An Indie Auto reader kindly pointed out a series of first-person accounts by John Manoogian II about his tenure as a designer at General Motors. The series, which is entitled “Never a Dull Moment,” has 11 installments so far on the British website Driven to Write.
These essays offer a revealing account of how the design process worked during a crucial period of GM’s history. Manoogian was employed by the automaker from 1974 to 2009 (with a few detours early on). He eventually rose to director of exterior design for Cadillac (LinkedIn, 2025; Wikipedia, 2024).
Manoogian is an engaging story teller who offers interesting insights into cars such as the 1978 mid-sized Oldsmobile fastbacks and the 1980 Cadillac Seville. His first installment discussed what led him to embark on an automotive design career (jm2, 2024). An 11th installment was recently posted that delves into Manoogian’s transfer to the Cadillac design studio (jm2, 2025).
Also see ‘Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?’
“My first day in the studio was a real eye opener,” Manoogian wrote. “The clay models for the downsized DeVille/Fleetwood were under way and there in the middle of the studio was a white fiberglass model of the upcoming 1980 ‘Bustle Back’ Seville. My first thought: Moby Dick?” (jm2, 2025).
Note that the comment threads add considerably to the storyline because Manoogian answers a wide range of questions, and fellow designers stop by to offer their perspective.
If you would like to learn more from Manoogian (2025), he has conducted a variety of interviews that can be accessed on YouTube. For example, below he discussed the controversial 1986 Cadillac Eldorado and Seville with Adam Wade of Rare Classics & Automotive History (2023).
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RE:SOURCES
- jm2; 2024. “Never a Dull Moment — Part One.” Driven to Write. Posted July 30.
- ——; 2025. “Never a Dull Moment — Part 11.” Driven to Write. Posted Feb. 26.
- LinkedIn; 2025. “John Manoogian II.” Page accessed Feb. 27.
- Manoogian II, John; 2025. “Car Design Videos with John Manoogian II.” Playlist of 21 videos.
- Wade, Adam; 2023. “Most Controversial Cars in History – 1986 Cadillac Eldorado / Seville – Part 1.” Rare Classics & Automotive History.
- Wikipedia; 2024. “John Manoogian II.” Page last edited Dec. 20.
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