Elwood Engel Takes Over

Elwood Engel was Chrysler's design chief from 1961 until 1974, encompassing the socially and politically turbulent era of the mid-60s to the early 70s. Engel joined Chrysler after a successful tour of duty at Ford, where he was responsible for the 1961 Lincoln. Replacing Virgil Exner (whose health had been failing) wasn't easy, but he made his mark quickly in two major areas.

First, he presided over the end of the tailfinned, "Forward Look" era, which officially came to a close in 1962 when all Chryslers were redesigned without fins.

Second, he was responsible for the Chrysler turbine cars, of which 50 were manufactured and road tested in 1963. Though ultimately unsuccessful, the program continued Chrysler's heritage of innovation and forward thinking.

It wasn't until 1965 that Engel was fully responsible for all Chrysler designs, taking charge of a decided upsizing of almost all full-size vehicles, which rode on a corporate "C-body." Chrysler cars became even larger in 1967, with wheelbases increasing to 124 inches. Most notably, the push button transmission was gone, replaced with a column shift.

Later in his career at Chrysler, Engel oversaw the development of some legendary Chrysler "muscle cars," including the 1968 Dodge Charger and the 1970 Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda. While not known as a design genius like his predecessor, Engel helped keep the company together and commercially oriented during a rough time for the country and the industry.