A Brief History of the Automotive Design Program at
Georgia Tech College of Architecture's Industrial Design Program

Around the turn of the millennium, Preston Stevens, Jr. (a Georgia Tech College of Architecture graduate, class of 1952) pushed for an automotive design and history class as part of the College of Architecture's Industrial Design program. Spurred on by the late Dean Tom Galloway and with support from I.D. Director Lorraine Justice and I.D. Administrator Troy White, the first class convened in 2001. The first teacher, Professor Lee Payne had a serious stroke during the second year and several people stepped in to teach the remainder of the quarter including Preston, Tim Purdy, Park Waldrop, and Professor Harris Johnson of Tech's Economic Development Institute.

Since 2003, David Lynn has been teaching the design class and it has evolved from strictly covering history into a class where the students design their own automobiles. Regular guest lecturers have included Vince Tidwell and Norman Garrett, who were very much involved in the development and design of the Mazda Miata. At the end of the semester, the students present their designs to a panel of judges who help in the grading of their projects. In addition, every year Preston and Rick Kamen guest lecture the class (with occasional help from Marc Hamburger) about automotive designs of the independent automakers from the 1930's to the 1970's.

In 2000, Rick found the perfect car for the Automotive Design program, a 1934 Hupmobile 421-J Aerodynamic. A historically significant car, it was the first complete car designed by Raymond Loewy (the famed industrial designer), as well as being one of the early cutting-edge streamlined autos (like the Chrysler Airflow and the Pierce Silver Arrow). This car fit well with both the Automotive Design and the Industrial Design programs. Preston bought it and donated it to the College of Architecture. The Hupp is 99% complete, although it has not run in several decades. Even the cloth is intact, which we plan to use as a pattern.

The earlier classes studied this new “Ramblin' Wreck” but then stored it away until early 2007. At that time, Dean Galloway asked Rick to teach a basic overview course on automobile restoration in which students could work on the Hupp as part of the curriculum. This web site shows the progress we have made in the restoration class. Besides their research on the Hupp, the students so far have restored the carburetor, the intake and exhaust manifolds and the starter. The L-head six is stuck and will need to come apart. Egge Machine and Speed Shop has promised us all the engine parts we need free, provided a professional mechanic does the rebuild. Coker Tire has donated tires and tubes for our car. Other donations are also in the works.

The car has not progressed further due to a lack of a permanent workspace for the car. It's very difficult to work on the car without the proper tools and room to work. The car is temporarily stored at Preston's house in an outbuilding, but we are looking for a place with enough area to complete our restoration and hold classes. Ideally, a two-car garage would provide the minimum amount of space. Additional pipe dreams include a lift and enough room to hold classes and tear down an engine. Several alumni and foundations have promised to fully equip our garage once we have one. We have explored various possibilities for a workspace, but most have not panned out. Present investigations include the old Crum & Forster building on Spring Street, now owned by the Tech Foundation; however, a demolition permit is pending. We greatly appreciate any suggestions or offers of help.

In the meantime, the restoration class has discussed the following processes: choosing a vehicle for restoration, researching the vehicle's history, budgeting the restoration and planning and equipping a shop. We have discussed most of the mechanical aspects of a car, bodywork, paint and so on. A few field trips have brought us to an upholsterer, a full restoration shop, a body shop, a stainless steel restorer, and a car collection that includes a Tucker. We also make regular work trips to the Hupmobile. Guest lecturers have demonstrated tear down and rebuild procedures for a 4-barrel carburetor and a 4-speed transmission. Other guests have installed disk brakes on another car or performed some minor bodywork on our Hupp.

We now have three successful classes in the Automotive Design program: the original Design Class, the Restoration Class and the newest class added in 2009, under I.D. Director Abir Mullick: the Advanced Automotive Design Class, also taught by David Lynn. All three courses are credited electives and many of our students have gone on to successful careers in automotive or industrial design.

Some impressive highlights over the years include when our design class did some CAD-CAM work for Avanti Motors while they were working on a new SUV design. The 2008 design class has been working with the Gashopper company on a redesign of their current hybrid vehicle. One student flew to Sweden to study car design with Volvo; while another student's been interviewed for an engineering and design position at Rolls-Royce. Needless to say, we're all very excited about their futures.

Our plan is for Georgia Tech to be the third major player in awarding Automotive Design degrees – progress is slow but steady. We just need a permanent home for the classes, the car, and some funding.