Monday, April 16, 2012

Report from the Society of Automotive Historians 9th Biennial Automobile History Conference, held in Philadelphia April 13-14, 2012.


Hi folks -- I just returned from the SAH History Conference and wanted to write down a few impressions. First, I must congratulate organizer Arthur Jones for putting together a first- rate program that featured speakers from Spain, Germany, South Africa, Britain, and of course the U.S. The quality of the papers was extremely high, ending with the invited presentation by Professor Mira Wilkins, author with Frank Hill of the the well-known monograph "Ford on Six Continents." I had a number of paper favorites, but one that sticks out was former GM designer Bill Porter's presentation on bio-morphism and contemporary automobile design. The idea that the newer edgy designs mimic fish, plants, and animals can be a departure for a very serious analysis, and Bill has suggested that avenue to further research.

2 comments:

  1. i think, you had to write few impression about this car after hearing suggestion from Bill. you
    should be thankful to Arthur Jones who is providing opportunities to you to write few impressions.
    Used RVs for Sale

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  2. It was indeed a good conference, with papers ranging from advertising to the use of color to economic geography and Shanghai in the 1930s. There was even a paper about stealing cars ... one Heitmann, if I recall correctly, which I found fascinating.
    mike smitka, washington and lee university
    http://autosandeconomics.blogspot.com

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