Fond Farewell to Cuda Muscle Car Designer
Apr 16th, 2008 by jsveva
John Herlitz, 65, a noted designer of Chrysler Muscle Cars, died on March 24 secondary to a fall at his Naples, Florida home. James Cobb detailed his professional life in the NY Sunday Times. Mr. Hertz was sort of a 60’s version of Chip Foose. He began sending sketches to Chrysler at age thirteen. He is probably best remembered for the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, which raised the bar for pony car compacts like the Mustang, especially the Hemi ‘Cudas with 425 equine reasons to buckle the seat belts. Bids at collector-car auctions have exceeded $2 million. Mr. Herlitz continued with the ’71 Road Runner and GTX. He continued design and development after our last national gas price fleecing in the 70’s with the K-cars and the first minivans that revolutionized life for America’s families. In the middle 90’s he worked with Tom Gale to develop bold cars and trucks with a retro flair including the Atlantic, Phaeton and Chronos. John’s wife, Joan, died Jan. 22. He is survived by two sons, Kirk of San Carlos, Calif., and Todd of Chicago, and one grandson.