John Herlitz packed a lot of memorable MOPAR into his 35 years with Chrysler. He graduated from college and started with the company as a designer in 1965. In just three years, Herlitz became manager of the Plymouth Intermediate Car Studio and didn't waste much time making his mark on the lineup.Best known for his redesign of the 1970 Barracuda and 1971 GTX, Herlitz went on to work on several well-known concept cars, including the '97 Copperhead (above right).
Upon the announcement of Herlitz's retirement in 2001, Tom Gale, then executive vice president of Chrysler Product Development, said, "John Herlitz has made a tremendous contribution to DaimlerChrysler, and we will miss him personally and professionally. John's design signature has been seen on Chrysler branded vehicles from 1968. He has a true passion for cars and vehicle design that is unparalleled in the industry."
Herlitz died Wednesday at 65.
[Source: Automotive News (subscription required)]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mobius_1 @ Mar 30th 2008 11:20AM
That Barracuda, and that man, are legends
R.I.P.
Eek @ Mar 30th 2008 12:01PM
R.I.P.
spacegravity4me @ Mar 30th 2008 1:01PM
The copperhead was always one of my favorites. That's really sad.
Frank @ Mar 30th 2008 1:06PM
RIP John, and thank you for some great designs.
Shame that Chrysler doesn't have people like John and Tom Gale anymore.
Michael @ Mar 30th 2008 2:26PM
Thank you John.
steve @ Mar 30th 2008 7:18PM
now if it was the man who designed the '71 Cuda, i would have shed a tear...but none the less..Mopars forever
James @ Mar 30th 2008 8:42PM
As someone who has spent the past few years of his life restoring a 1970 Barracuda convertible (and is a few months away from completion), this saddens me very much. The car's been a big part of my high school and college years, and its rarity always makes it a conversation starter, to say the least. Herlitz's impact on Mopar design will not be forgotten
MJK @ Mar 31st 2008 10:35AM
They do have Tom Gale's son...but it is sad to see the passing of historic creative forces. RIP John.
toddherlitz @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:25PM
Great article on the Chrysler blog:
http://blog.chryslerllc.com/blog.do?id=317&p=entry