Famous 1950s Chrysler Concept Car At Barrett-Jackson Auction

One of the legendary Chrysler concept cars by design director Virgil Exner, the 1956/1957 Chrysler Dart/Diablo convertible (Lot #5034), will be featured in the Salon Collection at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction.
 
Exner, who helped popularize tailfins on automobiles, became director of design at Chrysler Corporation in 1953. Working with a limited budget, Exner linked up with Italian Carrozzeria Ghia to create a raft of now-legendary concepts during the mid-1950s, including the Chrysler D’Elegance, Dodge Firearrow, DeSoto Adventurer II and Chrysler Falcon.

One of Exner’s favorites was the 1956 Chrysler Dart, which, as its name implies, had a pointy nose and huge tailfins. According to Virgil Exner Jr., a leading designer in his own right, the Dart was his father’s most elaborate design. Not only did Exner execute the design on his own personal drawing board, he tested the design in a wind tunnel to make it as aerodynamic and stable as possible.

After the Dart had made the auto show circuit in 1956, Exner couldn’t leave it alone. He got the car back and heavily modified it into a new show car for the 1957 season, the Chrysler Diablo.

The Diablo is one of the largest convertibles ever built, stretching out nearly 22 feet. It has a fully operational convertible top, four individual bucket seats and a dashboard that might have come out of a Star Wars spaceship.
 
Every detail was fastidiously drawn by Exner himself, including the Diablo pitchfork emblems. The sculpting on the exhaust tips reportedly took Exner several days to get just right.

The chassis is from a 1956 Chrysler 300, and the famous Hemi V8 has been fitted with two four-barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and lots of chrome in the engine compartment. The Diablo is fully functional, equipped with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning.

The one-of-a-kind convertible has been in the same well-known collection for approximately 25 years and is clearly one of the most important concept cars ever. Actually, the Chrysler Dart/Diablo is two of the most important concept cars ever, all in one.

The 42nd annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction takes place Jan 13-20 at WestWorld, with 39 hours of live coverage on SPEED. 

Source: SPEED TV