![]() After Keller granted him control, Exner got to work making history.Īn early sneak peak at Chrysler’s radically innovative 1957 designs caused a panic amongst General Motors designers, inspiring the company to scrap its planned ’59 designs and retool all new bodies at great expense.Įxner continued to refine his designs through the fifties, creating some of the most inventive work produced by any automotive company of the time. ![]() He insisted on complete control of the clay modeling room and final approval of die models, a rare degree of autonomy in the industry. In 1957 he became Chrysler's first Vice President of Styling. Why attempt to hide it?"Īfter the success of the K-310, Exner continued to climb the ladder at Chrysler, being named Director of Styling in 1953. Exner went a different direction because, as he said, "The wheel is one of mankind's greatest inventions. Prior to the K-310, such features were usually understated or hidden. In creating it, Exner expressed his "pure automobile" design philosophy that featured functional elements instead of disguising things like wheels, radiator grille, spare tire storage, and taillights. The K-310 was designed to showcase Chrysler's upcoming revolutionary 1951 Hemi V8. Not long after his hiring, Exner produced Chrysler’s 1950 K-310 "idea car." Exner used what he called "idea cars" to influence new production vehicles and bolster interest in Chrysler styling. Keller, let Exner loose to bring the company’s dowdy box-like cars into the mid-century jet age. Chrysler’s great era of modern design began when Virgil Exner was hired away from Studebaker in 1949 to develop a series of "idea cars.” Chrysler’s president K.T.
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