# 1951 GM LeSabre concept car **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258 "2023-04-25T04:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/1 "2023-04-25T04:12:50Z")
The headlight array looks like a pig snout. The jet engine exhaust nozzle on the rear is, uhm, uhm… No apparent back seat despite overall land yacht wheelbase dimensions. No apparent trunk. The overall design looks much like a Batmobile. And yet, easy to see design elements that showed up in production GM cars within a few years. Got the image off Facebook where it was posted in the MidCentury Atomic Age Vintage Retro Culture and Ads, so cannot vouch for the accuracy of the purported origin. Accurate or not, it is an … interesting … vehicle. ![FB_IMG_1682395297033](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/2/b/2b3e449986058917b8370173d9b4549eb40c4571.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/2 "2023-04-25T04:20:52Z")
I wonder if that’s where ford got the idea for the edsel grill? ---
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/3 "2023-04-25T04:22:59Z")
@bing Apparently the design folks at GM and Ford were both imbibing from the same rocket age vapors. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/4 "2023-04-25T04:36:23Z")
> [@Marnet](#): > > Accurate or not, it is an … interesting … vehicle. > **[General Motors Le Sabre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Le_Sabre)** > > The General Motors Le Sabre is a 1951 concept car. Possibly the most important show car of the 1950s, it introduced aircraft-inspired design elements such as the wrap-around windshield and tail fins, which became common on automotive designs during the second half of the decade. > The Le Sabre was the brainchild of General Motors Art Department head Harley Earl. The design was Earl's attempt to incorporate the look of modern jet fighter aircraft into automotive design.\[citation needed\] As jets rep... ---
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/5 "2023-04-25T04:42:06Z")
The tail fins are what I’ve heard described as belch fire tail fins. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/6 "2023-04-25T04:45:51Z")
Jay Leno buys pink panthermobile ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/9/190e392e43f2e26f230576b109fb01e2d7ade984.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/7 "2023-04-25T04:51:12Z")
@Barkydog That bizarre thing is Pepto Dismal Pink, just like Mary Kay Cosmetics dealer cars were. 🤪🤣 The front end looks like an unholy mix of vacuum hose and an anteater snout. 😳🤔😁 ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 6:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/8 "2023-04-25T06:03:32Z")
It seems like in many things inventors simulate nature. In this case I thing the designer ran across an ant eater. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/9 "2023-04-25T13:18:22Z")
Don’t forget the early 1950s Studebaker. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/9/19ead8f2656902f6e5fd27b0ad0072b3e8cc6d6b.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/10 "2023-04-26T00:07:57Z")
I seem to recall even some production cars from the late 50s early 60s had the jet-engine-appearing rear end. On the 51 concept car, overall, the rear end looks ok, within reason, but I’m not at all keen on the front end. I wonder if one person designed the front, and another designed the rear? Other than the tiny lights below the main headlights, sort of throws off the symmetry, the red Studebaker looks pretty modern and classy. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1951-gm-lesabre-concept-car/190258/11 "2023-04-26T12:34:55Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > the red Studebaker looks pretty modern and classy. Well, Studebaker was, “First by far with a post-war car”!