Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique ‘Mini’ van- the 1955 GMC L’Universelle Dream Truck
Ian Zwerdling challenged you to identify this drop-dead gorgeous 'mini' van.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
Identify:
- Year and make & model
1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck
- The man in charge of its design
Charles Jordan, a GMC designer under the supervision of Harley Earl
- Where is this car today?
After the 1955 Motorama, the GMC L'Universelle disappeared without a trace. It never went into production.
Comments (9)
Congrats to David Miller, Roger Roslowski, Bob Fowler, Stephen MacNish, Mark Schaier,Steve Lucas and Ray K for recognizing this unique Dream truck.
Kudos to David Miller, Roger Roslowski, Bob Fowler, Mark Schaier, Steve Lucas and Ray K for identifying Charles Jordan as the designer.
Greg O. and Howard Kroplick
Additional Images
Comments
1955 GMC L’Universelle. Designed by Charles Jordan under the direction of Harley Earl. This was a concept vehicle only and never made it to production.
1955 GMC L’Universelle Motorama Concept Vehicle, debuted at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, January, 1955 (if memory serves me correctly). Was designed by Chuck Jordan highlighting key styling designs of the soon to be released 1955 GMC Blue Chip Truck lineup (and the similar Chevy Task Force lineup). While efforts were taken to try to make this a production vehicle, it never materialized this way (the closest it came was in the production Covair 95 vans offered 1961-1965). The fate of the L’Universelle is a mystery after the Motorama show; it was never seen again and it’s been assumed destroyed (assumed junked at Warhoops salvage like many other GM concept vehicles).
1955 GMC l’universelle Dream Truck.designed by
Harley Earl and Charles Jordon
1955 GMC L’Universalle - predecessor to the Chevy Corvair vans
This was on my Facebook website recently, Check out my comment about the WWs.
It looks a lot like the Corvair based concepts of the 50’s. I would guess it is General Motors.
This is the 1955 GMC L’Universelle concept van. It wasdesigned by the GMC Division design team under direction of Charles Jordan, to go on display at the GM Motorarma
first at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, then other cites afterward.
Where is this van tody? unknown?
This was on my Facebook site just recently, I made comment of those thin WWs that was use on later cars.
That’s the 1955 GMC concept car “L’Universelle”. It was designed by Harley Earl with assists from Charles Jordan and Philip Monaghan. According to a Motortrend article from 9/1/2003 by Don Keefe, the car has disappeared without a trace.
1- 1955 GMC L’Universelle Dream Truck
2- Designed by Chuck Jordan
3- Sadly after its show life she was dismantled by GM
The drivetrain was a FWD system simular to the 1966 Olds Tornado but with a Pontiac 287 V8, not base on a Corair drivetrain system use in 1959.
Chuck Jordan was head designer of GMC design team.
Without the steering wheel or headlights, I don’t think the front would seem to be a front! 😊