Virgil Exner

Virgil Exner was a leading designer of 1950s automobiles creating many iconic designs for Chrysler.

He heralded a great era of car creation when he joined Chrysler in 1949. He was to remain with Chrysler for the next 12 years.

Exner based his concept of design on the “idea car” and his first “idea for Chrysler came with the launch of the K-310 in 1950.

Crucial to the ideal car concept was that elements of the car that were functional, such as tail lights, wheels, radiator grills were to be shown rather then kept hidden from view.

After the K-310 was introduced to the car buying public, Exner was then responsible for the design of revolutionary Hemi V1 in 1951. His skill as a designer also saw him quickly promoted up the Chrysler hierarchy.

By 1953 he was the Chrysler director of styling. Four years later he became the company's vice president of styling, the first time that Chrysler had created such a position.

Virgil Exner was never satisfied by resting on his laurels and maintained total control in the clay modelling room and had final say in the approval of die models. He also continually refined his designs, producing some of the most innovative work in the car industry.

By the mid 1950s Exner was seeking to include more prominent tail fins in his designs, creating the Flight Sweep I and II to help him achieve this. In 1955 he furthered developed the concept of the “idea car” by designing the Chrysler Falcon. The Falcon was a sports convertible in which the radiator grill was prominent and the side exhaust exposed.

In 1957 Exner demonstrated his skill in car design when the Imperial launched, the first American made car to have curved glass in the side windows – a concept which was to be copied by other car manufacturers.

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