If the name Bill Brownlie sounds familiar, perhaps it is because you're a Mopar fan. To everyone else, Bill started working for Ford in the early-1950s but soon after hopped over to Chrysler, becoming the Imperial Studio Design Manager in 1956. In the 1960s he became the Dodge Studio Executive Designer and was responsible for three generations of Dodge Chargers plus the Challenger and other Mopars from the muscle car era.
And if you live in metroplitan Detroit, you can attend the auction of his estate on February 19, 2013.
Even though Dearborn is Ford Country, American Eagle Auction and Appraisal Company will be going through the items Bill and his wife, Velma, collected over the years. Along with the Saarinen furniture and other design-y items you'll find some of the following automotive treasures:
- Proposed and concept Mopar sketches from the 1950s
- 1957 Packard Clipper proposals
- Binders chock full of photos of clay models
- Random promotional photos from auto shows
- Framed automotive prints
- Scat Pack Dodge posters
- . . . and more!
In the late-1970s, Bill became Vice President of Automotive Design at Creative Industries, the same company that Chrysler used as a vendor to convert Chargers into NASCAR-homologated Charger 500s and Daytonas just a few years earlier.
Cars are my life. Are they yours? Then check out my index for more of my automotive musings. And if you have an idea for a story, email me and tell me about it!
Comments