Mystery Friday Foto #45 Solved: Two Incredible GM Concept Cars from the 1955 Motorama
Did you identify these two futuristic GM concept cars displayed at the 1955 GM Motorama?
Identify;
- The year, make and model for both cars
The top B/W photo is the 1955 LaSalle II Roadster. The bottom color photograph is of the 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne.
- What was the purpose of these cars and where could they be seen?
Both of these cars were concept show cars for the 1955 General Motors Motorama. Neither ever went into production.
- Do either one exist today?
Yes. Both were saved from the scrapyard by famous car collector Joe Bortz.
The Joe Bortz Collection is one of the world’s most celebrated assemblages of General Motors Motorama concept cars, rescued from near‑destruction and now on display at the Gilmore Car Museum in Michigan through 2027. Eight of these Motorama “Marvels” are currently on display at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI, in the GM Motorama Marvels from the Joe Bortz Collection exhibit (April 11, 2026 – March 2027)
Joe Bortz is a veteran classic car collector and “automotive archaeologist” who has spent decades tracking down, restoring, and preserving rare GM Motorama concept cars from the 1949–1961 era. Many of these vehicles were designed by legendary stylist Harley Earl and were intended as futuristic showpieces, not production models. Bortz was even responsible for saving the GM Futurliners used in the 1938 and early 1950's traveling 'Parade of Progress' that went from city to city. An original Futurliner, #7, has recently been restored to its original 1938 appearance by Rob Ida at Ida Automotive and can be seen next week at the RetroMobile Show at the Jacob Javits Center in NY.
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Congrats to Al Prete, Steve Lucas and George Ellis for correctly identifying both concept vehicles.
Greg O.
1955 LaSalle II
1955 Chevrolet Biscayne
The 1955 GM Motorama was a coast‑to‑coast showcase of futuristic concept cars, aspirational production models, and cutting‑edge automotive technology, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors across the U.S.
The idea of a 'concept car' was developed by Harley Earl in the 1930's. The very first 'concept car' was the Buick 'Y Job'.
The 1955 Motorama tour ran from January 20–25 in New York City, then moved to Miami (Feb 5–13), Los Angeles (Mar 5–13), San Francisco (Mar 26–Apr 3), and Boston (Apr 23–May 1)
Visitors saw a “hall‑of‑fame” lineup, including;
-Buick Wildcat III — a dream car with fiberglass body and striking styling
-Chevrolet Biscayne — a luxury coupe
-Pontiac Strato Star — a sporty concept
-Oldsmobile 88 Delta — a new model for ’55
-LaSalle II roadster and sedan
-Cadillac Eldorado Brougham — a luxury flagship
-Chevrolet Bel Air — the year’s top‑selling model
-GMC L’Universelle — a unique utility vehicle
The very first 'concept vehicle', the Buick 'Y Job' in 1939.
A model intended to show new technology or designs but not be mass-produced for sale to consumers. Designed by Harley Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, electric windows, wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s and the vertical waterfall grille design still used by Buick today. It used a Buick Super chassis, indicated by the word "Super" located above the rear license plate.
The car was driven for a number of years by Harley Earl, until he replaced it with a 1951 model car. Sometime after that, the car was restored at the Henry Ford Museum, until 1993 when it was returned to the GM Design Center.
Back in 2023, another mystery foto we had showcased the 1955 GMC L'Universelle from the '55 Motorama. The fate of the L’Universelle is a mystery after the Motorama show; it was never seen again and it’s been assumed destroyed.
Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique ‘Mini’ van- the 1955 GMC L’Universelle Dream Truck
1955 General Motors Motorama in Color
From the '55 Motorama to the junkyard and back! This is the story of the LaSalle II Roadster & Sedan
1955 Chevrolet Biscayne- General Motors Concept Car Motorama
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