The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is preparing to exhibit a special vehicle on its premises from February 18, 2023. It is a Chevrolet Corvette with a unique history, one of the defining pieces of the exhibition “Parall(elles): another history of design”.
The latter pays homage to the contribution of women in the history of design over the past 150 years, including in generally forgotten fields such as craftsmanship. And among the 250 works presented, there is a convertible Chevrolet Corvette from 1958. It is a unique model, the last survivor of the vehicles made by the design ladies (Ladies of design). This female division within General Motors was set up by the head of design at the time: Harley Earl.
By women for women
The latter found that surveys conducted by GM showed that the purchase of an automobile was influenced by women in 70% of cases in the late 1950s. which had a direct impact on the purchase of a second vehicle. According to Earl, the best way to sell cars to women was to involve them in their production.
Photo: Julien Amado
It is for this reason that nine women are hired at General Motors. Three join subsidiaries like Frigidaire, but six join the automotive division. They produce unique vehicles that are presented at the Women’s Motor Show (Spring Fashion Festival of Women Designed Cars) in 1958. All the vehicles presented on this occasion have disappeared, with the exception of the Corvette that you have in front of you: a convertible model, baptized Fancy Free, and which we owe to Ruth Glennie.
The base chosen is a 1958 model, with a 283 cubic inch V8 engine associated with a Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission. The car also has a few options taken from the catalog of the time, such as electric windows for example.
Photo: Julien Amado
However, what attracts the most attention with this Corvette is obviously its metallic olive green color which covers the entire body. This gives a more sober side to the Fancy Free. Indeed, the production model received a contrasting color on part of the doors and front fenders. The most striking models of the time being obviously the red Corvettes with a white insert.
In the case of the Fancy Free, the rims retain their chrome appearance, but the central part receives the same color as the bodywork. The color scheme is also noticeable with the whitewall tires, which blend with the soft top of the same color.
Photo: Julien Amado
Green on the outside, but also on the inside
Inside, different types of green coexist with white for the side part of the seats and the inside of the doors. Some elements are removable to be able to change them according to your taste. Another noteworthy feature, the seat belts are retractable and return to their location when not in use. A convenience that seems commonplace today, but which was not yet mounted in the production Corvette.
After being exposed to Spring Fashion Festival of Women Designed Cars of 1958, the Fancy Free was bought by a GM employee for his wife. The car was used normally, and changed hands several times until it was restored by a German collector in the 2000s.
Photo: Julien Amado
The odometer reads just over 61,000 miles, or 98,000 kilometers. We couldn’t know exactly what was done to the car, but the freshness of the paint, interior and the new brake hoses visible in the wheel arches suggest that the Corvette Fancy Free benefited of a complete restoration, in order to resemble as much as possible what it was in 1958.
If you want to admire this piece of history, know that the car will be on display at the MMFA from February 18 to May 28, 2023.