1933 Chevrolet Tremulis Design Car Roadster

Alexander Sarantos Tremulis was a Greek-American industrial designer who worked at several prominent automobile manufacturers including Cord, Duesenberg, General Motors Tucker, and Ford prior to establishing a consulting firm. He began working at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company in 1933 when he was just 19 years old, having obtained the job without any formal training in engineering or art. He produced pencil sketches and India ink drawings for Chicago Duesenberg Sales manager Don Hogan. Later projects he worked on include the Cord 810 and 812 series, as well as a custom Duesenberg roadster having both convertible and hardtop options. In 1936, he became Chief Stylist for Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg and would remain there until the company failed the following year.

One of the highlights of his career was working with Preston Tucker on creating the 1948 rear-engined Tucker. During World War II he served in the United States Army Air Corps. and this aeronautical experience would later influence the racecars and advanced transportation system he designed.

Alex Tremulis's first fully realized automotive design was a 1933 Chevrolet built for comedian Ralph Cook. At the time, Tremulis was working as an usher in a Chicago theater which allowed him the opportunity to be close to influential and prominent individuals, including Cook. The Chevy Custom Roadster was built in the early 1930s and the design emphasized Tremulis' obsession with aerodynamic designs. It was built atop a conventional Chevrolet frame with leaf-spring suspension and large drum brakes behind artillery-style wheels. Power is from a Chevrolet inline 6-cylinder engine.

The Custom Chevy was displayed at the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair, with period photos showing Tremulis in the car with Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Chief Designer Gordon Buehrig.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019