Strother MacMinn (1918 – January 19, 1998) was an American car designer, author, and educator. While noted for his contributions to

Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often ab ...

, Motor Trend, and

Automobile Quarterly ''Automobile Quarterly'' was a hardbound, advertising-free periodical publication focused on collectible cars. The publication was known for quality writing and photography about automobiles, personalities and related subjects. History and profi ...

and for helping found Toyota's Calty Design Research studio in California, MacMinn was widely known for an automotive design teaching career at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design that spanned fifty years — noted students include J Mays, Chris Bangle and Wayne Cherry. Former Vice President of Design for General Motors Chuck Jordan reflected that "if you are in a car today, Mac probably influenced its design," saying also that "no one influenced car design more" than MacMinn.

Background

Growing up in Pasadena, MacMinn befriended

Frank Hershey Franklin Quick Hershey (1907–1997) was an American automobile designer and student of General Motors Vice President of Design Harley Earl. Hershey is known for his 1932 Peerless V-16 prototype, 1949 Cadillac tailfins, and the 1955 Ford Thun ...

, who worked for Murphy Body Company. When Frank moved on to work for GM, he helped MacMinn get his first job at the age of 17 in the Buick studio at General Motors Art and Color Section.

Career

In 1937, Harley Earl assigned MacMinn to a new studio to develop the

Opel Kapitän The Opel Kapitän is a luxury car made in several different generations by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1938 until 1970. Kapitän (1938–1940) The Kapitän was the last new Opel model to appear before the outbreak of the Second ...

. MacMinn left GM before World War II and then returned for a short time after the war ended. He also worked for Frank Springs at

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

. After the war, MacMinn worked for the industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. In 1948, he began teaching at the Art Center College of Design and remained there for 50 years. In 1973, he helped found Toyota's Calty Design Research and remained with them until 1983. MacMinn wrote for publications such as

, Motor Trend,

, and

Sports Car International ''Sports Car International'' (SCI) was an automobile magazine published in the United States from 1986 to 2008 by Ross Periodicals Inc, first in Newport Beach, but then later in Novato, California. History The magazine was unabashedly enthusiast ...

, and for museum catalogs. He was the chief honorary judge for several years at the

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. It is widely considered the pinnacle event of its kind and one of the most prestigious car events in ...

Notable designs

* 1938

* MacMinn's LeMans Coupe

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacMinn, Strother 1918 births General Motors designers American automobile designers Motoring journalists 1998 deaths