What is detailed directly below shows the actual model --- no doubt modeled in Detroit --- along with comparative "before & after" photos taken at the Opel plant in Russelsheim, Germany (GM’s largest foreign holding before and after WW II...it still remains this way in the twenty-first century). There's a 1950 letter from Harley Earl to L.P. Fisher taped inside this one-of-a-kind photo remembrance book showcasing this historic event. 

The following historical information provides new evidence strengthening Lawrence P. Fisher / Harley Earl storyline and the enormous roles these players contributed before, during and after WW Two in the body politics going on inside GM as well as the Russelsheim, Germany Opel plant.

Above 1928 Los Angles Times story briefly mentions an all-new business concept being launched in Detroit's auto world, that in a few short years in the future, would go on to affect every product coming off every GM assembly line. What Lawrence Fisher and Harley Earl were championing was truly a revolutionary new auto making process. Notice in above article how the reporter mentions a "department of design" but it's obvious these two leaders were always remained mum on how consequential this new area was being treated by GM's largest shareholders. (See a couple of historical photos of L.P. Fisher and Harley Earl at bottom of this section.)

Before Lawrence P. Fisher brought Harley Earl to GM, professional automotive styling was an afterthought and traditional engineers designed cars - and it showed. Professional styling was something you wrapped around the innards to keep them out of the rain. Earl was designing custom cars for Hollywood movie stars and millionaires before Fisher invited him to GM to design all the company's products. Earl first brought forth the 1927 LaSalle, the first production car styled by a body design engineer.

Afterwards, GM quickly became the industry's design leader, and Earl attracted a flock of youthful design talent. Some of his recruits flourished at GM, and many took the Earl-auto-design-seed and went on to make their marks at other auto companies. Contrary to popular belief, GM's CEO Alfred P. Sloan played but a small part in Earl's formation and heading of the Art and Colour Section. A quintessential New Yorker who always resided in Manhattan, Sloan never once lived in Michigan over his decades-long financial association with the company. 

The drive of these two business leaders in particular (Earl and Fisher) would carry them to the pinnacle of success in the modern business world. An excellent example of this is featured in the above CNET article by Adam Richardson showing how the following business leaders are all inextricably linked in concert: "Think of Harley Earl at GM, Thomas Watson Jr. at IBM, Bill Gates at Microsoft, Sergey/Larry/Eric at Google, and of course, Steve Jobs at Apple." 

Jan. 4, 1939 L.P. Fisher, Big Bill Knudsen, Harley Earl at work in Detroit with German industrialist, Eduard Winter, who would oversee Opel Plant going into WW Two.

GM Chairman of the Board, Albert Bradley, Harley Earl, L.P. Fisher and GM President, Harlow Curtice dining in 1956 at one of the Fisher family homes in Grosse Point, MI.