Chuck Jordan (automobile designer)

Charles Morrell "Chuck" Jordan (October 21, 1927[1] – December 9, 2010[2]) was an American automotive designer who was born in Whittier, California.[3] He graduated with honors from Fullerton Union High School in 1945. He studied at MIT before joining General Motors in 1949. His son, Mark Jordan, is an automobile designer for GM and Mazda.

Charles Morrell "Chuck" Jordan
Chuck (right) next to Nuccio Bertone at Stile Bertone
Born(1927-10-21)October 21, 1927
Whittier, California
DiedDecember 9, 2010(2010-12-09) (aged 83)
Rancho Santa Fe, California
OccupationAutomobile designer
Known forGM VP of Design

He died in December 2010 in Rancho Santa Fe, California of lymphoma.[2]

Career

While a junior at MIT, he entered the first post war Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild competition, winning first prize and a $4000 scholarship. At the award ceremony, Harley Earl's assistant Howard O'Leary invited him to come to GM when he completed his studies. He accepted the invitation and started with GM in 1949.[4]

One of his first projects was the Aerotrain, completed when he was 28 years old. He rose to director of design for Cadillac in 1957,[1] being chief designer of the 1959 Cadillac,[2] an epitome of fin design (although it was well underway when he arrived.) He also spent time with GM Europe as head of design for Opel.

1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

He was vice president of design for General Motors from 1986 to 1992. Only six people, including Harley Earl and Ed Welburn, have held the position in GM's history.[5]

Some of Jordan's work included the following cars:

References
  1. AutoWeek Magazine "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-12-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/19/local/la-me-chuck-jordan-20101219
  3. "Interview: Chuck Jordan, GM's Chief Designer". Motor Trend. January 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. Tremont, Marianne; Lamm, Michael (Spring 1987). "The Biography of C.M.Jordan". Car Styling. Car Styling Publishing Co. 58: 30–36.
  5. USA Today. "Retired GM Design Boss Chuck Jordan Dies After Decades of Stunners" http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/12/retired-gm-design-boss-chuck-jordan-dies-after-decades-of-stunners/1
  6. Jeff Glucker RSS feed. "Fabled GM design chief Chuck Jordan dead at 83". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
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