Chrysler Corporation may not have been the first automaker to wow the public with what we now call a “concept car;” that honor is typically afforded to Buick and its 1938 Y-Job.

Yet the so-called “idea cars” produced by the Chrysler brands, especially those created under the auspices of styling boss Virgil Exner in the years following World War II, proved to be some of the most compelling, influential, and unforgettable concepts ever created.

These included the four successive Dodge Firearrows, which wore hand-crafted bodywork by Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy.

As a designer, Exner was sharply critical of what he called “jellyroll and tinsel styling” deployed by crosstown competitors; instead of “old-fashioned gingerbread” adornments and chrome, he championed the use of clean, functional forms (of course, Exner was not afraid to deploy brightwork if merited by the situation).

This philosophy is evident in Exner’s hugely important “Forward Look” production cars, but naturally, he ...