Re: [FWDLK] Forward Look Cousin!?

["john g. photakis" <owlshop@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe,
    Your wife has good taste. Karmann Ghias were designed
by the company Ghia in Italy and built by Karmann in Germany for Volkswagan.
If you look at the roof line on the coupe you will see the same lines on
the Mopar show cars of the early to mid 50's.(look at the newer Mustangs
and you'll see it there too.)
    Exner was probably involved from the beginning 
and saw it through to completion. VW as well as other manufacturers were
all looking at the Italian houses for style and vision as most american
iron were no more than boxes on wheels with portholes or some doodad hanging
off chunks of steel.Chrysler was one of them and went over seas to get
some work done.
    I have a 55 Chrysler Winsor wagon, 2- 66 300 2drs.htp.
and 3 Ghia converts. They all get along together in my garage...
John Photakis

Joe and Nancy M wrote:

I have started a search for my wife's 'toy'.  She wants a Karmann Ghia
convertible (cabriolet as the ghia mail list likes to point out!).  I am
growing more fond of the car as I have started researching them and looking
for one.  Doesn't quite meet my Mopar expectations, but it is a neat little
car.

Anyway..... the Forward Look bit of this email.  It appears as though our
hero Virgil Exner takes credit for the design of the Karmann Ghia.  It is a
long complicated story involving several sources, but it is clear that Exner
designed a car for some guy in Italy (or was it France?).  This guy was
involved in making the Ghia a reality, whereupon Karmann was able to
convince VW to let him build it.  It appears to be confusing and there are a
couple people who claim to have designed the car.  Truth may be that it was
a combination.  At any rate, it appears Exner had some influence over the
Karmann Ghia at about the same time he was working on the new Forward Look
line for Chrysler in the 1953 time frame.

I think this would make it a Forward Look cousin and makes me much happier
about the prospects of one in the barn with the 55 Belvedere!!

See ya,  Joe.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5768
55 Plymouth Belvedere 2dr Club Coupe V8 Auto Red/WHITE Sport Tone.
http://www.infopage.com/plymouth/