Pontiac Streamliner: Defining Art Deco, One Vehicle at a Time

Streamliner: Defining Art Deco, One Vehicle at a Time

We can streamline communications, mathematic equations, and manufacturing operations. However, when it comes to the word, “streamliner,” there is one image that comes to mind: the Art Deco round vehicle. Whether that vehicle is a train from the pre-World War II era, an Airstream trailer, or a streamlined automobile, streamlining best fits in the automotive and locomotive worlds.

Streamlining as a Novelty

Today, all vehicles are streamlined to be aerodynamic. But in the early years of engineering, streamlining was done for the attractive Art Deco design. Fortunately, the designers realized that fuel efficiency increased and the design style stuck around. The first streamlined vehicles were trains and most of them appeared in Europe. The United States was going through the Great Depression, so its citizens needed to wait a few years before catching up with the Europeans. The 1934 World’s Fair was the host to the recovery period that was ushered in with the Burlington Zephyr, which eventually made a early speed record traveling from Denver to Chicago in 13 hours at $.04 per gallon on fuel.

Decades of Iconic Streamlined Cars

Along with the trains, car manufacturers jumped on the streamliner bandwagon by designing cars with the rounded, Art Deco look. In the 1930s through the 1940s, streamlined cars ruled the day. The Buick Y-Job was the concept car that started it all and all General Motors divisions designed cars that had that organically rounded elegant look that defined Art Deco, but also made the car fast and fuel-efficient. The cars came in many price points and with many options and features. The Cadillac Series 61 was one of the most expensive models and the Pontiac Streamliner was at the opposite price point. Buick Specials and Oldsmobile 88s were in between.

Art Deco Camper Capturing the Sunlight

Along with the Pontiac Streamliner , it was commonplace for manufacturers to use the term streamlined in the name. The most iconic streamlined vehicle is a vacation vehicle. The Airstream trailer first appeared in the 1930s and has continued to be a favorite still today. People love the Airstream for its lightweight aluminum body and its bullet shape. In the science fiction book published in 1961, Invaders from the Infinite, author John Wood Campbell perfectly described the allure of the streamlined Airstream when he wrote: “A gigantic silvery machine rested there, streamlined to perfection, its hull dazzlingly beautiful in the sunlight.”

The post Pontiac Streamliner: Defining Art Deco, One Vehicle at a Time appeared first on Fossil Cars Blog.

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