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49-619: Exner is widely known for the "Forward Look" he created for the 1955–1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of tailfins on cars for both aesthetics and aerodynamics . Prior to the 1955 model year, Chrysler products were considered solid and well-engineered, but with dull styling. But for 1955 and 1956, Chrysler introduced the first set of cars with Exner's stylish and popular Forward Look. These models were very popular and greatly improved Chrysler's image. For 1957, Chrysler launched all-new models again, introducing cars that were long, low, wide, and featured sweeping tailfins —designs that caused

98-419: A halo model to its range, if not proactive. Luigi Segre was committed to expanding the international reputation of Carrozzeria Ghia . And Wilhelm Karmann had taken over his family coachbuilding firm Karmann and was eager to augment his contracts building Volkswagen's convertible models. As the head of Ghia, Segre singularly directed and incubated the project through conception and prototyping, delivering

147-501: A Gold Medal Award by the Industrial Designers Institute (IDI). In 1958, Chrysler's Forward Look was the sponsor of the groundbreaking An Evening with Fred Astaire TV special. In 1956, during the design of the 1961 models, Exner suffered a heart attack . He 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,

196-578: A center fin to his prototype designs in the 1920s for aerodynamic stability. Influenced by his patents some car producers made streamlined prototypes with one center positioned tailfin. For example, the Audi F5 Stromliner prototype, Kdf-Wagen prototype, Tatra T77 production car or Fiat Padovan prototype. Some sub-models of the 1937 Cadillac Fleetwood , which predates the P-38, also contained hints of tailfins via projecting tail-light "paddles", although it

245-666: A feasible project that Willhelm Karmann both wanted to and could practically build—the project Willhelm Karmann would in turn present to Volkswagen. The styling itself, however, integrated work by Segre as well as Mario Boano , Sergio Coggiola, and designer/engineer Giovanni Savonuzzi—and at various times they each took credit for the design. Furthermore, the design bore striking styling similarities to Virgil Exner's Chrysler D'Elegance and K-310 concepts, which Ghia had been tasked with prototyping, and which in turn reflected numerous cues and themes developed previously by Mario Boano. The precise styling responsibilities were never documented before

294-610: 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. They had a second son in 1940, Brian, who died of injuries after falling from a window. They had their first daughter June 28, 1943, Bronwen Marie Exner. Exner also adopted and raised his niece, Marie Exner, born in 1947, who had become an orphan after her mother Lenor (Milred's sister) passed away when Marie

343-496: A limited edition model, the Adventurer was the top trim model range for the two series DeSoto line-up for 1960. Ram induction was reintroduced on models with the quad-four carburetor. This was also the only year that the car came in a variety of colors instead of its traditional white-black and gold combination. Total sales for the Adventurer line posted its best effort with 11,597 models produced. Rumors began circulating that Chrysler

392-506: A long hood and short deck, the wedgelike designs of the Chrysler 300 letter series and revised 1957 models suddenly brought the company to the forefront of design, with Ford and General Motors quickly working to catch up. The 1957 Imperial also featured compound curved glass, the first to be used in a production car. The 1957 Plymouths were advertised with the slogan, "Suddenly, it's 1960!" In June of that year, Exner and his team were awarded

441-411: A rumor that GM was reducing the size of their cars caused the president of Chrysler, Lester Lum ("Tex") Colbert , to order Exner to do the same to his 1962 design–a change Exner disagreed with, thinking it would make his cars "ugly." Exner with his associates had completed work on the second full-sized finless Plymouth since 1955, this one for 1962, described as a strikingly attractive automobile. While he

490-410: A safety concern, even as a parked vehicle. In Kahn v. Chrysler (1963), a seven-year-old child on a bicycle collided with a fin and sustained a head injury. A case of the same era, Hatch v. Ford (1958), is also prominent in the study of personal injury from parked vehicles. In both of these cases, children were injured by sharp protrusions on parked cars. The plaintiffs lost in both cases. In Kahn ,

539-445: A scapegoat, Chrysler fired Exner. He was allowed to retain a position as a consultant so he could retire with a pension at age 55. He was replaced by Elwood Engel , who had been lured from Ford. Engel was highly regarded for his design of the classic 1961 Lincoln Continental . Tailfins soon lost popularity. By the late 1950s, Cadillac and Chrysler–driven by the respective competing visions of GM's Earl and Chrysler's Exner–had escalated

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588-570: A sensation within the North American auto industry. When GM designer Chuck Jordan peered through a fence—thanks to a tip he received—and spied Chrysler's soon-to-be-launched 1957 Chrysler lineup, it prompted Bill Mitchell , Jordan's boss at General Motors styling, to convince GM top executives and styling chief Harley Earl to re-open the already-completed designs for the 1959 models and create "an alternate design for each car line, Chevrolet through Cadillac." Exner's work effectively "change[d]

637-665: 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. Seeking to reenter the automotive field, Exner drafted a resume, describing himself as having "extensive, responsible and successful experience in all areas." Exner died of heart failure on December 22, 1973, at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan . Car tailfin The tailfin era of automobile styling encompassed

686-418: A standard, which became available for DeSoto as an option mid-year. Like the 1956 car, the 1957 Adventurer was powered by Chrysler's high output V8 , which was now up four cubic inches to 345 bhp (257 kW). Equipped with dual four barrel carburetors, the engine developed one horsepower per cubic inch displacement. For 1957, 1,950 units were produced, including 300 convertibles. The 1958 Adventurer

735-559: 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, the mid-1950s Dodge Firearrow series show cars, as well as the Chrysler d'Elegance and DeSoto Adventurer . When Exner joined Chrysler, the company's vehicles were being fashioned by engineers instead of designers, and so were considered outmoded, unstylish designs. After seeing

784-599: A sub-series of the top level DeSoto Fireflite series, the Adventurer was originally marketed as a limited production two-door hardtop, and available in a white/black/gold color scheme only. The first Adventurer came with a hi-output 341 cubic inch Hemi V8 , dual exhausts and custom appointments and trim. Standard trim included dual outside side mirrors, gold wheel covers, radio, electric clock, padded instrument panel, windshield washers, full instrumentation, safety door locks, and heavy-duty suspension. A total of 996 cars were sold in its first year. Specifications For 1957,

833-408: Is unclear if this influenced later fin designs. The 1941 Cadillac Series 63 4-Door Sedan also had a form of jutting tail-lights, although milder than the 1937 Fleetwood. Even though the 1948 model was the first conscious effort at fins, the earlier partial occurrences may have made the concept more acceptable to consumers and designers. ( World War II produced a gap of Cadillac model production between

882-613: The Cadillac XTS , which launched in 2012, and with many other models in later years. The 2000-2005 Buick LeSabre 's rear styling included subtle delta fins as a homage to the early LeSabres . In 2009 Trabant introduced the Nt concept with distinct tail fins projecting from the rear similar to the earlier models made the Trabant company. The Chrysler 300 from 2011 to the present has subtle, but noticeable tailfins. Though not officially mentioned by

931-586: The Lockheed P-38 Lightning -inspired tailfins on the 1948 Cadillac , Exner adopted fins as a central element of his vehicle designs. He believed in the aerodynamic benefits of the fins, and even used wind tunnel testing at the University of Michigan —but he also liked their visual effects on the car. Exner lowered the roofline and made the cars sleeker, smoother, and more aggressive looking. In 1955, Chrysler introduced "The New 100-Million Dollar Look". With

980-476: The 1950s and 1960s, peaking between 1955 and 1961. It was a style that spread worldwide, as car designers picked up styling trends from the US automobile industry, where it was regarded as the "golden age" of American auto design and American exceptionalism . General Motors design chief Harley Earl is often credited for the automobile tailfin, introducing small fins on the 1948 Cadillac , but according to many sources

1029-495: The Adventurer ended up being DeSoto's special, limited-production, high-performance model, similar to the more luxurious and exclusive "letter series" Chrysler 300 and Chrysler Saratoga . Initially offered only as a hardtop coupe, the Adventurer was DeSoto's top- trim level car, replacing the Custom . A convertible was added to the model range in 1957, and a four-door hardtop and sedan in its final year of 1960. Introduced in 1956 as

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1078-683: The Adventurer received Chrysler's forward look design along with other divisional cars. A convertible also joined the two-door hardtop, and again color choices were limited to the black-white and gold color theme. The car debuted in December 1956 as a hardtop, and to rave reviews, foremost among them was Mechanix Illustrated Automobile Editor Tom McCahill who proclaimed the DeSoto as being the best styled of all of Chrysler's makes for 1957. A convertible debuted in February 1957. Most Adventurers had dual headlights as

1127-579: The Karmann Ghia debuted at the 1955 Paris Auto show and went into production, first at Ghia and then in Osnabrück — ultimately to reach a production over 445,000, running 19 years virtually unchanged. Exner continued consulting for many car companies from his office in Birmingham, Michigan . He also teamed up with his son, Virgil Exner Jr., designing watercraft for Buehler Corporation. In 1963, he designed

1176-572: The actual inventor/designer of the tailfin for the 1948 Cadillac was Franklin Quick Hershey , who at the time the 1948 Cadillac was being designed was chief of the GM Special Car Design Studio. It was Hershey who, after seeing an early production model of a P-38 at Selfridge Air Base , thought the twin rudders of the airplane would make a sleek design addition to the rear of future modern automobiles. Tailfins took particular hold on

1225-457: The attention of his boss, who had to sign off on every facet of the designs. Exner was encouraged by Roy Cole, Studebaker's engineering vice president, to work on his own at home on backup designs in case the company's touchy relationship with Loewy blew up". 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

1274-474: The automotive buying public's imagination as a result of Chrysler designer Virgil Exner ’s Forward Look , which subsequently resulted in manufacturers scrambling to install larger and larger tailfins onto new models. As jet-powered aircraft, rockets, and space flight gained public recognition through the Space Race , the automotive tailfin assemblies (including tail lights) were designed to resemble more and more

1323-555: The course of automotive design" during that period. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan , Virgil Exner was adopted by George W. and Iva Exner as a baby. Virgil showed a strong interest in art and automobiles. He went to Buchanan High School in Buchanan, Michigan then studied art at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana but, in 1928, dropped out after two years due to lack of funds. He then took

1372-479: The court found that Chrysler was not responsible for anticipating "all the possible ways in which a person may injure himself by falling against an automobile." In Hatch , the plaintiff attempted to rely on a law governing the size and protrusion of radiator caps and grills, which the court said did not apply to tailfins. Examples of tailfin styling: In 1999 Cadillac launched the Cadillac Evoq concept to lead

1421-467: The early 1940s and late 1940s as factories turned to military goods production, interrupting the development of the fin concept.) The Cadillac 1948 fin styling proved popular, and its use spread to other models in the General Motors family of brands. Soon it was adopted by other manufacturers, with top Chrysler stylist Virgil Exner in particular taking the tailfin look on board. As confidence grew in

1470-541: The early 1960s, fins could still give aerodynamic advantages. In the early 1970s, Porsche 917 racing automobiles sported fins reminiscent of Exner's designs. Three entities came together in the history of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia —a design that ultimately reflected strong influence from Virgil Exner. In the early 1950s, Volkswagen was producing its Type 1 (Beetle). As post-war standards of living increased, executives at Volkswagen were at least receptive to adding

1519-413: The first cars with all new styling to be produced after World War II (Studebaker's slogan during this period was "First by far with a post war car"). As acknowledged by Robert Bourke, Virgil was the final designer of the acclaimed 1947 Studebaker Starlight coupe, though Raymond Loewy received the public acknowledgment because his legendary name was a major advertising attraction. Exner is actually listed as

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1568-539: The illusion of fins. Vestigial tailfins, however, remained on American cars into the 1990s, at least as far as the 1999 Cadillac Deville . Mercedes-Benz introduced a modest tailfin on its 1959 W111 series of sedans, which gained the nickname " Fintails ". In company terminology, they were Peilstege , sight lines that aid backing up. In 1997, Lancia introduced the Lancia Kappa Coupé with similar rear "sight line" augmentation. Tailfins have been criticized as

1617-412: The manufacturer, reviews from the media compared the sharp angles of the fourth generation Toyota Prius tail-lights similar to tailfins. This is better seen when the tail-lights are lit. DeSoto Adventurer The DeSoto Adventurer is a full-sized automobile that was produced by DeSoto from 1956 through the 1960 model year. Introduced as a four-seat high-performance sports coupe concept car,

1666-412: The manufacturers were ready to phase them out because they added cost and complexity to design and manufacturing. Tailfins descended throughout the early 1960s, even adopting a downward slope on the 1965 Cadillacs. Mostly they disappeared and were replaced with a new style of taillight, called lobster-claw taillights, although in instances a sharp-edged quarter panel meeting a downward sloping trunk created

1715-456: The marque's new design language, known as Art and Science . Recent Cadillacs have continued the tradition of the brand's signature vertical taillamp tailfins. Cadillac's designers call the current Cadillacs's styling evocative of tailfins. In 2010, the Cadillac SRX styling incorporated the trademark vertical taillights sculpted into tiny tailfins projecting from the rear. This was also done with

1764-458: The midst of a sales free-fall, and all series production was off brand-wide. Restyled for 1959, the DeSoto's look began to take on more traits of the up-market Chrysler . The new model year was introduced in October 1958. The Adventurer again was limited in its color schemes, and came with the most standard features of any DeSoto automobile (though the radio became an option). The car was powered by

1813-431: The passing of the designers, further complicated by the overlapping work of the key players. A definitive individual attribution on Karmann Ghia's was never made. Segre and Virgil Exner had become close professionally and personally, eventually traveling Europe together. Peter Grist wrote in a 2007 Exner biography that when Exner in 1955 eventually saw the Karmann Ghia, which cribbed heavily from his Chrysler D'Elegance, "he

1862-537: The seat back, the Hiway Hifi that played RCA Victor 45rpm records, and Unibody construction. In Desoto's final year of 1961, dealers would offer a single car line, available in two body styles. Chrysler announced the end of the DeSoto in November 1960, with production lasting just long enough to deplete supplies of DeSoto trim on hand. A 1956 DeSoto Firedome Sportsman was driven by James Stewart 's character Scottie in

1911-435: The size of fins till some thought they were stylistically questionable and they became a symbol of American excess in the early 1960s. The 1961 models are considered the last of the " Forward Look " designs; Exner later referred to the finless 1962 downsized Plymouth and Dodge models as "plucked chickens". He believed Chrysler executives had "picked" away at the cars to make them lower in cost. Although fins were out of favor by

1960-511: The sole inventor on the design patent . Rivalry and bad feeling between the two resulted in Exner having to leave Studebaker, whose engineering chief Roy Cole provided personal introductions for him to Ford and Chrysler . In 1949, Exner started working in Chrysler 's Advanced Styling Group, where he partnered with Cliff Voss and Maury Baldwin. He also worked with Luigi "Gigi" Segre , of Italian coach builder Carrozzeria Ghia S.p.A. The men forged

2009-408: The styling trend, the fins grew larger and bolder. The most extreme tailfins appeared in the late 1950s, such as on the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado and the 1959 Imperial Crown sedan . The 1959 Cadillac fins looked like jet airplane vertical stabilizers with sharp points and twin bullet-shaped taillights. Many of automotive press and much of the public were getting weary of the exaggerated tailfins , and

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2058-447: The tailfin and engine sections of contemporary jet fighters and space rockets. Plymouth claimed that the tailfins were not fins, but "stabilizers" to place the "center of pressure" as far to the rear as possible and thus "reduce by 20% the needs for steering correction in a cross wind", while Mercedes-Benz called its own tailfins Peilstege , sight lines that ostensibly aided in backing up. Automobile engineer Paul Jaray added

2107-403: The units proved troublesome and were an expensive option so very few Adventurers were sold with them. Those not equipped with the unit received the dual-quad carburetors. The shortened model year, combined with the effects of the 1958 recession dropped Adventurer production down to 432 units, 350 hardtops and 82 convertibles, a 78 percent drop in sales compared to 1957. However DeSoto itself was in

2156-412: The wedge head 383 V8, tuned to 350 bhp (260 kW) at 5,000 R.P.M. 687 units, 590 hardtops and 97 convertibles, were produced for 1959, up from 1958, but not significantly enough to help stem the forty percent drop to DeSoto's divisional sales. New was the standard swivel out seats . For its final year, the Adventurer lost its convertible but gained a four-door hardtop and sedan. Instead of being

2205-475: Was a young child. His first work in design was for General Motors , where he was hired by GM styling czar Harley Earl . Before age 30, he was in charge of Pontiac styling. In 1938, he joined Raymond Loewy 's industrial design firm Loewy and Associates, where he worked on World War II military vehicles and cars, notably Studebaker's 1939–40 models, and advance plans for their revolutionary post-war cars. "But working on Studebaker designs… Exner struggled to get

2254-523: Was an update to the all-new styling that car received in 1957. Along with the annual trim changes, the car also received a new grille with a mesh insert, plus dual headlights with slightly revised openings. The cars debuted at the Chicago auto show in January 1958. The Hemi engine was no longer available, instead, a 361 cubic inch wedge head was used. DeSoto offered fuel injection (produced by Bendix Corporation ),

2303-399: Was pleased with the outcome and glad that one of his designs had made it into large-scale production." Chris Voss, a stylist in Exner's office, reported in 1993, that Exner considered the Karmann Ghia the ultimate form of flattery. Segre in turn sent Exner the first production Karmann Ghia imported into the state of Michigan, in gratitude. After Volkswagen approved the design in November 1953,

2352-527: Was ready to kill the DeSoto and customers reacted by buying other makes of cars. Also hurting DeSoto was its design, nearly identical to the Chrysler Windsor , except for the grille and the blade styled tail lights. Consumers purchased the Windsor without the fear that it would be an orphan like the DeSoto was soon bound to be. New was dual speed rear window defoggers, a drivers seat with five more inches added to

2401-507: Was still recovering from the heart attack, the 1962 models Exner took credit for were downsized by associates. This downsizing drastically changed the cars' appearance. This reduced the cars' appeal and caused a significant drop in sales. It turned out that the Chevrolet rumor was false and consumers disliked the smaller Plymouth and Dodge cars introduced for 1962, the styling of which was bizarre compared to more sedate Ford and GM products. Needing

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