John M. Chun (; August 3, 1928 – July 6, 2013) was a Korean automotive engineering designer. He was the first known Korean car designer.
Chun was born in
Korea, Empire of Japan
From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon".
Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...
, in what is now the North Korean coastal region of
Hungnam
Hŭngnam () is a district of Hamhung, the second largest city in North Korea. It is a port city on the eastern coast on the Sea of Japan. It is only from the slightly inland city of Hamhung. In 2005 it became a ward of Hamhung.
History
The por ...
. In 1953, he moved to South Korea as active fighting ended during the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. He immigrated to the United States in 1957, after a friend had already moved to the U.S., settling in
Sacramento, California
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
. He held a mechanical engineering degree from a university in Korea, but the degree was not useful in the American job market and had to start over. Chun enrolled at Sacramento Junior College, where a professor insisted that he apply to the
Art Center College of Design
The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California.
It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
(ACCD) in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He worked full-time as a mechanic while studying at ACCD. Chun received his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in
industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
, with a specialty in transportation design, after seven years, while working as a
mechanic
A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...
to pay for his classes.
In 1967, Chun would be hired by Fred Goodell upon graduation from Art Center, the then-chief engineer of
Shelby American
Shelby American, Inc. is an American high performance vehicle, high performance automobile company founded by driver Carroll Shelby. The Shelby American name has been used by several legally distinct corporations founded by Shelby since his ori ...
. Chun joined Shelby American in 1967, then designed the 1968 and 1969 Shelby Mustang Cobras, GT350, and GT500 models s well as revamped the Cobra coil logo with more realistic details(that is still used today).
The 1967 Shelby Mustang Cobra was in production by Chun's joining, as the
Shelby Mustang
The Shelby Mustang is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970.
In 2005, Ford revived the Shelby nameplate for a high-performance model of the Fo ...
had been designed by a
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...
by the name of Charles McHose in 1966 who left Shelby American. Chun took over the project and then the Shelby Mustang Cobra became one of the most coveted and iconic American muscle cars to date.
Once Shelby American dissolved at the LAX hangar, Chun eventually left the automotive industry after also working with
Chrysler
FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
in Michigan and Blakely Auto Works, notably the Bearcat.
Chun later consulted for
Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which ...
. In April 1979, former Chairman, Chung Se-Yung (Pony Chung) and two other executives visited Chun in Minnesota upon learning about a northern Korean automotive connection since the Chung’s were also from the north. They never heard of the Shelby Mustang Cobra. Chun decided never to work with Koreans again once he found out they hired an Italian automotive designer instead of him. Not only did Hyundai spend millions of dollars on failed prototypes, but was ultimately wasted since they also failed every
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...
test after hiring the Italian automotive designer. That designer did not understand American automotive standard protocols, therefore Hyundai automobiles were not able to enter the US market at the time due to the testing failures and launch delays.
When Chun moved to Minnesota in the early 1970s, he oversaw the design and creation of a new line of toy cars for Tonka Toys.
Since Tonka Toys in Mound, MN, desired a designer with an automotive design background, Chun was scouted and then settled in the
Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka (Dakota language, Dakota: ''Mní iá Tháŋka'') is a lake located about west-southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka has about 23 named bays and areas. The lake lies within Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin and ...
area of Minnesota. He designed a new line of steel toy cars for Tonka Toys.
After leaving Tonka Toys and other
consultant product design projects with
Lee Data
Lee Data Corporation was an American computer company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and active as a hardware company from 1979 to 1990. It was principally founded by John M. Lee and John Roy to sell data terminal systems compatible with the I ...
,
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...
, 3M, etc., he owned and operated Chun Mee Restaurant in