Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild models, circa 1965. Photo courtesy GM Media
Hard to believe, but there was a time when building model cars – physical three-dimensional entities of your own creation, not flat digital Photoshop fantasies – could actually get you a career.
Starting in the 1930s, the Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild was a regionally and nationally held car-design competition sponsored by GM’s Fisher Body Division. For four decades, GM used the program to scout up-and-coming design talent with the promise of college scholarships; more than eight million participants entered until GM disbanded the Guild in the late 1960s. During the 1950s the Guild was reportedly second in scope only to the Boy Scouts of America. A whole generation of designers and design executives were Craftsman’s Guild winners: Virgil M. Exner, Jr., Charles M. Jordan, Robert W. Henderson, Robert A. Cadaret, Richard Arbib, and dozens more. And those award-winning models still exist. Ever seen one in person? No, neither have we.
In case Scottsdale’s insane transformation into King of All Car-Crazy Towns is luring you to the Valley of the Sun this coming January, take note: There will be a reunion of Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild members at the Scottsdale International Car Museum on Friday, January 18, and Saturday, January 19, 2013. Dozens of vintage, handcrafted and award-winning models will be on display at the event. (And when you’re done, go walk across the street to Pavillions, a free full-scale car show where hundreds of cars and thousands of people gather.)
The last such reunion took place in 2008 in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and attracted more than 60 past contestants along with their models.
For more information on the reunion, Dean’s Garage has kindly uploaded a flyer with reservation information as a PDF. And for more information on the Guild, check out John L. Jacobus’s The Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild: An Illustrated History, which tells more about the people and models of this historic program.
