| Virgil Exner |
Article Index for Virgil |
Website Links For Virgil |
Information AboutVirgil Exner |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT VIRGIL EXNER | |
| 1909 births | |
| 1973 deaths | |
| people from ann arbor | |
| american designers | |
| american automobile designers | |
| chrysler designers | |
|
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan , Virgil Exner was adopted by George W. and Iva Exner as a baby. From a young age, Virgil showed a strong interest in Art and automobiles. He studied art at the University Of Notre Dame in Indiana , but in 1928 dropped out after 2 years due to lack of funds. He then took a job as a helper at an art studio specializing in advertising. In 1931 he married Mildred Marie Eshleman, who also worked for the studio, and on April 17 , 1933 they had their first child, Virgil Exner Jr. By that time Exner Sr. had been promoted to drawing advertisements for Studebaker trucks. He had a second son in 1940 , Brian, who tragically fell from a window and later died from his injuries. DESIGN WORK His first work in design was for General Motors , where he was hired by GM styling czar Harley Earl , to work in the Pontiac division. In 1938 he left to work at Raymond Loewy Associates , an industrial design firm where he worked on cars and military vehicles prior to, and during World War II . In 1944 , he was fired by Loewy and was hired directly by Studebaker in South Bend, Indiana . There he was involved in the design of some of the first cars to be produced after World War II (Studebaker's slogan during this period was "First by far with a post war car"). There is some debate, but many feel that Virgil was the main designer of the acclaimed 1947 Studebaker Starlight Coupe , although Raymond Loewy got most of the credit for the car's design. There have also been personal conflicts reported between the two men. In 1949 Exner started working in Chrysler 's Advanced Styling Group, where he partnered with Cliff Voss and Maury Baldwin . There he also worked with Luigi "Gigi" Segre , of Italian car company Carrozzeria Ghia S.p.A . The men created a strong personal bond, which helped link the companies closely throughout the 1950s . The alliance produced the Chrysler Ghia designs, such as the 1952 Chrysler K-310 , as well as the Chrysler D'Elegance and DeSoto Adventurer. IMPACT ON AUTOMOBILE DESIGN When Exner joined Chrysler, the car's body was fashioned by engineers instead of designers — leading to what many thought were old-fashioned, boxy designs on Chryslers of the 1940s and early 50s. Exner fought to change this structuring, and got control over the design process, including the clay prototypes and the die models used to create production tooling. Here he created the Dodge Firearrow concept, constructed by Ghia . Inspired by the Chrysler 300 Series , and the Imperial . The 1957 Imperial also featured compound curved glass, the first to be used in a production car. had a lasting impact on car stying in Detroit]] These fin designs also premiered his " Forward Look ." In the late 1940s , Chrysler was behind the times in terms of styling with what were considered tall, boxy cars. Exner lowered the roofline and made the cars sleeker, smoother and more aggressive. With a long hood and short deck, the wedgelike designs of the 300 series and revised 1957 models suddenly brought Chrysler to the forefront of design, with Ford and General Motors quickly working to catch up. Advertising campaigns for the 1957 model year sang that "Suddenly, it's 1960!" In June of that year Exner and his team were awarded the Industrial Designers' Institute 's Gold Medal Award. In 1956 , during the design of the 1961 model, Exner had a Heart Attack , but resumed work in 1957 , working on the designs for the 1962 cars. On July 25 , 1957 Exner was elected the first Vice President of Styling at Chrysler. Unfortunately, a rumor that GM was reducing the size of their cars caused the President of Chrysler to order Exner to do the same to his 1962 design — a change Exner disagreed with, thinking it would make his cars "ugly." This change, coupled with build quality problems, reduced the cars appeal and caused a significant drop in sales. It turned out that the rumor was false and consumers disliked the smaller Plymouth and Dodge cars intruduced for 1962. This was used as a reason to fire Exner, though he was allowed to retain a position as a consultant so he could retire with pension at age 55. Fins soon lost popularity. By the late 1950s Cadillac and Chrysler had escalated the size of fins till some thought they were stylistically questionable and they became an symbol of American excess in the early 60s . 1961 is considered the last of the " Forward Look " designs. The trendy fin was now seen exactly as it was - a useless appendage of yesterday's design. RETIREMENT Exner continued consulting for many car companies and also teamed up with his son, Virgil Exner Jr., designing watercraft for Buehler Corporation . In 1963 , he designed a series of " Revival Cars " with production plans. His revival of Duesenberg failed, but he was instrumental in the revival of Stutz in the 1970s . He died on December 22, 1973 at the William Beaumont Hospital in Birmingham, Michigan . EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|