I met Richard Sias, father of the Gen 2 Charger

[BananaDan]

Dodge Don gets a celebrity judge credential for the 70 Charger Registry club registrations. Since he couldn't make it to Carlisle this year, I represented Don and was able to attend the celebrity VIP luncheon. At the luncheon, I ended up sitting next to Richard Sias. He is credited with being the Principle Designer of the '68 Charger and the person that came up with the double-diamond coke bottle shape of the gen 2 Charger. He is essentially the father of the Gen 2 Charger! He was there to be inducted into the Mopar Hall of Fame and it was his first trip to Carlisle! He was really nice and he even came by to visit my car later that day and signed my sun visor!  



http://moparhalloffame.com/2015site/the-inductees/2016/

Richard Sias
Richard Sias was one of the "dream team" styling engineers within Dodge's ranks during the golden era of the muscle car years.Sias began his career in design at GM, and in 1964, he was lured away by Dodge Division styling manager Charles Mitchell.Sias initially worked on the A-body platform, designing details and trim pieces for those cars, but all the while he was working on a complete car model they dubbed the "double diamond" because it was rather wasp waisted and somewhat Coke bottle shaped.Bill Brownlie, chief stylist at Dodge, reportedly didn't like the odd-shaped car, but everyone else did.So much so that when Brownlie went on a European trip in 1965, Mitchell hurriedly pushed Sias into the B-body group to see if they could get the design to work on the Coronet platform, Chrysler vice-president of design Elwood Engel fell in love with the concept, added a flip top racing-style gas cap to its design, and by the time Brownlie returned, everyone involved had fallen in love with Sias's new design, which was approved for production in the summer of 1965 as a 1968 model.That car ended up being the 1968-1970 Dodge Charger; one of the most iconic and unique designs of the entire muscle car era.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/charger/styling-classic-charger.html

For 1968, the Dodge Charger was redesigned, with results that would punch up sales and instantly turn the car into a classic, remembered and shown for decades afterwards. Diran credited Richard Sias with the "Coke bottle" side profile, giving Charger its attractive double diamond shape and scalloped doors. Sias was the principle designer of the 1968 Charger; he was 26 when he created the 1/10 scale model that led to the Charger's final shape, just two years before the design was locked down.

The 1968 Charger was an anomoly. (The late) Bill Brownlie, Dodge Studio Executive Designer, wanted an evolutionary design from the '66 — a fastback. Meanwhile, off in a corner of the Dodge Studio, Richard Sias, was making a 1/10th scale "speed form" clay model. It was "aircrafty" and had the double diamond shapes built into its form, but it wasn't a fastback.

It was such an exciting shape that Chuck Mitchell, Chief Designer, wondered if it could be morphed into a B body size car. Since the program hadn't yet started, a full size clay model was started while hidden behind two 20' black boards. Frank Ruff, B Body Car Line Manager, with his experience and Richard Sias' vision, directed the clay modelers to what soon looked like the '68 Charger.

Dodge Charger, a Name of Many Shapes
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/27/automobiles/dodge-charger-a-name-of-many-shapes.html?_r=0

Richard Sias - Father of the 1968 Charger
http://www.superbirdbob.com/friends-in-print/richard-sias-father-of-the-1968-charger/

[mightywing7]

Great info!! 

Thanks for sharing

[charge69]

WOW !  What a great experience !   It sounds like he was a very nice person and I hope he enjoyed his visit to Carlisle.  I hope to make the trip up there sometime in my life!

[LaOtto70Charger]

Cool!

[TPR]

I'm jealous. Richard Sias is a living legend in my opinion.
Did you ask him a bunch of questions?

TPR

[PlainfieldCharger]

  Great to meet the people behind the scenes. Thanks for posting!

[Mytur Binsdirti]

By chance, did you happen to ask him about the 4 door Charger that others claimed were designed and built?

[moparnation74]

Dan,

Thanks for sharing and what an opportunity...

[BananaDan]

I'm jealous. Richard Sias is a living legend in my opinion.
Did you ask him a bunch of questions?

TPR

I didn't. He was sitting next to another ex-Chrysler guy at lunch and I didn't want to bother him. I spoke with his son mostly at lunch. When he came by my car later in the day, I introduced him to Igor (Tufcat's father and ex-Chrysler old-timer) and they were talking war stories the entire time which was cool and I didn't want to interrupt. I also didn't want to keep him, it was hot as hell and he walked his way to my car which I thought was more than I could have asked for.

[BananaDan]

By chance, did you happen to ask him about the 4 door Charger that others claimed were designed and built?

Who knew that would be needed?

[tan top]

awesome stuff BananaDan  , thanks for posting !  great stuff  

I remember those article's in the mopar mags years ago , ive long since given all my mopar mags away now 

By chance, did you happen to ask him about the 4 door Charger that others claimed were designed and built?

[bakerhillpins]

Pics or it didn't happen!!  

When he came by my car later in the day, I introduced him to Igor (Tufcat's father and ex-Chrysler old-timer) and they were talking war stories the entire time which was cool and I didn't want to interrupt. I also didn't want to keep him, it was hot as hell and he walked his way to my car which I thought was more than I could have asked for.

Would have been awesome to have been there to listen to that conversation. 

[BananaDan]

 

I'll snap a pic of my sunvisor in a few days.

[Mopar Nut]

By chance, did you happen to ask him about the 4 door Charger that others claimed were designed and built?

Here's one!  

[TPR]

By chance, did you happen to ask him about the 4 door Charger that others claimed were designed and built?

Shit you make me laugh Turbin. 
TPR