John (K.) just posted a short on HRH's stunning Lincoln Futura at 1/64 Forum. This is a car I've admired since first learning about it as a youngster. But recently, having bought a Western/Small Wheels model of Chrysler's 1958 Windsor I was struck by the similarities.
The two are of course different - but seeing the pair in similar tones, reduces that difference and suddenly, I saw the same heavy brows that wrap around the headlamps and dip down across the leading edge of the bonnet. The front end similarities are even more apparent, seen alongside a '57 De Soto with its ovoid bumper cum grille.
Equally, the enormous fins which, taking-off the Futura's dog-leg corner at the beltline are not disimilar, and to the best of my knowledge, only Lincoln themselves had such sharp fins in '57, on their Premier.
Further, the locust-like wings on the Dodge Royal Lancer confirm for me that the design team at Chrysler Corp. studied the Futura carefully when conceiving their "Forward Look". Any thoughts?
All these cars and gorgeous automobiles and the Futura a terrific dream car. I think the Forward Look from Exner was in development well before the official release of Chrysler Corps "Forward Look" car in1957, so as in many cases, it could be a case of "great minds think alike" or exactly who may have influenced who ? In every case, these are all wonderful looking cars.
I know in some cases, what was desired by the stylist and what could actually be produced on an assembly line with a production automobile and also what would last in the consumers hands, didn't always line up .... yet, and there could be a lag .
Stylists did change companies sometimes and (like Elwood Engel) ideas and designs could be brought over from elsewhere..
Nice post Charles. I can certainly see the influence of that concept Lincoln Futura on the 'Forward Look' Chryslers of 1957. I wonder what Ford thought about that cross pollination of design themes.
Interesting and intriguing post. Both designs (The Foward Look & the Futura ) were being worked up in 1953-54 and of course the "winged" Foward Look cars came a bit later. It's possible, I suppose, that a few design themes were lifted. 😏 😏
Afterall, it's happened before....
Being a big 1959 Cadillac fan.... I have always maintained that somehow, somewhere, somebody lifted a few design cues from Ford's 1955 Mystere Concept. Can you see a 1959 Cadillac in this? I sure can.
@david-green Whilst taking on board Mike's valid point regarding design gestation and development time-frames, I know that if I were Elwood Engel, I'd be mighty miffed at the sight of 1957's De Soto.
@mikedetorrice You are quite right about development time-frames, (though the Futura would have had its own development period prior to its 1954 showing). And your saying 'great minds think alike' does conjure the highly competitive atmosphere all these great minds must have been working in at the time: keenly interested in every snippet of information that might find its way into the design studio. Plus, any independent idea such as a European design exercise would have been noted by all design studios. So as you say, there must have been outside input available to all the 'big three'.
@chris Design is fascinating: because of its abstract nature, you may not see something, yet when you do become aware of it, it's plainly obvious. I have always equated the Mystere with Ford's 1956 Crown Victoria line - obvious! But seeing these rear light 'ports' with the fin rising immediately above, and rear fender sloping down towards the port, I see your point very clearly. Plus it has the rear-end grille. Ford were using a grille at the back in '58 and I wonder who else was, prior to this time?
@charles-rockett ...not to mention those front bumper pods, the horizontal grill-strips above them, the lower front bumper and grill horizontal bar, those headlights, the arch of that rear glass vs. Cadillac's C-pillar, etc..
@jkuvakas Many thanks, John. I had always associated the Forward Look with the 1957 range and on. I shall look again at the '55s & '56s - which are really beautiful cars. By the way, growing-up I understood the '57s and beyond to be called the Flyte-Swept look, or Flyte-Swept wings. Do you have any knowledge of this terminology ?
@mg-harv You are right, Harv', the Batmobile thrilled us all; and whilst it may seem sad to cut and paste the Futura, photographs show it in a pretty sorry state before Barris morphed it into something new.
@jkuvakas Many thanks, John. I had always associated the Forward Look with the 1957 range and on. I shall look again at the '55s & '56s - which are really beautiful cars. By the way, growing-up I understood the '57s and beyond to be called the Flyte-Swept look, or Flyte-Swept wings. Do you have any knowledge of this terminology ?
John is correct. The Foward Look cars first appeared in 1955 across all Chrysler offerings. The Swept-Wing term to which you refer, was used by Dodge advertising (1957-59) to describe their unique wing (or fin) treatment. I'm very familiar with these cars. For many years I owned a somewhat rare 1957 Dodge Coronet Lancer 4-dr hardtop. It was a very original car built in CA, then shipped to Hawaii...it was a true heater-delete car with zero rust......and it had GREAT swept-wing design! 🙂
