William L. Mitchell, 76; Former GM Vice President, Auto Designer

William L. Mitchell, who designed such cars as the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray and Buick Riviera during his 42-year General Motors career, is dead at age 76.

The auto maker said the retired vice president died Monday at a Royal Oak hospital but did not list a cause of death.

Mitchell, a GM vice president since 1958, retired as the head of the Design Staff in 1977.

After attending the Arts Student League in New York City in the late 1920s, Mitchell joined an advertising agency before becoming official illustrator of the Automobile Racing Club of America, fore-runner of the Sports Car Club of America.

Mitchell joined GM in 1935 under chief designer Harley J. Earl. He began by working on what would become the 1937-model Cadillacs and La Salles, and was quickly promoted to chief designer for the Cadillac studio in 1936--at age 24.

The first car designed under Mitchell’s supervision was the 1938 Cadillac 60 Special, which set the pace as a smaller Cadillac, and was the first large assembly-line-produced car without running boards.

He later designed the first Cadillac Eldorado, as well as the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro, 1975 Cadillac Seville and 1977 Chevrolet Impala.