[FWDLK] "Finless cousisn"
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[FWDLK] "Finless cousisn"



The Chrysler corporate history has to have some impact on the ending of the Forward Look era.  As I understand it, in those days there was about a two to three year lead time for new car designs.
 
In 1960 Bill Newburg was president of Chrysler for only two months.  Tex Colbert took over again, but was replaced in July, 1961 by Lynn Townsend.  It was during 1962 that Exner was dethroned and Elwood Engel was imported from Ford. 
 
In the design department, Apparently Newburg had approved Exner's unusual '62 designs for the Chrysler and Imperial but after Colbert came back he ordered Exner to come up with an alternative, which was the '61 with shaved fins.  Exner may have gotten his way more with the '62 Dodge and Plymouth, but they were a marketing disaster.
 
Sales fell dramatically in 1958, 1959 sales weren't too good either [13% of market], Dodge Dart and Valiant did well in 1960 but Plymouth sales were awful, and in 1961 Chrysler division had a sales upswing with the demise of DeSoto, then the '62 Plymouth debacle.
 
So 1961 is the logical ending year for the Forward Look era.  Sure Exner was around until 1964, but with all the corporate shakeup it was no longer his show.  That doesn't mean that the '62 and later [or the '54 and earlier] were bad cars, but '55 through '61 was the Exner era.
 
And that's all I have to say about that!
 
-Roger van Hoy, '55DeSoto, '42DeSoto, '66Plymouth, '73Duster, Washougal, WA
 
 



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