Virgil Exner, the designer behind the clean "Forward Look" styling of Chrysler's 1955 models and the spectacular fins of the 1957 that caught General Motors off guard, is born on Sept. 24, 1909, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Exner is credited with crafting a new shape with innovative designs that made many American cars of the 1950s true "dream machines." Exner displayed artistic talent at a young age and studied art at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s, before dropping out of school. He began his career in 1928 as an illustrator for Advertising Artists of South Bend, Ind., where he created illustrations for Studebaker catalogs.
His work caught the eye of Harley Earl, head of design at GM, and he joined the automaker's Art and Color Section, becoming, at 24, the youngest head of a GM styling division.
Exner served as chief stylist for GM's Pontiac studios from 1935 to 1938.
In 1938, noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy recruited Exner to join his design studio, where Exner was placed in charge of the Studebaker account, creating designs for some of Studebaker's most popular models. They included the first Champion in 1939, a new line of Champion, Commander and President models in 1941, and the 1947 Starlight coupe.
The first postwar car to come from a U.S. automaker was the 1947 Studebaker, with panoramic glass from B-post to B-post. It was designed by Loewy and Exner, and it propelled Studebaker to record sales.
Lasting impression
But it was after he joined Chrysler in 1949 that Exner made his most lasting impression, with Chrysler's "Forward Look." Exner couldn't change Chrysler's upright, dowdy cars fast enough. Featuring bodacious, streamlined bodies and tail fins, the "Forward Look" cars appeared to be moving even when parked and were responsible for reviving Chrysler's sales.
The cars marked Chrysler's return to advanced styling after 20 years of conservatism that followed the Airflow flop of the mid-1930s.
The sleek "Forward Look" also had a marked effect on GM and Ford styling in the late 1950s -- a period now considered among the best for Detroit design. The 1959 Chevrolet, for example, countered Chrysler with huge, flared tail fins that soared across the back. The Chevy fins were toned down for 1960 and vanished in 1961.
Exner also designed a series of Idea Cars to be shown at auto shows until new production cars could be launched. The Idea Cars became famous for the models they inspired. Carrozzeria Ghia scaled down one, the K-310, and it became the inspiration behind the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
Exner continued as a Chrysler consultant until 1964, but his starring role in the auto industry was largely over with Chrysler's 1963 lineup. He was involved in an attempt to revive Duesenberg and steered other industrial and marine projects under his own design firm -- Virgil Exner Inc.
He died in 1973 and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1995.