“But it was after he joined Chrysler in 1949 that (Virgil) 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.”
— David Phillips, Automotive News (2018)
RE:SOURCES
- Phillips, David; 2018. “Virgil Exner, noted Chrysler designer who shook up 1950s styling, is born.” Automotive News (subscription required). Posted Sept. 25; accessed Feb. 18, 2021.
Also see ‘Automotive News: ‘Go along to get along’ quality fuels groupthink’
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