Clare M. "Mac" MacKichan (/mækˈkiː.kæn/, March 10, 1918 – February 10, 1996) was an automotive designer and executive with General Motors (GM). He is best known for designing or overseeing the design of several significant models for the Chevrolet division in the United States and Opel in Germany.

Early years

MacKichan was born on 10 March 1918 in Applegate, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1937 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He started as an apprentice designer with the Buick division of GM in 1939. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(WWII) broke out MacKichan left GM to work on defense projects, and returned to the company in 1943.

Career

When MacKichan returned to GM he worked for the Fisher Body division. In 1947 he took a position as a senior designer in the GM Design studio.

Chevrolet

By 1951 MacKichan had risen to the position of Chief Designer of the Chevrolet Studio, General Motors Design Staff. Although it was primarily the work of Robert McLean, MacKichan contributed to the final design of the original 1953 Corvette. He would have a long association with the Corvette, overseeing all Corvette styling from the early 1950s well into the 1960s. He also spoke at Covette-themed events, and kept Corvette parts in his office. MacKichan drew the shape for the Corvette-based 1954 Chevrolet Nomad Motorama concept car. He led development of the four-seat Impala concept car that debuted the same year, incorporating several Corvette styling cues in the car. MacKichan did the first sketches and led the design effort that resulted in the ''Motoramic'' style embodied in the 1955

Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, ...

, the first of what came to be called the " Tri-Five" Chevrolets. He then revisited the shape for minor redesigns in 1956 and 1957. He also adapted his 1954 Nomad concept for the 1955–1957 production

Chevrolet Nomad Chevrolet Nomad is a nameplate used by Chevrolet in North America from the 1950s to the 1970s, applied largely to station wagons. Three different Nomads were produced as a distinct model line, with Chevrolet subsequently using the name as a trim ...

. MacKichan was responsible for the shape of the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS racing car. Design of the Jaguar D-Type influenced body took place in Studio X. MacKichan was team lead for the group that developed the "Sculpturamic" design language used for the 1958 Chevrolet line. The style was applied to the 1958 Impala. It was also seen in the related 1958 Brookwood and

Yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

station wagons. The compact

Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...

was released in 1960, during his tenure as Chief Designer. This car's shape influenced several other manufacturers' products, particularly in Europe. Shortly afterwards MacKichan was chief designer of another compact Chevrolet; the 1962

Chevy II The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a small automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, and produced in five generations for the 1962 through 1979, and 1985 through 1988 model years. Nova was the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II ...

. Continuing his involvement with the Corvette, he supervised development of the C2 Corvette design that was released in 1963. This was also a Studio X project.

Opel

In 1962 MacKichan transferred to GM's wholly owned German subsidiary, Opel. At Opel his position was Director of Design. His job in Rüsselheim included establishing the Opel Design studio, building the necessary facilities, and hiring staff. The design that MacKichan is most closely associated with from his time at Opel is the

Opel GT The Opel GT is a front-engine, rear-drive two-seat sports car manufactured and marketed by Opel in two generations — separated by a 34-year hiatus. The first generation Opel GT (1968 –1973) debuted as a styling exercise in 1965 at the Pa ...

. This car's styling appears to have been influenced by the

Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT The Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT (XP-777) was a mid-engined experimental prototype automobile built in 1962 and based on the early model Chevrolet Corvair series. As it was essentially a concept car, the Monza GT did not enter production. Design a ...

and Monza SS Spyder. While it is believed that MacKichan had left for Germany by the time the Monza GT was being developed,

Anatole Lapine Anatole Carl "Tony" Lapine (born 23 May 1930 in Riga, Latvia, died 29 April 2012 in Baden-Baden, Germany) was an automotive designer and racing driver. Lapine worked for General Motors (GM), Opel, and Porsche. During his time as chief designer at ...

, who worked on the Monza GT with

Larry Shinoda Lawrence Kiyoshi (Larry) Shinoda (March 25, 1930 – November 13, 1997) was a noted American automotive designer who was best known for his work on the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang. Early life and internment He was born in Los Angeles, ...

, joined MacKichan at Opel in 1964. MacKichan returned to the US in 1967.

Advanced Design Studio

Back in the US MacKichan was made Executive in Charge of Advanced Design and Engineering for Design Staff. He started work on a new rear-engined concept car called the XP-892 in January 1968. This car used a rear-mounted inline four-cylinder engine rather than the Corvair's air-cooled flat-six. After progressing to a full-scale mockup, the project was cancelled in June of that year. In 1962 GM's Bill Mitchell commissioned a study to evaluate the feasibility of rationalizing platform development for the company's divisions overseen by General Motors Overseas Operations (GMOO) — Vauxhall, Opel, and Holden. In late 1969 MacKichan and a small group from the Overseas Design Studio initiated a project called "World Car" with a similar purpose. This project grew in scope, eventually being renamed the Total Automotive Systems Concept (TASC) and becoming a joint venture of the Advanced Studios and the Automotive Forward Planning Group. In this form its ambition was to change GM's development process to increase interchangeability of components across platforms, and improve both interior space and fuel efficiency of the cars. Implementation of the program required the restructuring of the development and manufacturing groups and use of new processes. It extended to encouraging outside suppliers to invest in developing new lighter-weight components. As the program expanded the size of the team under MacKichan's direct oversight grew to seventy persons. One product of the TASC project was a sporty 2+2 fastback called the TASC4GT. This car, which was powered by a rear-mounted rotary engine, was designed by a small group led by Dick Ruzzin and progressed to the point of a full-sized fiberglass model. Among the earliest models influenced by TASC were the 1973 T Car and 1978 V Car. The Chevrolet Small Family Car (SFC) project was aligned with the TASC program and eventually resulted in the 1980 GM X-Bodies. Other car lines resulting from the TASC project included the J, A, B, and C lines. A garageable minivan was also part of the TASC initiative. A full-size model of this concept was presented to GM's management in January 1973, but was not approved for further development. MacKichan was involved in what would become another Corvette project with the XP-897 concept car, later called the 2-Rotor Corvette. This mid-engined prototype was designed in the US, and built by

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...

on a

Porsche 914 The Porsche 914 or VW-Porsche 914 is a mid-engined sports car designed, manufactured and marketed collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 until 1976. It was only available as a targa-topped two-seat roadster powered by either a ...

chassis. It was first shown at the 1973 Frankfurt Auto Show. MacKichan retired from GM in 1978 or 1979.

Personal life

Clare MacKichan died on 10 February 1996 in Nokomis, Florida. He was survived by wife Edith and four children; Kathleen, Carol, Janis, and Robert.

Legacy

In 2011 MacKichan was posthumously inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame at the National Corvette Museum. Presentation of the ''Clare M. MacKichan Memorial Award'' is a feature of some classic Chevrolet conventions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapine, Anatole American automobile designers General Motors designers Opel designers 1918 births 1996 deaths People from Sanilac County, Michigan American expatriates in Germany