My father was very fond of the car, as it confirmed what he was trying to achieve - less chrome, clean lines, more sculptural in appearance.

The be-finned 1957 Chrysler Diablo concept car, as styled by Exner Sr, will make its auction debut at the Sports & Classics of Monterey auction in California on August 15-16. The innovative concept car, which still looks ultra modern today pioneered the ‘forward look’ that dominated American car design for the following decade.

Virgil Exner, Jr, will be the guest of honour at the sale, which will give attendees of the sale the perfect opportunity to learn more about the stylist who brought fins to Detroit.

The Diablo is clearly the product of a company that had given its director of design a clean sheet of paper upon which to deliver exciting new concepts to American car buyers.

‘I was fortunate to have an opportunity to drive the Diablo myself,’ Exner Jr recalled. He added, ‘My father was very fond of the car, as it confirmed what he was trying to achieve - less chrome, clean lines, more sculptural in appearance.’

RM Auctions' Sports & Classics of Monterey will be held at the Portola Resort and Spa and Monterey Conference Centre, in Monterey, California. Coinciding with the famed Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the annual auction event, which is now in its 23rd year, is very much part a social event, and attracts thousands of enthusiasts.

Admission to RM's Sports & Classics of Monterey auction event is £20 ($40 US) per person, with children 12 and under admitted free of charge.

For more information, visit www.rmauctions.com