After creating a series of idea cars for Chrysler, famed stylist
Virgil Max Exner Snr created a car for himself, a car that enveloped
everything that he wanted to see in a classic automobile; sports
thoroughbred styling and power to match. Exner rarely came up
with the names given to his idea cars but one he did was the
Falcon from 1955. He wanted Chrysler to build a vehicle that
would go up against Chevrolet's Corvette and Ford's Thunderbird.
The Falcon was a joint effort between Maury Baldwin and Exner,
and was not conceived as a dream car or even an idea car, but
a prototype that was a breath away from becoming a production
vehicle. The 1955 Falcon was a two-seat sports car that sat
on a short 109inch Chrysler chassis and although not revolutionary,
was perfect for it's time. The long, low hood covered a Hemi
V8 and standard Chrysler mechanics, and held an aggressive front
grille and recessed headlamp pods. The low silhouette of just
51.2inches added to the perception of speed and power, the flowing
lines ending in subtle tail fins that finished over jet-like
tail-light bezels. Fully open wheel arches displayed Kelsey-Hayes
wire wheels and wide white wall tyres. Sporty exterior exhaust
pipes exited from the rocker panels and complemented the side
louvers on the front fenders. At 182inches; the Falcon was longer
than both of its potential competitors, but it would have undoubtedly
stolen some of their custom. The reason it did not go into production
was down to the engineering department's wish for control over
style. They argued that they had performance vehicles in the
up and coming 1956 line, with the Chrysler 300, Dodge D-500,
and the rest. Why build a sports car? More likely is that politicos
in Chrysler Engineering wanted to regain some of the control
they had lost to Virgil Exner's Styling Section. Big mistake!
Text by Peter Grist
Add
more information on this car |
Home page