During the early years of the twentieth century, California was on the brink of a population boom as a growing number of disenchanted Americans moved westward in an effort to leave their hard times behind. This migration made Southern California home to a disproportionate number of adventurous, motivated individuals seeking new opportunities. Freed from the constraints of tradition, they set about to create a new way of life that was not influenced by harsh winters, sticky summers and the occasional tornado. Like the homes they constructed and the clothes they wore, the automobiles these new Californians built almost always appear to have been designed to make the most of the area's extraordinary weather and scenery, and their own uncommonly progressive and extroverted nature.

1919 Pierce Arrow

Unlike other major population centers that grew "up" (like New York and Chicago), Los Angeles grew "out" thanks to the availability of land and the popularization of automobiles that made it possible for people to live considerable distances from where they worked, shopped and played. Because cars were such an essential part of living in Los Angeles from the start, they developed differently in the Southland in response to the relative isolation of the area and the unique needs of local motorists. These different circumstances led consumers to assign a great deal of importance to their cars and the appearance of one's vehicle became the subject of much thought, consideration and, ultimately, pride. From the design of a top to the sweep of a fender, no detail was left to chance by motorists eager to proclaim their individuality and a considerable number of auto manufacturing establishments and body building firms were formed to cater to the local market. Early Southern California automobile body stylists and coachbuilders such as Harley Earl, Walter Murphy, Dutch Darrin and others brought a new approach to car design that stood in dire contrast to that of most east coast automobile body makers who were obliged to adhere to arbitrary traditions that dated back to the horse-drawn carriage days.

Ultimately, automobiles constructed individually by carefully trained craft workers were replaced by cheaper, mass produced assembly line vehicles, most of which were Model T Fords. As the popularity of automobiles grew and competition in the marketplace intensified, Los Angeles area new car dealers were among the first to acknowledge the relationship between a vehicle's outward appearance and its marketability. They came to understand that an automobile was fundamentally another layer of clothing that California motorists "wore" in public much the same way that New Yorkers would wear tailor-made hats, gloves and overcoats. The automotive equivalent of haute couture clothing, custom-bodied vehicles were favored by Southern California's growing number of wealthy residents, including the newly emerging class of ultra glamorous Hollywood celebrities, the majority of whom wanted to convey the impression that they had indeed achieved success in the land of opportunity - or at least make it seem like they did. One prime example of this approach was Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a highly paid silent film star who ordered a body designed by Harley Earl for a 1919 Pierce-Arrow whose gargantuan size, purple color, oak wheels, white tires, and custom radiator shell made it one of the most imposing and conspicuous cars on the road. Such individuals demonstrated that buyers often based their selection of new cars less on their practical advantages and more on their ability to make a statement.

1947 Kurtis Omohundro

Early in the century, a distinctive Southern California automobile style began to emerge thanks to firms like Earl Automobile Works, which was founded in 1908 by the father of future General Motors styling boss Harley Earl. Tall in stature and with unfailing good taste in clothes, Earl had a strong personality that set him apart from other car designers of the day and enabled him to mix easily with the upper echelons of society. The bodies he created had an easy elegance and a chic, modern appearance that differed from the products of older, more conservative east coast coachbuilders and captured the attention of style-minded silent film stars, movie moguls, successful businessmen, and wealthy seasonal residents. Motion pictures and the print media regularly featured such vehicles, which helped to spread the word about local trends that were characterized by simplicity of design and a strong "less is more" aesthetic. Earl was hired away from his father's firm to design cars for Don Lee, a Los Angeles Cadillac distributor, in 1919 and went on to pen his first car for General Motors, the LaSalle, in 1927. His move to Detroit virtually guaranteed that the California style Harley Earl had helped create would be propagated throughout the range of the most popular and successful auto manufacturer the world had yet known. It also left a void in the hometown market that was quickly filled by Walter M. Murphy.

Walter Murphy's retail automotive sales career began when he opened a Simplex and Locomobile dealership in downtown Los Angeles in 1916. Four years later, he secured Lincoln's California distributorship. Unlike the majority of other West Coast distributors, Murphy understood the California market unusually well and determined that the best way to attract new customers was by painting cars lighter colors and altering other exterior design elements. Such updates enabled Murphy to sell Leland-era Lincolns that were at first as dowdy and unappealing to look at as they were beautifully engineered. By 1920 he was a coachbuilder in his own right, creating cars that had a simple, dignified look that suited the local market perfectly and was widely admired. In 1926 Murphy became the California Hudson and Essex distributor. He so impressed Hudson management with his specially bodied cars that he was invited to design bodies for a line of limited production 1927 Hudsons with bodies that would be built by Biddle & Smart in Massachusetts. Although the elegant, refined cars were too expensive to market in large quantities, they were among the first to be styled by a Los Angeles-area designer and built by a major Detroit manufacturer. Murphy continued to build individual custom vehicles until he was forced to close in 1932 as the Great Depression brought about a drastic decline in the market for scratch-built coachwork. Not willing to accept defeat, Murphy employees Christian Bohman and Maurice Schwartz seized the opportunity to found their own firm as did J. Gerard Kirchhoff, the former shop supervisor.

1950 Oldsmobile Polynesian

During the mid-1930s, a large number of coachbuilders ceased operations while others such as Darrin (in Hollywood) and Bohman & Schwartz (in Pasadena) turned to customizing existing bodies, which reduced costs and allowed them to generate enough business to remain viable. Demand for such limited production vehicles at less exorbitant prices prompted Packard to call upon Howard A. "Dutch" Darrin to design a small series of models for limited production. Darrin, an entrepreneur with an eye for style and good connections, first got Packard's attention when he built a rakish custom convertible for Hollywood leading man Dick Powell. The car's cut-down doors and low silhouette gave it a European flare that made it such a standout that Powell undoubtedly found it difficult to drive on city streets without being ogled by awestruck onlookers. The clean lines and lowness of the car were so well received that Packard acquired the rights to the design and three versions (the convertible coupe, a convertible sedan and an enclosed sports sedan) were listed as regular, though extremely limited, production offerings beginning in 1940. As word spread, sales became so brisk that both Bohman & Schwartz (still in Pasadena) and Rollston (of New York) were called upon to build near identical replicas for customers too anxious to wait for the real thing. Manufacture of the special Packard lasted until production of all domestic cars was suspended in early 1942 for the war effort.

Following World War II, traditional body builders such as Maurice Schwartz and Christian Bohman (who dissolved their partnership in 1940) continued operations although virtually all of their time was spent customizing existing cars, sometimes quite extensively. Another of the new breed of customizers to resume activities was Coachcraft, which was founded in 1939 by three former Darrin employees. Unlike other customizers, Coachcraft understood that the market for made-to-order vehicles was virtually nonexistent and concentrated their efforts on modifying inexpensive makes like Ford and Mercury with good results. One of their best remembered creations was a 1941 Mercury with front fenders that extended rearward onto the doors for a fade-away effect, a styling cue adapted by General Motors for use on the 1942 Buick. Another Coachcraft design, which was based on a 1949 Cadillac, featured rear fenders that did away with fins, a styling affectation that Cadillacs still sported a full 15 years later. But even though they were blazing exciting new trails, few enthusiasts could afford their expensive work and firms like Schwartz, Bohman & Son, and Coachcraft were ultimately displaced by less expensive, more youth oriented entrepreneurs like George and Sam Barris, Al and Gil Ayala, and Dean Jeffries.

FC Sport

Even though the comfort and convenience of the average American car had risen to the point where there was no longer a strong market for traditionally built customs, these newly established shops created a number of surprisingly imaginative cars at relatively affordable prices during the 1950s for motorists who still wanted something truly unique. Some customizers offered a kind of menu of simple modifications at varying prices from which customers could choose while others created vehicles with so many special features they could only be described as radical customs. Thanks in part to the training they received while serving in the military during World War II, many of those without the means to hire a specialty shop to work on their cars could still create something special in their own garages, which they did with a vengeance. Custom car shows like Robert E. Petersen's Motorama were established to give enthusiasts an opportunity to meet and admire each others' work and perhaps become inspired by what they saw to try something different. A new genre of magazines like Road & Track and Motor Trend gave these events a great deal of nationwide coverage that enabled aficionados throughout the country to stay abreast of their activities as they dreamed of the day they could build something of their own, frequently out of fiberglass.

As they had routinely done in the past, Detroit automakers took note of the acclaim and adopted many of the styling ideas conceived on the West Coast and began producing cars with lower silhouettes, sculpted contours, and bold paint schemes during the late 1950s. Some manufacturers even commissioned select California customizers to create dream cars on their behalf for the auto show circuit. This strategy was favored by Ford, whose Custom Caravans of the 1960s caused a sensation both among customizers and in Detroit. The cars they created had a fresh, youthful look that appealed to manufacturers and successfully drew attention to their products. The West Coast connection eventually became so important that during the 1950s and 1960s most automakers opened sales and marketing offices in the Southland, which were followed by the mid-1990s by satellite styling studios that allowed them to be closer to their source of inspiration. The first car to be designed in such a studio was the 1978 Toyota Celica, which was created by designers at CALTY, Toyota's design studio established in 1973.

Even though Detroit's rise to manufacturing prominence ultimately forced Los Angeles area vehicle manufacturers out of business long ago, the Southland has continued to influence automotive design on a large scale. In recent years more than 20 automotive design studios have been established in the area including those of Acura, General Motors, Honda, Volkswagen/Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volvo. And in Pasadena, the former home of Murphy, Bohman & Schwartz, and other renowned coachbuilders, the Art Center College of Design has become the training ground for countless influential automotive designers whose work will continue to be inspired by the area's automobile-based lifestyle and collective willingness of the car-conscious population to embrace new ideas.

California Car Design Studio Locations

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