It took half-a-century for Harley Earl's legacy to unravel, and America's auto world along with it (1959-2009), hopefully it won't take that long to rebuild it. 

The above and below quotes inside these news stories are proof positive in demonstrating General Motors was on the verge of collapse in 2005-06. 

Listen to an interview Richard Earl had with NPR's Southern California affiliate of AIR TALK radio, Larry Mantle, regarding Harley's early years designing in California.