General Motors Firebird XP-21, 1953

Harley J. Earl (American, 1893-1969), designer

Robert F. “Bob” McLean (American, life dates unknown) and GM Styling Section staff, designers

General Motors Corporation, American, founded 1908, manufacturer

Courtesy of General Motors Heritage Center, Warren, Michigan

Photo by Michael Furman

The Firebird XP-21 was the first gas turbine-powered car built and tested in the United States. At the 1954 Motorama, General Motors made it clear this was a design study created to determine the practicality of the gas turbine for use in future vehicles. Harley Earl, GM’s styling chief, made the decision to initiate the development of the Firebird I in the styling department rather than the engineering department. He took styling cues from the Douglas F4D Skyray jet, and the car’s “needle” nose, swept-back wings, vertical tailfin, and plastic bubble top cockpit reflected this inspiration. As it was described in the press at the time, “the first impression one gets of the Firebird is that it is a jet fighter on four wheels – an impression that prevails even while the car is standing still.”

Although the Firebird I‘s lofty power output was intriguing, the gas turbine engine could not provide economical performance. Besides its impractical single-seater design, its jet engine was too loud, its exhaust temperature at the tailpipe was 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and its low fuel economy was unacceptable. But it was a Motorama sensation, and two successors followed at later Motoramas: the Firebird II in 1956 and the Firebird III in 1959. The Firebird series symbolized the era’s obsession with outer space and air travel.