As the last concept car conceived by Chrysler’s Virgil Exner, it’s no wonder it was so special. The 1960 Plymouth XNR was intended to embody the spirit of the U.S. during the time of its release in 1960—a time when the economy was booming and people were in the financial position to buy cars, even nice ones. The so-called idea car was initially built for one person as not to hinder the overall driving experience. The passenger seat that did exist sat four inches lower than the driver’s seat to reduce any drag on the car. From the Jetsons to budding real-life space travel, the XNR was to be the spaceship that you could drive. Before the popularity of car tail fins fizzled out completely by the end of the 1950s, Exner sent the fad out with a hard bang by giving the sports car a single, oversized, off-centre stabilizing fin—it’s most defining, and seminal, feature.
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