Motorama
Motorama was an auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. Motorama (also known as Autorama) was aptly described by New Zealand automotive writer, Maurice Hendry, as "those gaudy carnivals of girls, glitter and gladiolas". These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models.
Origins
Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's yearly industrial luncheons at New York City's Waldorf Astoria, beginning in 1931. They were almost invariably held in conjunction with the New York Auto Show that for many years was held traditionally in the first week of January.
1949's Autorama
After World War II, the first show, Transportation Unlimited Autorama, was staged again at the Waldorf Astoria, in January 1949. Between the New York City venue and the Boston extension, nearly 600,000 people saw the show. Seven "special" Cadillac's were exhibited including, inter alia, a Series 61 coupe and a Series 62 sedan that were standard except for a special paint finish; also shown were The Caribbean, the Embassy, and the Fleetwood Coupe de Ville, all built on the Series Sixty Special chassis.
1950
During the 1950 edition, more than 320,000 visitors were able to admire the Cadillac Debutante, a special convertible trimmed in leopard skins. There was no Autorama or Motorama in 1952. Cadillac celebrated its Golden Anniversary (50 years of production) in 1952, and two show cars were on display at various venues around the country: the Townsman, a custom Series Sixty Special sedan, and the Cadillac Eldorado special convertible that went into limited production in 1953.
1953 Motorama
The show officially became known as Motorama when it began to travel around the country in 1953. That year more than 1.4 million visitors saw it; Motorama's opening day in New York drew 45,000 visitors. There was a revue, with orchestra, singers, and dancers. Exhibited at this venue were the Buick Wildcat, Pontiac La Parisienne, Oldsmobile Starfire, Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac Orleans and Le Mans.
More than 1.9 million visitors attended the show in 1954; it started on January 26 in the Waldorf Astoria, New York. On display were the experimental Oldsmobile F88 and Cutlass, Buick Wildcat II, Chevrolet Nomad station wagon, General Motors Firebird XP-21 and Pontiac Bonneville Special, Cadillac El Camino, LaEspada and Park Avenue; they all had Fiberglass bodies.
1955 and 1956 Motorama
The 1955 show dates were New York (January 20-25), Miami (February 5-13), Los Angeles (March 5-13), San Francisco (March 26 to April 3), Boston (April 23 to May 1). Exhibited at these venues were the Buick Wildcat III, Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad, Cadillac LaSalle II roadster and sedan, and Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.
In 1956 over 2.2 million visitors attended. The dates were New York January 19-24, Miami, (February 4-12), Los Angeles (March 3-11), San Francisco (March 24 through April 1), Boston (April 19-29). Featured cars included Buick Centurion, General Motors Firebird II, the Oldsmobile Golden Rocket, Pontiac Club de Mer, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and Eldorado Brougham town car. Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will recognize the 1956 show as the Motorama featured in the short film "Design for Dreaming."
No shows were held for the next two years. In 1957, however, Cadillac did display a couple of show cars at various venues. These were the Cadillac Director and the Eldorado Brougham town car of the previous year. Also, in 1958, a special Eldorado Biarritz convertible toured various automobile shows; it was equipped with a rain sensor designed to automatically raise the top and all window glass, in case of a rain shower.
"Design for Dreaming", the 1956 Motorama film, can be found here.
1959-1961 Motorama
In 1959, Motorama was held from October 16-22, 1958, at the Waldorf Astoria, New York , before moving on to Boston . Shown in these two east coast cities were General Motors Firebird III and the Cadillac Cyclone.
The final Motorama show was held in 1961 in New York , San Francisco and Los Angeles. More than one million visitors attended.
More than 100 trucks were needed to transport Motorama shows around country, each arriving at a precise time and in a given order. Cars and simultaneous revues were displayed on lifting, revolving platforms known as "grass-hoppers".
A total of 10.5 million visitors saw Motorama shows between 1949 and 1961.
"A Touch of Magic", the official film for the 1961 Motorama, can be found here.