Shinoda met Ford vice president Gene Bordinat in late 1954 For the rest of his twelve total years at GM, Shinoda primarily designed concept cars, including the Mako Shark show car and CERV I. Working with Mitchell and Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, he refined the XP 819 and other concept cars that eventually translated into the original 1963 Corvette Sting Ray design. Shinoda also led design work on the revised 1968 version that borrowed heavily from his Mako Shark concept. He also participated in the 1965 redesign of the Chevrolet Corvair, giving that car its sleek "Coke bottle" shape.

Ford

In 1968 Henry Ford II hired former GM executive Bunkie Knudsen to be president of Ford. Knudsen recruited Shinoda to come to Ford in hopes of improving the styling and sales of Ford's lineup. Shinoda's first project at Ford was the Boss 302 Mustang high-performance homologation special. Shinoda is credited with taking the original design, then designated SR-2, and removing much of the chrome ornamentation.

Freelance

After leaving Ford, Shinoda and Knudsen co-founded Rectrans in November 1970, which built recreational vehicles in Brighton, Michigan. The Discoverer was based on the contemporaneous Dodge B-series chassis and sold for three model years (1971–73). White Motor Company acquired Rectrans in 1971 as a condition of naming Knudsen as its chairman; Shinoda followed him again and was named White's design vice president. This car had a fully enclosed wedge-shaped body, with only the front wheels, fitted with lakester-style wheel discs (Moon discs), exposed.

Shinoda developed kidney problems starting in 1996, yet continued to be an active designer.

Designs

Notable designs by Larry Shinoda:

  • 1959 Stingray Racer (XP-87, with Pete Brock and Bill Mitchell)
  • 1960 CERV I
  • 1962 Corvair Super Spyder (XP-785)
  • 1962 Monza GT (XP-777)
  • 1963 Monza SS (XP-797)
  • 1963 Mako Shark I (XP-755)
  • 1963–67 Chevrolet Corvette (C2)
  • 1964 CERV II
  • 1965 Mako Shark II (XP-830)
  • 1965 Chaparral 2C
  • 1967/68 Chevrolet Astro I (XP-842), II (XP-880)
  • 1968–82 Chevrolet Corvette (C3)
  • 1969/70 Boss 302 Mustang
  • 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra
  • 1990 Rick Mears Special Edition Corvette
  • 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ)
  • National Corvette Museum logo

<gallery mode=packed heights=150px caption="Notable designs by Larry Shinoda">

File:Indy500winningcar1956.JPG|1956 Indianapolis 500 winner (Watson-Offenhauser) campaigned by John Zink

File:1959 Corvette XP-87 Stingray.jpg|1959 Stingray Racer (Brock/Shinoda/Mitchell)

File:Cerv039.jpg|1960 CERV I concept

|1962 Corvair Super Spyder concept

File:Corvair Monza GT.1.jpg|1962 Monza GT concept

File:1961-Chevrolet-Mako-Shark-Corvette-Concept-SA-Top-1280x960.jpg|1963 Mako Shark I concept

File:1963 Corvette Sting Ray.jpg|1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe

File:CERV2.jpg|1964 CERV II concept

File:65 Mako Shark.jpg|1965 Mako Shark II concept

File:'68 Chevrolet Stingray Corvette Convertible (Orange Julep).jpg|1968 Corvette Sting Ray Convertible

File:1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (17080289988).jpg|1969 Boss 302 Mustang

</gallery>

References

  • Development of the Sting Ray
  • Ellwood, Wayne (1995) Interview with Larry Shinoda
  • Ellwood, Wayne (1995) Mako Shark Interview with Larry Shinoda
  • Ellwood, Wayne (1995) XP-819 Interview with Larry Shinoda
  • Larry Shinoda at the GM Heritage Center
  • Larry Shinoda at the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame
  • Larry Shinoda at the Mustang Club of America Hall of Fame
  • Larry Shinoda at the Pasadena City College alumni history site
  • Team Shinoda, a company co-founded by daughter Karen and named in his honor