Exner

[1978 NYB]

Finally got my Exner book!

 

[detmatt]

Did anyone go to off site meeting (at some hotel) in Carlisle a year or two ago, and hear what Exner's son had to say about his Dad and his car designs?

Jazabelle was invited to be part of a special display, (Full sized American convertibles), at the Concourse D'Elegance of America in 2013. Exner designs were featured at that event and Virgil Exner Jr was part of a design panel that gave a 2 hour seminar. Ellie and I enjoyed that.

That was already 3 years ago???

 

[1978 NYB]

That was already 3 years ago???

Yep.....wondered if anyone went to it.

 

[detmatt]

I think that was the same year that Hagerty had a couple of "survivor" seminars that I did attend.

 

[70_NPORT]

Styling has to be outsourced to explain all the identical mid sized sedans.
With the "corporate front end" concept like Chevrolet and Cadillac, that run ten years, they don't need stylists.

They seem to been raping each other insofar as the design language (or "look") goes....although every now and again one of the automakers will come out with something fresh..or a reguritation of a previous language with modern changes to freshen it up.....e.i. Cadillacs "art & science" look (think thats wut they called it way back then)...long unbroken lines, very intense sharp angles, "jewel" like headlights...a few other attributes thrown in for good measure. IMO a great many factors contribute to why a certian design language becomes diluted...."costs" (the perview of bean counters) comes to mind first and for most.

 

[bluefury361]

the Concourse D'Elegance of America in 2013

That was already 3 years ago???

Amazing how fast time gets by. I remember the event like it was last week. There were a couple of FCBO members there. I met you there Matt, and Mike from Columbus was there. There's been a lot of "roadway" under Jazabelles wheels since then.

 

[1978 NYB]

the Concourse D'Elegance of America in 2013



Amazing how fast time gets by. I remember the event like it was last week. There were a couple of FCBO members there. I met you there Matt, and Mike from Columbus was there. There's been a lot of "roadway" under Jazabelles wheels since then.

I wish we could slow down the clock......

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I wish we could slow down the clock......

Not this time of year, keep that clock wound tight till the spring equinox.

 

[330dTA]

I just stumbled on an excellent thread from 2010, where John Samsen, a retired Chrysler designer from '55 to '76, describes the conception of the Exner cars:

Viewing a thread - Mopar Styling info, 2010 Carlisle heads-up

I wonder if mr. Samsen is still around. He'd be 88 by now.

 

[saforwardlook]

I just stumbled on an excellent thread from 2010, where John Samsen, a retired Chrysler designer from '55 to '76, describes the conception of the Exner cars:

Viewing a thread - Mopar Styling info, 2010 Carlisle heads-up

I wonder if mr. Samsen is still around. He'd be 88 by now.

Great thread you found on the Forward Look site - it tells me more than the Exner book recently released that I most wanted to know.
Thank you!

 

[cantflip]

It appears Mr. Samsen was promoting his 2010 Carlisle appearance and then faded away. All of his links are dead, but I am interested... does anyone have a copy of his DVD he was also promoting?

 

[330dTA]

I just ordered a copy of that John Samsen DVD. Found it on Amazon.

 

[barnfind]

Do you happen to have a link?
Shows not available

 

[330dTA]

It seems I got the last one. Now it says 'Out of Stock'.

 

[fc7_plumcrazy]

great thread on forardlook net !
A lot of never seen before pics

Carsten

 

[Bill Watson]

Found a couple of photos of the S series Dodge, just before the orders to shrink the Plymouth and Dodge -

 

[commando1]

Dammit, they were absolutely adamant about making sure that snout was going to be on any car that would make it to production.

 

[saforwardlook]

It is probably good that the full size cars didn't get built as initially planned. In my eyes, they just looked goofy. The downsized models were at least passable and better looking than what their full size clay models would have been. To think they would have made any inroads on the clean Chevrolet and Ford designs, if a bit boring, was wishful thinking IMO. It seems Exner ran hot and cold in his designs, and for the cars that actually went into production in the Forward Look years from 1955 through 1961, it was really the studio designs with input from Tex Colbert and other management that really were responsible for the greatness of those cars - and not so much Exner.

 

[saforwardlook]

Dammit, they were absolutely adamant about making sure that snout was going to be on any car that would make it to production.

At least the 1962 Polara looked a lot better than those clay models did in the snout, to me, and I even like it. The seemingly "stuck on" white ornament on the rear quarters sure looked cludged though and I wasn't a big fan of the character line at the very rear of the quarter panel:

 

[fc7_plumcrazy]

It is probably good that the full size cars didn't get built as initially planned. In my eyes, they just looked goofy. The downsized models were at least passable and better looking than what their full size clay models would have been. To think they would have made any inroads on the clean Chevrolet and Ford designs, if a bit boring, was wishful thinking IMO. It seems Exner ran hot and cold in his designs, and for the cars that actually went into production in the Forward Look years from 1955 through 1961, it was really the studio designs with input from Tex Colbert and other management that really were responsible for the greatness of those cars - and not so much Exner.

the read on forwarlook.net was very interesting.
According to them Exner wasn't involved in the 57/58 Chryslers&Desotos which were the best looking cars IMHO

Carsten