Tom Tjaarda, American automobile designer, Died at 82

Stevens Thompson Tjaarda van Starkenburg was born on July 23, 1934 and died on June 1, 2017.

He was known as Tom Tjaarda.

He was an American automobile designer of Dutch origin.

Tjaarda was the son of the Dutch-American auto designer Joop Tjaarda van Starkenburg (1897–1962), who renamed himself John Tjaarda on coming to the U.S. in 1923.

(The elder Tjaarda’s creations included the Lincoln Zephyr.)

Tjaarda parents divorced in 1939 and he lived with his mother in Detroit.

He studied high school in Birmingham High School, Birmingham, Michigan (1953 renamed to Seaholm High School).

Tom Tjaarda passed away at 82 years old.