eBay Find: Virgil Exner's 1956 Chrysler Plainsman Wagon Concept

The 1950s were the Golden Age for Detroit car designers as they experimented with tail fins, various screen angles, rocket-shaped fenders and, in general, all kinds of configurations, launching wonderful concept cars at Motor Shows.

The Chrysler Corporations' Vice President of Styling, the famed Virgil Exner, was responsible in one way or another for most of the company's concepts cars at the time, including this 1956 Chrysler Plainsman study.

The Plainsman is a unique two-door station wagon with seating for up to eight with many novel features such as the rear-facing third row of seats that are power operated to raise or sink in the trunk.

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Chrysler Teases 2011MY 300, 200 and Town & Country “S” Concepts at LX Spring Festival

Chrysler found the perfect opportunity to preview its upcoming range of ‘S’ models at the 6th Annual Spring Festival of LXs in Irvine, California this past weekend. The Detroit automaker showed off the “S” trimmed 2011MY 300 sedan, 200 Convertible and Town & Country in concept forms, though all three models are scheduled to enter production later this year starting with the 200 this spring.

According to Chrysler, the “S” treatment is a cosmetic package designed to appeal to younger customers that want something more “edgy” in terms of style. On the 300, this translates to a bespoke gunmetal finish, a new front grille, smoked headlamps and taillights, beefier alloy wheels in a unique design, a boot lid spoiler and if we’re not mistaken (since Chrysler has not released any official details), a lowered suspension. The interior also receives a makeover with red leather seats sporting the “S” logo and bespoke trim.

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Detroit Preview: 2011 Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar

Since we have a long way to go for the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Chrysler decided to give us a glimpse of what its in-house performance division Mopar is readying for the firm's redesigned Sebring, the 200 sedan, at next week's Detroit Motor Show.

The styled-up 2011 Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar seen in the teaser rendering here features a black and grey two-tone body and a full aero kit plus a lowered suspension, larger 19-inch alloy wheels and numerous accessories that will most likely be available for the production model in the near future. Hit the break for the full list of accessories and parts featured on the Detroit motorshow car.

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Dodge Boss Says Chrysler is considering New Barracuda

Is there room in the U.S. market for an another retro-style muscle car? According to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's chief designer and boss of the Dodge brand, the answer to that question is yes. At last week's SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, Gilles told show-goers at the Mopar stand that he is "seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda."

"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles. Speaking with reporters he added that "the customers have (been) stomping their feet for it."

Being that the Plymouth brand was phased out from the Chrysler Group's portfolio back in 2001, if the 'Cuda were to be revived, it would probably be marketed under the Chrysler brand. And like the original 1970s model, it would be based off the current Dodge Challenger.

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Chrysler Reportedly Kills Sebring Name, Gives Birth to Nassau

According to a news report from the Detroit Free Press, Chrysler's super-refreshed Sebring replacement will be called the Nassau, after executives decided the Sebring name has been "tarnished". More like utterly destroyed.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Nassau name, it's derived from a few previous Chrysler concepts (most recently the 2007 Nassau 4-door coupe/wagon concept) and the location where Bond won his Aston martin DB5 in a poker game.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne explained one reason for the name switch, referencing Chrysler's poor image/entry in the mid-size segment: "If you look at the Sebring and benchmark it against the competition, it's not where it needs to be." Hopefully a redesign and a new identity will help out.

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Chrysler's 1993 300C Concept Car up for Sale

With the glitzy Chrysler Thunderbolt taking the spotlight at the at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show, we seriously doubt that anyone even vaguely remembers the company's second concept car at Motown, the 300C sedan. Important or not, fact is that the 300C prototype model is up for grabs at Volocars.

The one-of-a-kind concept features a customized interior and exterior, as well as a glass panoramic roof with electric sun shade with the seller claiming that it cost $145,000 to build. The documented prototype, which has covered only 350 miles, is priced at $25,998. Comprehensive gallery after the jump.

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Shhh.... Chrysler-Badged Lancia Delta Appears at the Detroit Motor Show [Updated]

-New Photos Added-

Talk about a crappy representation of a thinning yet still major player in the U.S. automotive scene like Chrysler and its Dodge and Jeep brands. Not only did Fiat Group's bosses decide to skip a press conference at the 2010 NAIAS in Detroit but they didn't even bother -at least until the time that this post was written- to issue a press release on the Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta that was displayed at the firm's booth...

Not to pat ourselves in back, but our photoshop of the "Chrysler Delta" that we showed back in December was spot on as we correctly predicted the shape and more importantly, the styling of the chrome grille.

We did however overestimate the Fiat Group's rebadging capabilities as the unnamed Detroit Show car retained the Italian model's alloy wheels - we'll keep that in mind for next time.

There's no official word on the group's North American plans for the 4,522mm-long (177.9-inches or about the same size as the VW Jetta) hatchback, but we would like to hear your thoughts on the matter and in particular, if the Delta's styling would appeal to American consumers. Have your say in the comment section below.

Lancia Delta Hatchback