EyesOn Design at Ford House announces 2025 theme: The Art of Design

The 38th annual EyesOn Design car show will present an extraordinary collection of 200+ vehicles from the past, present and future, relating periods in the history of art with periods in the history of automotive design.

Held each Father's Day at the historic home of Edsel & Eleanor Ford, this world-class car show is judged exclusively by automotive and design industry professionals. Tickets available in advance or at the gate.

EyesOn Design at Ford House

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Grosse Pointe Shores, MI

2025 EyesOn Design Categories

Classicism: Traditional Forms

This class will feature coachbuilt makes like Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, and Packard to illustrate the refinement of the horseless carriage form into the early thirties luxury car. One notable entry is the brightly colored 1931 L-29 Cord Speedster that was the company's show car for the New York and Paris auto shows.

Art Nouveau: Long Sinuous Lines

The later thirties were noted for cars with long flowing fender and body lines. We will have two Figoni and Falaschi bodied Delahayes, a one off Rohr Streamliner, and a modern hand built re-creation of an Alfa Romeo Aerodynamic Coupe based on an original 6C 2500 chassis.

Art Deco: Streamlines

At the end of the thirties, Streamline design came to mass market cars typified by offerings like the Chrysler Airflow, the Cord 810, the Studebaker Dictator Coupe, and the Packard Super 8 Victoria Convertible by Dietrich.

Romanticism: Nostalgic Longing

In the post-war era, British luxury carmakers clung to Pre-War forms well into the sixties as their defining aesthetic. We will feature cars from Rolls Royce, Bentley, and Jaguar.

Romanesque: Traditional Italian Architecture

Post-war sports and GT cars from Ghia, Lancia, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo show us traditional Italian "architecture," as well as this 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC.

Futurism: Dynamism, Speed, and Energy

Post-war American cars expressed optimism for the future through exaggerated aircraft and rocket shapes and details. We will have all the great tail fin cars from Plymouth, De Soto, Chrysler, Chevrolet, and Cadillac, and this expressive 1959 Imperial.

Baroque: Ornate and Over-the-Top

The peak year for American Baroque design was 1958, as anyone faced with the re-chroming bill for one of these cars will readily attest. We are presenting a class entirely consisting of top of the line 1958 American cars from the big three, including this 1958 Buick Limited, being driven in from Casper, Wyoming by owner Don Bentz, posing alongside his wife and the car at Mt. Rushmore.

Conceptual Art: Imagination without Limits

The high point of the concept car, when engineering and design were given free rein (and the budget was ignored), was the 1960s. We have a collection of rarely seen concepts created by Chevrolet, Ford, and Chrysler.

Cubism: Geometric and Planar

Elwood Engel's 1961 Lincoln Continental introduced a sea change in the luxury car market with its simple boxy shape and restrained use of chrome. This class will highlight that car and its many imitators.

Bauhaus: Form Follows Function

This quintessentially German design philosophy is reflected in our class of '60s through '80s luxury coupes from Mercedes, BMW, Bitter, and others.

Impressionism: Light and Color

Nothing allows for the enjoyment of light and color like a ride in a convertible. This class will feature 1960s full-sized American drop-tops from nearly every brand.

Designer's Dreams: Individual Expression

Some designers are not content with designing for other people and harbor a strong need to create something for themselves. One such person was Herb Adams, who decided to bring one of his Fisher Body Craftsman Guild entries to life. It's called the Vivant and it will be on the lawn.

Pop Art: Fun and Colorful

Pop Art had a heavy influence on sixties and seventies muscle cars as exemplified by colors like Sublime, Grabber Blue, and Plum Crazy and cars named after cartoon characters. Included will be this Hamtramck-built 1969 Dodge Daytona, whose original owner, a US Army soldier, had it shipped to Nuremberg, Germany, where it was modified and raced. Research has concluded that it was the only T7 Dark Bronze Metallic Daytona known to exist and has been since restored to the original specs.

Abstract Expressionism: Improvisational Art

Like Abstract Expressionism, full custom cars are a uniquely American art form that developed in the aftermath of WWII. We have cars from the shops of George Barris, the Alexander Brothers, and Valley Customs.

Minimalism: Ingenuity and Simplicity

Materials, manpower, and money were in short supply in Europe and elsewhere after the end of WWII. Auto manufacturers were driven to create the smallest and simplest cars they possibly could in order to get their customers back on the road. This led to some remarkable vehicles, like the BMW Isetta, the Fiat 500, the Crosley Hotshot, and the whimsical Zundapp Janus.

Post Modernism: Playful Irreverence

In 1990s Japan a movement arose in the market for city cars. Given the government's restrictions on size and power, the companies decided to compete on the basis of a quirky kind of style and started creating pint-sized knock-offs of classic European cars. The results include the Suzuki Cappucino, Autozam AZ1 and Citroen, as well as this 1990 Nissan S-Cargo.

Performance Art: Artful Movement

Before the aerodynamic engineers took over racing car body design, the maxim was "if it looks right, it'll be right". In other words, it was an art form. The Cheetah, Jaguar C Type, and Ferrari P4 are great examples of just how beautiful racing cars can be. Here's a look at the racy Cheetah.

Ian Callum: Lifetime Design Achievement Award

From Ford to Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Aston Martin and Jaguar, Ian Callum, recipient of the 2025 EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award, has been responsible for many of the most beautiful cars of the modern era, including this stunning 2006 Aston Martin Vanquish.

Motorcycles: The Art of the Chopper

This class will feature individualized motorcycles that represent the iconic Chopper style popularized from 1960s to the early 1980s.

Motorcycle: The Art of the Custom

This class will feature motorcycles as an expression of rolling art, highlighting artistic vision, design talent, and skilled craftmanship of their individual creators.

Tickets available online now for the EyesOn Design series of events, including a Driving Tour, Vision Honored Gala, and Father's Day Car Show and Brunch.

Reserve your tickets today, as some events will sell out.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

EyesOn Design sponsorship opportunities for 2025 are available.

Contact Cyndy Doherty for more information.

A benefit for the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, EyesOn Design is a major source of revenue for the DIO's research, education and support group programs for the visually impaired. The DIO is the research education arm of the Department of Ophthalmology of Henry Ford Health.