Editing Virgil Exner (section)

{{Short description|American automobile designer}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Virgil Exner
|birth_name = Virgil Max Exner Sr.
|birth_date = {{birth date|1909|9|24}}
|birth_place = [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]], U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1973|12|22|1909|9|24}}
|death_place = [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]], Michigan, U.S.
|occupation = [[Automotive design]]er<br>[[Chrysler]] Vice President of Design
}}

'''Virgil Max''' "'''Ex'''" '''Exner Sr.''' (September 24, 1909 &ndash; December 22, 1973) was an [[automobile]] [[design]]er for several [[United States|American]] automobile companies, most notably [[Chrysler Corporation|Chrysler]] and [[Studebaker]].

Exner is widely known for the "Forward Look" he created for the 1955–1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of [[Car tailfin|tailfins]] on cars for both [[aesthetics]] and [[aerodynamics]].

Prior to the 1955 model year, Chrysler products were considered solid and well-engineered, but with dull styling. But for 1955 and 1956, Chrysler introduced the first set of cars with Exner's stylish and popular Forward Look. These models were very popular and greatly improved Chrysler's image.
[[File:1955-Plymouth-Belvedere-4dr-Sed.jpg|alt=1955 Plymouth Belvedere|thumb|1955 Plymouth Belvedere, featuring the 1955-56 "Forward Look" design.]]
[[File:Plymouth Belvedere 4-door Saloon (1957) - 21069462986.jpg|alt=1958 Plymouth Belvedere|thumb|1957 Plymouth Belvedere, featuring the second-generation "Forward Look" design of 1957-59.]]
For 1957, Chrysler launched all-new models again, introducing cars that were long, low, wide, and featured sweeping [[Car tailfin|tailfins]]—designs that caused a sensation within the North American auto industry.

When [[General Motors|GM]] designer [[Chuck Jordan (automobile designer)|Chuck Jordan]] peered through a fence—thanks to a tip he received—and spied Chrysler's soon-to-be-launched 1957 Chrysler lineup, it prompted [[Bill Mitchell (automobile designer)|Bill Mitchell]], Jordan's boss at [[General Motors]] styling, to convince GM top executives and styling chief [[Harley Earl]] to re-open the already-completed designs for the 1959 models and create "an alternate design for each car line, Chevrolet through Cadillac."<ref name="NYT 01">{{cite news|title=Where Credit Is Due: A Fresh View on the Exner Designs |first=Jerry |last=Garrett |date=October 21, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/automobiles/collectibles/21EXNER.html?mtrref=en.wikipedia.org&login=email |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref> Exner's work effectively "change[d] the course of automotive design" during that period.