|
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
|
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network