1951 GM LeSabre

Photo courtesy of General Motors.

Harley Earl with the LeSabre next to the 1958 GM Firebird III, the 1938 Buick Y-Job, and the 1954 GM Firebird I inside the viewing courtyard of the Technical Center's famous Design Center. Photo courtesy of General Motors.

The ZIS - 112 was a concept car by the Russian automaker ZIS. Known as the Cyclops, the car made it's debut in 1951. The Cyclops was designed by Valentine Rostkov, and it was heavily inspired by Harley Earl's LeSabre.

A Cadillac that Joe Sherlock used to see in his Northeast Philadelphia neighborood. Restyled in the early 1950s, the car was a rolling advertisement for the owner of Sam's Auto Body. It ran vanity plates that read "SAMS CAR," and the rear of it was influenced by the GM LeSabre.^[1]

Motorama: GM's Legendary Show & Concept Cars by David Temple. Check price and availability on Amazon.com.

Jack T. Chandler's 1941 Ford of Huntsville, Texas. Jack's Ford was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. It was featured in Speed Age October 1952, and it is the first LeSabre inspired Spohn build we have found in print. The rear end of Jack's car was inspired by both the LeSabre and the Buick XP-300.

Robert Mooselli's 1948 Mercury was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. Completed in 1952, the car was built for an unknown Army captain. When the car was featured Motor Life January 1954 it was owned by Robert Mooselli. The rear end design of Robert's Mercury was inspired by the LeSabre.

Carl Szembrot's 1950 Studebaker convertible of Albany, New York was restyled by R. K. Body Works around 1951-1952. The rear end of the car was inspired by the LeSabre. A photo, and story on the car was published in the Knickerboxer News February 13, 1952. According to the story, it took a couple of months to complete the job, total build cost was $1,800 USD.

Glenn Stauffer's 1949 Chevrolet convertible of West Pittson, Pennsylvania. The rear end on Glenn's Chevrolet resembled the LeSabre with its fins, taillights and vent in the rear deck. The car was featured in Trend Book 105 Restyle Your Car in 1952.

The Donz Lancer of Orlando, Florida. The rear end design and taillights on the Lancer seems to be inspired by the LeSabre.

The Spohn Palos was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany for an unidentified owner in 1952.

A Van Hool bodied, GM LeSabra inspired Dodge bus built in 1952. The bus was spotted in Switzerland in 1952 or 1953.

The Manta Ray is a fiberglass bodied sport custom built by Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine of Whittier, California. The build was completed circa 1952 - 1953, featuring a front end by the LeSabre. Glen and Vernon had plans for a small scale production of the Manta Ray

Ralph W. Angel's 1950 Chevrolet was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. Ralph was a U.S. Air Force jet pilot, stationed in Germany. The rear end design on Ralph's Chevrolet was inspired by the LeSabre. The front end styling was very similar to the 1953 Lincoln X-100 concept car. Photos of the car were published in Cars March 1953.

Louis W. Struna's 1949 Lincoln was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. The rear end and trunk was inspired by the LeSabre. A photo of the car was published in Popular Science June 1953.

Arthur Cooper's 1941 Packard 6 was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. The build took seven months complete. It was featured in Motor Trend November 1953, and as many other Spohn creations, the rear fenders received a treatment similar to the LeSabre, with its fins, taillights and chromed trim. The front bumper resembled the 1953 Lincoln X-100 concept car.

Nickolas M. Staranick's 1947 Buick was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. A photo of the car was published in Motor Trend May 1954. The whole car was heavily inspired by the LeSabre.

Dan Wylie's 1952 Pontiac Catalina was restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. Restyled for an unknown overseas soldier, the fins and taillights on the Pontiac were inspired by the LeSabre. The car was featured in Rod & Custom June 1954.

A 1950 Chrysler restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany for an unknown owner. The front of the car was inspired by the 1951 Buick XP-300 concept car, the fins were inspired by the LeSabre. A photo of the car was published in Special Interest Autos, Jan-Feb 1974.

A Veritas sportster with body by Spohn. The car has been fit with LeSabe inspired fins, chromed skirts and more. Photo courtesy of Special Interest Autos.

The 1954 Cramer Comet of Omaha. The design of Tom Cramer's sport custom was inspired by the LeSabre.

Frank Mann's Baby LeSabre of Los Angeles, California. The build was based on a wrecked Crosley station wagon. Two photos of the car were published in Popular Mechanics July 1954.

Henri Esclassan's GM LeSabre Lookalike. Built in France, Henri's LeSabre inspired creation made it's debut at the 1955 Paris Auto Salon.

Bob Metz' La Rocket of Indiana. Built on a 1939 LaSalle chassis, the car was built to resemble the LeSabre.

Jack Kirsch's 1954 Cadillac was built to resemble the LeSabre. The car was featured in Motor Trend August 1955.

Max Fleischer’s 1955 Cadillac was restyled by Cadillac Body Service in Detroit, Michigan. Max's Cadillac was inspired by the LeSabre.

Joar Kristiansen's LeSabre of Askim, Norway. Inspired by Harley Earl's 1951 GM LeSabre the build was started in 1953 and completed in 1957.

1951 GM Concept Car designed by Harley Earl. Earl’s second concept car was even more exotic looking than the 1938 Buick Y-Job. The LaSabre, also known as the XP-8, had a high grille that concealed the headlamps, the first-ever curved panoramic windshield, and a tail that brought to mind a jet aircraft. Beneath its sleek appearance, the LaSabre was a rolling test laboratory for radical new types of materials, most of which turned out to be too expensive ever to use in production cars. The LaSabre’s body was made of cast magnesium panels and hand-formed aluminum. Again, Earl used the dream car as his everyday vehicle, putting 45,000 miles on the odometer to prove its roadworthiness.