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Virgil Exner
Readings
‘Industrial Strength Design’ offers lush but shaky take on Brooks Stevens
(EXPANDED FROM 6/14/2023) For good or ill, Brooks Stevens was one of the most influential independent U.S. auto design consultants of the postwar era. Despite some shaky analysis and factual lapses, the best book about […]
Fake Design
1957-58 Plymouth: Suddenly it could have been 1962!
(EXPANDED FROM 1/7/2022) When writing about the 1953-54 Plymouth, I wondered whether there could have been a compromise between the practicality of Chrysler head K. T. Keller and the trendiness of his successor, Tex Colbert. Let’s apply that question to […]
Gallery
What if the 1962 Cadillac had been similar in size to the 1949 models?
At this year’s LeMay car show I photographed a 1949 and a 1962 Cadillac. They struck me as bookends for what I have dubbed the “sci-fi” era of this brand. Designers started off with tailfins […]
Fake Design
Six myths about the misunderstood 1953-54 Plymouth
(EXPANDED FROM 5/20/2022) Let’s take the time to unpack six myths about one of the most misunderstood post-war American cars — the 1953-54 Plymouth. This an important exercise because it brings to light some key […]
History
Defense of Virgil Exner’s 1962 Plymouth doesn’t add up
(EXPANDED FROM 4/23/2021) Once in a while a work of automotive history is smacked down by a critic who sanctimoniously points to alleged inaccuracies. Sometimes these kind of critiques are on target (if unduly indignant). […]
History
Historians fuzzy on Exner’s impact on 1953-54 Plymouths
(EXPANDED FROM 8/16/2021) Did Virgil Exner have any involvement with the 1953-54 Plymouth’s design? Automotive historians have tended to either dance around that question or offer varying — or even contradictory — information. As a […]
Design Notes
1961-63 Imperial: Ode to Virgil Exner’s neo-classical excesses
(EXPANDED FROM 3/19/2021) Virgil Exner was a champion of neo-classical styling throughout his career. His best designs were arguably a handful of 1950s Chrysler show cars but his most influential work didn’t come until later. […]
Design Notes
1955-56 DeSoto Flight Sweep could have challenged the Studebaker Hawk
Dean’s Garage has a new post that displays a variety of Virgil Exner’s concept cars (Exner, 2022). The design I am most drawn to is the 1955-56 DeSoto Flight Sweep I and II. These are […]
Media Analysis
1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?
(EXPANDED FROM 4/2/2017) Richard M. Langworth has authored more auto histories than just about anyone. Yet he was strikingly humble when beginning to discuss the controversial topic of who was responsible for the 1947 Studebaker’s styling. “I am […]