Re: Mid-30s Twelve what-if
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Home away from home
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Hi Paul
Thanks for the kind remarks. Of the '34 LeBaron designs, I've never read they were specifically credited to one person whether with LeBaron or the Packard staff. Though Count de Sakhnoffsky was consulting for Packard and a major advocate of the full-length, over-the-cowl hood. Ralph Roberts, Roland Stickney and Hugo Pfau at LeBaron may have contributed as well. Just a hunch, but the overall form and general cleanliness suggest that styling cues were picked up from Dietrich's prior work and synthesized into a unified whole. If any progressive work under Dietrich for Chrysler exist, it's yet to be published. Most of what have was very much just production-type work, frontal restyles, etc. Likely any overall body designwork was done in conjunction with Briggs or Murray in house departments, who ever was to be the source of the body series. In each, the heavy hand of engineering was going to push whatever was the most cost-affective approach to the exclusion of fine style. Walter P. Chrysler and Ray Dietrich were friends, WPC had to protect Dietrich at times from the tyrants that held sway in the Engineering Department. The minute WPC died, management showed Ray the door. And it's obvious surveying the '30's Chrysler product designs that they essentially stymied and wasted the talents of a great designer. One wonders why WPC didn't at least set the Custom Imperial aside as Dietrich's exclusive domain, where he could have his best work built. If only to have a halo car that could confirm some degree of prestige on the rest of the very pedestrian Chrysler offerings. Steve
Posted on: 2013/11/24 14:07
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Re: Mid-30s Twelve what-if
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Home away from home
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Great suggestion on letting Ray have his hand with the top-of-line cars. Even if these turned out to be simply a few hand-hammered bodies of unique design, the publicity would have been invaluable and the designs, inspiration for more exciting mass produced cars.
Found this link... points to potential treasure at Hickory Corners. Need to drive out there next year and rummage around. http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/Dietrich/ocwarticle.htm
Posted on: 2013/11/24 16:50
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