Have not received my issue of "Collectilbe Automobiles", so I have not read
the article yet. But it is well known that the 1964 Imperial styling was
brought over to Chrysler from Ford. And the car he designed at Ford did,
indeed, see prodiuction - the 1961 Lincoln Continental.
If you compare the 1961 Lincoln and the 1964 Imperial you can see the design
elements carried over - the "fill to the edge of the paper" boxiness, the
use of trim to outline the fender lines, body sides devoid of trim and the
"Thunderbird" roofline. A number of auto writers at the time the 1964
Imperial was introduced commented on how the Imperial looked like the
Lincoln and were not surprised given that both were done under Elwood Engel.
Engel brought the themes over from Ford. He could not have brought the car
as underneath the classic lines of the 1964 Imperial was the body and frame
of the 1957 Imperial. It may have been a new design, but it was not a new
undertructure.
The point to remember about Engel's stay at Ford and Chrysler is that at
Ford, Engel was a stylist. He was constantly coming up with new designs and
ideas for the projects he was working on. At Chrysler he was the head of
styling. It was no longer his job to come up new designs, but to supervise
those under him who did.
Consider him the conductor of an orchestra - each member is playing
independently, but following the conductor's directions. Engel had stylists
working on Plymouths, Dodges, Chryslers, Imperials, and Dodge Trucks, with
each make being broken down into smaller groups. Plymouth had stylists
working on Valiants, Barracuda, Belvederes and Furys, It was Engel's job to
keep the various groups on the same line, sharing as many design parts as
possible (roofs, doors, etc.) keep a brand identity, but still keep a
corporate relationship.
Other interviews with stylists at Chrysler under Engel do not mention Engel
desigining anything. Instead Engel is shown as the co-ordinator, making
suggestions, alterations, and improvements to designs being done by the
variouos division styling staff.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
> For those of you who are interested, there is an interview with Gale
> Halderman in the current issue of "Collectible Automobile" and Elwood
> Engel, the designer of the 60's Imperials, is mentioned a few times.
>
> One of the more interesting stories is that the 1964 Imperial was
> designed at Ford. Engel worked at Ford before going to Chrysler, and
> Halderman says they had designed what would later become the '64
> Imperial at Ford, but it never saw production. Then, when Engel changed
> jobs and the '64 Imperial came out, no one at Ford was surprised to see
> it.
>
> He also makes the claim that Engel was not as proud of the work he did
> at Chrysler, that in his personal photo album he only kept pictures of
> the cars he designed at Ford.
>
> There is also an article on a 1935 Packard.
>
> Mark M
>
>
>
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