Saying Goodbye to Someone Who has Brought Us So Much

A career really is what you make of it and for Ed Welburn that has been 44 glorious years at General Motors. During his tenure at GM Ed has overseen many vehicles and their development. This hasn’t always been an easy road, but you can see the time and work he has put in paid off in a way no one would ever imagine. Mr. Welburn will be greatly missed but the designs he has been in charge of bringing to us will continue to be his legacy of excellence. Here are several that are absolutely breathtaking that have come under his charge.

Buick Avista Concept – This is a car that showed up at the Detroit Auto Show and stole the show. It’s not one that came in with an aggressive attitude of over-performance like the Ford GT did last year, but instead offers us a quiet and sophisticated way of gathering attention. Even though this car is not currently intended for production doesn’t mean it won’t be brought out at some point and built for us to love and admire. This is a car that is too elegant and perfectly designed for Buick to keep it off the market for very long.

Cadillac Ciel Concept – This could have been the flagship model or an impressive roadster that came in a large package. It appears to be a car that takes much of its look from the Rolls-Royce cars we have enjoyed over the years but this is a car that was shown at Pebble Beach in 2011 and has yet to be created. The Ciel showed up as a powerful, over the top and perfectly crafted car that would give the most luxurious vehicles on the road a run for their money if it were ever to be built.

Cadillac CTS – This is a car we currently love for the power and space it provides. This has been a popular model that offers the perfect ride and a gorgeous, forward thinking look to ensure you will remember this car when it drives by you. In the CTS-V, which is the performance variant of the car, this beauty will drive by you as it makes use of the 556 horsepower under the hood that comes from the V8 engine that is shared with the Corvette. This car even looks great as a wagon which gives you more cargo space and plenty of luxury.

Cadillac Elmiraj Concept – This is another concept that has yet to make its way to production, but it could be the look and build that eventually makes its way to the top of the lineup. This car is long and low slung to give you a coupe that is actually seventeen feet long to ensure you know you have the space you want on the inside and plenty of room for the engine to fit under the hood and power this mean beast of the luxury car world; hopefully this car will eventually be built, even if it has a different name.

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray – The Stingray is one of the most popular models of the new C7 Corvette which is the perfect continuation of one of the cars we have loved for many decades. This car is a sports car that offers massive power and torque to be a track or road beast that you can love and admire. Over the years even the interior has been upgraded to make a car that is comfortable and powerful which you could take out for a road trip to a far off destination.

Chevrolet SSR – There may be some that argue the beauty of this vehicle as it really never seemed to know what it was supposed to be. What it really was is a small sports truck that came with two doors, a drop top and a powerful engine. Situated low there really shouldn’t be that much difficulty figuring out it’s meant for a fast paced ride, but too many got hung up on the idea of a Chevrolet truck that wasn’t meant for work. It’s too bad because this was one of the most interesting and attractive vehicles on the road during its tenure.

GM Hy-Wire Concept – To think about the technology that was included in this concept as far back as 2002 is amazing. This car was not one of the more attractive vehicles Welburn ever came up with, but it was an innovative machine. This car offered drive-by-wire steering, a moveable steering wheel and cameras that were used instead of mirrors. It’s amazing to see we are just now, fourteen years later, beginning to understand some the features that this concept car offered as food for thought for the future of the industry and for a better overall driving experience.

Oldsmobile Aerotech – The only supercars made during the 1980s came from the European nations, or so we were told to think. The Aerotech was a car that was ahead of its time and looks like an attempt at a land speed record by Oldsmobile. While the 1980s were mired for low power vehicles that were not imaginative at all, GM was building this curved and dynamic machine. With a low to the ground look and a sweeping build it looked like it came right out of a video game and the fact Oldsmobile was able to put 1,000 horsepower in this thing made it extremely interesting.

Pontiac Solstice Coupe – This is a car that was certainly one of our favorites on the road before the Pontiac name was deleted from the GM lineup. This car and the Saturn Sky offered a sharp shape that looked like fun from behind the wheel and when you saw the specs regarding the power and performance you couldn’t help but want to drive this car. Unfortunately for the Solstice the Miata overshadowed it at the time otherwise this might have been the perfect car to save the brand and let Pontiac continue.