There are a lot of factors to consider around the time period of Exner's last
years at Chrysler. For one, there was a recession going on around 1958 which
slowed down car sales. As a result, money for re-tooling or redesigning things
was tight. To boot, Chrysler was stung with a stigma for poor reliability and
build quality not so long before. Add to that a historically fickle public,
and the stage is set for finger pointing and rash decisions at the executive
board room.
Exner was better suited designing for a coachbuilder on his own terms. He was
a man who set high expectations, but were fallen short - dictated by budgetary
constraints. Unfortunately, all we have is just a sampling of his genius.
Like Frank Lloyd Wright, a lot of what survives is on paper to dazzle our
imaginations, and inspire other artists to come close.
I haven't seen any books detailing Exner's life in any great depth. Just a lot
of scribbles here and there on the web and on car publications.
--- On Tue 07/13, < DONALDDICKINSOND@xxxxxx > wrote:
From: [mailto: DONALDDICKINSOND@xxxxxx]
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 09:56:16 EDT
Subject: IML: The rise and fall of Virgil Exner
<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Since I have been involved with
Imperials (The last 2 1/2 years). One of the most fascinating things to me has
been Virgil Exners rise and fall. This rise and fall has mirrored the success
(or lack of) of the Imperial. The interesting conundrum in my mind is <I>how
could the 1957 Imperial be 3 years ahead of its time and by 1962</I> <I>3</I>
<I>years behind its time</I>. What say you, you Imperial history buffs? Also
is there a good bio out there on Exners career that might address this
riddle? <BR>
<BR>
Don Dickinson<BR>
Prospect, KY <BR>
<BR>
1955 Imperial Newport, Canyon Tan and Desert Sand<BR>
1967 Imperial Custom Convertible, Ivory and Burgundy</FONT></HTML>
<p>
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