Virgil exner, the designer behind the clean forward look styling of chryslers 1955 models and the spectacular fins of the 1957 that caught general motors off guard, is born on sept. Another of exner s fancy detailing is the optional flitesweep decklid. The career of an auto designer follows a familiar arc, many will say. There are not many photographs of exner, he wasnt realy photogenic, he had a unibrow. In book six the hero aeneas journeys down to the underworld with a prophetess called the sibyl, where the soul of his father anchises tells him his destiny as the founder of the roman empire. Abandon perspective, humility, and conventions of grammar, all who enter here.
You need to make cars look like they move, exner said. It reminds me of when virgil exner was at this best and when industry was not afraid to make outrageous automobiles. Chrysler product owners club show at ourisman chryslerjeepdodge, clarksville md, 6306. Exner s love for the floating head and taillamp treatment is evident in the 1961 imperial. He studied art at the university of notre dame in indiana 19271928 but left before completing a degree to take employment. This was a concept he developed for chrysler which can be seen in many of that companys products from the mid 1950s through 1963. The lower roofline and dramatic tail fins were carried through to the 1957 models and their wedge like design earned exner and his associates the gold medal award from the industrial designers institute. A lot of other teenagers also liked them on their fords and mercurys. It is one of my personal favorites because of its beautifully done eyes, those. Unfortunately that also made the neighbour his neighbour. It embodied all the advance styling features of the forward look fashion without being over the top. No one to love her, no mother, no father, no brothers, or sisters to look after. With that, chryslers socalled forward look was born.
It hit the showrooms for the 1957 model year as a brace of lower and longer cars with elegant towering. The forward look network online community for 19551961 exner designed vehicles. From the author the death and life of find virgil find virgil began its strange odyssey early in 1996 when new york publisher lyle stuart read my manuscript, bought it, renamed it gasp, and published it that fall. Born in 1909 in ann arbor, michigan, virgil max exner exhibited artistic talent and an interest in automobile design early in life. It hit the showrooms for the 1957 model year as a brace of lower and longer cars with elegant towering fins sweeping off the rear. See the all the chrysler brands in this series of great promotional spots produced for an evening with fred astaire. An interview with virgil exner s son, virgil exner jr. Chrysler styling chief virgil exner rocked the motor city to its core with the chrysler forward look line for 1957. With the new change in firefox, i lost a lot of my bookmarks. Exner adopted tail fins and lowered the roofline to make the cars look sleeker, smoother. Virgil exner gave a new shape to motion with innovative designs that made many. For 1959, the chrysler corporation was a motor city trendsetter with its forward look styling by virgil exner. These included chrysler, studebaker and general motors.
Virgil exners forward look cars rocket upward in a down. Automobile, 1957 chrysler saratoga 2door hardtop, a. The new look that the 1957 coronet had was the work of virgil exner. Jay leno, host of nbcs the tonight show and a noted car collector. Keller to become the director of chryslers new advanced styling studio.
My copy is the oxford worlds classics edition, translated by c. I would like to offer special thanks to the accuracy extended readers and bipodext. Forward look was a design theme employed by virgil exner in styling the 1955 through 1961 chrysler corporation vehicles. The lines are from virgils georgics, specifically lines 1819 of book ii. Exners striking studebaker starlight coupe design september 26, 2016 in the postworld war ii period most domestic automakers dusted off their prewar designs and maybe changed the grille and added a few chrome trim strips here and there and called it the new 1946 model. September 24, 1909 december 22, 1973 was an automobile designer for numerous american companies, notably chrysler and studebaker. Virgil exner, sr 19091973 was an automobile designer for several american car companies most notably general motors, studebaker and chrysler. His farreaching legacy has amassed into one of the most revolutionary eras of american automotive design, with his forward thinking and innovative designs spanning decades across a multitude of great american automakers. While i could look at the 300c in the dealers showroom through the windows, i loved the car and was fortunate to steal one from the second owner in 2006. Jan, 2009 published in march 1933 when franklin delano roosevelt was first inaugurated, the classic new york times bestseller looking forward delivers f. Chryslers forward look design scheme was generated by virgil exner.
Many of us forward look fans were wondering whether the high speed crosswind. The forward look was that of any production chrysler product, model year 1955 until the end of exners career with chrysler. Grist concludes the book with a look at another side of virgil exner, his. Vintage trucks classic 1956 desoto firedome sedan it was the second year of virgil exner s new forward look and some styling changes gave the cars a cleaner, streamlined look 1956 desoto firedome with hemi 330 powerflite auto 2019 displaying 4 total results for classic desoto firedome vehicles for sale. The great designers virgil exner by vwlarry chrysler articles diy. The 1957 dodge coronet the forward look auto museum online. Surprisingly, this is the first fullscale scholarly commentary on the eclogues to appear in this century. Exner, proudly posing with his landmark 1957 chrysler new look lineup. Exner s first production cars for chrysler, the 1955 forward look line, were the imperial and the first chrysler 300. Andrea pirlo as virgil, painting by gustave dore 1874.
See the 2003 imperial eagle design concept by virgil exner, jr. Information on the unearthing of the 1957 plymouth sealed in a time capsule in tulsa, oklahoma, and her current restoration. Soon after he was adopted, my grandfather built a house in buchanan, exner jr. Plymouth almost surpassed ford in 1940 and 1941 as the secondmost popular make of automobiles in the u. They include former chrysler chairmanceo lee iacocca, considered to have engineered one of business historys greatest comebacks for the automaker.
Fiftiesera mopars hemmings daily hemmings motor news. Sep 28, 2015 however, by far the most interesting reference to the gates of sleep comes in virgils epic about the founding of rome. Virgil max exner 19091973 was a us automotive designer, born in ann arbor, mi. My arrows for forward and back have disappeared and bookmarks. Jun 03, 2006 flickriver view images as a river of photos and more. As the years go by, their work tends to become more refined and restrained. That year, for the first and only time in the marques history, it served as pace car at the indianapolis 500. His amazing career was the subject of a book i recently viewed, modestly titled virgil exner. Automobile, 1957 chrysler saratoga 2door hardtop, a forward. Exner has had a long career as an automotive designer, mainly with the ford motor company, and is the son of the celebrated virgil m. Gulker taught at community colleges in michigan and. It was called the forward look, chryslers entry into a race with general motors to see who can build the biggest tail fins. Hospital apprentice mounts, a kentucky boy, was barely old enough to drive when he and fellow medic frank walden were attending to some wounded gis on the beach when enemy fire landed near them. Today is august 3, 1989, and today were privileged to be talking with and inter viewing virgil max exner, jr.
Detroit was king thanks to men like exner, his thrilling automobile designs from the midfifties took the world by storm and put chrysler at the top, wresting styling leadership from general motors harley earl. He is known for his forward look design on the 19551963 chrysler products and his fondness of fins. When it came to the incredible similarities between virgil exner s 1953 chrysler d elegance idea car which heads to auction next month in new york city and the karmann ghia, however, exner couldnt have been more delighted. But weavers designs for the waterhouse fatherandson coach builders in massachusetts were never. Forward look, adventurer, fire sweep, firepower, golden lion, letter car and hemi.
The quality of this restoration was impressive to me and it couldnt have. Bucky knew the apartment wasnt much to look at but, however old and rundown it might be, it was his. Exner is widely known for the forward look he created for the 19551963 chrysler products and his fondness of fins on cars for both aesthetics and aerodynamics. Starting in 1956, plymouth, dodge and desoto came up with models of their own reflecting the musclecar. After completing his education at grand valley state university and the university of michigan, dr. Forward icons download 446 free forward icons here page 2. My arrows for forward and back have disappeared and bookmarks have gone to lefthand side. One of my favorites will always be the roof c plillars, short rear deck. Exner was an art student at notre dame in the 1920s and he went on to become one of the worlds great automobile designers, responsible for the chrysler corporations forward look of the 1950s and 60s. The story goes that back in 1953, one of chryslers newest hires, designer virgil exner, said, lets try giving the quarter panel this treatment. Five imperial crown convertibles from 19571961 offered as one lot. Although elsewhere in the book where crooke quotes passages in latin he will frequently provide an english translation, he has not done so here.
Whats the brandmodeloperating system os of your computer. Under the direction of creative genius and father of the forward look, virgil exner, one of the best looking plymouths of all time was the 1959 fury. Exner s influence on auto design went far beyond towering tail fins. Solve desoto 1956 jigsaw puzzle online with 40 pieces. Virgil exners new forward look was universally acclaimed, and chryslers 1955 sales exploded. A commentary on virgil s eclogues wendell clausen oxford university press, 1994. He studied art at notre dame and started as advertising artist at an agency handling the studebaker. Chrysler corporation presents the forward look for 1959 macs.
Exner remained a studebaker employee for about four and a half years, but in 1949, cole, about to retire, suggested that exner look elsewhere. Born in ann arbor, michigan, virgil exner was adopted by george w. In that capacity, exner initially had no direct involvement with chryslers. Virgil gulkers lifetime in social entrepreneurship forms a large circle. Behind the scenes, however, the company was preparing for the first stage of a phoenixlike transformation. Boy, did the designstudio photographs in that article show some bizarre and unattractive cars. Revolutionized automotive design in 1955 with the forward look line of automobiles at chrysler, where he later served as vice president of styling. Looking forward to 2018 accuracy extended newsletter news. Virgil exner created chryslers new 100million dollar look for 1955. To the most of us moparstyle kind of guys, virgil exner is most famous for his forward look years at chrysler. Virgil exner, noted chrysler designer who shook up 1950s styling, is.
And he waved his hand through the air in an upswinging arc. In the late 1950s, when chrysler executives asked virgil exner sr to show them what could be done with a highly personalized future car for the popularly priced plymouth brand, the chrysler design chief took them at their word and came up with something so personal that he named it xnr, after himself. See more ideas about cadillac, plymouth fury and plymouth. A car so personal virgil exner named it after himself, the. Ive been learning more and more about the life of virgil exner lately, and he. In the second part of our story, we discuss the 19551956 chrysler forward look models and the companys new highperformance flagship. Virgil exner, the designer behind the clean forward look styling of chryslers 1955 models and the spectacular fins of the 1957 that caught. Written between about 42 and 35 bc, these ten short pastorals are among the best known poems in latin literature.
Chryslers forward look designs from 19551961 were developed by virgil exner. Not just any angle, shes a dark angle, and shes being hunted. Chrysler presents the forward look for 1957 macs motor. However, his auto design career started long before his years at chrysler and continued after he left chrysler. Forward look 1961 imperial le baron video an impressive car forward look forum. More exciting news for our friends who live abroad, we are close to offering bipodext globally as we finalize our exporting protocols. The subject is asymmetrical car designs by virgil exner of chrysler corporation. Virgil exner was well known for his forward look designing. Virgil exner s forward look cars rocket upward in a down market. Im looking for a magazine article i saw a year or two ago, which i cant find. The forward look network assumes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of these posts. First assigned to the advanced design studio, davis contributed to chryslers turbine concept designs.
The novel spawned significant controversy and tons of. He graduated from university of illinois at chicago college of medicine in 1964 and specializes in internal medicine. Virgil exner s forward look led the brand through a graciously elegant era in luxury motoring. The secondary literature that has grown up around virgil s works and ideas is vast. When exner joined chrysler, the companys vehicles were being fashioned by.
Viewing a thread 1957 ford desoto in the sf bay area. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The selection is, admittedly, a personal one, although it has been guided by certain criteria. When i go to the site, and try to bookmark them again i get an option to edit but not an option to save them. Richard petty, the winningest driver in the history of nascar. Virgil exner is a littleknown design giant petrolicious. As the pace of technological progress intensifies, agile businesses and entrepreneurs are discovering new applications that take advantage of faster and cheaper computer processing power. Chrysler corporation presents the forward look for 1959. This 1961 chrysler 300g is 19 feet long and still lighter. This 10 ounce advertising glass extols the logo of that design.
Classic american cars 19251975 more virgil exner designs. Virgil comments expressly when a campus has nothing growing on it g. Forward look 1961 imperial le baron video an impressive. Mar 09, 2020 being a teenager during this time i wasnt really into the forward look, or anything else that chrysler made, but i sure did covet the beautiful flipper hubcaps these desotos had during these years. Crains detroit business is reporting that the vinsetta garage has been bought and will reopen as a restaurant after it gets rezoningplanning approval from the city of berkley. The incomparable 1961 imperial lebaron southampton.
Im so glad to see they ditched their formal roofline and boxy bodies and decided to embrace a the look of tomorrow. In 1957, virgil exners new forward look design theme, advertised by plymouth with the tagline suddenly, its 1960, produced cars with much more advanced styling than chevrolet or ford. Exner is famous for many things, including his forward look designs of 19551957, his classic 1970s stutz blackhawk, and his concepts for bugatti, duesenberg and mercer. Even in the eccentric world of virgil exner designed forward look chrysler products of the late 50s and very early 60s. Virgil exner actually didnt mind that the karmann g. The prophet said, on the night of my ascent to the heaven, i saw moses who was a tall brown curlyhaired man as if he was one of the men of shanawa tribe, and i saw jesus, a man of medium height and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank hair. Read find virgil now, and go along for the wild ride. If you like cars, admire the geat designs of the fifties and sixtiesvirgil exner. On october 17, 1958, nbc broadcast the highly successful live onehour variety special, an evening with fred astaire. Inside, in fear, i clung to the hard wall as we descended deeper, despite the poets promise that no harm would me befall. Virgil short, md is an internal medicine specialist in bloomington, il and has been practicing for 56 years. What made him distictive was that he designed cars that were plugugly, and was paid for it. He is most remembered for his forward look design for the 19551963 chrysler line of cars.
Jul 23, 2014 a case can be made that george weaver was the virgil exner of his time, modern and influential. Virgil exners forward look enderle center million dollar cruise tustin, ca push l to make bigger. As an art center alumnus, davis was hired by director of design virgil exner at chrysler corp. Virgil exner, noted chrysler designer who shook up 1950s. Virgil exners forward look cars rocket upward in a down market. Exner would go on to reach the position of styling chief for chrysler. Exner s career in automobile designing spanned several companies. Interesting article on value trend of forward look cars. Winningest article about winningest by the free dictionary. This 1961 chrysler 300g is 19 feet long and still lighter than a hellcat 1961 was the last year of chryslers forward look design, with 375 horsepower and a space age interior. Basic virgil paperbacks represents one persons atempt to pick out the books that will be most useful for the nonspecialist.
Exner introduced the forward look at chrysler and was copied before the designs hit the road when gm. I really like the fullsize clay models of the proposed 1957 detroit designedbuiltpackards, and yes,they really came more from where a virgil exner was coming from rather than the late harley earl baroque gm look, or lincolns look, which in 56 was emulating packard, a result of william schmidt jumping from packard to ford when the going. We look forward to meeting friends from other countries at shot show to make our products available to shooters world wide. This is the mopar version the ersatz spare tire design. Exner, designer extraordinaire, or are fascinated by the creative process you will like this book. And before me i saw a dark opening, a door, with these words above.