2024 · Grand Marshal
Kip Wasenko
The designer who made Cadillac cool again
Automotive designer, race-car designer, racer, and lifelong enthusiast, the man behind the Cadillac EVOQ and the Art & Science era led our field as Grand Marshal of the 2024 Lake Mirror Classic.
Kip Wasenko · GM Design, 1968 to 2008
The Honoree
Forty years shaping the American automobile
Kip Wasenko began his forty-year design career at General Motors in June 1968, work that would carry him across the United States, Europe, and Australia before he retired in May 2008. At GM Design he served as Chief Designer of Saturn, the Chevrolet Studio, the Oldsmobile Studio, the Cadillac Studio, and several Advance Studios.
He went on to direct design for the GM Performance Division and Specialty Vehicles. In 1973 he received his first design patent, for the Two-Rotor Mid-Engine Corvette concept, now on display at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Kip is best known for the Cadillac EVOQ, named “Best Concept Car” at the 1999 North American International Auto Show. It launched the Art & Science direction, a design renaissance for Cadillac, and reached the public as the Cadillac XLR-V. He carried the same philosophy into the CTS-V, STS-V, and the Le Mans-racing Cadillac LMP developed with Riley & Scott.
A storied career
Designs & milestones
In February 2005, Motor Trend named Kip to its Top 50 Power List with a single line: “He’s made Cadillacs cool again.”
From a 40-year career at GM Design
A design legacy
The design language that defined a generation of Cadillacs.
From Indy 500 and Daytona 500 pace cars to Le Mans-bound prototypes.
From the 1973 Two-Rotor Corvette to the exposed-engine Buick Wildcat.
We want to thank this amazing designer, racer, and lifelong auto enthusiast for being part of our event, for many years to come.
Thank you, Kip!
Three days of motoring
Join us on the promenade
Bring a vehicle or join us downtown for the 27th Lake Mirror Classic, October 16 to 18, 2026.