighing impatiently, or just about to interrupt to change the subject to something *you* care about.
So get him this book. He'll be easily led to pick it up even after he's read it:
...because there are photos even you won't mind looking at:
The stories of the whos, hows, and whys of the industrial design revolution represented by the Toronado and its era-defining looks will keep many, if not most, car guys enrapt. These were human beings with human stories, but they had godlike powers...the wealth and might of the most powerful corporation in the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world was at their command! Of course skulduggery and stupidity were on prominent display because hubris (cf, Harley Earl)!
So yeah, maybe you are bored rigid by Granddad's nostalgic interest, maybe you're contemplating viricide to stop the engineering talk, or maybe you just don't want to be more unpleasant than necessary. It's easy, and cheap, to get the kind of book he's going to enjoy (quietly, in a corner), likely more than once.
They really had all the coolest toys.
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