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giovedì 10 dicembre 2015

Art Fitzpatrick - Advertising artwork for General Motors from 1959 to 1971 - Some masterpieces

Art Fitzpatrick, one half of the team that created some of the most eye-catching advertising artwork for General Motors from 1959 to 1971, passed away this year in Carlsbad, Calif., at age 96.
More recently, Mr. Fitzpatrick drew two series of commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service titled "America on the Move," released in 2005 and 2008, according to Automotive News. The first series celebrated 1950s sporty cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Thunderbird and Kaiser Darrin. The second set, "tailfins and chrome," featured such cars as the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, Chrysler 300C and Lincoln Premiere.
Working with his partner, Van Kaufman, Mr. Fitzpatrick drew pictures of Pontiac's "wide track" performance cars that came to define the brand. During the run of "Fitz and Van," as they came to be known, Pontiac ranked third in the industry in sales most years. Mr. Kaufman died in 1995.
Fitz and Van worked like this: Mr. Fitzpatrick drew the cars, often making them seem a little wider and a little lower than they already were, while Mr. Kaufman drew the scenery and people. Muscle cars, such as the GTO, were placed in exotic locales, giving them an upscale image. The work was so impressive that Pontiac's general manager at the time, John DeLorean, banned the use of pictures and decreed that only Fitz and Van drawings could be used in Pontiac ads.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, who stayed active in retirement, spent most of his life working in the auto industry. He enrolled at the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts -- today's College for Creative Studies -- in 1936 at just 18 years old. Then, according to a biography on his website, Mr. Fitzpatrick took a job as a designer at Briggs Body Co., where he worked on various projects for Chrysler and the Lincoln Zephyr. He also is credited with designing the 1940 Packard 180 sedan.
After World War II, Mercury signed Fitzpatrick to create images for its advertising. About that time, he began working with Mr. Kaufman, a former Disney animator whose specialty was drawing people and places.
The pair cranked out advertising images for 14 automakers during their run, creating some of the most iconic ads of the era. But it was the Pontiac ads -- 285 in all -- for which they are best remembered.















martedì 16 giugno 2015

1963 - 1964 Chivasso ITALIA - LANCIA Fulvia Berlina - Controllo qualità!







La prima versione ad essere lanciata sul mercato fu la berlina a 4 porte, che nel 1963 entrò nel listino Lancia al posto dell'ormai anziana Appia III serie. Caratterizzata da una linea a 3 volumi squadrata,  opera di Piero Castagnero che poi disegnò anche la be versione coupé. La Fulvia berlina aveva una meccanica assai moderna. Tra le caratteristiche tecniche salienti si segnalavano la trazione anteriore, il motore con cilindri (4) a V stretta (12 gradi) e distribuzione bialbero in testa e bilancieri, i 4 freni a disco e il telaietto ausiliario, a cui era ancorata anche la sospensione anteriore (ruote indipendenti), che sosteneva il gruppo motore-cambio (quest'ultimo manuale a 4 rapporti con comando al volante). Classico, invece, il retrotreno ad assale rigido.
Con una cilindrata complessiva di 1091cm³ il piccolo V4, alimentato da un solo carburatore doppio corpo verticale, forniva una potenza massima di 58cv, sufficiente a far raggiungere alla poco aerodinamica Fulvia una velocità massima di 138km/h.

1959 USA - American dream - FORD GALAXIE