The 2014 Concours d’Elegance of America—Sunday July 27 at The Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan—will honor the work of famed chief designer Virgil Exner with an unprecedented display of Chrysler Corporation’s 1955-1961 “Forward Look,” a daring two-pronged styling revolution that changed the look of the American car.
First up were the “Jet-age” 1955 Plymouths, Dodges, DeSotos, Chryslers and Imperials. Then came the 1957 models. With sky-high fins, these longer, lower and wider vehicles sent competitors scrambling to catch up.
The St. John’s display will tell the story of “The Forward Look,” with carefully selected examples from each generation of the genre. Virgil Exner Jr., retired Ford designer and son of Virgil Exner, will be an honorary judge and will also be conducting a seminar on the development and evolution of the “Forward Look” cars.
This year the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. Johns will also break new ground with a glittering array of prestigious “Jet-Age Pickups” from the mid- to late-1950s. This display will tell the story of how the utilitarian pickup was transformed into a whole new kind of personal-luxury vehicle.
Featured trucks will include a 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier, the first of the “styled” pickups with smooth body sides and color-coordinated interiors, as well as a limited-edition 1957 International Harvester Golden Jubilee and an ultra-rare Fargo Sweptside pickup built for the Canadian market. Other pickups in this “Jet-Age” class are the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino, both of which were highly styled “car-truck” hybrids. Also making its St. Johns debut will be a one-off factory-built prototype pickup from 1959, the Pontiac “El Catalina.”
