BUICK Y-JOB GOES TO GOODWOOD: DRIVING THE DREAM

DETROIT, March 20, 2002 – It is difficult to imagine a time when concept cars did not exist. These mainstays of the show circuit have become as commonplace as electricity and indoor plumbing. But in 1938, the idea of creating an expressive automobile to explore new worlds of design and technology may have seemed as fanciful as space flight. General Motors was the first manufacturer to take this step – and the result was the Buick Y-Job, a car that is widely acknowledged as the industry's first concept car.

The Buick Y-Job will be one of the very special vehicles that GM will bring to the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12-14, 2002. This automotive milestone will be driven up Lord March's driveway in a reenactment of the days when GM Vice President of Design Harley J. Earl drove the Y-Job through the streets of Grosse Pointe, Mich., on sunny summer afternoons.

"The Buick Y-Job exemplifies the elements of great design," said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, North American product development. "Its compelling and pure form provokes an emotional response that says 'I want to drive this automobile.' That is the kind of passion for the product that GM is striving to inspire throughout its portfolio with a renewed commitment to exceptional design and technical innovation."

Earl was the catalyst for the creation of this unique automobile. Colorful, charismatic and opinionated, Earl left his mark on generations of GM products. The Y-Job was a signpost that pointed to design trends that would endure for decades.

Why the Y-Job name? In Earl's lexicon, every new project was a job. The letter "Y" went one step beyond the prosaic X-for-experimental designation and paid homage to the prototype fighter planes that were identified with the prefix "Y" by aircraft manufacturers.

The Y-Job was a collaborative effort within GM Design. Earl supplied the inspiration and a critical eye, George Snyder put the lines on paper and Buick Chief Engineer Charlie Chayne supervised the modifications to the production Buick Century chassis that became the foundation of GM's groundbreaking concept car.

They created a vision that inspired a new genre of automotive art: the Dream Car. With a 126-inch wheelbase and a body that extended more than 17 feet long, the two-seat convertible was an exuberant expanse of streamlined sheetmetal. Sporty yet elegant, the Y-job introduced innovative features such as concealed headlamps, electrically operated windows, flush door handles and a power-operated convertible top that was fully concealed by a steel boot when retracted.

But it was the Y-Job's long, low profile that left the impression that this was a time machine from the future. Gone were the running boards and formal, upright shapes of the classic coachbuilders. In their place, the Y-Job had fenders that flowed seamlessly into the doors, integrated bumpers that complemented the bodywork and strong horizontal styling elements. It introduced themes that would reverberate throughout the automotive industry through the '60s.

While contemporary road cars rode on 16-inch wheels, Earl specified special 13-inch diameter rims to give the Y-Job a lower stance. The small-diameter wheels were backed with airplane-inspired finned brake drums that were more than a match for the Y-Job's 320-cubic-inch/141-horsepower inline eight-cylinder engine.

During Earl's 20-year tenure at the Design Center, GM became the acknowledged leader in automotive styling, producing memorable automobiles that still elicit deep emotional responses from onlookers. With its innovative technology and stunning design, the Y-Job set the standard for the dream cars that would follow in its tire tracks.

Buick Y-Job Restoration: Reviving the Dream

When the Beatles posed the musical question, "Will you still love me when I'm 64?" they expressed the angst of a generation of Baby Boomers. But in the case of the 64-year-old Buick Y-Job concept car, the answer from the staff of the General Motors Design Center was an emphatic "Yes!"

Although the Y-Job was GM's first concept car and an icon in the automotive industry, it did not lead a pampered life. Constructed in 1938 under the direction of Harley J. Earl, GM's first design chief, the Y-Job made the rounds of the auto show circuit. But the Y-Job was not a turntable queen; Earl regularly drove the low-slung two-seater on the streets of Detroit where its appearance must have seemed as alien as a flying saucer.

But dream cars, like yesterday's newspapers, have a short shelf life. The Y-Job's innovative styling and advanced features soon paled alongside even more futuristic products from GM's supercharged design staff. The Y-Job was eventually consigned to a warehouse, and later transferred to the Sloan Museum in Flint, Mich. There the Y-Job languished in dusty anonymity – until a burgeoning interest in Detroit's fanciful dream cars rescued the Y-Job and its descendants from obscurity.

As historians and enthusiasts began to appreciate the significance of these landmark vehicles, the Y-Job was returned to its former glory as the centerpiece of a concept car revival at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. In 1993, the Y-Job came home to the GM Design Center in Warren, Mich., where it now resides as an honored member of GM's heritage collection.

The Y-Job will complete its odyssey when it appears at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Sixty-four years after its creation, the industry's first concept car will drive again.

The Y-Job was prepared for its day in the sun by the GM Design Center's mechanical assembly staff under the direction of engineering supervisor Dale Jacobson. The shop is the last stop for GM concept cars before their appearances in media previews and auto shows. Refurbishing the Buick Y-Job for its transatlantic journey became a labor of love.

"The staff has really taken an interest in the Y-Job because of its historical significance," said Jacobson. "The car is in remarkable condition with its original paint and bodywork. The goal was not to make it a perfect restoration, but to preserve its character. The car still shows the wear and tear from when Harley Earl drove it daily."

Although mechanically sound, the Y-Job required the vigorous application of tender loving care to make it a runner again. The radiator was refurbished and its hoses replaced; new springs and shock absorbers were fitted and the transmission and axle seals inspected. New fuel lines and a rebuilt carburetor were installed to ensure an adequate supply of gasoline for the 320-cubic-inch inline eight-cylinder engine. The brake system was flushed and refilled with new fluid.

Several of the Y-Job's innovative features were more problematic. The power-operated convertible top had been damaged, so the Design Center staff had to rework the mechanism to restore it to working condition. The hydraulic system that operates the power-assisted windows required a complete overhaul.

With is appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Buick Y-Job will have come full circle. From auto shows and country clubs in America to the annual celebration of speed at Goodwood, the Buick Y-Job makes a statement about the power of design that has endured for 64 years – and the passion of the people at General Motors for exceptional automobiles.