To General Motors enthusiasts, names like William Durant, David Buick, and Louis Chevrolet, to name a few, are forever immortalized as the people who created what is now a celebrated automaker and storied American automotive brands; without these ambitious characters, there wouldn’t be a General Motors — at least not in the way it developed over a century ago.
Suitably, General Motors founder William “Billy” Durant will soon be eternalized in bronze thanks to a statue that will be situated in the downtown statue plaza in Flint, Michigan. Mr. Durant’s sculpture should feel right at home, as the location already features statues of legends Louis Chevrolet and David Buick, according to The Flint Journal.
The effort is driven by Al Hatch, founder of Back to the Bricks — an effort started in 2012 with the goal of putting statues of automotive figures throughout the city.
“Having him in the center of these two automotive names, he’s the guy who brought them to Flint, and at least got them started,” said Hatch. “Of course, they both split off and went their own ways, but he’s the guy that got them here. He was the idea guy, I guess, the motivator.”
Local artist Joe Rundell was responsible for the clay carving, and the sculpture will be set in bronze at a Clarkston foundry, with the final statue due to be unveiled August 17th during the Back to the Bricks car show.
The statues of Durant, Buick, and Chevrolet each cost roughly $40,000 to sculpt, bronze, and place inside a foundation. The Durant sculpture in particular was funded by Dale and Mary McClelland — former owners of Financial Tax and Planning in Flint.
Next up for Hatch is a statue of Buick co-founder Charles Nash. Work on that sculpture will commence as soon as funds become available.
Comments
The genius that created GM 😀
The statue of Ransom E. Olds is missing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds
You forgot Alfred P. Solan, the man who built GM into a huge empire
Ransom E Olds and Alfred P Sloan both deserve a statue.