PLYMOUTH

Plymouth (automobile) 1928 – 2001 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States

Plymouth

“One clever idea after another” (late 1990s)
Industry	Automobile
Fate	Withdrawn from the market in 2001; models were either discontinued or rebranded as Chrysler
Founded	July 7, 1928
Founder	Walter Chrysler
Defunct	June 29, 2001; 15 years ago
Headquarters	Auburn Hills, Michigan United States
Products	Cars, Minivans
Parent	Chrysler (1928–1998) DaimlerChrysler (1998–2001)

Plymouth was a brand of automobiles based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler. The brand first appeared in 1928 in the United States and was discontinued in 2001.

History

Origins

1928 Plymouth Model Q Coupe

The Plymouth automobile was introduced at Madison Square Garden on July 7, 1928. It was Chrysler Corporation’s first entry in the low-priced field, which at the time was already dominated by Chevrolet and Ford. Plymouths were actually priced slightly higher than their competition, but offered standard features such as internal expanding hydraulic brakes that the competition did not provide. Plymouths were originally sold exclusively through Chrysler dealerships, offering a low-cost alternative to the upscale Chrysler-brand cars. The logo featured a rear view of the ship Mayflower which landed at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. However, the inspiration for the Plymouth brand name came from Plymouth binder twine, produced by the Plymouth Cordage Company, also of Plymouth. The name was chosen by Joe Frazer due to the popularity of the twine among farmers.

The origins of Plymouth can be traced back to the Maxwell automobile. When Walter P. Chrysler took over control of the troubled Maxwell-Chalmers car company in the early 1920s, he inherited the Maxwell as part of the package. After he used the company’s facilities to help create and launch the six-cylinder Chrysler automobile in 1924, he decided to create a lower-priced companion car. So for 1926, the Maxwell was reworked and rebadged as the low-end four-cylinder Chrysler “52” model. In 1928, the “52” was once again redesigned to create the Chrysler-Plymouth Model Q. The “Chrysler” portion of the nameplate was dropped with the introduction of the Plymouth Model U in 1929.

Great Depression, 1940s–1950s

1939 Plymouth in a Swedish 1940s fashion photo.

Plymouth Police Car 1947

1947 Plymouth police car property of the Glendale Police Dept. in Glendale, Arizona1948 Plymouth Special De Luxe Coupé1949 Plymouth four-door sedan

While the original purpose of the Plymouth was to serve a lower-end marketing niche, during the Great Depression of the 1930s the division helped significantly in ensuring the survival of the Chrysler Corporation in a decade when many other car companies failed. Beginning in 1930, Plymouths were sold by all three Chrysler divisions (Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge). Plymouth sales were a bright spot during this dismal automotive period, and by 1931 Plymouth rose to number three in sales among all cars. In 1931 with the Model PA, the company introduced floating power and boasted, “The economy of a four; the smoothness of a six.”

In 1933, Chrysler decided to catch up with Ford and Chevrolet with respect to engine cylinder count. The 190 cu in version of Chrysler’s flathead-six engine was equipped with a downdraft carburetor and installed in the new 1933 Plymouth PC, introduced on November 17, 1932. However, Chrysler had reduced the PC’s wheelbase from 112 to 107 in (284.5 to 271.8 cm), and the car sold poorly. By April 1933, the Dodge division’s Model DP chassis, with a 112-inch (284.5 cm) wheelbase, was put under the PC body with DP front fenders, hood, and radiator shell. The model designation was advanced to PD’ and the car was marketed as the “DeLuxe” 1933 Plymouth. This car sold very well and is the 1933 model most commonly found in collections. The PC became the ‘Standard Six’. It had been the ‘Plymouth Six’ at introduction, and was sold through to the end of 1933, but in much lower numbers. It is consequently in the minority in collectors’ hands today. In 1937, Plymouth (along with the other Chrysler makes) added safety features such as flat dash boards with recessed controls and the back of the front seat padded for the rear seat occupants.^[4] The PC was shipped overseas to Sweden, Denmark, and the UK, as well as Australia. In the UK, it was sold as a ‘Chrysler Kew’, Kew Gardens being the location of the Chrysler factory outside London. The flathead six which started with the 1933 Model PC stayed in the Plymouth until the 1959 models.

In 1939, Plymouth produced 417,528 vehicles, of which 5,967 were two-door convertible coupes with rumble seats. The 1939 convertible coupe was prominently featured at Chrysler’s exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, advertised as the first mass-production convertible with a power folding top. It featured a 201 cu in, 82 hp version of the flathead six engine.

A 1954 Plymouth two-door station wagon

For much of its life, Plymouth was one of the top-selling American automobile brands; it, together with Chevrolet and Ford, was commonly referred to as the “low-priced three” marques in the American market. Plymouth almost surpassed Ford in 1940 and 1941 as the second-most popular make of automobiles in the U.S. In 1957, Virgil Exner’s new Forward Look design theme, advertised by Plymouth with the tagline “Suddenly, it’s 1960”, produced cars with much more advanced styling than Chevrolet or Ford. The 1957 total production soared to 726,009, about 200,000 more than 1956, and the largest output yet for Plymouth. However, the 1957–1958 Forward Look models suffered from poor materials, spotty build quality, and inadequate corrosion protection; they were rust-prone and greatly damaged Chrysler’s reputation.

In 1954, Chrysler started its decade-long unsuccessful attempt to develop and market a viable car powered by turbine engine when it installed an experimental turbine developed specifically for vehicles in a Plymouth.

1960s–1970s

Although Plymouth sales suffered as a result of the quality control problems and excesses of Exner-styled models in the early 1960s, people bought enough of the cars to keep the division profitable. Starting in 1961, the Valiant compact became a Plymouth, further boosting sales. Under the impression that Chevrolet was about to “downsize” its 1962 models, Chrysler introduced a significantly smaller standard Plymouth for 1962. As is known, Chevrolet’s big cars were not downsized, catching Plymouth in a sales slump in a market where “bigger was better”. The ’63 Fury, Belvedere, and Savoy were slightly larger and more substantial, featuring a totally new body style, highlighted by prominent outboard front parking lights. For 1964, Plymouth got another major restyle, featuring a new “slantback” roofline for hardtop coupes that would prove extremely popular. Many enthusiasts consider the ’64s to be the most attractive of the early ’60s Plymouths.

For 1965, the Fury models were built on the new C-body platform. The Savoy line was discontinued and the Belvedere was classified an intermediate, retaining the B-body platform used starting 1962. The low-end series was Fury I, the mid-level model was Fury II, and the higher-end models were Fury IIIs. The Sport Fury, which featured bucket seats and console shifter, was a mix of luxury and sport. Ford and Chevrolet had introduced luxury editions of their big cars for 1965 and Plymouth responded in 1966 with the VIP, a more luxurious version of the Fury. Furys, Belvederes, and Valiants continued to sell well during the late-1960s and early-1970s.

1950 plymouth de Luxe

Of note are the Plymouth “muscle cars” of the late 1960s. As the performance car market segment expanded during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Plymouth participated and produced some of the most memorable models. Many consider the Barracuda fastback of 1964 to be the first of Plymouth’s sporty cars. Based on the Valiant, it was available with a durable Slant Six, or 273 cubic-inch small block V8. For 1967, Plymouth introduced the Belvedere GTX, a bucket-seat high-style hardtop coupe and convertible that could be ordered with either the Super Commando 440, or Hemi 426 V8. Looking for an advantage at the drag races, 1968 had a stripped-down Belvedere coupe, the Road Runner, which featured a bench seat and minimal interior and exterior trim, but was available with Chrysler’s big-block engines and a floor-mounted four-speed manual transmission. The Barracuda, originally a “compact sporty car”, became a top-tier muscle car in 1968-’69 when it was made available with the 426 Hemi and 440 big block engines, respectively, – putting it in contention with America’s most powerful muscle cars. With the success of their small- and big-block-powered sporty cars – principally among them the GTX, Barracuda (and the more muscular ‘Cuda), Road Runner, Sport Fury GT, and Valiant Duster 340, Plymouth unveiled the ‘Rapid Transit System’, which was similar to Dodge’s ‘Scat Pack’ concept- an all-inclusive club made up of Plymouth sports cars which provided further immersion into their performance automobiles. Throughout this period in Plymouth history, the brand also competed heavily in professional automobile racing. Their foremost success stories come from racing icon Richard Petty’s career with Plymouth in NASCAR; Dan Gurney, who raced a ‘Cuda as part of the All American Racers in numerous Trans Am events; and Sox and Martin, one of the most well-known drag-racing teams of the period, only raced Plymouths after 1964. The GTX, Barracuda/’Cuda, and Road Runner continued into the 1970s, but as that decade wore on, emissions and safety regulations, along with soaring gasoline prices and an economic downturn, spelled death for the majority of Plymouth’s muscle-car brands. Nonetheless, the compact Valiant sold well, built an enviable reputation for attractive styling, durability, economy, and value, and offered the hi-po 360-4 V8 right through the final year. Although the Valiant hardtop was discontinued for 1967, it was reintroduced as a virtual clone of the Dodge Dart Swinger for 1971 under the model name “Valiant Scamp”. The Scamp was produced along with the Valiant, Dodge Dart, and Swinger until 1976, when it was replaced with the Volaré. Featuring transverse-mounted torsion bars and a slightly larger body, the Volaré (and its Dodge twin, the Aspen) was an instant sales success. Available as coupe, sedan, or station wagon, the Volaré offered a smoother ride and better handling than the Dart/Valiant, but unfortunately suffered quality control problems and by 1980, was selling poorly.

1962 Plymouth Belvedere

Realizing that front-wheel drive, four-cylinder engines, and rack-and-pinion steering would become the standards for the 1980s, Chrysler introduced a new compact car for 1978, the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni twins, based on a Simca platform. Horizon sold well, but unfortunately suffered from a scathing report by Consumer Reports, which found its handling dangerous in certain situations. Plymouth continued to sell the Horizon until 1987, when a gaggle of front-wheel drive compact cars made up the line. Big Plymouths, including the Fury and Gran Fury, were sold until the early 1980s, but mostly as fleet vehicles. While attempting to compete with Ford and Chevrolet for big-car sales, Plymouth was hurt by Chrysler’s financial woes in the late 1970s, when both its competitors downsized their full-size models.

Final years

1960s logo

Most Plymouth models, especially those offered from the 1970s onward, such as the

1960 Plymouth Valiant side view showing the semi-fastback Valiant,Plymouth Volaré two-door sedan coupé Volaré,Plymouth acclaim Acclaim,1990 Plymouth Laser,1995 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe Neon, and1995-98 Plymouth Breeze Breeze,

were badge-engineered versions of Dodge or Mitsubishi models. By the 1990s, Plymouth had lost much of its identity, as its models continued to overlap in features and prices with Dodges and Eagles. In an attempt to fix this, Chrysler tried repositioning Plymouth to its traditional spot as the automaker’s entry-level brand. Part of this marketing strategy included giving Plymouth its own new sailboat logo and advertisements that focused solely on value. However, this only further narrowed Plymouth’s product offerings and buyer appeal, and sales continued to fall.

Chrysler considered giving Plymouth a variant of the highly successful new-for-1993 full-size LH platform, which would have been called the Accolade, but decided against it. By the late 1990s, only four vehicles were sold under the Plymouth name: the Voyager/Grand Voyager minivans, the Breeze mid-size sedan, the Neon compact car, and the Prowler sports car, which was to be the last model unique to Plymouth, though the Chrysler PT Cruiser was conceived as a concept unique to Plymouth before production commenced as a Chrysler model.

The late ’90s letter emblem from a 1999 Neon

The 1999-2001 Plymouth Prowler and the 2001-2002 Chrysler Prowler

After discontinuing the Eagle brand in 1998, Chrysler was planning to expand the Plymouth line with a number of unique models before the corporation’s merger with Daimler-Benz AG. The first model was the Plymouth Prowler, a hot rod-styled sports car. The PT Cruiser was to have been the second. Both models had similar front-end styling, suggesting Chrysler intended a retro styling theme for the Plymouth brand. At the time of Daimler’s takeover of Chrysler, Plymouth had no models besides the Prowler not also offered in similar version by Dodge.

From a peak production of 973,000 for the 1973 model year, Plymouth rarely exceeded 200,000 cars per year after 1990. Even the Voyager sales were usually less than 50% that of Dodge Caravan. In Canada, the Plymouth name was defunct at the end of the 1999 model year. Consequently, DaimlerChrysler decided to drop the make after a limited run of 2001 models. This was announced on November 3, 1999.

The last new model sold under the Plymouth marque was the second-generation Neon for 2000. The PT Cruiser was ultimately launched as a Chrysler, and the Prowler and Voyager were absorbed into that make, as well. Following the 2001 model year, the Neon was sold only as a Dodge in the US, though it remained available as a Chrysler in Canadian and other markets. The Plymouth Breeze was dropped after 2001, before Chrysler introduced their redesigned 2001 Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring sedan.

Timeline

A 1949 Plymouth Special DeLuxe Station Wagon, advertisement

1984-1985 Plymouth Caravelle

1990 Plymouth Laser

1995 Plymouth Neon

1998 Plymouth Voyager

The Last Plymouth built, 2001

• 1955: Plymouth first offered a V-8 engine.
• 1956: The automatic three-speed TorqueFlite transmission was introduced on some premium models. The Plymouth Fury was introduced.
• 1957: As with all other Chrysler divisions, the Forward Look design made its debut on the 1957 Plymouths. Torsion-Aire front suspension was introduced on all models.
• 1960: Dodge introduced the smaller, lower-priced Dart model that competed directly with Plymouth’s offerings. The new compact Valiant was introduced as a marque unto itself. All Plymouths now featured unit-body construction.
• 1961: Valiant was repositioned as a Plymouth model for US market; Dodge got the badge-engineered Lancer version. Rambler and then Pontiac assumed third place in industry sales for the remainder of the 1960s.
• 1962: Sales dropped dramatically with the introduction of a line of unpopularly styled, downsized full-sized models.
• 1963: Valiant received a new, trim body resulting in a significant increase in sales. Full-sized models were restyled to look larger.
• 1964: The new Barracuda fastback coupe was introduced in April. Full-sized models were restyled with a new “slantback” hardtop coupe roofline.
• 1965: Plymouth rejoined the full-sized car market with the new Fury, based on the Chrysler C-body. The intermediate B-body model line became the Belvedere and Satellite for 1965. Push-button automatic transmission controls were replaced with a conventional column- or floor-mounted lever.
• 1967: The GTX was introduced.
• 1968: The Road Runner entered the Plymouth line-up.
• 1970: Duster coupe was introduced in the Valiant line for 1970, along with the new E-body Barracuda.
• 1971: The British Hillman Avenger was imported as the Plymouth Cricket; it was discontinued in mid-1973. The new Valiant Scamp two-door hardtop was a badge-engineered Dodge Dart Swinger.
• 1973: Plymouth production hit an all-time peak of 973,000. The Plymouth Cricket in Canada was now based on the Dodge Colt.
• 1974: The full-sized Plymouth Voyager van, based on the similar Dodge B-series van, and Trailduster SUV, based on the Dodge Ramcharger, were introduced. The Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant were, for the first time, different only in name and minor trim details (grille and tail lamps) as the two cars now shared the same 111-in wheelbase (both division’s fastbacks remain 108 in). Barracuda was discontinued.
• 1975: The car that was to become the 1975 Plymouth Sebring was instead released as the new Chrysler Cordoba.^{[citation needed]}
• 1976: The Volaré was launched, and the Valiant was discontinued at year-end.
• 1977: The large Gran Fury was discontinued.
• 1978: The mid-sized Fury was discontinued at the end of the model year. The subcompact Horizon was introduced. Chrysler Canada introduced the Plymouth Caravelle based on the Dodge Diplomat.
• 1979–1980: Chrysler made several thousand more Dodges than Plymouths for the first time. More Plymouths would be made than Dodges for 1981 and 1982, but from then on, always be more Dodges were made than Plymouths.
• 1980: The Newport-based Gran Fury (R-body) was introduced. This was the last year for the Volaré and Road Runner.
• 1981: The compact
• Plymouth Reliant was introduced. The full-sized Gran Fury sedan and Trailduster SUV were discontinued.
• 1982: The mid-sized Plymouth Gran Fury, a Dodge Diplomat with a Plymouth grille, was introduced in the United States.
• 1983: The subcompact Plymouth Scamp pickup, based on the Dodge Rampage, was introduced and sold for one year only. The Caravelle four-door sedan based on the E-body and a two-door coupe based on the K-body were introduced in Canada. The sporty subcompact
• Horizon TC3 was renamed Turismo. The full-sized Voyager van was discontinued.
• 1984: The Voyager minivan and Mitsubishi-based Colt Vista multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) were introduced.
• 1985: The E-body Plymouth Caravelle was introduced in the United States.
• 1987: The compact P-body Plymouth Sundance entered the line-up with three- and five-door hatchbacks. The Turismo was discontinued.
• 1989: The mid-sized Gran Fury (Caravelle in Canada), as well as the Reliant, are discontinued after this model year. The Reliant and E-body Caravelle are replaced by the Acclaim.
• 1990: The Mitsubishi-based Plymouth Laser sport-compact was introduced. The L-body Horizon was discontinued.
• 1992: The higher-priced Acclaim models were repositioned as Chrysler LeBarons. Total sales of Acclaim and LeBaron dropped. Total 1993 Plymouth model-year production dropped to 159,775, along with 237,875 Voyager models. Dodge built 300,666 Caravans.
• 1994: The little-advertised Laser and the popular Sundance and Colt compacts all end production. They are replaced by a single car, the Neon, a car that Chrysler decided to offer as a Plymouth after dealers protested the loss of the Sundance and Colt with no replacement.
• 1995: Plymouth’s lineup was at its all-time low, just three cars: the Acclaim, the Neon, and the Voyager/Grand Voyager. The number went up to four in 1997, with the introduction of the Prowler, but never got any higher.
• 1996: Chrysler announced the new Plymouth Breeze six months after sister Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Cirrus models. Chrysler originally had no plans to replace the Acclaim model.^{[citation needed]}
• 1996: In an attempt to move Plymouth downmarket, Chrysler made the redesigned Voyager only available in base and mid-level SE models. All of the higher-end trim levels available on the previous generation were now only be found on the Dodge Caravan. The high-end trim levels could still be found in certain markets outside the US.
• 1997: Production for the 1997 model year was 178,807 cars plus 187,347 Voyager models. Dodge built 448,394 cars and 355,400 Caravans.
• 1999: Total 1999 production for Plymouth cars was to 195,714 with Dodge at 394,052. Voyager production numbered 197,020, compared to 354,641 Caravans. The redesigned 2000 Neon became the brand’s last new model.
• 2000: The mid-sized Breeze ended production. This was also the last year for the Voyager minivan as a Plymouth. All 2000 Voyagers built in December 1999 and beyond were badged as Chrysler Voyagers. In Canada, the redesigned Neon was sold under the Chrysler name and both the Plymouth and Dodge names were dropped on all car models, save for the Prowler and Viper. The Voyager name was dropped in Canada as all Chrysler dealers sold Dodge trucks, including the Caravan. Total 2000 model year production for Plymouth was 108,546 compared to 459,988 Dodge cars. Voyager production totalled 123,869 versus 330,370 Caravan models.
• 2001: In Plymouth’s final model year, only the Neon remains. The Prowler and the Voyager became Chryslers. The Voyager gained a high-end LX trim, as well as a base eC trim, and it retained the SE trim. The Breeze was dropped as Chrysler issued the Chrysler Sebring sedan to replace the Chrysler Cirrus. The PT Cruiser was launched as a Chrysler, though it was originally planned to be a Plymouth. The final Plymouth, a Neon, was assembled on 28 June 2001, with a total of 38,657 built for the model year.

(All production numbers – Ward’s Automotive Yearbook, various issues, 1973 to 2002)^{[citation needed]}

Plymouth car models

Main article: List of Plymouth vehicles

Plymouth models included: [show]

Plymouth trucks

Plymouth built various trucks and vans over the years, mainly rebadged Dodge or Chrysler vehicles. Early pickups, delivery trucks, and other commercial trucks were available, and later an SUV, full-sized vans, and minivans. Plymouth had supplied components to the Fargo vehicles, another member of the Chrysler family, but entered the commercial market in 1937 with the PT50.

• 1937 Express pickup
• 1937 PT50 delivery truck
• 1979 Trailduster
• 1985 Voyager LE
• 1991 Grand Voyager LE
• 1998 Voyager Expresso

Truck models

• Plymouth PT50 – 1937 – Express pickup, panel delivery van, cab and chassis, station wagon
• Plymouth PT57 – 1938 – Express pickup, panel delivery van, cab and chassis
• Plymouth PT81 – 1939 – Express pickup, cab and chassis
• Plymouth PT105 – 1940 – Express pickup
• Plymouth PT125 – 1941 – Express pickup
• Plymouth Trailduster – 1974-1981 – SUV, same as Dodge Ramcharger
• Plymouth Voyager (van) – 1974-1983 – full-sized van, same as Dodge Sportsman
• Plymouth Scamp – 1983 – front-wheel-drive pickup, same as Dodge Rampage
• Plymouth Voyager (minivan) – 1984-2000 – minivan, same as Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country; also sold as Chrysler Voyager from 1999 to 2003
• Plymouth Arrow pickup – 1979-1982 – compact pickup built by Mitsubishi

Plymouth concept cars

1952 Plymouth Explorer

1960 Plymouth XNR

1973 Plymouth (Rapid Transit System) Duster 340

1988 Plymouth Slingshot

Plymouth Prowler

DCF 1.0

Photo of my 1965 Plymouth Satellite.
Photo taken c. 1966

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Model	Year	Type	Specifications	Features
XX-500	1951	Sedan
Belmont	c.1953	2-seaterConvertible	3.9L 150 hp V8
Explorer	1954	Coupé	3.7L 110 hp Straight-six engine
Cabana	1958	Station wagon	Non-runner	Unique glass roof for the rear portion of the car.
XNR	1960	2-seaterconvertible	2.8L 250 hp Straight-six engine
Asimmetrica	1961		3.7L 145 hp Straight-six engine
Valiant St. Regis	1962	Coupé
V.I.P.	1965	4-seaterconvertible		Unique roof bar from the top of the windshield to the rear deck.
Barracuda Formula SX	1966	Coupé
Duster I Road Runner	1969		340 hp V8 426 hp V8	All features of the Road Runner plus flaps on top and sides and adjustable spoilers on the side of the rear fender, all to reduce lift.
Rapid Transit System ‘Cuda (440)	1970	Convertible
Rapid Transit System Road Runner		Coupé		Three-colored tail lights: red for “braking”, yellow for “coasting” and green for “on the gas”.
Rapid Transit System Duster 340			5.6L c.300 hp V8
Concept Voyager II	1986	Minivan
Slingshot	1988	2-seater coupé	2.2L 225 hp turbocharged Straight-four engine	Canopy that swings upwards to open the car Adjustable four-wheel independent suspension Keyless credit card-like entry Combined headlight and rear-view mirror pods Exposed engine and suspension
Speedster	1989	2-seaterconvertible		No opening doors, to make getting in more fun
Voyager 3		Minivan		The front of the car could be driven by itself or driven when attached to a “miniature tractor-trailer” Glass roof
X2S		Coupé Convertible	2.0L (turbocharged) 167 hp V6
Breeze	c.1990	Sedan	2.0L 132 hp 4 cylinder engine 2.4L 150 hp Straight-four engine
Prowler	1993	Convertible	3.5L 214 hp V6
Expresso	1994	Compact car
Backpack	1995	2-seat truck	2.0L 135 hp Inline-four engine	Space for a laptop on a small table Built-in bike rack on the back
Pronto	1997	Sedan	1.6L 115 hp Inline-four engine	The front of the car resembled that of the Prowler Roll-back fabric top
Pronto Spyder	1998	Convertible	2.4L 225 hp Straight-four engine
Howler	1999		3.5L c.250 hp V6 4.7L c.250 hp V8
Voyager XG[19]		Minivan	2.5L 115 hp turbocharged diesel engine	Powered retractable sunroof.

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c} Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark, Jr., Henry A. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (second edition). Krause publications. p. 1156. ISBN 0-87341-111-0.
2. Jump up^ Gunnell, John; Schrimpf, Dennis; Buttolph, Ken. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 (second edition). Krause publications. p. 534. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.
3. Jump up^ “What’s in a Name? (How Plymouth Was Named)”. Allpar.com. 1928-01-11. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
4. Jump up^ http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Plymouth/1937_Plymouth/1937_Plymouth_Biggest_Value_Brochure/1937%20Plymouth%20Biggest%20Value-19.html
5. Jump up^ “1939 Plymouth – history”. Joesherlock.com. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
6. Jump up^ Vincent Curcio (2001), Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius, p.472
7. ^ Jump up to:^{a b} Benjaminson, Jim. “Plymouth cars 1957: Three Years Ahead”. Allpar.com. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
8. Jump up^ “Insider’s history of Plymouth – Part V”. Allpar.com. 1956-10-30. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
9. Jump up^ “Turbo Plymouth Threatens Future of Standard.” Popular Science, July 1954, p. 102, mid page, p. 103, bottom page.
10. ^ Jump up to:^{a b} “How Plymouth Works: 1990, 1991, 1992 Plymouths” by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, retrieved on 2011–01–20.
11. Jump up^ Yates, Brock (1996). The Critical Path: Inventing an Automobile and Reinventing a Corporation “Showtime in St.Louis” p.209-11. Little, Brown.
12. Jump up^ “How Plymouth Works: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Plymouths” by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, retrieved on 2011–01–20.
13. Jump up^ “Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, Chrysler 300M, New Yorker, and LHS – the LH cars, with reviews”. Allpar.com. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
14. Jump up^ Benjaminson, Jim. “Plymouth commercial vehicles”. Allpar.com. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
15. Jump up^ http://www.conceptcars.it/usa/plymouth/xx500.htm
16. Jump up^ http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1052628
17. Jump up^ http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=228668&l=nl
18. Jump up^ http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/classic-muscle-cars/1970-plymouth-duster-340.htm
19. Jump up^ http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19981029/press019465.html

• Kimes, Beverly Rae (Historian and Author) and Clark, Henry Austin, Jr. (Chief of Research) (MCMLXXXIX). Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942 (Second edition). Krause Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-87341-111-0.

DUAL-GHIA

Dual-Ghia two-speed automatic auto 1956-58 made bij Ghia in Italy on a Dodge frame and the design was bij Chrysler. Italy and USA

Dual-Ghia
Overview
Production	1956–1958
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door convertible 2-door coupe
Layout	FR
Powertrain
Engine	315 CID 4-bbl. 230 hp (172 kW) V8
Transmission	two-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	115 in (2,921 mm)
Length	203.5 in (5,169 mm)
Width	79 in (2,007 mm)

1957 Dual-Ghia D-500

1958 Chrysler Dual-Ghia Coupe Prototype

Dual-Ghia is a rare, short-lived, automobile make, produced in the United States between 1956 and 1958. The idea for Dual-Ghia came from Eugene Casaroll, who formed Dual Motors in Detroit, Michigan to build an exclusive car at a moderate price.

The design was based on 4 1954 and 1955 Chrysler concept cars, named the Firearrow II, III, and IV and the Firebomb, which had all been designed by Virgil Exner. The Dual-Ghia car was designed by Chrysler. The design was fairly conservative with single headlamps and slab-sided features, small conservative fins and no styling gimmicks. A four-place convertible was the only offering.

A Dodge frame and drive-train was transported to Italy, where the bodywork and interior was fabricated by the Italian Coachbuilder Ghia. Performance was excellent, due to the cars being powered by the small 315 cu in (5.2 L) Dodge hemispherical-head short-stroke V-8 engine.

Rarity

With a retail price close to $7500, the Dual-Ghia was about $200 more expensive than the next most expensive American car, the late 1950s Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. Out of the 117 cars produced, 32 still existed as of July 2006. The cars were mostly bought by American celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, and Richard Nixon. Desi Arnaz owned one, but he wrecked it. Ronald Reagan owned one, which he lost in a high-stakes poker game with then-President Lyndon Johnson, who kept the car for several years. Dean Martin had one at one point as well, according to his son Ricci. Dean Martin can be seen driving his Dual-Ghia in the film Kiss Me, Stupid.

See also

Dual Ghia Original Unrestored

Ghia

References

Jump up^ Craig Cheetham (ed.). Ultimate American Cars. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7603-2570-7.

Jump up^ Craig Cheetham (ed.). Ultimate American Cars. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7603-2570-7.

Jump up^ Craig Cheetham (ed.). Ultimate American Cars. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7603-2570-7.

External links

“Dual-Ghia”.

Jaehnig, Kent. “The 1956-1958 Dual-Ghia: Hollywood Status Symbol”. Z. Taylor Vinson Transportation Collection. Hagley Museum. Retrieved June 17, 2013.

Horsley, Carter B. (May 18, 2002). “Classic Car auction at Christies”.

Brierly, Brooks (December 15, 2005). “1954 Dodge Firearrow Sport Coupe”. AutoWeek.

This was all what I could find ond the WWW. With special thanks to conceptcarz.com and others 

 

CHRYSLER Division Automobiles

Chrysler (division) 1925-2015 or FIAT CHRYSLER Automobiles – FCA US LLC

Chrysler

Type	Division of FCA US LLC
Industry	Automotive
Founded	June 6, 1925; 90 years ago
Founder	Walter Chrysler
Headquarters	Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Key people	Sergio Marchionne (Chairman and CEO of FCA US LLC)
Products	Luxury Cars, Mainstream vehicles
Parent	FCA US LLC
Slogan	America’s Import
Website	chrysler.com

Chrysler is an American car brand and the longstanding premium marque of automaker FCA US LLC. Before the 2014 creation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles by the merger of Fiat and Chrysler, FCA US was known as Chrysler Group LLC, named after its founder Walter Chrysler.

History

The Chrysler brand was originally a premium luxury position competing with Cadillac, Packard, and Lincoln. Chrysler was the top brand in the portfolio of what was then known as Chrysler Corporation, led by its top model, the Imperial starting in 1955.

After the corporation decided to spin Imperial off as a separate brand in 1955 to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler became the corporation’s number two brand, but still offered luxury and near-luxury products. Chrysler’s positioning of the Chrysler brand towards a mid-price brand caused Chrysler to kill DeSoto after 1961 and merge most DeSoto vehicles into the new Chrysler Newport. After the Imperial brand was dropped in 1975, Chrysler once again became the top brand.

Chrysler-Plymouth

Logo of the Chrysler-Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation

Chrysler-Plymouth was a division that sold cars with both Chrysler and Plymouth brand names. The Chrysler models emphasized luxury, while the Plymouth cars stood for practicality. The division also sold the high-luxury Imperial brand until 1975. Most Chrysler-Plymouth dealers began offering Jeep vehicles following the demise of Chrysler’s Eagle brand in 1998.

When the Plymouth brand was retired in 2001, Chrysler became a stand-alone division of DaimlerChrysler AG, the company formed by the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz. Recently, however, the Chrysler Group has been making efforts to consolidate the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands into one sales unit, while maintaining separate brand identity.

During the 1980s the Chrysler division expanded its product line and target markets by marketing upscale versions of the Chrysler K platform. The Chrysler brand took on a similar role as Oldsmobile, Buick, or Acura by offering entry-level luxury cars of various types and sizes. After the Plymouth line of cars (which was sold in car dealerships alongside Chrysler) was discontinued in 2001, the Chrysler division marketed everything from economy cars such as the PT Cruiser to the limited production Prowler sports car alongside the brand’s traditional upscale models such as the 300 and LHS.

Following Fiat‘s acquisition of a 20% stake in Chrysler LLC, Fiat set a long-term goal of reviving Chrysler as a full luxury brand to compete again with Cadillac and other luxury brands. The company stated in October 2009 that future plans for Chrysler brand vehicles include closer cooperation and shared development between Chrysler and Lancia, an upscale Italian automaker within the Fiat Group. In 2011, the brand’s winged emblem was modified, eliminating the historic blue ribbon center which dated from the 1930s, replacing it with a blue-backed “Chrysler” nameplate. In May 2014, Fiat-Chrysler announced it would make the brand a mainstream brand with premium features, similar to GM’s Buick, in contrast to earlier statements of moving the full line into the luxury market.

Chrysler winged logo (1998 – 2010)

Current Chrysler line-up

The North America Chrysler line-up

Name	Year	Note
Chrysler 200	2011–present
Chrysler 300	1955-19711979 1999–present
Chrysler Town & Country	1941-1988 1990–present
Chrysler Pacifica	2017–present	Minivanunrelated to SUV

International line-up

Model	Years	Notes
Chrysler Ypsilon	2011-2015	UK, Ireland, and Japan onlyRebadged Lancia Ypsilon
Chrysler Delta	2011-2014	UK and Ireland onlyRebadged Lancia Delta
Chrysler 300	1999–present	select countries
Chrysler Voyager	1988-2015	select countries

Previous models

Main article: List of Chrysler vehicles

Model	Years
300 letter series	1955–1965
300	1962–1971, 1979
300M	1999–2004
Airstream	(1935–1936)
Aspen	(2007–2009)
Cirrus	(1995–2000)
Concorde	(1993–2004)
Conquest	(1987–1989)
Cordoba	(1975–1983)
Crossfire	(2004–2007)
E-Class	(1983–1984)
Executive	(1983–1986)
Fifth Avenue	(1983–1993)
Imperial	(1926–1993)
Laser	(1984–1986)
LeBaron	(1977–1995)
LHS	(1994–2001)
Newport	(1940–1981)
New Yorker	(1939–1996)
Pacifica	(2004–2008)
Prowler	(2001–2002)
PT Cruiser	(2001–2010)
Royal	(1937–1950)

Chrysler – Imperial

This article is about the luxury car built by Chrysler up to 1954 and after 1990. For the type of rose, see Rosa ‘Chrysler Imperial’. For Imperial models sold under its own marque between 1955 and 1983, see Imperial (automobile).

Chrysler Imperial
1926 Chrysler Imperial E80 Touring
Overview
Manufacturer	Chrysler
Production	1926–1954 1990–1993
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size luxury car

The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was Chrysler‘s top of the line vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, and again from 1990 to 1993. The company positioned the cars as a prestige marque to rival Cadillac, Lincoln, and Packard According to a feature article in AACA’s magazine The adjective ‘imperial’ according to Webster’s Dictionary means sovereign, supreme, superior or of unusual size or excellence. The word imperial thus justly befits Chrysler’s highest priced quality model

1926–1930

First Generation
1926 Chrysler Imperial Roadster
Overview
Production	1926–1930
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door roadster 2-door coupe 4-door sedan and phaeton Limousine
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	288.6 cu in (4.7 L) (1926–1927)309.3 cu in (5.1 L) (1928–1930) L-head 92 hp(1926–1927) 100 hp(1928), 110 hp(1929–1930)
Transmission	3-speed manual 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	120 in (3,048 mm) 136 in (3,454 mm) 127 in (3,226 mm) 133 in (3,378 mm)
Length	183.5″(1926–1927)

In 1926, Walter P. Chrysler decided to compete with North American marques Cadillac, Lincoln, Packard, and Duesenberg in the luxury car field. Chrysler offered a variety of body styles: a two/four-passenger roadster (four passenger if car had the rumble seat), a four-seat coupé, five-passenger sedan and phaeton, and a seven-passenger top-of-the-line limousine. The limo had a glass partition between the front and rear passenger compartments.

The Imperial’s new engine was slightly larger than the company’s standard straight 6. It was a 288.6 cu in (4.7 L) six-cylinder with seven bearing blocks and pressure lubrication of 92 brake horsepower (69 kW). Springs were semi-elliptic in the front. The car set a transcontinental speed record in the year it was introduced, driving more than 6,500 miles (10,460 km) in the week. The car was chosen as the pace car for the 1926 Indianapolis 500. The model was designated E-80, the 80 being after the “guaranteed” 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) all-day cruising speed. Acceleration was also brisk breaking 20 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Four-speed transmission was added in 1930.

• 

  Museo de Historia de la Automoción de Salamanca CHRYSLER IMPERIAL SERIE 80 Wiki Loves Art Fotografía: Juan Miguel Ávila del Arco | Darco TT Canon EOS 7D | Objetivo Canon 50mm 1.4 f/5.0 | 1/25 | ISO1000 Marca: CHRYSLER Modelo: IMPERIAL SERIE 80 Año: 1927 Cilindrada: 4.725 cc Potencia: 92 CV Carrocería: SEDÁN 4 PUERTAS Frenos: HIDRÁULICOS El Chrysler imperial es un vehículo que por su elegancia y majestuosidad era considerado el vehículo representativo de las altas esferas sociales de la época, tal es así que se engloba dentro de la categoría FULL CLASSIC según el Car Club of America. Fue uno de los primeros modelos de lujo construidos en serie, de tal manera que se consiguieron fabricar hasta 48.254 unidades entre 1927 y 1928 Museo de Historia de la Automoción de Salamanca Automóvil cedido por Marinduque, S.L.

  1927 Chrysler Imperial

• 

  1928 Chrysler Imperial phaeton

• 

  1929 Chrysler Imperial roadster

• 

  1929 Chrysler Imperial interior

1931–1933

Second Generation
Overview
Production	1931–1933
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door roadster 2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door limousine
Layout	FR layout
Related	DeSoto Series K-SA Dodge Eight
Powertrain
Engine	384.84 cu in (6.3 L) L I8 head125 hp(1932) 135 hp(1933)
Transmission	Multi-range 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	124″(1931); Imperial 126″, Custom Imperial 146″(1933)
Length	Custom Imperial 212.5″(1932)

The Chrysler Imperial was redesigned in 1931. The car received a new engine, a 384.84-cubic inch (6308.85 cc) Straight-eight engine. Marketing materials for this generation of Imperial referred to the car as the “Imperial 8”, in reference to the new in-line 8-cylinder engine. The engine would be found in many other Chrysler vehicles. The Imperial Custom had rust-proof fenders, automatic heater control and safety glass. The limo even came with a Dictaphone.

The redesign also saw the introduction of new wire wheels that became a standard wheel treatment until the 1940s. Stock car driver Harry Hartz set numerous speed records with an Imperial sedan at Daytona Beach, Florida. It was introduced shortly after the Rolls-Royce Phantom II, Mercedes-Benz 770, Packard Eight, Duesenberg Model J, Cadillac Series 355, and Lincoln K-series appeared in the 1930s.

• 

  1931 Chrysler Imperial

• 

  1931 Chrysler Imperial rear

• 

  1931 Chrysler Imperial interior

• 

  1931 Chrysler Imperial engine

• 

  1932 Chrysler Imperial

• 

  1933 Chrysler Imperial

1934–1936

1934 Chrysler Imperial

Third Generation
Overview
Production	1934–1936
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Related	Chrysler Airflow Chrysler Airstream DeSoto Airflow DeSoto Airstream
Powertrain
Engine	Imperial Airflow and Imperial Airflow Custom CX-323.5CID cast-iron L-head 130 hp 250lb.ft.torqueStraight-8 (1934–1936); Imperial Airflow Custom CW-384.8CID cast iron L-head 150 hp CR 6.5:1 Strait-8 (1934–1936)
Transmission	Imperial Airflow and Imperial Airflow Custom CX:3-speed manual floor-shift; Imperial Airflow Custom CW:4-speed manual, overdrive in 1935–1936
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Imperial Airflow-128″(1934–1936); Imperial Airflow Custom -137.5″(1934), 137″(1936); Imperial Airflow Custom CW-146″(1934), 146.5″(1935–1936)

The 1934 to 1936 Chrysler Imperial ushered in the ‘Airflow‘ design, reflecting an interest in streamlining. The car was marketed with the slogan “The car of tomorrow is here today.” It featured eight passenger seating and again an eight-cylinder engine. This was the first car to be designed in a wind tunnel. Initial tests indicated that the standard car of the 1920s worked best in the wind-tunnel when pointed backwards with the curved rear deck facing forward. This led to a rethinking of the fundamental design of Chrysler’s line of cars. The Airflow was an exceptionally modern and advanced car, and an unparalleled engineering success. Both engine and passenger compartment were moved forward, giving better balance, ride and roadability. An early form of unibody construction was employed, making them extremely strong. This was one of the first vehicles with fender skirts.

The public was put off by the unconventional styling and did not buy the car in large  numbers. The failure of the Airflow cars in the marketplace led Chrysler to be overly conservative in their styling for the next 20 years. The “standard” styling on the lower-end Chryslers outsold the Airflow by 3 to 1. Its appearance was similar to the unrelated Tatra 77 which also appeared in the mid-1930s with a similar reaction to styling.

1937–1939

Fourth Generation
Overview
Production	1937–1939
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door, 7-seater limousine
Layout	FR layout
Related	Chrysler Saratoga Chrysler Royal
Powertrain
Engine	323.5 cu in (5.3 L) Chrysler Flathead engine 130 hp (1937)140 hp(1941–1942)
Transmission	3-speed synchromesh manual Fluid Drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	144 in (3,658 mm)
Length	1937 204.75″ (Imperial), 223.25″(custom Imperial)
Curb weight	3,450-3,835lbs.(1938)

Innovations for 1937 included built-in defroster vents, safety type interior hardware (such as flexible door handles and recessed controls on the dash) and seat back padding, and fully insulated engine mounts. Brakes were 13″ drums, then in 1939 they expanded to 14″, but shrunk to 12″ drums in 1940. Front suspension was independent.

There were three Imperial models in this generation. The C-14 was the standard eight and looked much like the Chrysler Royal C-18 with a longer hood and cowl. The C-15 was the Imperial Custom and the Town Sedan Limousine, with blind rear quarter panels. This model was available by special order. The third model, C-17, was the designation for the Airflow model. They had a concealed crank for raising the windshield and the hood was hinged at the cowl and opened from the front; side hood panels were released by catches on the inside. An Imperial Custom convertible sedan was used as an official car at the Indy 500. The car pictured is James G Martin’s (retired airline mechanic) 1939 C-24 7 passenger limousine, believed by him and his son Tim to be the only 1939 production 7-passenger limo still on the road.

Following an assassination attempt in 1937, an armoured Chrysler Imperial was purchased as the official car for António de Oliveira Salazar, the Prime Minister of Portugal.

• 

  1937 Chrysler Imperial

• 

  1937 Chrysler Imperial Custom town car

• 

  1937 Chrysler Imperial rear

• 

  1939 Chrysler Imperial Custom phaeton

1940–1948

Fifth Generation
Overview
Production	1940–1948
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan 4-door limousine
Layout	FR layout
Related	Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Windsor
Powertrain
Engine	323.5CID L-head 135 hp I8
Transmission	Fluid Drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	145.5″
Length	1940 225.25″ 235″
Width	77.8″
Curb weight	3,900-4,560lbs.(1941)

In 1946 the Imperial line was simplified. Between 1946 and 1948, it was called the Imperial Crown, a new top level trim package designation. Two bodystyles were produced, an eight passenger four-door sedan and an eight-passenger four-door limousine. The two vehicles had a US$100 price difference and a 10 lb (5 kg) weight difference. Hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers were in the front and rear. Two-speed electric windshield wipers were standard.

The “imperial” name was introduced on top-level Cadillac-built limousines, starting in 1941

1948 Chrysler Imperial Crown Limousine

1949–1954

Sixth Generation
Overview
Model years	1949–1954
Assembly	Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	K.T. Keller
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door Club coupe 2-door hardtop 2-door Newport hardtop 2-door convertible 4-door sedan 4-door Imperial Custom limousine 4-door Imperial Crown sedan 4-door Imperial Crown limousine
Layout	FR layout
Related	Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Town and Country Chrysler Saratoga DeSoto Custom
Powertrain
Engine	324 cu in (5.3 L) Chrysler I8 331 cu in (5.4 L) HemiheadV8
Transmission	4-speed Presto-Maticsemiautomatic 2-speed PowerFlite automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	131.5 in (3,340 mm) 1953–54 4-door: 133.5 in (3,391 mm) Imperial Crown : 144.5 in (3,670 mm)
Length	Imperial and Imperial Custom: 1949: 210.0 in (5,334 mm) 1950: 214.0 in (5,436 mm) 1951: 212.5 in (5,398 mm) 1952: 212.6 in (5,400 mm) 1953 4-door: 219.0 in (5,563 mm) 1953 2-door: 217.0 in (5,512 mm) 1954 4-door: 223.8 in (5,685 mm) 1954 2-door: 221.8 in (5,634 mm) Imperial Crown : 1949: 234.8 in (5,964 mm) 1950: 230.3 in (5,850 mm) 1951–52: 229.5 in (5,829 mm) 1953: 231.6 in (5,883 mm) 1954: 236.4 in (6,005 mm)
Width	Imperial and Imperial Custom: 1949–52: 75.8 in (1,925 mm) 1953: 76.8 in (1,951 mm) 1954: 77.8 in (1,976 mm) Imperial Crown: 1949–52: 80.9 in (2,055 mm) 1953: 81.9 in (2,080 mm) 1954: 82.9 in (2,106 mm)
Height	4-door: 63.0 in (1,600 mm) 2-door: 64.4 in (1,636 mm) Imperial Crown: 68.8 in (1,748 mm)
Curb weight	4,400–5,700 lb (2,000–2,600 kg)
Chronology
Successor	Imperial

1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom limousine

1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom

1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom coupe

1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom coupe interior

1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom coupe rear

 1953 Chrysler Imperial Custom coupe Airtemp air conditioning vents

Three Imperial bodystyles were produced in 1949. The short-wheelbase Imperial was only available as a four-door six-passenger sedan. The 4-door 8-passenger Crown Imperial was available as a sedan, or as a limousine with a division window.

The new custom-built Imperial sedan was based on the Chrysler New Yorker. It shared the same trim, but had a canvas-covered roof and leather and broadcloth Imperial upholstery. These features were installed by Derham, on the all new postwar Chrysler sheetmetal. Early 1949 Imperial Crowns were actually leftover 1948s. The really new models didn’t arrive until March, 1949. Their styling was sleeker than previous models, yet conservative. Fewer, but heavier bars were used in the cross-hatched grille. The upper and center horizontal pieces wrapped around the front fenders. Rocker panel moldings, rear fender stoneguards, full length lower window trim and horizontal chrome strips on the rear fenders, and from the headlights to about halfway across the front doors, were used to decorate the side body.

The 1950 Crosley Hot Shot is often given credit for the first production disc brakes but the Chrysler Imperial Crown actually had them first as standard equipment at the beginning of the 1949 model year. The Crosley disc was a Goodyear development, a caliper type with ventilated rotor, originally designed for aircraft applications. Only the Hot Shot featured it. Lack of sufficient research caused enormous reliability problems, especially in regions requiring the use of salt on winter roads, such as sticking and corrosion. Drum brake conversion for Hot Shots was quite popular.

The Chrysler 4-wheel disc brake system was more complex and expensive than Crosley’s, but far more efficient and reliable. It was built by Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company (Ausco) of St. Joseph, Michigan, under patents of inventor H.L. Lambert, and was first tested on a 1939 Plymouth. Unlike the caliper disc, the Ausco-Lambert utilized twin expanding discs that rubbed against the inner surface of a cast iron brake drum, which doubled as the brake housing. The discs spread apart to create friction against the inner drum surface through the action of standard wheel cylinders.

Chrysler discs were “self-energizing,” in that some of the braking energy itself contributed to the braking effort. This was accomplished by small balls set into oval holes leading to the brake surface. When the disc made initial contact with the friction surface, the balls would be forced up the holes forcing the discs further apart and augmenting the braking energy. This made for lighter braking pressure than with calipers, avoided brake fade, promoted cooler running and provided one-third more friction surface than standard Chrysler twelve-inch drums. But because of the expense, the brakes were only standard on the Chrysler Imperial Crown through 1954 and the Town and Country Newport in 1950. They were optional, however, on other Chryslers, priced around $400, at a time when an entire Crosley Hot Shot retailed for $935. Today’s owners consider the Ausco-Lambert very reliable and powerful, but admit its grabbiness and sensitivity.

The 1950 Imperial was essentially a New Yorker with a custom interior. It had a Cadillac-style grille treatment that included circular signal lights enclosed in a wraparound ribbed chrome piece. Side trim was similar to last year’s model, but the front fender strip ended at the front doors and the rear fender molding was at the tire top level and integrated into the stone guard. Unlike the standard Imperial, the Imperial Crown had a side treatment in which the rear fender moldings and stone guard were separate. Body sill moldings were used on all Imperials, but were of a less massive type on the more massive Crown models. A special version of the limousine was available. It featured a unique leather interior and a leather-covered top that blacked out the rear quarter windows. Power windows were standard on the Imperial Crown .

In an unusual move for the 1950s, the 1951 Imperial had noticeably less chrome than the lower-priced New Yorker that it was based on. It also had three horizontal grille bars with the parking lights between the bars and a chrome vertical center piece. Aside from its front fender nameplate, side body trim was limited to the moldings below the windows, rocker panel moldings, bright metal stone shields and a heavy horizontal molding strip running across the fender strips. Three 2-door bodystyles were added to the Imperial model in 1951: a Club coupe, a hardtop and a convertible. Only 650 convertibles were sold and it would be discontinued the following year. 1951 was also the year that Chrysler introduced its 331 cu in (5.4 L) Hemihead V8. “Hydraguide” power steering, an industry first for use in production automobiles, became available on the Imperial for an additional $226. Full-time power steering was standard on the Imperial Crown .

1952 Imperials were practically identical to the 1951 models, and the most effective way to tell the difference between them is through reference to serial numbers. The convertible bodystyle was dropped in 1952. Unlike the case with Chryslers, the Imperial’s taillights were not changed. Power steering was standard. The “new” Imperial Crown was also unchanged for 1952. Only 338 of these cars were made in the 1951–1952 model run and serial numbers indicate that 205 were registered as 1952 automobiles. A minor change was a one-inch reduction in the front tread measurement.

In 1953 the Imperial model was renamed the Imperial Custom . Although the Imperial Custom resembled the New Yorker, it had a different wheelbase, taillights and side trim. Clean front fenders and higher rear fender stone shield set it apart from the “ordinary” Chryslers. This was also the first year for the stylized eagle hood ornament. Power brakes, power windows, center folding armrests (front and rear) and a padded dash were standard. Parking lights on all Imperials were positioned between the top and center grille moldings, a variation from the design used on other Chrysler cars. A new model was the six-passenger Imperial Custom limousine which had as standard equipment electric windows, electric division window, floor level courtesy lamps, rear compartment heater, fold-up footrests, seatback mounted clock and special luxury cloth or leather interiors. On March 10, 1953, the exclusive Imperial Custom Newport hardtop was added to the Imperial line at $325 over the price of the eight-passenger sedan. The 2-door Club coupe was discontinued. Imperial Custom sedans now rode on a wheelbase 2 inches (51 mm) longer than the 2-door hardtops. The eagle ornament was about the only thing new on the 1953 Imperial Crown. The nameplate was changed slightly and the limousine featured moldings on top of the rear fenders. Imperial Crowns came with a 12-volt electrical system (Imperial Customs still had a 6-volt system) and Chrysler’s first fully automatic transmission, called PowerFlite, became available late in the model year, being installed in a limited number of cars for testing and evaluation. Power steering was standard on Imperial Crowns. Also, 1953 was the first year that the Imperial had a one-piece windshield, instead of a two-piece one. A padded dash was standard.

The 1953 Chrysler Imperial was the first production car in twelve years to actually have automotive air conditioning, following tentative experiments by Packard in 1940 and Cadillac in 1941. Walter P. Chrysler had seen to the invention of Airtemp air conditioning back in the 1930s for the Chrysler Building, and had ostensibly offered it on cars in 1941-42, and again in 1951-52, but none are known to have been sold in the latter form until the 1953 model year. In actually installing optional Airtemp air conditioning units to its Imperials in 1953, Chrysler beat Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile which added air conditioning as an option in the 1953 model year.

Airtemp was more sophisticated and efficient than the complicated rival air conditioners of 1953. It recirculated, rather than merely cooled, the air inside the vehicle, and it was also the highest capacity unit available on an automobile. It was also simple to operate, with a single switch on the dashboard marked with low, medium, and high positions, which the driver selected as desired. The system was capable of cooling a Chrysler from 120 degrees to 85 degrees in about two minutes, and of completely eliminating humidity, dust, pollen and tobacco smoke at the same time. Since it relied on fresh air, and drew in sixty percent more of it than any contemporary system, Airtemp avoided the staleness associated with automotive air conditioning at the time. It was silent and unobtrusive. Instead of plastic tubes mounted on the package shelf as on GM and on other cars, small ducts directed cool air toward the ceiling of the car where it filtered down around the passengers instead of blowing directly on them, a feature that modern cars have lost.

In 1954 the Imperial Custom had a new grille consisting of a heavy wraparound horizontal center bar with five ridges on top and integrated circular signal lights. Its front fender nameplate was above a chrome strip, which ran the length of the front door to the front of the door opening. The rear fender stone guard was larger than in 1953, but the rocker panel molding and rear fender chrome strip style were still the same. The back-up lights were now located directly below the taillights, rather than dividing the lights as in the previous year’s model. The Imperial Crown shared basic styling with the Imperial Custom. However it had center-opening rear doors and Cadillac-like rear fender taillights. Air conditioning was standard on the Imperial Crown .

1955–1983: A separate make

Main article: Imperial (automobile)

1958 Imperial badge

Chrysler Corporation advised state licensing bureaus that beginning in 1955, the Imperial was to be registered as a separate make. It was an attempt to compete directly with GM’s Cadillac and Ford’s Lincoln distinct luxury-focused marques. Frequently and erroneously referred to as the “Chrysler Imperial”, the cars had no “Chrysler” badging anywhere on them, and were a separate, distinct marque, just as Lincoln and Cadillac were for GM and Ford.

In April 1955 Chrysler and Philco announced the development and production of the World’s First All-Transistor car radio. The radio, Mopar model 914HR, was a $150.00 “option” on 1956 Imperial car models. Philco began manufacturing the all-transistor car radio for Chrysler in the fall of 1955 at its Sandusky, Ohio plant.

Chrysler’s intention was to create an individual line of luxury cars, distinct from Chrysler branded vehicles. This marketing strategy suffered because the cars were rarely (if ever) sold in stand-alone Imperial showrooms. Cadillac and Lincoln did a much better job of separating their luxury marques from the lower priced cars that they sold. Imperial was instead offered at the Chrysler dealer network alongside Chrysler’s offerings, and the marque was almost universally known as “Chrysler Imperial” in the public’s mind for this reason, despite the fact that all existing dealerships did indeed carry separate “Imperial” dealership signs distinct from Chrysler .

 1960 Imperial LeBaron

The Imperial automobiles continued to be retailed through Chrysler dealerships. A distinct marketing channel was not established; thus, the Imperial nameplate failed to separate itself from the other Chrysler models and become a stand-alone marque.

Although there were no Imperials produced between 1976 and 1978, the cars that were previously marketed as an Imperial were rebranded as the Chrysler New Yorker Brougham during this time.

1990–1993

Seventh Generation
Overview
Production	1989–1993
Model years	1990–1993
Assembly	Belvidere, Illinois
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Y-body
Related	Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue
Powertrain
Engine	3.3 L EGA V6 3.8 L EGH V6
Transmission	4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	109.6 in (2,784 mm)
Length	203 in (5,156 mm)
Width	68.9 in (1,750 mm)
Height	55.3 in (1,405 mm)
Curb weight	3,519 lb (1,596 kg)
Chronology
Successor	Chrysler LHS

1992 Chrysler Imperial

The 1990s Chrysler Imperial featured full-width taillights

The early 1990s saw a revival of the Imperial as a high-end sedan in Chrysler’s lineup. Unlike the 1955–1983 Imperial, this car was a model of Chrysler, not its own marque. Based on the Y platform, it represented the top full-size model in Chrysler’s lineup; below it was the similar New Yorker Fifth Avenue, and below that was the entry-level New Yorker.

The reintroduction of the Imperial was two years after the Lincoln Continental was changed to a front-wheel drive sedan with a V6 engine, a move that appeared to reflect the popularity of the North American market Acura Legend sedan introduced in 1986.

Though closely related, the Imperial differed from the New Yorker Fifth Avenue in several ways. The Imperial’s nose was more wedge-shaped, while the New Yorker Fifth Avenue’s had a sharper, more angular profile (the New Yorker Fifth Avenue was later restyled with a more rounded front end). The rears of the two cars also differed. Like the front, the New Yorker Fifth Avenue’s rear came to stiffer angles, while the Imperial’s rear-end came to more rounded edges. Also found on the Imperial were full-width taillights, which were similar to those of the Chrysler TC; the New Yorker Fifth Avenue came with smaller vertical taillights. On the inside, the Imperial’s “Kimberly Velvet” (Mark Cross Leather was available) seats carried a more streamlined look, while the New Yorker Fifth Avenue came with its signature pillowy button-tufted seats.

This Imperial remained effectively unchanged over its four-year run. Initially, the 1990 Imperial was powered by the 147 hp (110 kW) 3.3 L EGA V6 engine, which was rated at 185 lb·ft (251 N·m) of torque. For 1991, the 3.3 L V6 was replaced by the larger 3.8 L EGH V6. Although horsepower only increased to 150 hp (112 kW), with the new larger 3.8 L V6 torque increased to 215 lb·ft (292 N·m) at 2750 rpm. A four-speed automatic transmission was standard with both engines.

This generation Imperial was a standard 6-seater sedan in either velour or Mark Cross leather. Power equipment came standard, as did automatic climate controlled air conditioning, ABS brakes, Cruise Control, driver’s side airbag, and its distinct Landau vinyl roof. The Imperial featured hidden headlamps behind retractable metal covers similar to those found on the LeBaron coupe/convertible and New Yorker/Fifth Avenue. The Imperial was available with a choice of several Infinity sound systems, all with a cassette player. Other major options included fully electronic digital instrument cluster with information center, electronically controlled air suspension system, and remote keyless entry with security alarm. Dealer-installed integrated Chrysler cellular phones and six-disc CD changers were also available.

All seventh generation Imperials were covered by Chrysler’s market-leading “Crystal Key Owner Care Program” which included a 5-year/50,000-mile limited warranty and 7-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty. A 24-hour toll-free customer service hotline was also provided.

As planned, this generation Chrysler Imperial was discontinued after the 1993 model year along with the similar New Yorkers. They were replaced by the new LH platform sedans. While the New Yorker name continued on for three more years, 1993 would be the last year for Imperial. The critically acclaimed cab-forward styled Chrysler LHS replaced the Imperial as Chrysler’s flagship model for 1994.

Production figures and prices

Production figures/prices

Year	Units	Original MSRP	Today’s Dollar Equivalent
1990	14,968	$25,655	$46,468
1991	11,601	$27,119	$47,115
1992	7,643	$28,453	$47,979
1993	7,064	$29,481	$48,293
Total production = 41,276

2006

Chrysler Imperial Concept
Overview
Production	2006 (Concept car)
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Chrysler LY platform
Related	Chrysler 300
Dimensions
Wheelbase	123-inch (3,124 mm)

A Chrysler Imperial concept car was presented at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. This concept uses the Chrysler LY platform, which is an extended LX. It features a 123-inch (3,124 mm) wheelbase. Riding on 22-inch (560 mm) wheels, the car presented “a six-figure image but at a much lower price” according to Tom Tremont, Vice President of advanced vehicle design for Chrysler. The design incorporated a long hood and front end dominated by an upright radiator and a horizontal themed grille. Brushed and polished aluminum pods evoke the free-standing headlamps (a classical throwback favored by 1960s Chrysler chief designers Virgil Exner and Elwood Engel, used commonly in 1930s Chrysler vehicles). Circular LED taillights with floating outer rings harken to the “gun sight” taillight look of early 1960s Imperials. The roof line was pulled rearward to enlarge the cabin and to create a longer profile.

• 

  Chrysler Imperial concept side view

• 

  Chrysler Imperial concept rear view

See also

Imperial (automobile)

Imperial (automobile)

This article is about the Imperial marque manufactured by U.S. auto maker Chrysler between 1955 and 1983. For Imperial cars manufactured under the Chrysler marque, see Chrysler Imperial. For the early British manufacturer, see Imperial (British automobile). For the Imperial automobile from 1908 to 1916, see Imperial Automobile Company.

Imperial
1960 Imperial Crown Convertible
Overview
Manufacturer	Chrysler
Production	1955–1975 1981–1983
Body and chassis
Class	luxury car
Layout	FR layout
Chronology
Predecessor	Chrysler Imperial

Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation‘s luxury automobile brand between 1955 and 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1981 to 1983.

The Imperial name had been used since 1926, but was never a separate make, just the top-of-the-line Chrysler. However, in 1955, the company decided to spin Imperial off as its own make and division to better compete with its North American rivals, Lincoln and Cadillac, and European luxury sedans called the Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer, the Mercedes-Benz 600, and the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Imperial would see new body styles introduced every two to three years, all with V8 engines and automatic transmissions, as well as technologies that would filter down to Chrysler corporation’s other models.

First generation (1955–1956) A Separate Make

First generation
1955 Imperial Four Door Sedan
Overview
Model years	1955–1956
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	Virgil Exner
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door Newport hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door Southampton hardtop
Related	Imperial Parade Phaeton
Powertrain
Engine	331 cu in (5.4 L) Hemihead V8 354 cu in (5.8 L) Hemihead V8
Transmission	2-speed PowerFlite automatic 3-speed TorqueFlite A488automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	1955:130.0 in (3,302 mm) 1956:133.0 in (3,378 mm)
Length	1955: 223.0 in (5,664 mm) 1956: 229.6 in (5,832 mm)
Width	1955: 79.1 in (2,009 mm) 1956: 78.8 in (2,002 mm)
Height	1955: 61.2 in (1,554 mm) 1956: 61.5 in (1,562 mm)
Curb weight	4,700–4,900 lb (2,100–2,200 kg)

1955 Imperial Newport with rear view of free-standing “gunsight” taillights

1955 Imperial Newport

 

For the 1955 model year, the Imperial was launched and registered as a separate marque (make), apart from the Chrysler brand. It was a product of the new Imperial Division of Chrysler Corporation, meaning that the Imperial would be a make and division unto itself, and not bear the Chrysler name. Chrysler Corporation sent notices to all state licensing agencies in the then-48 states that the Imperial, beginning in 1955, would no longer be registered as a Chrysler, but as a separate make . Chrysler introduced Forward Look Styling by Virgil Exner, who would define Imperial’s look (and the look of cars from the other four Chrysler divisions) from 1955 to 1963. Even as early as in 1954, Chrysler Corporation ads at the time began to visibly and consciously separate The Imperial from the Chrysler Division car line in the eyes of the public, to prepare for the big change coming in 1955.  Once the “Imperial” brand was introduced, Cadillac no longer used the “imperial” name for the top-level limousines starting in 1955.

1955

 1955 Imperial car model shown on display at January 1955 Chicago Auto Show

The 1955 models are said to be inspired by Exner’s own 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton show cars (which were themselves later rebodied to match the 1955-56 Imperials). The platform and bodyshell were shared with that year’s big Chryslers, but the Imperial had a wheelbase that was 4.0 inches (102 mm) longer, providing it with more rear seat legroom, had a wide-spaced split eggcrate grille, the same as that used on the Chrysler 300 “executive hot rod”, and had free-standing “gunsight” taillights mounted above the rear quarters, which were similar to those on the Exner’s 1951 Chrysler K-310 concept car. Gunsight taillights were also known as “sparrow-strainer” taillights, named after the device used to keep birds out of jet-engines. Such taillights were separated from the fender and surrounded by a ring and became an Imperial fixture through 1962, although they would only be free-standing in 1955-56 and again in 1962. Models included a two-door Newport hardtop coupe (3,418 built) and a four-door sedan (7,840 built). The V8 engine was Chrysler’s first-generation Hemi V8 with a displacement of 331 cu in (5.4 L) and developing 250 brake horsepower (186 kW). Power brakes and power steering were standard. One major option on the 1955 and 1956 Imperials was air conditioning, at a cost of $535. Production totaled 11,430, more than twice the 1954 figure, but far below Lincoln and Cadillac.

1956

1956 Imperial Southampton Two-Door Hardtop

1956 Imperial

Imperial dash push button “PowerFlite” transmission introduced for the 1956 models

All-Transistor car radio – Chrysler Mopar model 914HR – Optional on 1956 Imperial car models.

The 1956 models were similar, but had small tailfins, a larger engine displacement of 354 cu in (5.8 L) with 280 brake horsepower (209 kW), and a four-door Southampton hardtop sedan was added to the range. 10,268 were produced. With a wheelbase of 133.0 inches (3,378 mm), longer than the previous year’s by 3.0 inches (76 mm), they had the longest wheelbase ever for an Imperial. This also contributed to an increase in their overall length to 229.6 inches (5,832 mm), making them the longest non-limousine post WWII American cars until the advent of the Imperials of the “Fuselage Look” era later in the 1970s.

1956 was the year that Chrysler introduced the push button PowerFlite automatic transmission; Packard also introduced a similar system called the Touchbutton Ultramatic in the Imperial’s competitor, the Packard Caribbean and the Patrician.

MENU

0:00

1955 Chrysler – Philco all transistor car radio – “Breaking News” radio broadcast announcement. (Optional on 1956 Imperial car models)

On April 28, 1955, Chrysler and Philco announced the development and production of the world’s first all-transistor car radio, the Mopar model 914HR. It was developed and produced by Chrysler and Philco and was a $150.00 “option” on the 1956 Imperial car models. Philco manufactured the Mopar 914HR starting in the fall of 1955 at its Sandusky Ohio plant, for Chrysler.

Second generation (1957–1966)

See also: Chrysler LeBaron § 1957–1975

Second generation
Overview
Model years	1957–1966
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	Virgil Exner and Elwood Engel
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Platform	D-body
Powertrain
Engine	392 cu in (6.4 L) Hemihead V8 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedgehead V8 440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedgehead V8
Transmission	3-speed TorqueFlite A488automatic 3-speed TorqueFlite A727automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	129.0 in (3,277 mm)
Length	1957: 224.4 in (5,700 mm) 1958: 225.9 in (5,738 mm) 1959–60: 226.3 in (5,748 mm) 1961–62: 227.1 in (5,768 mm) 1963–66: 227.8 in (5,786 mm)
Width	1957: 81.2 in (2,062 mm) 1958: 81.3 in (2,065 mm) 1959: 81.0 in (2,057 mm) 1960: 80.1 in (2,035 mm) 1961–63: 81.7 in (2,075 mm) 1964–66: 80.0 in (2,032 mm)
Height	1957: 57.5 in (1,460 mm) 1958: 56.7 in (1,440 mm) 1959: 56.9 in (1,445 mm) 1960–61: 56.7 in (1,440 mm) 1962–64: 56.8 in (1,443 mm) 1965: 57.2 in (1,453 mm) 1966: 55.8 in (1,417 mm)
Curb weight	4,800–5,500 lb (2,200–2,500 kg)

For the 1957 model year, the Imperial received its own platform, setting it apart from any other division of Chrysler. This would last through the 1966 model year. Imperials during this period were substantially wider, both inside and out, than other Mopars with front and rear shoulder room equal to 64.0 in (1,626 mm) and 62.0 in (1,575 mm) respectively. The front seat shoulder room measurement remains an unsurpassed record for Imperial and would remain the record for any car until the 1971–1976 GM full-size models. Exterior width reached a maximum of 81.7 in (2,075 mm) during 1961–1963, which remains the record for the widest non-limousine American car. After Lincoln downsized in 1961 this generation of Imperial had no real competitor for the title of largest car for the remainder of its decade-long lifespan.

Imperial Crown interior

One advantage of Imperials of this vintage was their strength; their crashworthiness got them banned from most demolition derbies for being too durable and too tough to take down. Unlike the rest of the Chrysler Corporation makes (Chrysler, De Soto, Dodge and Plymouth), that began unibody construction in 1960, the Imperial retained separate full perimeter frames for rigidity through the 1966 model year. These substantial frames had a box cross section with crossmembers forming an “X”. The drive shaft passed through a hole in the “X” frame. The emergency brake gripped the drive shaft, and was not connected to the rear drum brakes prior to 1963.

Another advantage was that Imperial, and all Mopars, received “Torsion-Aire” suspension in 1957. Torsion-Aire was an indirect-acting, torsion-bar front suspension system which reduced unsprung weight and shifted the car’s center of gravity downward and rearward. Torsion-bar suspension on the front combined with multi-leaf springs on the rear provided a smoother ride and improved handling.

1957

 

1957 Imperial Crown Southampton coupe

The 1957 model year was based to an even greater degree on Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” styling (also used on other full-size Chryslers of the period). It featured a complicated front end (similar to Cadillacs of the period) with a bulleted grille and quad headlights, tall tailfins, and Imperial’s trademark gunsight taillights. For the first time on an American car curved side glass was used. The Hemi engine was available for the first two years that was enlarged to 392 cu in (6.4 L). Power seats and dual exhaust were made standard across the line. A convertible was available for the first time on an Imperial and available in the mid-range Crown series. Sales were helped by Exner’s “ahead of the competition” styling, with 1957 becoming the best-selling Imperial year ever. 37,593 were produced, but Cadillac by contrast sold over 120,000 cars in 1957. Quality control also slipped considerably, a consequence of the second total redesign in two years.

Starting from 1957, Imperials were available in three levels of trim: standard Imperial Custom, mid-range Imperial Crown, and the new top-of-the-line Imperial LeBaron  (a reference to LeBaron, Carrossiers). The custom-built Imperial Crown limousine was also offered. Through the late 1950s and into the early 1960s styling would continue to become “Longer, Lower, Wider”, with the addition of some of the wildest fins on a car. The “FliteSweep Deck Lid”, a fake continental tire bulge, was an option from 1957 through 1961 and again in 1963 (due to demand). It was shared with contemporary Mopars, including the Valiant. Exner’s love of this feature extended back to early-fifties concept cars like the 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance.

1958

1958 Imperial Crown convertible

Styling changes in 1958 were limited to the front grille and bumper. Quad headlights became standard. The 1958 Imperial is credited with the introduction of cruise control, which was called “Auto-Pilot”, and was available on the Imperial, and on Chrysler New Yorker and Windsor models. Power door locks were another new option. Sales slipped to 16,133 in a recession year. Dealers were frustrated with buyers referring to the cars as a “Chrysler Imperial”, which inhibited sales as Chrysler was not seen as having Cadillac or Lincoln’s prestige. It didn’t help that Imperial continued to be sold at Chrysler dealerships, instead of standalone dealers, although it did have a separate “Imperial” dealership sign.

1959

 1959 Imperial

 

1959 Imperial Crown coupe with view of “FliteSweep Deck Lid”

Production was moved from the traditional Jefferson Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit to an exclusive facility on Warren Avenue in Dearborn. Other than a toothy new grill and revisions to side trim little changed in terms of exterior styling for the 1959 model year. A new option was the “Silvercrest” roof which featured a stainless steel front with a rear canopy that could be ordered either in any of the basic car colors or in the “Landau” version which had a black canopy with the appearance of leather. Another new option was swivel out front seats that were part of the six way electric front bench seat. Manually activated by a handle for this introductory year, for 1960 and 1961 the seats would automatically swivel when the front door was opened activated by a cable. The Hemihead engine was replaced with the less expensive 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedgehead engine that nevertheless had more horsepower and weighed 101 lbs less, improving the power-to-weight ratio. For the model year 17,710 Imperials were produced, ahead of Lincoln, as the Packard luxury brand withdrew from the marketplace.

While many critics of automobile styling rate the 1955 through 1959 Imperials highly, the design of the 1960–1963 period is more controversial. At that time, Exner was increasingly struggling with the Chrysler president and board. “It was during 1962 Exner was dethroned as president of design in Highland Park. His successor was Elwood Engel, lured away from Ford to lead Chrysler Corporation along a more conventional path. Exner continued as a consultant through 1964, after which he had no further involvement.”This source also states, “When he was good, he was very good ( re: styling). When he was bad…. it was the epitome of excessive design. Sales dropped off and the board stepped in.” Exner’s son went on further, in a 1976 interview, “it was time for a change. Their image needed changing. Dad was a great designer and he was always ahead of his time. He gained more freedom from Chrysle r in his designs of the modern Stutz.” This same source gives blow-by-blow accounts how Chrysler Corporation was revived through corporate changes in leadership. “But on the product front, the influence of Tex Colbert (ousted President of Chrysler in 1961) and Virgil Exner was still present, and it wouldn’t be entirely washed away until 1965”.

1963 Imperial Crown convertible (Australia)

Despite the annual styling changes, all 1960-63 models featured a similar space age dashboard. The steering wheel was squared-off at top and bottom, designed for better leg room and view through the windshield in the straight ahead position. Dashboard lighting was electroluminescent, which used no incandescent lamps: electricity running through a five-layer laminate caused the phosphorescent paint to glow in the dark. Chrysler called it “Panelescent”, and it was shared on some Chrysler models. The effect was eerie and surprisingly modern, with its glowing green face and bright red needles. The 1960-63 models were also united by a distinctive side trim that started above the headlights and that ran at a slight downward angle almost to the end of the rear fender (except in 1963 when it would actually wrap all the way around the rear of the car) that was undercut by a slight indent in the sides from the front until just before the rear wheel housing.

More importantly, but perhaps less obviously, a significant change in the car’s proportions had occurred between the 1959 and 1960 model years. Although, at 226.3 inches, the 1960 Imperials were exactly the same length as the previous year, the whole body had been shifted forward, with a 2.1 inch reduction in the rear overhang, and a corresponding increase at the front. This led to a look that, due to a relatively smaller rear deck and more expansive front hood, was closer to Exner’s classic car era ideals, and it would persist, by one means or another, for the remainder of Imperial’s existence as a separate marque.

1960

 1960 Imperial Crown sedan

1960 Imperial Crown

 

The 1960 Imperial adopted wildly exaggerated styling, featuring front fascia with a swooping bumper, gaping mesh grille, giant chrome eagle, and hooded quad headlights, and tall rear fins. Soaring fins had bullet style tail lamps at the peak of the fin, with a chrome ring surrounding it. The grille and bumper on the front of the 1960 used large pieces of heavy chrome, and the ‘furrowed brows’ of the fenders over the double sets of headlights gave the car a ponderous look. In common with most other 1960 Chrysler products, the Imperial featured the new “High-Tower” seat with the driver-side back individually contoured and raised above of the rest of the front seat for increased driver comfort and shoulder support. This would last through the 1962 model year. Also in 1960, Imperial changed back to 15 inch diameter wheels from the 14 inch diameter wheels that had been standard since 1957. Imperial LeBarons now featured a distinctive smaller “formal rear window” for greater rear seat privacy. Sales increased to 17,719. Imperial again finished ahead of Lincoln, but never did so again. While the rest of Chrysler’s lineup adopted unibody construction, Imperial retained its body on frame construction.

1961

1961 Imperial Crown convertible with view of free-standing headlights

1961 Imperial Crown convertible

The 1961 model year brought a wholly new front end with free-standing headlights on short stalks in cut-away front fenders (a classical throwback favored by Virgil Exner, used commonly in the 1930s Chryslers. He would continue his look with the modern Stutz), and the largest tailfins ever. Inside, the Imperial gained an improved dash layout with an upright rectangular bank of gauges. The pillared four-door sedan was cancelled and would not return until the 1967 model year. With the downsizing of Lincoln, at 227.1 inches (later increased to 227.8 inches in 1963), the Imperial would once again be the longest non-limousine car made in America though 1966. Sales fell to 12,258, the result of bizarre styling and continued poor quality control.

1962

 1962 Imperial Custom Southampton two-door

 1962 Imperial Crown convertible

The tailfins were largely truncated in 1962, topped with free-standing gunsight taillights, but these were elongated, streamlined affairs. The front grille was split, as in 1955-56, and a large round Eagle hood ornament was fitted for the first time. The 1962 models had a new, slimmer TorqueFlite A727 automatic transmission, which allowed a smaller transmission “hump” in the floor. This provided greater comfort for passengers in the center seat up front. Dual exhaust was now only standard on convertibles. 1962 also marked the closing of Imperial’s dedicated assembly plant. All later Imperials were once again built in the same Jefferson Avenue facilities in Detroit as Chryslers, as sales were insufficient to maintain a separate facility. 1962 production totaled 14,337. Shortly before leaving Chrysler, Virgil Exner had planned for a smaller Imperial to go along with the downsized 1962 Mopars, but the idea never went anywhere.

1963

1963 Imperial Crown Four-Door

1963 Imperial Crown Four-Door

The 1963 models saw the split grille disappear again, replaced by a cluster of chromed rectangles, and the taillights were now inside the rear fenders, in ordinary fashion, for the first time. In addition, the designers redesigned the rooflines of Custom and Crown, two and four door models to be more squared off with thicker c pillars. 1963 models were the last Virgil Exner–styled Imperials, however Elwood Engel began applying some of his own touches to them, especially in the form of the redesigned base and Crown roofs. LeBaron roofs remained the same with formal styling and closed in rear window. 14,121 cars were produced for 1963.

In 1961, Chrysler scored a coup by hiring Elwood Engel away from Ford, where he had designed the 1961 Lincoln Continental. Engel’s design themes at Chrysler were a major departure from the fins of Virgil Exner, and instead featured a more familiar three-box design, but with more extreme rectilinear styling. And, at first glance, the total re-styling of the Imperial in 1964 was thought to strongly resemble Elwood Engel’s previous efforts for the 1961 Lincoln Continental. Both cars shared clean, slab-sided body panels, thick C-pillars, and a chrome molding outlining the top of the fender line. However, Engel used subtle curves and parallelogram angles to give the Imperial a distinct and novel look.

1964

1964 Imperial Crown interior

1964 Imperial LeBaron

1964 Imperial LeBaron

 

The 1964 Imperials were the first designed entirely by Engel. Predictably, they bore a strong resemblance to the Lincoln Continental. The dashboards seemed more conventional because the squared-off steering wheel and electroluminescent dash lighting were gone. However, there remained the ribbon-style speedometer. A split grille returned after one year’s absence, inspired by the 1955 appearance, and the faux spare tire bulge atop the trunk lid gave way to a squared-off protrusion at the rear, carrying downward to the rear bumper. A large boss in the center of it was actually the fuel filler door, covered with a large Imperial Eagle. Horizontal, spear shaped housings hold a taillight and back-up light. Heat and defrost, always a popular option, were now standard.

The base Imperial Custom model was now gone; the cars were now available as a four-door hardtop in the Crown or the LeBaron levels of trim, or as a two-door hardtop or convertible in the Crown level of trim. As a result, power windows were now standard on all Imperials. Imperial Crown coupes adopted the smaller style LeBaron “formal rear window” that had been introduced in 1960, and both body styles could now be ordered with a vinyl roof. With 23,295 produced, 1964 was Imperial’s second best tally ever. A padded dash, power seats, power steering, power brakes, and head rests were standard on the convertible. A new option this year was an adjustable steering wheel.

Tom McCahill, an automobile critic with a reputation for colorful metaphors, quipped that Imperial “cornered at speed flatter than a tournament billiard table”, unusual for a car of its prodigious weight and extreme dimensions. McCahill became a loyal customer, buying a new Imperial yearly 1957 through 1962. His visible and enthusiastic endorsement helped Imperial forge a reputation as the “driver’s car” among the big three luxury makes.

And as McCahill observed in 1964:

This is what I told them in California. When I hit the road with hundreds of pounds of baggage, typewriters and testing equipment, I’m not out there just to have fun. I want to get from here to there, which may be thousands of miles away, with as much comfort as possible. Besides, Boji [his dog] now demands comfort. So does my wife.

I’ve been on some pretty fancy trains, including private cars, and to this writing, I have never found anything quite as comfortable or more capable of getting me to my destination as the ’64 Imperial LeBaron. It’s a great automobile.

1965

1965 Imperial Crown Four-Door

1965 Imperial Crown Convertible

 

Changes for 1965 were largely confined to the front fascia and to trim, and replacement of the push-button automatic transmission gear selection system with a more conventional steering column-mounted shift lever. The split grille was gone, replaced by a large chromed crossbar and surround, and the headlights were inset into the grill behind glass covers (similar to that year’s Chrysler 300 and New Yorker models) with etched horizontal lines imitating the grill. As pointed out by the sales literature, 100-year-old Claro Walnut trim was added to the interior. Production totaled 18,409.

1966

1966 Imperial Crown convertible

1966 Imperial LeBaron coupe

 

This was the final year for the Imperial platform that was first created in 1957. All subsequent years through 1966 used this same basic platform with annual changes to the body sheetmetal. However, the Imperial still used the wrap-around windshield that had been dropped by most other makes for entry and exit room when they almost all simultaneously downsized in 1961.

The 1966 model year saw a change to an egg-crate grille. The glass headlight covers lost the etched lines but gained twin 24k gold bands around the perimeter. The trunk lid bulge became more squared off with a smaller Imperial script off to the side. The back-up lights were moved to the lower bumper, nearly doubling taillight size. The Claro Walnut trim that had been introduced the previous year was used more extensively and would be replaced the following year. The 413 cu in (6.8 L) engine that had been standard since 1959 was replaced with a 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS) 440 cu in (7.2 L) engine.

Production totaled 13,752. There was a 1966 LeBaron that was presented to Pope Paul VI at the UN in New York for his use. Also this year, Imperial was the basis for “The Black Beauty,” a rolling arsenal on the ABC-TV series The Green Hornet, starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee. A black Imperial of this year would also be restored as a wedding anniversary gift for Richard “The Old Man” Harrison on the History Channel show, Pawn Stars.

Third generation (1967–1968)

Third generation
1967 Imperial LeBaron
Overview
Model years	1967–1968
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	Elwood Engel
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 2-door convertible 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Platform	C-body
Related	Chrysler 300 Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Newport Chrysler Town & Country
Powertrain
Engine	440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedgehead V8
Transmission	3-speed TorqueFlite A727automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	127 in (3,226 mm)
Length	1967: 224.7 in (5,707 mm) 1968: 224.5 in (5,702 mm)
Width	79.6 in (2,022 mm)
Height	1967: 56.7 in (1,440 mm) 1968: 57.0 in (1,448 mm)
Curb weight	4,900–5,200 lb (2,200–2,400 kg)

With the exception of the introduction of a shorter wheelbase and unit body construction, Imperial styling was not radically changed for the 1967 and 1968 models. The new body maintained the themes established by Engel for the 1964–1966 models. Imperial switched from the body-on-frame platform (D-body) to a unibody platform (C-body platform used in other full size Mopars.) While Imperial’s front K member was 3.0 inches (76 mm) longer than a Chrysler’s, dimensions behind the front fenders were similar. One reason for the change was that Chrysler had gained experience with unibody construction and was ready to apply it to the company’s flagship line.

The economic component was that the switch to the C-body was less expensive than maintaining a separate platform for Imperial, which was increasingly difficult to justify given Imperial’s relatively low sales volume. The new platform resulted in a significant reduction in weight as well as in exterior and interior dimensions. With the partnership gone between Ghia and Chrysler, limousines based on the Imperial were produced byAmbruster-Stageway of Fort Smith Arkansas. The limousines were “sectioned” between the front and back doors with a 36″ insert (based on factory sheetmetal) that allowed two rear-facing seats and a small console/bar in between. The limousine conversions were longer than the earlier Ghia cars, and longer than the Cadillac Series 75 limousines.

• 

  1968 Imperial LeBaron

• 

  1968 Imperial Crown Coupe rear

• 

  1968 Imperial Crown Coupe convertible rear

1967

Imperial shared the unibody platform with other full-sized Chryslers but retained a unique bodyshell. The styling kept the overall straight-line, sharp-edged Engel theme, but there were many detail changes intended to make Imperial look less like Lincoln and more into its own territory. The spare tire bulge was completely gone from the rear, although the boss remained. The practically full-width taillights spread out from it, straight, but ended before chrome-tipped rear wings. The front end was somewhat similar to 1966’s, although the glass lamp covers were gone. A base Imperial model, simply called Imperial, returned for the first time since 1963, complementing the Crown and LeBaron levels of trim. It contained the convertible, which had previously been a Crown, and the first four-door pillared Imperial sedan since 1960. Dual exhaust was no longer standard on the convertible. The only way to get it was to order the “TNT” version of the 440 engine, an option that promised more power.

An option on Crown coupes was the Mobile Director. Essentially the front passenger seat turned to face rearward and a small table and high intensity light folded out over the back seat. The idea was that an “executive” could turn around and do work while being driven to the office, or he could sit behind the driver and a secretary could take dictation in the rear-facing front seat. The concept originated with the 1966 Mobile Executive Show Car that was an Imperial Coupe fitted with a telephone, Dictaphone, writing table, typewriter, television, reading lamp and stereo. Chrysler also used the reversed front seat idea in the 300X show car. Costing $597.40 ($317.60 in 1968), at a time when a Crown coupe started at $6011, it was a very expensive option. Thus a total of only 81 Crown coupes were ordered this way, and only a handful so equipped are known to still exist. The option was cancelled at the end of the 1968 model year. Sales increased to 17,614.

1968

The 1968 Imperial was little changed from the previous year. The grille changed to a brightly chromed one with thin horizontal bars, split in the middle by vertical chrome and a round Imperial Eagle badge. The cornering lamp lenses were now covered by matching grilles. At the rear, the horizontal bars over the taillights remained, but the gas filler door pull was changed to a cast metal eagle instead of a round knob containing a plastic emblem. All 1968s came with a Federally mandated energy absorbing steering column. The base level of trim was cancelled after only one year and the convertible and four-door sedan became part of the Crown level of trim. This was also the last year for the Imperial convertible. A total of 15,367 Imperials were sold in 1968.

Fourth generation (1969–1973)

Fourth generation
1972 Imperial Le Baron
Overview
Model years	1969–1973
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	Elwood Engel
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Platform	C-body
Related	Chrysler 300 Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Newport Chrysler Town & Country
Powertrain
Engine	440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedgehead V8
Transmission	3-speed TorqueFlite A727automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	127.0 in (3,226 mm)
Length	1969–71: 229.7 in (5,834 mm) 1972: 229.5 in (5,829 mm) 1973: 235.3 in (5,977 mm)
Width	1969–71: 79.1 in (2,009 mm) 1972–73: 79.6 in (2,022 mm)
Height	1969–70: 55.7 in (1,415 mm) 1971: 56.1 in (1,425 mm) 1972: 56.0 in (1,422 mm) 1973: 56.2 in (1,427 mm)
Curb weight	4,900–5,200 lb (2,200–2,400 kg)

The “Fuselage Look” was how Chrysler described its new styling in 1969. Instead of the square lines of 1964-68, the new Imperials featured rounded “tumblehome” sides, bulging at the belt line, and tucking in down to the rocker panels. The new styling not only made the cars look longer and wider, it also surrounded the passengers in a hull-like fashion, similar to an aircraft, hence the reference to “fuselage”. The curved side glass, which had been pioneered in America by Imperial in 1957, had a much tighter radius, while the increased curvature of the bodysides permitted the window frames to be moved outboard at their bases, resulting in an increase in shoulder room without an increase in overall body width compared to the previous C-body. In fact, front and rear shoulder room increased from 59.4 in (1,509 mm) to 62.7 in (1,593 mm) on 4-door hardtops.

To reduce development and tooling costs, and bring overall expenditures more in line with actual sales, Imperial was forced to share much of its bodyshell with Chrysler for the first time since 1956. Consequently, front and rear doors, quarter panels, decklids, glass, and roofs were common with the entry-level Chrysler Newport. In other respects, however, little had changed; construction was still unibody, the wheelbase was still stretched 3.0 in (76 mm) longer than a Chrysler’s in front of the passenger section, the engine and transmission were the same, and the torsion bar front suspension was still used.

1969

1969 Imperial LeBaron coupe

 

In keeping with the times, the look was sleeker, with a reduced, more subtle level of trim. For the first time, the lights were hidden behind doors, giving a fashionable at the time full-width grille look using “loop” bumpers, primarily used on the Lincoln Continental. Only this year the Imperial featured sequential turn signals. 1969 was the final year for pillared sedans, and it was also the first year for the Imperial LeBaron coupe. At 229.7 inches Imperial would once again be the longest non-limousine car made in America, and would remain so through 1973 when it would set the post WW II record for non-limousine car length. 22,083 were produced for Imperial’s third best ever year. Ambruster-Stageway of Fort Smith Arkansas continued with limousine conversions using the 1969-71 sheetmetal. Twelve total conversions were delivered over the three years, including one for then New York governor Nelson Rockefeller.

1970

1970 Imperial Crown

The 1970 models differed only in minor ways. The grill pattern changed to a larger eggcrate design; the front cornering lamps were now rectangular instead of the “shark gill” pattern of 1969. A wide chrome strip was added at the rocker panels, vinyl side trim was made optional, and (for this year only) the fender skirts were gone. It was the final year for the Crown series; afterwards Imperial would have only two models, a LeBaron hardtop sedan and coupe. 11,822 of the 1970s were produced.

1971

For 1971, the Imperial Eagle at the front of the hood was gone, replaced by the word IMPERIAL; the deck lid badge said, for the first time, “IMPERIAL by Chrysler”. The 1971 Imperial is notable for being the first production car in America with a 4-wheel Anti-lock braking system (ABS) from Bendix, a rarely selected option at that time. 11,569 1971 Imperials were produced.

Although the vinyl top was standard, for a short time a unique paisley-patterned vinyl top in a burgundy color was available as an option on burgundy-painted cars. It has been rumored that this top had actually been overprinted on waste “Mod Top” patterned vinyl, which had been available on some Dodge and Plymouth models in 1969 and 1970, but, according to Jeffrey Godshall, a Chrysler designer and frequent contributor to the magazine Collectible Automobile, this was not the case. With exposure to the elements, the burgundy overprint faded, and the pattern began to show through in a purple “paisley” pattern. Chrysler replaced many affected tops with either white or black standard vinyl, but some survive.

1972

 

1972 Imperial LeBaron coupe

1972 Imperial LeBaron

The sheetmetal was completely new for the 1972 model year, although the styling was an evolution of the previous fuselage style. The 72 appeared bigger and heavier all around in comparison to the 69-71’s and featured a somewhat more rounded side profile without a character line down the side and chrome trim on the top seams of the fenders from the rear windows forward. The front fascia was all new and imposing-looking, and the back featured vertical teardrop taillights for the first time, while the rear side marker lights were in the form of shields with eagles on them. Sales increased to 15,796.

1973

1973 Imperial LeBaron

1973 Imperial LeBaron

 

The 1973 model year saw new federal bumper standards to prevent damage. This meant the Imperials gained large rubber over-riders front and rear, adding 5.8 inches (147 mm) to the car’s length, making it the longest production car in North America for that year and the longest postwar (non-limousine) production car at 235.3 inches (5,977 mm). As 1973 was in general a good year for the auto industry, 16,729 of the 1973 Imperials were built and sold. Two all-black LeBaron sedans were delivered to the US Secret Service, who then turned them over to Hess and Eisenhardt, who converted them into limos for Presidential use. Both cars were used as late as 1981, and carried Ronald Reagan and his staff to Capitol Hill for his Presidential Swearing-in ceremony in January 1981.

Fifth generation (1974–1975)

Fifth generation
Overview
Model years	1974–1975
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA
Designer	Elwood Engel
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door Crown coupe 2-door hardtop 4-door hardtop
Platform	C-body
Related	Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Town and Country Chrysler Newport
Powertrain
Engine	440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedgehead V8
Transmission	3-speed TorqueFlite A727automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	124.0 in (3,150 mm)
Length	1974: 231.1 in (5,870 mm) 1975: 232.7 in (5,911 mm)
Width	79.7 in (2,024 mm)
Height	1974: 54.7 in (1,389 mm) 1975: 54.5 in (1,384 mm)
Curb weight	5,000–5,200 lb (2,300–2,400 kg)
Chronology
Successor	Chrysler New Yorker Brougham

On the eve of final plans for the 1974 model year things looked bleak for Imperial. The marque had lost its exclusive assembly plant in 1962. It had lost its unique platform in 1967. Then in 1969 it lost its unique bodyshell. Mention of the Chrysler name returned in 1971 after Imperial having been a separate marque for years. The 1973 model year appeared to be the end of the road for Imperial.

Chrysler had planned on quietly discontinuing the Imperial at the end of the 1973 model year. Without its own unique bodyshell, it would be difficult to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, which had their own unique bodyshells. Sales were likely to remain low, as image and appearance were an important part of luxury car appeal. And, in turn, without sales, it seemed there was no way Chrysler could afford to build an Imperial with a unique appearance.

A front end design, which had been envisioned for the next Imperial by Chrysler/Imperial exterior studio senior stylist Chet Limbaugh, came to the attention of Elwood Engel. Engel showed the design to Chrysler president John Riccardo and convinced him to use it on an Imperial. Except for the front end clip and trunk lid, to save money it would use all the same body panels as the Chrysler New Yorker, and, for the first time in its history as a separate marque, it would have the same wheelbase. But the car would have Limbaugh’s unique new “waterfall” grille design which featured thin vertical chrome bars, separated by a body-colored band running through the center, and which started on top of the nose and flowed down.

1974

1974 Imperial LeBaron

 

With the full effects of the 1973 oil crisis being solidly felt, a bad year for the U.S. economy (and the auto industry as well) was in place for 1974. This was Chrysler’s 50th anniversary year and the final redesign of the full-size Imperial. The 1974 Imperial was the first regular American passenger car to offer 4-wheel disc brakes since the 1949–1954 Chrysler Imperials, the 1950–1952 Crosleys and the Chevrolet Corvettes that starting featuring them in 1965. The Imperial’s ignition system was electronic, another first in the market, as was the optional burglar alarm. In addition to the two regular 1974 LeBaron models, a 50th Anniversary 2-door LeBaron Crown Coupe was also produced, finished in Golden Fawn; only 57 were built, making a grand total of 14,483 Imperials produced for the model year. While sales were down from 1973, Chrysler was pleased with the sales of the Imperial line, given the poor economy that year.

1975

For 1975, other than an enhancement to the waterfall grille, the front bumper and a few detail improvements, little changed. This was to be the last year of the independent Imperial marque, with only 8,830 1975 models sold. The last Imperial, a LeBaron sedan, rolled out of the factory on 12 June 1975. However, only the name disappeared, as the same basic car was offered, rather more cheaply (the Imperial feature of 4-wheel disc brakes was discontinued). From 1976 through 1978 the car was known as the Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. Justifying the price differential over the full-size Chrysler had become increasingly hard to do as the cars became more and more similar over the years to save costs, and in turn the costs of maintaining and marketing a separate, poorly selling marque were possibly just too high. Also, the 1973 oil embargo had turned buyers towards smaller more fuel efficient cars, a movement that had been building through the early-1970s as a result of rising fuel prices.

Imperial Crown Limousine (1955–1965)

Imperial Crown
Overview
Model years	1955–1965
Assembly	Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan, USA (1955-1956)
Designer	Virgil Exner and Elwood Engel
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door limousine
Platform	D-body (1957–1965)
Powertrain
Engine	331 cu in (5.4 L) Hemihead V8 354 cu in (5.8 L) Hemihead V8 392 cu in (6.4 L) Hemihead V8 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedgehead V8
Transmission	2-speed PowerFlite automatic 3-speed TorqueFlite A488automatic 3-speed TorqueFlite A727automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	149.5 in (3,797 mm)
Length	1955: 242.5 in (6,160 mm) 1956: 246.1 in (6,251 mm) 1957: 244.9 in (6,220 mm) 1958: 246.4 in (6,259 mm) 1959–61: 246.8 in (6,269 mm) 1963–65: 248.3 in (6,307 mm)
Width	1955: 79.1 in (2,009 mm) 1956: 78.8 in (2,002 mm) 1957: 81.2 in (2,062 mm) 1958: 81.3 in (2,065 mm) 1959: 81.0 in (2,057 mm) 1960-61: 80.1 in (2,035 mm) 1963: 81.7 in (2,075 mm) 1964–65: 80.0 in (2,032 mm)
Height	1955–56: 62.5 in (1,588 mm) 1957–65: 58.5 in (1,486 mm)
Curb weight	5,300–6,300 lb (2,400–2,900 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Chrysler Imperial Crown

 

 1958 Imperial Crown Ghia Limousine

 

1965 Imperial Crown Ghia Limousine

Jacqueline Kennedy, standing near Robert F. Kennedy, about to enter her 1960 Imperial Crown limousine after the funeral of President John F. Kennedy at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.

 

During 1955 and 1956, a Imperial Crown limousine model was also offered. With an extra 19.5 in (500 mm) and 16.5 in (420 mm) of wheelbase in 1955 and 1956 respectively, and seating eight (three in the front including the driver, three in the rear, and two on rearward-facing fold-down jump seats), these replaced the long-wheelbase offerings in all Chrysler marques. Only 172 were built in 1955 and 226 in 1956. They were the last Chrysler-branded limousines built entirely in Detroit.

From 1957 until 1965, long-wheelbase Imperial Crown cars would be finished by Ghia in Italy. The earlier models used two-door hardtop bodies mounted on the more rigid convertible chassis; these would be shipped across the Atlantic, cut apart, lengthened by 20.5 inches (521 mm) and reworked. Later models were built from four-door models to the same specification. Each took a month to build and carried a high price for the time ($18,500 in 1963-64). They sold poorly against the Cadillac Series 75 that was less expensive ($9724–$9960 in 1963-64), and had an established reputation among limousine buyers, as well as against competing coachbuilders building on the Cadillac commercial chassis. A total of 132 Imperial Crowns were manufactured for Chrysler by Ghia over 1957-65. An interesting oddity is that all 10 Ghia built Imperial Crowns sold during the 1965 model year were 1964s with 1965 exterior styling, and consequently had pushbutton gearshifts. At about 6,200–6,300 lb (2,800–2,900 kg) curb weight the 1957-65 Ghia built Imperial Crowns are the heaviest standard production cars sold by an American firm since the 1930s.

Throughout her husband’s term as U.S. President, Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal car was a Ghia built 1961 Imperial Crown with 1960 styling. The car figured prominently in her various duties as First Lady. In President John F. Kennedy‘s funeral procession on November 25, 1963, near the front of the motorcade, carrying Jackie and her children, was her Imperial Crown. In 1963, the Imperial Crown limousine saw a new competitor from Europe called the Mercedes-Benz 600 and the Rolls-Royce Phantom V, with the same level of luxurious attention shared with the Ghia-built Crown limousines.

Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President of the U.S. during the term of President Gerald Ford, also owned a 1960 Imperial Crown. It is one of 17 limousines made by Ghia in 1960, and the only one that year with blind rear quarter treatment.

In the 1974 movie “The Godfather II“, a black Ghia built 1958 Imperial Crown was used by Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) while at the family compound near Reno, Nevada.

Imperial limousines (1966–1983)

While the “Imperial Crown” limousines ended in 1965, Imperial limousines continued to be made by other coach builders. After the last ten Ghia built Imperial Crowns were completed, Ghia sold its tooling to Barreiros Coachbuilders of Spain. Barreiros built ten limousines, much like those built by Ghia and, similar to the last ten built by Ghia, built 1965s with 1966 exterior styling, but with two inches longer wheelbase. Build quality was poor by comparison, with the cars famous for having a wiring harness made from wires of the same color.

Between 1967 and 1971 a total of 27 Imperial limousines were produced by Stageway Coachbuilders (ASC) of Fort Smith, Arkansas on a 163.0 in (4,140 mm) wheelbase, and were justifiably advertised as the largest luxury automobiles in the world. Two 1972 models with 1973 grills were built by the Hess and Eisenhardt Company of Fairfield, Indiana for the United States Secret Service and were used by Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan on his swearing-in day. One 1974 model Imperial was produced into a limo also by ASC. The final Imperial limousines were 1981-83 bodied cars, two of which were stretched by 24 inches (610 mm) and five were lengthened by 36 inches (910 mm).

Sixth generation (1981–1983)

Sixth generation
Overview
Model years	1981–1983
Assembly	Windsor Assembly Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupé
Platform	Chrysler J platform
Related	Chrysler Cordoba Dodge Mirada
Powertrain
Engine	318 cu in (5.2 L) LA V8
Transmission	3-speed A904 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	112.7 in (2,863 mm)
Length	213.3 in (5,418 mm)
Width	72.7 in (1,847 mm)
Height	52.6 in (1,336 mm)
Curb weight	3,968 lb (1,800 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Chrysler New Yorker Brougham
Successor	Chrysler TC by Maserati (2-door coupe) (ideological) Chrysler Laser (market segment)

1982 Imperial

1981–1983 Imperial rear styling

 

The early 1980s Imperial was an attempt to reinvent the Imperial as a personal luxury car. This came about after Lee Iacocca took the helm at Chrysler, as he had been instrumental in creating the successful Lincoln Mark series for this market while he was at Ford in the late 1960s. Although the company was facing bankruptcy, Iacocca decided that “a new flagship would assure the public that Chrysler had a future.” During the design of the car it was intended to be named Chrysler LaScala. However, when the car finally appeared, it was marketed simply as an Imperial, and the Chrysler name was not used.

For 1981, the top level sedan was the Chrysler New Yorker with the special “Fifth Avenue” trim package, introduced in 1979. The 1981 coupe was branded “Imperial” but with no model name, while the sedan was branded as “Chrysler.”

The new Imperial was a smaller, two-door only package, sharing its wheelbase chassis with the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Mirada. Neither a convertible nor a 4-door version was available, though conversions were made of both by 3rd party companies. The bustle-back appearance was an attempt at an early 1980s luxury car appearance that was briefly popular, with Chrysler drawing inspiration from its 1937–1939 Chrysler Imperial sedans.

The Imperial eagle logo was not used as it had been moved to the Chrysler LeBaron model in 1977. Instead it bore a Chrysler Pentastar hood ornament made of Cartier crystal.

Competing models such as the Cadillac Eldorado and the Lincoln Continental Mark VI had been downsized by 1981, so the Imperial was of comparable size to its competitors, and the Eldorado was at that time rising to the peak of its success. A marketing effort for the new model included commercials and magazine ads featuring singer Frank Sinatra, a personal friend of Iacocca. Sinatra even recorded special songs to promote the new Imperial. The Imperials carried a market-leading 24-month/30,000-mile limited warranty which covered all labor, maintenance, and parts (except tires).

1981

The 1981 Imperial came with a long list of standard features including air conditioning with thermostatic temperature control, electronic VFD dash (including odometer, speedometer, gear selection, gasoline-use calculator, and clock), power windows, power door locks, power seats, power outside mirrors, power trunk release, tilt steering column, automatic speed control, garage door opener, and other conveniences. Because of its high level of standard equipment there were virtually no options other than a cost-free choice of wheels (color-coordinated ‘snowflake’ cast aluminum wheels or steel wire wheel covers), upholstery choice (Mark Cross leather or Yorkshire cloth), sound systems choice, 40-band CB radio, power moonroof, and the Frank Sinatra Edition package.

1982

The Imperial continued to offer an extensive list of standard luxury and convenience items for 1982 although some changes were made. Imperial’s “floating cushion” velour seats were replaced with ones of Kimberly velvet one-piece construction. New “Quartz-Lock” electronically tuned radios (ETR) were added to the options list while power moonroof was no longer available.

1983

Following significant price increases during the 1981 and 1982 model years, due in part to high inflation at the time, the Imperial’s base price was cut back close to its original introductory level. The hood ornament, while similar in appearance, was changed from Cartier crystal to plastic. The Frank Sinatra Edition package was no longer available. A suspension upgrade Touring Edition package was added.

Overall, the sixth generation Imperial did not meet Chrysler management’s sales and reliability expectations. It had innovations such as the fuel injection system and electronic instrument cluster, and Chrysler tried to use it as a showcase for technology and quality. Unfortunately the fuel injection system proved troublesome and many cars were retrofitted under warranty (or later on owner initiative) with carburetors.

The Imperial name would reappear in 1990, but as the flagship Chrysler Imperial model.

Powertrain

The 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8, with a Chrysler-built throttle-body EFI system, was the only available engine. The automatic transmission was a wide-ratio TorqueFlite equipped with lock-up torque converter, with the final drive ratio 2.2:1 in 1981 and 1983; 2.4:1 in 1982.

engine displacement, type, fuel system	max. motive power at rpm	max. torque at rpm	transmission
318 cu in (5,211 cc) LA V8 EFI	140 bhp (104 kW; 142 PS) @ 4,000	245 lb·ft (332 N·m) @ 2,000	3-speed TorqueFlite A904 automatic

Special trims

Frank Sinatra Edition

 Frank Sinatra in first 1981 Imperial built

The Imperial had an unusual distinction for 1981 as it was offered with an optional special edition named after a celebrity. The Imperial fs was a rare example of automotive history, as it was one of only a handful of regular production cars bearing a celebrity’s name. This limited edition Imperial was available only in Glacier Blue Crystal paint – Chrysler advertising claimed it matched the color of Sinatra’s eyes – and had special fs (lowercase) external badging, with a large glovebox placard proclaiming “Frank Sinatra Signature Edition”. Inside, 16 cassette tapes of Sinatra titles were presented in a specially made Mark Cross leather case. In the center console of the car there was also a special tray for 8 cassettes. 271 fs edition cars were manufactured. The “fs” cost $1,078.

Aside from the fs edition available for purchase by the public, Chrysler president Lee Iacocca commissioned a 1982 Imperial converted by ASC (American Sunroof Corporation) outside Detroit, Michigan using the front doors from a 1979-81 Dodge St. Regis sedan into a limousine with a 36 in (910 mm) stretch, and presented it to Frank Sinatra as a gift. A similar Imperial limousine also built by ASC is also used in the 1984 movie Cannonball Run II driven by Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise, as well as the movies Sharky’s Machine and Stick.

Cartier Crystals

All 1981 to 1983 Imperials had Cartier crystals strategically placed on the exterior opera lights and steering wheel, and each crystal displayed ‘Cartier.’ In addition, each Imperial came with a Cartier crystal key in the Mark Cross Gift Set.

Mark Cross Interior & Gift Set

All 1981 to 1983 Imperials had the interior designed by Mark Cross, maker of fine leather goods. The seating came in either Kimberly cloth or Leather. Upon purchasing a new Imperial, Chrysler shipped the new owner a Mark Cross Gift Set consisting of an umbrella, leather portfolio, leather key fob, uncut Cartier key, and a ‘Sounds of Stereo’ music cassette. These were exclusive Mark Cross items not available for sale in a Mark Cross show room.

NASCAR

A few race teams built NASCAR spec racecars with Imperial sheetmetal and raced them on the NASCAR circuit from 1981 through the 1985 season, though mostly only on the superspeedways. They were driven by Buddy Arrington, Rick Baldwin, Cecil Gordon, Phil Goode, and Maurice Randall. The cars did not distinguish themselves to any great degree, however a Buddy Arrington owned and driven Imperial finished in sixth place in the summer 1982 race at Brooklyn, Michigan. The Imperial-based cars were used in competition as it was determined to be far more aerodynamic (and capable of higher speeds) than the Dodge Mirada at the time. The car had a drag coefficient of 0.41, which was better than contemporary Corvette (0.45), and performed well on the big high speed tracks, with Morgan Shephard (driving Buddy Arrington’s Imperial) qualifying for the 1985 Daytona 500 at a speed of 197 mph, despite the lack of suitable high-performance race engines. One of Arrington’s Imperials resides in the Talladega, Alabama NASCAR museum.

My collection found by searching the world wide web:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Museo de Historia de la Automoción de Salamanca CHRYSLER IMPERIAL SERIE 80 Wiki Loves Art Fotografía: Juan Miguel Ávila del Arco | Darco TT Canon EOS 7D | Objetivo Canon 50mm 1.4 f/5.0 | 1/25 | ISO1000 Marca: CHRYSLER Modelo: IMPERIAL SERIE 80 Año: 1927 Cilindrada: 4.725 cc Potencia: 92 CV Carrocería: SEDÁN 4 PUERTAS Frenos: HIDRÁULICOS El Chrysler imperial es un vehículo que por su elegancia y majestuosidad era considerado el vehículo representativo de las altas esferas sociales de la época, tal es así que se engloba dentro de la categoría FULL CLASSIC según el Car Club of America. Fue uno de los primeros modelos de lujo construidos en serie, de tal manera que se consiguieron fabricar hasta 48.254 unidades entre 1927 y 1928 Museo de Historia de la Automoción de Salamanca Automóvil cedido por Marinduque, S.L.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Samsung

4 R

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Bj. 1972, V8, 7,1 l, 245 PS

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

DUESENBERG Automobile & Motors Company, Inc

Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1913-1937

Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc.

Industry	Automobile manufacturing Engine manufacturing
Founded	Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States (1913)
Founder	August Duesenberg Frederick Duesenberg
Defunct	1937; 79 years ago
Headquarters	Auburn, Indiana, United States
Number of locations	Auburn, Indiana
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	August Duesenberg & Frederick Duesenberg
Products	Model A Model X Model J
Services	Automobiles, ship and airplane engines
Website	http://www.automobilemuseum.org/

Duesenberg Motors Company (sometimes referred to as “Duesy”) was an American manufacturer of race cars and luxury automobiles. It was founded in St. Paul,MN, United States by brothers August and Frederick Duesenberg in 1913, where they built engines and race cars. The brothers moved their operations to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1916 to manufacture engines for WW I. In 1919, when their government contracts were cancelled, they moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, established the Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. (Delaware) and built outstanding automobiles. In late 1926, E.L. Cord added Duesenberg to his Auburn Automobile Company. With the market for expensive luxury cars severely undercut by the Depression, Duesenberg folded in 1937.

History

Duesenberg family with Fred and August in the middle, ca. 1886.

In 1913, brothers Fred and Augie Duesenberg founded Duesenberg Motors Company, Inc. on University Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, to build engines and race cars. The brothers were self-taught engineers and built many experimental cars. Duesenberg cars were considered some of the very best cars of the time, and were built entirely by hand. In 1914, Eddie Rickenbacker drove a “Duesy” to finish in 10th place at the Indianapolis 500, and Duesenberg won the race in 1924, 1925, and 1927. The fledgling company sidestepped into aviation engine manufacturing when Colonel R.C. Bolling and his commission acquired a license to produce the Bugatti U-16 for the U.S. Army Air Service. The end of World War I stopped this project before it could ever mature.

In 1921, Duesenberg provided the pace car for the Indy 500, driven by Fred Duesenberg. In 1923, Jimmy Murphy became the first American to win the French Grand Prix when he drove a Duesenberg to victory at Le Mans.

Products

Model A (1921–1927)

Main article: Duesenberg Model A

At the end of World War I, they ceased building aviation and marine engines in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In 1919 the Duesenberg brothers sold their Minnesota and New Jersey factories to John Willys and moved to a new headquarters and factory in Indianapolis, where the “Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc.” was established in 1920 to begin production of passenger cars. The plant was located on a 17-acre (69,000 m²) site on West Washington street at Harding street until 1937.

 1923 Duesenberg Model A touring car at the Louwman Museum NL

Although the Duesenberg brothers were world-class engineers, they were neither good businessmen nor administrators; they were unable to sell all the units of their first passenger car, the Model A. This had the first “mass-produced” straight eight engine in the U.S. It was an extremely advanced and expensive automobile (prices began at $6,500), offering features such as single overhead camshafts, four-valve cylinder heads, and the first four-wheel (16″) hydraulic brakes (designed by Fred in conjunction with Lockheed) offered on a passenger car anywhere (predating Adler‘s introduction to the European market in 1926 on the “Standard 6”). The Model A was a lighter and smaller vehicle than the competition. It was among the most powerful and the fastest cars of its time. Among the celebrities who purchased this model were Tom Mix and Rudolph Valentino.

The model experienced various delays going from prototype to production. Deliveries to dealers did not start until December 1921. Sales lagged and the goal of building 100 Duesenbergs each month proved far too high, as the Indianapolis plant struggled to roll out one a day. In 1922 no more than 150 cars were manufactured, and only 650 Model As were sold over a period of six years.

1922 Model A specifications

Engine	Power	Transmission	Wheelbase	Ground clearance	Frame
260CID 1-bbl. I8	90-100 hp	3-speed manual	134 in (3,404 mm)	10 in (254 mm)	Chrome Nickel steel 6.40-inch (163 mm) in depth

Winning races did not translate into financial success either, although that winning reputation would eventually attract new investors, who supplied the cash flow to prop up the production facility. The brothers continued to create excellent engines for cars, boats, and a few planes but only as employees of various capitalist investors who bought the rights to their famous family name.

 Brothers Duesenberg pictured in 1925, August at left and Fred at right.

The firm had already acquired a considerable aura of prestige when in October 1919, Fred signed over the rights to his name, patents and drawings for a passenger car to a pair of promoters, Newton E. Van Zandt and Luther M. Rankin. On March 8, 1920, these men became president and vice president of the “Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Corporation of Indianapolis”. Fred was chief engineer and Augie his assistant, and both were salaried as employees.

Van Zandt quit after a year, and business went from bad to worse in 1923. In 1924 the company went into receivership, but somehow it survived that year. In 1925, the firm’s name was changed to “Duesenberg Motors Corporation” and Fred assumed the title of president. Fred and August struggled to keep the company, but to no avail, as they weren’t able to raise enough capital.

Model X (1926–1927)

Model X Duesenbergs are very rare. It was a sportier version of the model A with a heavier and longer (136 in (3,500 mm) wheelbase) chassis and 100 hp (75 kW) engine that enabled it to reach 100 mph (161 km/h). The most notable differences between the A and X were that the latter had hypoid differentials and all its valves were on one side; it sported the hydraulic brakes that Fred had originated on his 1914 racing cars. This braking system could have earned him a fortune if he had obtained a patent.

According to Randy Ema, the top Duesenberg authority in the United States, only 13 were built. They fit in between the Duesenberg Model A and the famous J; only four were known to survive until automobile preservationist Jay Leno found a fifth X in a neighborhood garage in 2005.

Model J (1928–1937)

Main article: Duesenberg Model J

 1930 J Walker La Grande Torpedo Phaeton

E.L. Cord bought the company on October 26, 1926 for the brothers’ engineering skills, talent and the brand name in order to produce luxury cars. He challenged Fred Duesenberg to design an automobile that would be the best in the world. Indeed, Cord wanted the biggest, fastest, and most expensive car ever made. He also ordered a large chassis to be able to compete with the biggest, most powerful, and most luxurious European cars of the era, such as Hispano-Suiza, Isotta Fraschini, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls-Royce.

After Cord’s takeover, the new company was renamed “Duesenberg, Inc.” Fred would continue in the new organization, now with the title of vice president in charge of engineering and experimental work. Whereas Augie had played an important role in the development of the Model A and its variant, the very rare X, he had nothing to do with the J and had no formal connection with Duesenberg, Inc. until later. According to the expert Marshall Merkes, “Cord did not want Augie around.” However, all Duesenberg racing cars produced after 1926 were Augie-built in an enterprise that functioned separately, and in a building apart from the main Duesenberg plant. He was also responsible for a number of engineering achievements like the superchargers he developed for both the Auburn and Cord motorcars.

 Duesenberg J Murphy 1931.

The newly revived Duesenberg company set about to produce the Model J, which debuted December 1 at the New York Car Show of 1928. In Europe, it was launched at the “Salon de l’automobile de Paris” of 1929. The first and — at the time of the New York presentation — only example made of the series, the J-101, was a sweep-panel, dual-cowl phaeton, with coachwork by LeBaron, finished in silver and black. By the time the Great Depression hit in October 1929, the Duesenberg Company had only built some 200 cars. An additional 100 orders were filled in 1930. Thus, the Model J fell short of the original goal to sell 500 cars a year.

 Model J engine

The Model J’s straight-eight was based on the company’s successful racing engines of the 1920s; designed by Duesenberg, they were manufactured by Lycoming, another company owned by Cord. In unsupercharged form, the eight produced an impressive (for the period) 265 horsepower (198 kW), aided by dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The Model J was capable of a top speed of 119 mph (192 km/h), and 94 mph (151 km/h) in second gear. Other cars featured larger-displacement engines, but none surpassed its power. It was also both the fastest and most expensive American automobile in the market.

As was the custom among the luxury car brands, only the chassis and engine were displayed, since the interior and body of the car would be coachbuilt to the owner’s specifications. The chassis on most Model Js were the same, as was the styling of such elements as fenders, headlamps, radiator, hood and instrument panel.

Duesenberg bodies came from both the United States and Europe, and the finished cars were some of the largest, grandest, most beautiful, and most elegant cars ever created. About half the Model Js built by Duesenberg had coachworks devised by the company’s chief body designer, Gordon Buehrig. The rest were by independent coachbuilders from the United States, such as Derham, Holbrook, Judkins, Le Baron, Murphy, Rollston (later renamed Rollson), Walker, Weymann, and Willoughby, and from European works Fernandez et Darrin, Franay, Gurney Nutting, Saoutchik, etc. However, other coachworks were made by Duesenberg branches in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Florida and Denver, as well as by smaller dealers. For the in-house bodies Duesenberg used the name of La Grande.

The chassis cost $8,500 ($9,500 after 1932); the completed base model cost between $13,000 and $19,000 (two of the American-bodied J’s reached $25,000), at a time when the average U.S. physician earned less than $3,000 a year. Figures are not available as to the prices charged by deluxe coachbuilders in Europe, but it is reasonable to assume the final selling price of the products mounted on the costly imported chassis were considerably higher than their all-American-built counterparts.

The J was available in two versions of chassis with a different wheelbase; a long one (153.54 in (3.90 m)) and a short one (about 141.73 in (3.60 m)). There were also other special sizes, like the only two SSJs with a wheelbase shortened to 125 in (3.18 m) and a couple of cars with the wheelbase extended to 4 m (160 in) and over.

The dashboard included lights that reminded the driver the oil needed changing and the battery should be inspected.

A series of minor modifications were carried out during the production life, but most of the design remained the same up until the factory closed in 1937. First to go was the four-speed gearbox, which proved unable to handle the engine’s power. It was replaced by an unsynchronized three-speed gearbox, which was fitted to all subsequent Duesenbergs. Unlike almost all American manufacturers, Duesenberg did not switch to a fully synchronized gearbox in the mid-1930s, which made the Model J difficult to drive and outdated. By 1937 the chassis and gearbox were ancient compared to the competition.

Regarding this model, it is necessary to emphasize that most of them (engine and chassis) were made in 1929 and 1930, but due to the Depression, high price, and other factors, were sold in subsequent years. The year it was bodied is used to date a particular J, though the chassis was made in an earlier year.

1935 SJ LaGrande Dual-Cowl Phaeton.

The supercharged version, often referred to as the SJ, was reputed to achieve 104 miles per hour (167 km/h) in second gear and have a top speed of 135–140 miles per hour (217–225 km/h) in third gear. Zero-to-60 mph (97 km/h) times of around eight seconds and 0–100 mph (0–161 km/h) in 17 seconds were reported for the SJ in spite of the unsynchronized transmissions, at a time when even the best cars of the era were not likely to reach 100 mph (160 km/h). Duesenbergs generally weighed around two and a half tons; up to three tons was not unusual, considering the wide array of custom coachwork available. The wheelbase was 142.5 in (362 cm).

This rare supercharged Model J version, with 320 hp (239 kW) was also created by Fred Duesenberg. and introduced in May 1932, only 36 units were built. Special-bodied models, such as the later “Marmon Meteor” chassis, achieved an average speed of over 135 mph (217 km/h) and a one-hour average of over 152 mph (245 km/h) at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The SJ’s supercharger was located beside the engine; to make room for it, the exhaust pipes were creased so they could be bent easily and extended through the side panel of the hood. These supercharged cars can be recognized by these shiny creased tubes, which Cord registered as a trademark and used in his other supercharged cars from Cord and Auburn.

Fred Duesenberg died of pneumonia on July 26, 1932, resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in which he was driving a Murphy-bodied SJ convertible. His brother, Augie, took over Fred’s duties as chief engineer and Harold T. Ames became president of Duesenberg, Inc.

The SSJ is very similar to the SJ version, but with close to 400 hp (298 kW). The only two examples built in 1935, the SSJ Speedsters sported a lightweight open-roadster body produced by Central Manufacturing Company, an Auburn subsidiary in Connersville, Indiana. One of them belonged to the actor Gary Cooper, the other one was lent by the company to actor Clark Gable, who already owned a Duesenberg J. The inscription SSJ (same goes for SJ) has never been officially used by the company, but it eventually became commonly used among the car lovers. The second “S” stands for “short wheelbase” as the two SSJ are the only Duesenberg to have a chassis with the wheelbase shortened to 125 in (3,200 mm). The 420 cu in (6.9 l) straight eight engine of both SSJ models is equipped with two special carburetors and inlet ports of a special shape called “ram’s horn”, which was used in other SJs as well. Unlike the normal port, the “ram’s horn” is composed of two horns, with each of the two being split in two again. At the rear, the SSJ sported an external spare tire and smaller “later-style” round taillights. The external exhaust pipes sprouting out of the hood were an indication it was the “supercharged” version, but these were optional on J models as well.

There is another version of the model J known as the Duesenberg JN (a name never used by the company either). All JNs were sold with Rollston coachwork and only ten were produced in 1935. In an attempt to give a more modern look to an ageing design, the JN was equipped with smaller 17 in (43 cm)-diameter wheels (versus 19 in (48 cm)), skirted fenders, bullet-shaped taillights, and bodies set on the frame rails for a lower look. The battery box and tool box were redesigned slightly so that the doors could close over the frame. Supercharged JNs gained the logical SJN designation.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain standing next to his 1930 Model J Hibbard and Darrin Town Car.

The Model J quickly became one of the most popular luxury cars, as well as a status symbol in the United States and Europe, driven by the rich and famous, including Al Capone, Evalyn Walsh McLean, Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes, Mae West, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Clark Gable, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, William Randolph Hearst, Powel Crosley, Jr., the families Mars, Whitney, and Wrigley; members of European royalty such as the Duke of Windsor, Prince Nicholas of Romania, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, and the Kings Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Alfonso XIII of Spain. The latter was very keen on motoring and chose his now-missing Duesenberg J, among his cars, to go to exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. Father Divine had the last Duesenberg chassis built with an extra-long 178-inch wheelbase. It weighed 7,800 lb (3,500 kg) and accommodated ten passengers. J. Herbert Newport was the designer. Built by Bohman and Schwartz and delivered in October 1937, it was 22 ft (6.7 m) long and 7 ft (2.1 m) wide. It was known as Father Divine’s Throne Car, because it had a removable rear top section that exposed two raised rear seats.

Originally, New York supported the Model J. New York was the financial capital of the United States in 1929, and many of its people could afford such a very expensive car. As the Depression deepened, however, power shifted, and ultimately it was newly wealthy Hollywood that kept Duesenberg alive through much of the 1930s. It was so reputed and imposing that many Hollywood stars, such as James Cagney, posed next to the car to promote their careers.

Duesenberg advertising the Model J as “The World’s Finest Motor Car”. In their print ads, an elegant man or woman were seen together with a concise but meaningful sentence: “He/She drives a Duesenberg”. The campaign was a success.

There was a gradual evolution (up to the 1937 model) to preserve the “stately lines” while moving into a more integrated mode of styling. The final evolution of the Duesenberg engine was ram-air intakes, which were added to some of the last supercharged models to produce 400 hp (298 kW), referred to as “SSJ”. Of 481 Model Js built (including all its versions) produced between 1928 and 1937, about 378 survive.

Duesenberg ceased production in 1937 after Cord’s financial empire collapsed. However, between 1937 and 1940 two automobiles put the final touch to this historic marque. The first one was delivered by the coachbuilder Rollson to the German artist Rudolf Bauer in April 1940; it is both the longest Duesenberg and the last one delivered. The last one ever made was assembled from leftover parts between 1938 and 1940.

In 1940, Augie Duesenberg sold marine versions of the current 254-ci splash-oiled Hudson flathead inline eight.

Duesenberg became far less popular during World War II, by the end of which a few Model Js were advertised for around $300 to $400, with some ultimately selling for only $100 or $200. Business rebounded in the 1950s, when classic and vintage cars became popular among collectors. Several Model Js were advertised in the New York Times in 1951, at prices as low as $500. By 1959 a decent example could not be bought for less than $4,000.

A distinctive feature of the Duesenberg Model J was the “bowtie” style front bumper, which used two pieces of steel, with the top piece bent to resemble a bowtie.

Production summary

Name	Years of production	Units made
Model A	1921–1927	~650
Model X	1926–27	13
Model Y (model J prototype)	1927	1
Model J (including SJ, SSJ, JN & SJN)	1929–37, SJ: (1932–37), SSJ: (1935), JN & SJN: (1935)	Total: 481, S(36), SSJ (2), JN & SJN (10)

Revivals

After World War II, August Duesenberg tried to revive the Duesenberg name but was unsuccessful; several later attempts were also unsuccessful. The closest came in the mid-1960s with Fritz (August’s son) at the helm and Virgil Exner as the stylist using the chassis of a 1966 Imperial and a Chrysler engine. One of Exner’s Duesenberg designs was later produced as a replicar Stutz Bearcat.

A 1970s Duesenberg was also created, based on a contemporary Cadillac Fleetwood and with modern styling. Its production was a limited run.

A reproduction automobile called Duesenberg II was produced between 1978 and 2000 by the Elite Heritage Motors Corp and successor company Duesenberg Motors Inc. in Elroy, Wisconsin. Five body models of the original Duesenberg J were offered. Each one was copied from an original and visually almost identical, with Ford Lincoln drive train, Ford V8 engine and modern comfort features. These replicas sold for up to US$225,000. Fewer than 100 total were made.

In 2011 a new company with worldwide trademark rights was established as Duesenberg Motors Inc., with the intention of again restarting the manufacturing of the Duesenberg II replicas in 2012 in Baldwin, Wisconsin. This effort died quickly when the owner stopped the project because of lack of cash flow. There are no products currently for sale, and future cars are unlikely.

A Duesenberg SJ convertible coupe sold for $4.5 million in March 2013.

Etymological note

A model J in front of Fred & Augie Duesenberg birthplace in Kirchheide, Germany.

The origin of the American slang word “doozy” or “doozie”, meaning something excellent or powerful, is unknown. Merriam-Webster completely rejects any origin in the automobile, noting doozy originally appeared as “dozy” in eastern Ohio in 1916 — four years prior to the production of the first Duesenberg vehicles. They also claim there is little evidence connecting the Duesenberg and doozy during the 1920s and 1930s, when the car was most popular. “Dozy” is akin to the verb “dozen” that is semantically and etymologically related to “daze” and that is attested in slang terms such as “the dozens.”

See also

• Auburn Automobile
• Cord Automobile
• Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
• Duesenberg Straight-8 engine
• List of automobile manufacturers
• List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
• List of Indianapolis 500 pace cars

My collection found by searching the world wide web:

dwg by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky

Highlites from early Road & Track issues

CORD Automobiles

Cord (automobile) 1929-1932 and 1936-1937 by Auburn Automobile Company Indiana USA

 A 1929 L-29 Phaeton on display at the 2005 United States Grand Prix

 1931 L-29 Convertible Coupé

Cord was the brand name of an American automobile company from Connersville, Indiana, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937.

The Cord Corporation was founded and run by E. L. Cord as a holding company for his many transportation interests, including Auburn. Cord was noted for its innovative technology and streamlined designs. Cord had a philosophy to build truly different, innovative cars, believing they would also sell well and turn a profit. This did not always work well in practice.

Innovations

 1930 Cord L-29

Cord innovations include front-wheel drive on the L-29 and hidden headlamps on the 810 and 812.

Hidden headlamps did not become common as a standard feature until the 1960s (though DeSoto used them in 1942). The early Oldsmobile Toronados, whose GM stylists later stated they were trying to capture the “feel” of the Cord’s design, also featured hidden headlamps.

“Servo” shifting was accomplished through a bendix electro-vacuum pre-selector mechanism (a type of electronic shifting).

Cord L-29

This was the first American front-wheel drive car to be offered to the public, beating the Ruxton automobile by several months, in 1929. The brainchild of former Miller engineer Carl Van Ranst, its drive system borrowed from the Indianapolis 500-dominating racers, using the same de Dion layout and inboard brakes. This allowed it to be much lower than competing cars. Both stock cars and special bodies built on the Cord chassis by American and European coachbuilders won prizes in contests worldwide. The L-29 came with full instrumentation, including a temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, and speedometer on the left with a gas gauge, oil level gauge, and Ammeter on the right of the steering wheel.

It was powered by Auburn’s 4,934 cc (301 cu in) 125 hp (93 kW) L-head Lycoming inline 8 from the Auburn 120, with the crankshaft pushed out through the front of the block and the flywheel mounted there, driving a three-speed transmission. Gearing in both transmission and front axle was inadequate, and the 4,700 lb (2,100 kg) car was underpowered, limited to a trifle over 80 mph (130 km/h), inadequate even at the time, and readily exceeded by the less expensive Auburn. Still, the styling was lovely, and despite the 137.5 in (3,490 mm) wheelbase and steering demanding fully four turns lock-to-lock, handling was reportedly superb. Priced around US$3,000, it was competitive with Marmon, Lincoln, Packard, Franklin, and Stutz; the 1930 Chrysler copied several styling elements. It could not outrun the Great Depression, and by 1932, it was discontinued, with just 4,400 sold. Wheelbase was 137.5″ and the height of the sedan was 61″.

Cord Model 810/812

Main article: Cord 810/812

 1937 Cord 812 Westchester sedan

The Model 810/812 are probably the best-known of the company’s products. Styled by Gordon M. Buehrig, they featured front-wheel drive and independent front suspension; the front drive enabled the 810 to be so low, runningboards were unnecessary. Powered by a 4,739 cc (289 cu in) Lycoming V8 of the same 125 hp (93 kW) as the L-29, the 810 had a four-speed electrically-selected semi-automatic transmission, among other innovative features.

The car caused a sensation at the New York Auto Show in November 1935. Orders were taken at the show with Cord promising Christmas delivery, expecting production of 1,000 per month. Production delays pushed the expected delivery date to February 1936. This proved optimistic; the first production vehicles were not delivered until April. In all, Cord managed to sell only 1,174 of the new 810 in its first model year. The car is well known for the flat front nose with a louvered grille design. The front was so similar in look to a coffin, the car was often called “Coffin Nose“.

Demise of the Cord

Early reliability problems, including slipping out of gear and vapor lock, cooled initial enthusiasm, and the dealer base shrank rapidly. Unsold left-over and in-process 1936 810s were re-numbered and sold as 1937 812s. In 1937, Auburn ceased production of the Cord. A single 1938 Cord prototype with some changes to the grille and transmission cover was built, and it still exists (2015). The Cord empire, amid allegations of financial fraud, was sold to the Aviation Corporation, and E.L. Cord moved to Nevada where he earned millions in real estate and other enterprises.

Revival

Hupmobile Skylark

The Cord 812 design was re-marketed almost immediately in 1940, as ailing automakers Hupmobile and Graham-Paige tried to save money, and revive the companies, by using the same body dies. Except for their similarity to the 810, their four-door sedans, the Hupp Skylark and the Graham Hollywood, were unremarkable. Retractable headlights gave way to plain headlight pods, and power came from a standard front-engine/rear-wheel drive design. While Hupp Motor Company built a few prototypes in 1939 that gained them sales orders for the 1939 model year they did not have the resources to manufacture the car. Graham Paige stepped in offering to build the Hupmobile Skylarks on a per piece contract basis. Graham built a combined 1850 units for sale in the 1940 model year. Hupmobile closed before the 1941 model came around. Of the 1850 cars produced in the 1940 model year by Graham only about 450 were the Hupmobile Skylarks. Graham continued to build the Hollywood late into 1941. They stopped production in November of that year having only built a rumored 400 units. The Hollywood was powered by a supercharged Continental in line six making 124 HP, almost 50 less than the original supercharged Cord.

My collection found by searching the world wide web:

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

source Profile Publicationsa #35

AUBURN Automobile

Auburn Automobile, touring and sports cars, Indiana, United States 1900-1936

Auburn Automobile Company

Auburn hood ornament
Type	Automobile Manufacturing
Industry	Automotive
Genre	Touring Cars & Sports Cars
Fate	Bankruptcy
Founded	Auburn, Indiana
Founder	Frank and Morris Eckhart
Headquarters	Auburn, Indiana, United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Frank and Morris Eckhart, & E.L. Cord
Products	Vehicles Automotive parts
Services	Automobiles

Auburn was a brand name of American automobiles produced from 1900 through 1936.

Corporate history

The Auburn Automobile Company grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana in 1874 by Charles Eckhart (1841–1915). Eckhart’s sons, Frank and Morris, experimented making automobiles before entering the business in earnest, absorbing two other local carmakers and moving into a larger plant in 1909. The enterprise was modestly successful until materials shortages during World War I forced the plant to close.

In 1919, the Eckhart brothers sold the company to a group of Chicago investors headed by Ralph Austin Bard, who later served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and as Undersecretary of the Navy for President Roosevelt and for President Harry S. Truman. The new owners revived the business but failed to realize their anticipated profits and in 1924, approached Errett Lobban Cord(1894–1974), a highly successful automobile salesman, with an offer to run the company. Cord countered with an offer to take over completely in what amounted to a leveraged buyout and the Chicago group accepted. Cord aggressively marketed the company’s unsold inventory and completed his buyout before the end of 1925.

But styling and engineering failed to overcome the fact that Cord’s vehicles were too expensive for the Depression-era market and Cord’s stock manipulations that would force him to give up control of his car companies. Under injunction from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to refrain from further violations, Cord sold his shares in his automobile holding company. In 1937, production of Auburns, along with that of Cords and Duesenbergs, ended.

 1936 Auburn 654 Cabriolet.

 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster

Models

The 1904 Auburn was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat two or four passengers and sold for US$1000. The flat-mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 10 hp (7.5 kW). A two-speed planetary transmission was fitted. The angle-steel-framed car weighed 1,500 lb (680 kg) and used half-elliptic springs.

In 1926, Cord, now the owner of Auburn, partnered with Duesenberg Corporation, famous for its racing cars, and used it as the launching platform for a line of high-priced luxury vehicles. He also put his own name on a front-wheel-drive car, the Cord, later referred to as “L-29”.

Employing imaginative designers such as Alan Leamy — chief designer of the 1933 Auburn Speedster, and Gordon Buehrig, who modified leftover bodies to produce the 1935 851 Speedster and modified the four-door, Cord built cars such as the Duesenberg Model J (1928–37), the Auburn Speedster (1935-7), and the Cord 810/812 (1936-7) that became famous for their advanced engineering as well as their striking appearance. TheAuburn Boattail Speedster was powered by a 4.6L straight eight that, with the popular supercharger option(150 hp), could top 100 mph (160 km/h) making it a popular model in the Hollywood market.

The Depression, coupled with Cord’s stock manipulations, spelled the end of the company and production ceased in 1937. The company’s art deco headquarters in Auburn now houses the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum and became a National Historic Landmark in 2005. The Auburn Automobile Company also had a manufacturing plant in Connersville, Indiana, formerly owned by the Lexington Motor Company.

Auburn production specifications

Auburn 8-Eighty-Eight Sedan

See also

 1935 Auburn Speedster ad

• Auburn-Cord-Dusenberg Flickr Group
• The Auburn Gallery at White Glove Collection
• RemarkableCars.com– Auburn Photo Galleries

my picture collection found on the world wide web:

NASH Motors

Nash Motors Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States 1916 till 1954

Nash Motors

Industry	Automobile
Fate	Merged
Successor	Nash-Kelvinator
Founded	1916
Defunct	1954
Headquarters	Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States
Key people	Charles W. Nash, Nils Erik Wahlberg
Products	Vehicles

Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 1957 after the creation of American Motors Corporation.

Nash pioneered some important innovations; in 1938 they debuted the heating and ventilation system which is still used today, unibody construction in 1941, seat belts in 1950, a US built compact car in 1950, and muscle cars in (1957).

History

1917 Nash Fire Truck Model 3017

1922 Nash Roadster Model 42

 

1925 Nash

1929 Nash 400

1936 Nash 400 de Luxe

Nash Motors was founded in 1916 by former General Motors president Charles W. Nash who acquired the Thomas B. Jeffery Company. Jeffery’s best-known automobile was the Rambler whose mass production from a plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin began in 1902.

The 1917 Nash Model 671 was the first vehicle produced to bear the name of the new company’s founder. Nash enjoyed decades of success by focusing its efforts to build cars “embodying honest worth … [at] a price level which held out possibilities of a very wide market.”

The four-wheel drive Jeffery Quad truck became an important product for Nash. Approximately 11,500 Quads were built between 1913 and 1919. They served to move materiel during World War I under severe conditions. The Quad used Meuhl differentials with half-shafts mounted above the load-bearing dead axles to drive the hubs through hub-reduction gearing. in addition to featuring four-wheel steering. The Quad achieved the reputation of being the best four-wheel drive truck produced in the country. The newly formed Nash Motors became the largest producer of four-wheel drives. By 1918, capacity constraints at Nash meant the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company began to assemble the Nash Quad under license and Nash patents. Nash became the leading producer of military trucks by the end of World War I. After the war ended, surplus Quads were used as heavy work trucks in fields such as construction and logging.

Charles Nash convinced the chief engineer of GM’s Oakland Division, Finnish-born Nils Eric Wahlberg, to move to Nash’s new company. The first Nash engine introduced in 1917 by Wahlberg had overhead valves. Wahlberg is also credited with helping to design flow-through ventilation that is used today in nearly every motor vehicle. Introduced in 1938, Nash’s Weather Eye directed fresh, outside air into the car’s fan-boosted, filtered ventilation system, where it was warmed (or cooled), and then removed through rearward placed vents. The process also helped to reduce humidity and equalize the slight pressure differential between the outside and inside of a moving vehicle. Another unique feature of Nash cars was the unequal wheel tracks. The front wheels were set slightly narrower than the rear, thus adding stability and improving cornering. Wahlberg was also an early proponent of wind tunnel testing for vehicles and during World War II worked with Theodore (Ted) Ulrich in the development of Nash’s radically styled Airflyte models.

Nash’s slogan from the late 1920s and 1930s was “Give the customer more than he has paid for” and the cars lived up to it. Innovations included a straight-eight engine with overhead valves, twin spark plugs, and nine crankshaft bearings in 1930. The 1932 Ambassador Eight had synchromesh transmissions and free wheeling, automatic centralized chassis lubrication, a worm-drive rear end, and its suspension was adjustable inside the car. A long-time proponent of automotive safety, Nash was among the early mid- and low-priced cars to offer four-wheel brakes.

The Nash was a success among consumers that meant for the company “selling for a long time has been 100% a production problem… month after month all the cars that could be produced were sold before they left the factory floor.”

Creation of the Ajax

1925 nash ajax-englebert

For the 1925 model year, Nash introduced the entry-level marque Ajax. A car of exceptional quality for its price, the Ajax was produced in the newly acquired Mitchell Motor Car Company plant in Racine, Wisconsin. Mitchell was the manufacturer of Mitchell-brand automobiles between 1903 and 1923. Sales of Ajax automobiles, while quite respectable, were disappointing. It was believed that the same car would sell better if it were called a Nash. Thus the Ajax became the “Nash Light Six” in June, 1926 and sales did improve, just as expected. In an unusual move, Nash Motors offered all Ajax owners a kit to “convert” their Ajax into a Nash Light Six. This kit, supplied at no charge, included a set of new hubcaps, radiator badge, and all other parts necessary to change the identity of an Ajax into that of a Nash Light Six. This was done to protect Ajax owners from the inevitable drop in resale value when the Ajax marque was discontinued. In this way Nash Motors showed the high value they placed upon their customers’ satisfaction and well-being. Most Ajax owners took advantage of this move, and “unconverted” Ajax cars are quite rare today.

1926 Nash Ajax Six Sedan Motor Car Company Kenosha Wisconsin Salute Art Ad

Acquisition of LaFayette

LaFayette Motors was the producer of a large, powerful, expensive luxury car. The company started in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1920, and later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The principal stockholder in LaFayette Motors was Nash Motors Company. Other major stockholders were Charles W. Nash and friends and business associates. The high quality, high priced LaFayette cars did not sell well.

In 1924, Nash absorbed LaFayette Motors and converted its plant to produce Ajax automobiles. The LaFayette name was reintroduced in 1934 as a lower priced companion to Nash. LaFayette ceased to be an independent marque with the introduction of the 1937 models. From 1937 through 1940, the Nash LaFayette was the lowest priced Nash, and was replaced by the new unibody Nash 600 for the 1941 model year.

Era of George Mason and Nash Kelvinator

 Nash Special Six Series 430 Coupé 1929

 Nash Standard Six Series 422 Convertible Coupé 1929

Before retiring, Charlie Nash chose Kelvinator Corporation head George W. Mason to succeed him. Mason accepted, but placed one condition on the job: Nash would acquire controlling interest in Kelvinator, which at the time was the leading manufacturer of high-end refrigerators and kitchen appliances in the United States. The resulting company, as of January 4, 1937, was known as the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash as a brand name continued to represent automobiles for Nash-Kelvinator. This was the largest merger of companies not in the same industry up until that time.

In 1938, Nash introduced an optional conditioned air heating/ventilating system, an outcome of the expertise shared between Kelvinator and Nash. This was the first hot-water car heater to draw fresh air from outside the car, and is the basis of all modern car heaters in use today. Also in 1938, Nash, along with other car manufacturers Studebaker and Graham, offered vacuum-controlled shifting, an early approach at removing the gearshift from the front floorboards. Automobiles equipped with the Automatic Vacuum Shift (supplied by the Evans Products Company) had a small gear selector lever mounted on the dashboard, immediately below the radio controls.

In 1936, Nash introduced the “Bed-In-A-Car” feature, which allowed the car’s interior to be converted into a sleeping compartment. The rear seat back hinged up, allowing the rear seat cushion to be propped up into a level position. This also created an opening between the passenger compartment and the trunk. Two adults could sleep in the car, with their legs and feet in the trunk, and their heads and shoulders on the rear seat cushions. In 1949 this arrangement was modified so that fully reclining front seat backs created a sleeping area entirely within the passenger compartment. In 1950 these reclining seat backs were given the ability to lock into several intermediate positions. Nash soon called these new seat backs “Airliner Reclining Seats”.

In 1939, Nash added a thermostat to its “Conditioned Air System”, and thus the famous Nash Weather Eye heater was born. The 1939 and 1940 Nash streamlined cars were designed by George Walker and Associates and freelance body stylist Don Mortrude. They were available in three series – LaFayette, Ambassador Six and Ambassador Eight. For the 1940 model cars Nash introduced independent coil spring front suspension and sealed beam headlights.

The 1941, Nash 600 was the first mass-produced unibody construction automobile made in the United States. Its lighter weight compared to body-on-frame automobiles and lower air drag helped it to achieve excellent fuel economy for its day. The “600” model designation is said to have been derived from overdrive-equipped examples of this car’s ability to travel 600 miles (966 km) on a 20-US-gallon (75.7 l; 16.7 imp gal) tank of gasoline. In other words, it would achieve 30 miles per US gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg_-imp). The 600 models used an unusual steering/front suspension system with extremely long king pins. Inadequate lubrication became a problem for these systems, commonly resulting in premature failures. The design of the cars was improved by new front ends, upholstery, and chrome trim from 1942 to 1948. The larger Ambassador models shared the same bodies with the 600 but placed this unibody structure on top of a conventional frame, resulting in an extremely strong car.

Post-World War II passenger car production resumed on October 27, 1945 with an Ambassador sedan first off the assembly line. There were few changes from 1942 models, most noticeable were longer and slimmer upper grille bars and a projecting center section on the lower grille. The 600 models got a new, more conventional front suspension & steering system. The inline 8-cylinder Ambassador model did not return in 1946. The large Ambassador engine thus was the seven main bearing, overhead valve 234-cubic-inch six-cylinder developing 112 brake horsepower. For the 1946 model year Nash introduced the Suburban model that used wood framing & panels on the body. It was similar to the Chrysler Town and Country and Ford Sportsman models. Suburbans were continued in 1947 and 1948 models with 1,000 built over all three years. In 1948 the Ambassador convertible returned with 1,000 built.

Introduction of the Nash Airflyte

The aerodynamic 1949 Nash “Airflyte” was the first car of an advanced design introduced by the company after the war. Its aerodynamic body shape was developed in a wind tunnel. Nils Wahlberg’s theories on reducing an automobile body’s drag coefficient resulted in a smooth shape and enclosed front fenders. The “cutting-edge aerodynamics” was the most “alarming” all-new postwar design in the industry since the Chrysler Airflow. A one-piece curved safety glass windshield was used on both models. Wide and low, the automobile featured more interior room than its 1948 predecessor although its height was 6 inches less. Due to its enclosed front fenders Nash automobiles had a larger turning radius than most other cars. The 600 models used a 112-inch (2,800 mm) wheelbase while the Ambassador models stretched to 121 inches (3,073 mm). Both shared the same bodies. Coil springs were used on all four wheels. Three trim lines were offered in both models; Super, Super Special, and the top line Custom. Power was provided by an 82 Horsepower 176 cubic inch flathead inline 6 cylinder in the 600 and an 112 HP OHV 234 cubic inch inline 6 in the Ambassador.

 Nash Statesman 2-Door Sedan 1951

The few changes for the 1950 Airflytes were a wider rear window, concealed fuel filler cap, some dashboard features and addition on Ambassadors of a GM Hydramatic automatic transmission option. The 600 models were renamed the “Statesman”. A new first for an American car were seat belts, also new was a five-position Airliner reclining front passenger seat back, both optional in both models. The stroke on the Statesman engine was increased 1/4 inch giving 186 cubic inches and 85 HP and the Ambassador received a new cylinder head that increased HP to 115.

Changes for the 1951 model Airflytes were to the rear fenders, elongated to incorporate vertical taillights, a new conventional dashboard replacing the Uniscope mounted on the steering column, a new vertical bar grille with horizontal parking lights and addition of GM Hydramatic as a Statesman option also. The three best sales years for Nash up to that time were 1949, 1950 and 1951.

 Nash Metropolitan

Nash-Kelvinator’s President George Mason felt Nash had the best chance of reaching a larger market in building small cars. He directed Nash towards the development of the first compact of the post war era, the 1950 Nash Rambler, which was marketed as an up-market, feature-laden convertible. Mason also arranged for the introduction of the Austin-built small Metropolitan from Britain, which was introduced as a 1954 model.

The full-size Nash Airflytes were completely re-designed for 1952, and were promoted as the Golden Airflytes, in honor of Nash Motors’ 50th anniversary as an automobile builder (the company now counting the years of the Thomas B. Jeffery Company as part of their own heritage.) “Great Cars Since 1902” became one of the company’s advertising slogans. Nash was one of the few American car manufacturers to introduce an all-new 1952 model other than Ford Motor Company. The new Golden Airflytes presented a more modern, squared-off look than did the 1949–1951 models, which were often compared to upside-down bathtubs. Pininfarina of Italy was contracted by Nash to design a body for the new Golden Airflyte; however management was unhappy with the design and the result was a combination of an in-house design and Pininfarina’s model.

Using its Kelvinator refrigeration experience, the automobile industry’s first single-unit heating and air conditioning system was introduced by Nash in 1954. This was a compact, affordable system for the mass market with controls on the dash and an electric clutch. Entirely incorporated within the engine bay, the combined heating and cooling system had cold air for passengers enter through dash-mounted vents. Competing systems used a separate heating system and an engine-mounted compressor with an Evaporator in the car’s trunk to deliver cold air through the rear package shelf and overhead vents. The alternative layout pioneered by Nash “became established practice and continues to form the basis of the modern and more sophisticated automatic climate control systems.”

Introduction of the Nash-Healey

 1952 Pininfarina-styled Nash-Healey roadster

1951 saw the introduction of the Anglo-American Nash-Healey sports car, a collaborative effort between George Mason and British sports car manufacturer Donald Healey. Healey designed and built the chassis and suspension and also, until 1952, the aluminum body which another British manufacturer, Panelcraft Sheet Metal Co. Ltd., fabricated in Birmingham. Nash shipped the powertrain components. Healey assembled the cars, which were then shipped to the U.S. for sale. In 1952 the Italian designer Battista Farina restyled the body, and its construction changed to steel and aluminum. High costs, low sales and Nash’s focus on the Rambler line led to the termination of Nash-Healey production in 1954 after 506 automobiles had been produced.

Mason commissioned Farina to design a Rambler-based two-seater coupe called the Palm Beach, which may have been intended as a successor to the Nash-Healey. However the project did not progress beyond a concept car

For European endurance racing Healey and his staff designed and built three special Nash-Healeys with spartan, lightweight aluminum racing bodies. These competition versions entered four consecutive Le Mans races and one Mille Miglia. They bore no outward resemblance to the production Nash-Healeys, none of which ever contested these races.

At Le Mans they achieved fourth overall in 1950, sixth overall and fourth in class in 1951, third overall and first in class in 1952, and eleventh overall in 1953. In the Mille Miglia they finished ninth overall in 1950 and seventh overall, fourth in class, in 1952.

Creation of American Motors

 1955 Nash Rambler Cross Country station wagon

In January 1954 Nash announced the acquisition of the Hudson Motor Car Company as a friendly merger, creating American Motors Corporation (AMC). To improve the financial performance of the combined companies, all production beginning with the 1955 Nash and Hudson models would happen at Nash’s Kenosha plant. Nash would focus most of its marketing dollars on its smaller Rambler models, and Hudson would focus its marketing dollars on its full-sized cars.

For 1955, all senior Hudson and Nash automobiles were based on a shared common unitized body shell, but with individual powertrains and separate, non-interchangeable body parts. This mimicked the longtime practice Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) that allowed for maximum manufacturing economy. Even with the merger forming AMC, the independent automakers held to a total of about four percent of the market and had to innovate to lower their expenses and tooling costs for new models.

The Nash Metropolitan produced with the British Motor Corporation, which had been marketed under both the Nash and Hudson brands, became a make unto its own in 1957, as did the Rambler. The Ramblers quickly overtook Nash and Hudson as the leading line of cars manufactured by AMC.

Soon after the 1954 merger, CEO George Mason died. Mason’s successor, George W. Romney, pinned the future of the company on an expanded Rambler line of compact-sized cars, and began the process of phasing out the Nash and Hudson nameplates by the end of the 1957 model year. Romney decided to leave the standard full-size car market to the Big Three. Nash and Hudson production ended with the last Hornet made on June 25, 1957. From 1958 to 1965, Rambler was the only marque sold by AMC, other than the Metropolitan, which remained in dealer showrooms until 1962. Under the tenure of Roy Abernethy, the Rambler name was phased out beginning in 1965 and discontinued after 1969.

In 1970, American Motors acquired Kaiser Jeep (the descendant of Willys-Overland Motors) and its Toledo, Ohio, based manufacturing facilities. In the early 1980s, AMC entered into a partnership with Renault which was looking for a re-entry into the American market in the 1980s. AMC was ultimately acquired by Chrysler Corporation in 1987, becoming the Jeep-Eagle division.

Gallery

• 

  Nash Six Touring 1927

• 

  Nash Standard Six Series 420 4-Door Sedan 1929

• 

  Nash Single Six Series 450 4-Door Sedan 1930

• 

  Nash Twin-Ignition Six Series 481 Convertible Coupé 1930

• 

  Nash Series 871 Convertible Sedan 1931

• 

  Nash Ambassador Eight 4-Door Sedan 1934

• 

  Nash Advanced Six Series 3520 4-Door Sedan 1935

• 

  Nash 3540 400 4-Door Sedan 1935

• 

  Nash 3540 400 4-Door Sedan 1935

• 

  Nash Lafayette Series 3610 4-Door Sedan 1936

• 

  Nash Ambassador Six 3620 4-Door Sedan 1936

• 

  Nash 4-Door Sedan

• 

  Nash Ambassador Six Series 3728 4-Door Sedan 1937

• 

  Nash Lafayette Series 3818 4-Door Sedan 1938

• 

  Nash Ambassador Six Series 3828 4-Door Sedan 1938

• 

  Nash 2-Door Sedan 1940

• 

  Nash 4-Door Sedan 1946

• 

  1950 Nash Rambler Convertible Coupe

• 

  Detail from a Nash Metropolitan

• 

  Nash dealership in Alabama, ca. 1930-1945

Nash automobile brands

LaFayette Motors

LaFayette Logo

LaFayette Four-Door Coupe, 1921

The LaFayette Motors Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919, LaFayette Motors was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette, and LaFayette autos had a cameo of the Marquis as their logo.

History

LaFayette was originally headquartered in Mars Hill, Indianapolis, Indiana and made luxury motor cars, beginning in 1920. LaFayette innovations include the first electric clock in an auto. In 1921, Charles W. Nash became president of LaFayette. Nash was already president of Nash Motors, but for a time the two brands remained separate companies, although Nash Motors was the principal LaFayette Motors stock holder. In the 20’s rumors circulated about Pierce-Arrow merging with LaFayette, Rolls-Royce or General Motors.

In 1922, LaFayette’s facilities were moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 1924, Nash Motors became full owner of LaFayette Motors, and the name was retired soon after. Its factories were quickly put to a new, more profitable use: the manufacture of Ajax motor cars.

In 1934, Nash re-introduced the LaFayette name, this time for a line of smaller, less expensive autos. In 1935, Nash introduced a series known as the “Nash 400” to fill the perceived price gap between the LaFayette and the Nash. By 1937, it was determined that this perceived gap wasn’t so important after all, and that Nash Motors was marketing too many models. The LaFayette and the Nash 400 were combined into a single model called the Nash LaFayette 400 for 1937, and the LaFayette ceased to be regarded as a separate make of car. For 1938, this became simply the Nash LaFayette, and the LaFayette line continued as Nash’s lowest-priced offering through 1940. For 1941, the LaFayette was replaced by the all-new unibody Nash 600.

LaFayette

Ajax (American automobile)

Ajax Six
1926 Ajax sedan
Overview
Manufacturer	Nash Motors Company
Also called	Nash Light Six
Production	27,300 units 38,622 units
Assembly	Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door sedan 4-door sedan 4-door touring
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	170 cu in (2.8 L) I6
Transmission	3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	109 in (2,769 mm)
Chronology
Successor	Nash Light Six

 1925 Ajax advertisement

“Ajax Six Nash-Built” radiator ornament

The Ajax was an American automobile brand manufactured by the Nash Motors Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1925 and 1926. The Ajax was produced in the newly acquired Mitchell Motors Company plant in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1926, all Ajax models were converted into Nash Light Sixes.

Origin

Demand for Nash automobiles was so high that by November 1924, the company’s existing plants were operating around the clock six days a week and Charles W. Nash announced a US$1 million expansion at the automaker’s original Kenosha facility.

Mitchell Motors Company was the manufacturer of Mitchell brand automobiles from 1903 to 1923. In April 1923 the company was forced into bankruptcy. At the 31 January 1924 auction of the Mitchell land and buildings with 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m²) of floor space, Charles Nash offered the winning bid of $405,000.

The Ajax was built using machinery moved from Nash’s other acquisition, the LaFayette Motors Company of Milwaukee, and installed in the Racine plant. Thus, new Ajax was based on an earlier design, premium version of the Lafayette from the early 1920s. The Ajax was available in three body styles: 4-door sedan, 4-door touring, and a 2-door sedan. The advertised retail price was $865 for the five-passenger touring car, and $995 for the five-passenger four-door sedan.

The Ajax came standard with engineering and quality features that included a 170 cu in (2.8 L) L-head Nash straight-six engine with a seven main bearing crankshaft, force-feed lubrication system, three-speed transmission, four-wheel brakes (at that time unusual for a car of its price), steel disc wheels, as well as mohair velvet upholstery and an electric clock. The Ajax Six produced “genuine 60 mph” (97 km/h) driving, and its features were not found on cars of this size and low price.

Badge engineering

Despite receiving good reviews from the automotive press and the general public, the Ajax brand was discontinued in 1926 after over 22,000 models were sold. Charles Nash ordered that the production continue instead as the Nash Light Six. The Nash was a known and respected automobile brand that was the name of the company’s founder. Production was stopped for two days while Nash hubcaps, emblems, and radiator shells were trucked to Racine where all unshipped Ajax brand cars were converted into Nash badged automobiles. Likewise, changeover kits were sent to dealers to retrofit all unsold cars by removing Ajax badges such as hubcaps.

One of the first cases of “badge engineering” began in 1917 with Texan automobile assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, that made use of

Elcar bodies made in Elkhart, Indiana. However, the transformation of the Ajax was “probably the industry’s first example of one car becoming another.” Nash even made the kits available at no charge to consumers who bought Ajax cars, but did not want to own an orphaned make automobile, to protect the investment they had made in a Nash Motors product. Because of this, few unmodified original Ajax cars have survived.

Sales of the rechristened Nash Light Six improved with the more known moniker. The 1926 four-door sedan was now advertised for $1,525. The combined Ajax and Nash Light accounted for more than 24% of the automaker’s total production in 1926.

Ajax

Rambler

Nash-Healey

Jeffery

Nash automobiles

Nash 600

Nash Statesman

Ambassador

Metropolitan – built in the United Kingdom by Austin

Nash-Healey – cooperation with Donald Healy, assembled in the UK and Italy

Nash Rambler

Rambler

Motorsport

Like most American manufacturers of the fifties, Nash was a participant in the Grand National Stock Car series.

See also

Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, Nash built many of these during WWII.

My Picture Collection:

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

Samsung

That was all about Nash I could find

WARD LAFRANCE TRUCK CORPORATION

Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation Elmira Heights 1916-1979 United States Motor Vehicles, Fire Apparatus and Trucks

Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation

Industry	motor vehicle
Founded	1916
Founder	Addison Ward LaFrance
Defunct	1979
Headquarters	United States
Products	Fire apparatus and truck manufacturer

The Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation was an American manufacturer of trucks and fire apparatus founded by Addison Ward LaFrance in 1916 in Elmira Heights, NY. The company ceased operations in 1979.

LaFrance was a relative of the founder of the similarly named fire apparatus manufacturer American LaFrance.

Ward LaFrance built tank wreckers for the US military, vans for United Parcel Service, over the road tractors, cement trucks, dump trucks, chassis for buses and trolleys, and armored cars.

Perhaps the best known Ward LaFrance product was the P-80 “Ambassador” model of pumper, which was used as the fictional Los Angeles County Fire Department Engine 51 on the 1970s television program Emergency!.

Ward LaFrance HQ-32

AMERICAN AUSTIN CAR COMPANY

American Austin Car Company 1929-1956

Not to be confused with Austin Automobile Company or Austin Motor Company.

American Austin Car Company

Industry	Automobile
Fate	Acquired by American Rolling Mills
Founded	1929
Defunct	1956
Headquarters	Butler, Pennsylvania
Products	Vehicles

1931 American Austin

 

 1931 American Austin 7

 

The American Austin Car Company was an American automobile manufacturing corporation. The company was founded in 1929, and produced motorcars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company from 1930 through 1934, when it filed for bankruptcy.

In 1935 the company was reorganized under the name American Bantam. Production resumed in 1937 and continued through 1941, including the first prototype of what later became the Jeep.

History

American Austin Car Company was founded in 1929, in Butler, Pennsylvania in premises that had belonged to the Standard Steel Car Company. Their intention was to assemble and sell in the United States a version of the Austin 7 car, called American Austin. After some initial success the Great Depression set in, and sales fell off to the point that production was suspended. In 1934 the company filed for bankruptcy.

The automobile was designed in the hopes of creating a market for small-car enthusiasts in the United States. The cars had 747 cc (45.6 cu in) inline-four engines, enabling the car to return 40 mpg_-US (48 mpg_-imp; 5.9 L/100 km), and travel 1,000 miles or 1,600 kilometres per 2 US qt (1.7 imp qt; 1.9 l) fill of oil. It was capable of 50 mph (80 km/h) in high gear. Styling resembled small Chevrolets, with Stutz– and Marmon-style horizontal hood louvres. The bodies were designed by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky and made by the Hayes Body Company of Detroit. The coupe was billed as a sedan, and sold for $445, slightly less than a Ford V8 roadster. The Great Depression made the cheaper secondhand cars more appealing, so sales dropped off.

More than 8,000 cars were sold during the company’s first (and best) year of sales, but sales fell off to the point that production was suspended in 1932. It restarted in 1934 with bodies now made in-house, but stopped again between 1935 and 1937.

About 20,000 cars were produced.

Beginning in the 1960s, the car gained a following with hot rodders, as well as among drag racers. The 75 in (1,900 mm) wheelbase made it attractive, even compared to the Anglia.

American Bantam

1939 American Bantam

 

In 1935, Roy Evans, a former salesman for Austin, bought out the bankrupt company, which was reorganized under the name American Bantam. The formal connection with UK Austin was severed, though a relationship was maintained. A series of changes was made to the American Austin car design, including a modified engine, and an exterior sheetmetal designed by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

Production was resumed in 1937, and continued through 1941. Despite a wide range of Bantam body styles, ranging from light trucks to woodie station wagons, only about 6,000 Bantams of all types were produced.

American Bantam’s 1938 model is famous for being the inspiration for Donald Duck‘s car. Donald Duck’s car was first seen in Don Donald (1937).

Original Jeep

Early Jeep

 American Bantam also pioneered the first Jeep to a design by Karl Probst, still with rounded fenders, and built 2765 of these (more than half of which went to the British Army and some sent on to the Soviet Union after discontinuing the manufacture of passenger vehicles. Some of the motors and chassis were imported from Toledo, Ohio; the bodies were made at the American Bantam Car factory in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The company produced the most fuel-efficient engine and first prototype under the original tender specifications and was awarded the first contract, but because Willys Overland used a more powerful engine, and because elements favorable to Ford within the Quartermaster Corps claimed that Bantam lacked production capacity to produce the vehicle on the scale needed by the United States Department of War, the awarding of ongoing contracts was reopened. Eventually the U.S. Army gave the BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) 40 designs to Willys-Overland and awarded the bulk of orders to Willys and Ford, while Bantam went on to produce Jeep trailers (T-3).

Later production

After Jeep production stopped, Bantam made two wheel trailers. This continued until the company was taken over by American Rolling Mills in 1956.

Gallery

• 

  Another view of the 1939 American Bantam

• 

  Bantam Model 60 Coupé 1938

• 

  Bantam Model 60 Roadster 1938

  

• Bantam Model 60 Convertible 1939

• 

  American Bantam Model 60 Speedster Convertible 1939

• 

  An American Austin hood ornament

  My own picture collection:

  

  That was it !

CROSSLEY Motors Automobiles Manchester England UK 1906-1958 successor AEC + CROSLEY United States 1939-1952

CROSSLEY Automobiles

http://myntransportblog.com/2014/01/28/buses-crossley-england/

Crossley Motors

Crossley Motors

Fate	Acquired and closed down
Successor	AEC
Founded	1906
Defunct	1958
Headquarters	Manchester, England

For the defunct American automotive company see: Crosley Motors

Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high-quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.

Crossley Brothers, originally manufacturers of textile machinery and rubber processing plant, began the licensed manufacture of the Otto internal combustion engine before 1880. The firm started car production in 1903, building around 650 vehicles in their first year.

The company was originally created as a division of engine builders Crossley Brothers, but from 1910 became a stand-alone company. Although founded as a car maker, they were major suppliers of vehicles to British forces during the First World War, and in the 1920s moved into bus manufacture. With re-armament in the 1930s, car-making was run down, and stopped completely in 1936. During the Second World War output was again concentrated on military vehicles. Bus production resumed in 1945 but no more cars were made. The directors decided in the late 1940s that the company was too small to survive alone and agreed a take over by AEC. Production at the Crossley factories finally stopped in 1958.

History

 Crossley Model 15 (1912) from Shuttleworth Collection

Crossley Motors Ltd was first registered on 11 April 1906 (and re-registered with a different company number in 1910) as the vehicle manufacturing arm of Crossley Brothers. The first car was actually built in 1903 and exhibited at the Society of Motor Manufacturers’ Exhibition at Crystal Palace in February 1904, but the parent company saw a future for these new machines and decided a separate company was required.

In 1920 Crossley Motors bought 34,283 (68.5%) of the 50,000 issued shares of the nearby A V Roe and Company – better known as Avro. Crossley took over Avro’s car manufacturing business but Avro continued its aircraft manufacturing operations independently. Crossley had to sell their shares in Avro to Armstrong Siddeley in 1928 to pay for the losses incurred in Willys Overland Crossley.

After the Second World War the directors decided that the company was not large enough to prosper and looked for a partner. This resulted in a take over by Associated Equipment Company (AEC) in 1948. AEC’s parent company changed its name to Associated Commercial Vehicles Ltd and Crossley became a division of this. Production of the Crossley range of vehicles continued at the Stockport plant until 1952. After that date the production was of badge-engineered AEC designs and bus bodywork, until the factory was closed in 1958 and sold in 1959.

Although no longer trading, the company was never formally wound up. In 1969 AEC’s new owner, British Leyland, restarted the company with a new name – Leyland National – and production of single-decker buses recommenced.

Factories

Production was originally in the Crossley Brothers factory in Openshaw, Manchester but in 1907 they moved to a nearby site they owned in Napier Street, Gorton, Manchester. (Napier Street was later renamed Crossley Street).

With the steady increase in vehicle production, the limits of the Gorton site were in turn soon reached, and in 1914 a further 48 acre (194,000 m²) site was bought in Heaton Chapel, Stockport which became the Errwood Park Works. Construction of the new factory started in 1915, and although intended to relieve congestion on the old site, it was rapidly given over to war work. The western half of the site, built in 1917, but only managed by Crossley Motors, became National Aircraft Factory No. 2. In 1919, this factory was bought from the government and became the Willys Overland Crossley plant, but was eventually sold to Fairey Aviation in 1934. In 1938, the eastern side became another aircraft factory, this time managed by Fairey, and after the Second World War it became the final home of Crossley Motors. Re-armament work caused the search for more space and in 1938 a factory was opened in Greencroft Mill, Hyde, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Errwood Park.

Vehicles

 Crossley 9T 25/30 HP Phaeton 1920

 Crossley 20/25 Tender (1914) from Shuttleworth Collection

 Mk.1 Armoured Car, Bovington Tank Museum

 1949 Crossley DD42 ex Manchester City Transport.

 Preserved Crossley SD42/1 bus with aluminium Schelde bodywork, built shortly after the Second World War 1948 for the Dutch public transport network.

Production of the first cars was on a small scale but from 1909 when a new range was introduced it rapidly built up. In that year the 20 hp was introduced (later called the 20/25) and this was taken up by the British War Office and from 1913 it was ordered for the new Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The outbreak of the First World War resulted in a rapid expansion of the RFC, and by 1918 they had over 6,000 of the vehicles with staff car, tender (light truck), and ambulance bodies.

Crossley 25/30 hp Tenders were utilised by the British Army in Ireland from 1919 until their withdrawal in 1922. The Irish Army continued to use them for troop transport throughout the Civil War period, but they were worked hard and appeared to have received little care: of 454 originally supplied, only 57 were in service by 1926 with a further 66 being overhauled or repaired. The 20/25 model was also the first vehicle to be supplied to London’s Metropolitan Police Flying Squad in 1920, some of which were fitted with radio equipment.

Car production resumed after the First World War and a new model, the 19.6, was launched in 1921 and joined in 1922 by the smaller 2.4 litre 14 hp model that would become the company’s best seller. The 19.6 was replaced by the 2.7 litre 18/50 in 1925 fitted with Crossley’s first six-cylinder engine and this was enlarged in 1927 to 3.2 litres in the 20.9. Crossley were the first British car company to offer a factory fitted car radio in 1933. Although the large cars would continue to be available, a range of small models fitted with Coventry Climax engines was announced in 1931 but sales of the cars slowly declined and the last ones were made in 1937.

By the late 1920s the market for hand-made cars began to disappear and the company moved into the bus market and launched its first model, the Eagle single decker in 1928. Although some double deck bodies were fitted to the Eagle, the Condor launched in 1930 was the first chassis to be designed for double decker bodies. The Condor could also be ordered with a diesel engine, made by Gardner at first, and became the first British double deck bus to be offered with diesel power. The big selling pre-war bus was the Mancunian with first deliveries in 1933. This was available as both a double and single decker.

In addition to cars and buses the company also made goods and military vehicles. At first these were conversions of the car models but starting with the BGT1 in 1923 specialised chassis designs were produced. Two Crossley trucks based on the 25/30 car chassis were from 1924 to 1926 the first vehicles to be driven from Cape Town to Cairo by the Court Treatt expedition. A range of heavy goods vehicles starting with the 1931 diesel-powered 12-ton payload Atlas was announced but only a few were made as the factory was by then gearing up to concentrate on buses and military orders. From 1936 military production was rapidly ramped up with British re-armament at first with “IGL” models but from 1940 with a four-wheel drive “FWD” chassis in both tractor unit and truck form. By 1945 over 10,000 FWDs had been made.

After the Second World War there was a boom in the bus industry as wartime losses needed to be replaced. Crossley won what was then the largest ever British export order for buses with a contract with the Dutch government. By the late 1940s bus orders were decreasing and it became clear that the company was too small to continue as an independent manufacturer and in 1948 they were sold to AEC. The last Crossley chassis was made in 1952, but body production continued at Erwood Park until 1958.

Cars produced

22 hp 1904–1908

40 hp 1905–1910

15 hp 1909–1915

Shelsley sports 1909–1915

20/25 1909–1919

25/30 1918–1925

19.6 hp 1921–1926

14 hp and 15/30 1922–1927

Crossley-Bugatti 1923–1925

20/70 sports 1922–1926

18/50 1925–1927

20.9 hp 1927–1931

15.7 hp 1928–1931

Golden 1930–1935

Silver 1930–1934

Ten 1931–1934

Streamline 1933

Sports Saloon 1934–1937

Regis 1934–1937

Pictures:

Buses

Eagle 1928–1930

Hawk 1929

Six/Alpha 1930–1931

Condor 1930–1934

Mancunian 1933–1940

• TDD4 (Trolleybus) 1935–1942
• TDD6 (Trolleybus) 1935–1942
• DD42 1942–1953
• SD42 1946–1952
• PT42 1946–1949
• TDD42 Empire (Trolleybus) 1948–1951
• TDD64 Dominion (Trolleybus) 1948–1951

Military vehicles

 Japanese Special Naval Landing Force Vickers Crossley armoured car in Shanghai.

• 20/25 1912–1920
• BGT 1923
• IGL 4 wheel 1923–1926
• IGL 6 wheel 1927–1931
• BGV 1927–1929
• IGA Armoured car 1928–1929
• FWD 1940–1945

Commercial vehicles

• 15cwt van 1913
• 14 hp van 1925
• 15cwt 1927
• Atlas 1931
• Beta 1933
• Delta 1931–1937

See also

• Crossley
• Willys Overland Crossley
• Cairo – Cape Town Highway
• List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^{a b} Eyre, Heaps & Townsin 2002
2. Jump up^ Foreman-Peck, Bowden & McKinlay 1995, p. 14
3. Jump up^ Nick Georgano (ed.), Britain’s Motor Industry, The First Hundred Years, (Yeovil: G.T. Foulis and Company, 1995), p.73; Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Manchester and Salford With Their Vicinities, (Manchester: Isaac Slater, 1874 edn.)
4. Jump up^ Society of Motor Manufacturers’ Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, The Automotor Journal, 13 February 1904, p180
5. Jump up^ K. Bhaskar, The Future of the UK Motor Industry, (London: Kogan Page, 1979), p. 240; S. W. Stevens-Stratten, Trucks in Camera: AEC, (London: Ian Allan, 1984), pp. 19, 43
6. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c} Harding (ed) (1977). Guinness book of car facts and feats. London: Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 0-900424-54-0.
7. Jump up^ “Capetown to Cairo by Motor”. The Brisbane Courier (National Library of Australia). 29 August 1924. p. 14. Retrieved 27 August 2012.

Other sources

• Eyre, Michael; Heaps, Chris; Townsin, Alan (2002), Crossley, OPC, ISBN 0-86093-574-4
• Foreman-Peck, James; Bowden, Sue; McKinlay, Alan (1995), The British Motor Industry, Manchester University Press
• Holmes, Harry (2004), Avro – The history of an Aircraft Company, The Crowood Press, ISBN 1-86126-651-0
• Fairney, Bill, The Knife & Fork Man, ISBN 978-0-9554455-0-7

External links

• Crossley Motors website
• The Court Treatt Cape to Cairo expedition
• The Crossley Regis car

Crosley

This article is about an American brand of automobile. For the British vehicle manufacturer, see Crossley Motors. For the American brand of audio technology, see Crosley Radio Corporation.

 A 1940 Crosley

The Crosley was an automobile manufactured by the Crosley Corporation and later by Crosley Motors Incorporated in the United States intermittently from 1939 to 1952.

History

 1948 Crosley CC Wagon

 1952 Crosley Super Roadster.

Industrialist Powel Crosley, Jr., of Cincinnati, Ohio, owner of Crosley Broadcasting Corporation and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, had ambitious plans to build a subcompact car and with the able assistance of his younger, graduate engineer brother Lewis Crosley, developed assembly plants at Richmond, Indiana, and Marion, Indiana. In May 1939, the first car was shown at the Indianapolis Speedway. It was a two-door convertible that weighed under 1,000-pound (454 kg) and sold for US$250. It did not achieve sales success, but in 1941 more body styles were introduced.

The chassis had an 80-inch (2,032 mm) wheelbase using half-elliptic springs with beam axle in front and quarter-elliptic springs in the rear. The power came from a two-cylinder Waukesha air-cooled engine that had the fan as an integral part of the flywheel. The engine was connected with a three-speed transmission and then directly via a torque tube to the rear axle, thus eliminating the need for joints. However, this arrangement was judged unreliable, and conventional universal joints were fitted beginning in 1941.

In 1941, the body styles available were expanded to include two- and four-passenger convertibles, a convertible sedan, a station wagon, a panel truck, a pickup, and two models called “Parkway Delivery” (a mini-panel with no roof over the front seat) and “Covered Wagon” (a convertible pickup truck with a removable back seat). Crosley’s first metal-topped sedan (the Liberty Sedan) was introduced for 1942.

During World War II, the Crosley became attractive because of gasoline rationing and the good mileage it could achieve: 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg_-imp). Crosley was the last company to cease production of civilian vehicles in 1942, partly to aid Crosley sales to facilitate fuel conservation, and partly because the War Production Board needed time to determine a use for Crosley’s small factories.

Civilian car production resumed at the Marion facility in 1946 with the new, larger and aerodynamic CC model, designed by the firm of Sundberg & Ferar of Royal Oak, Michigan. (The Richmond facility had been sold during the war years.)

 Crosley Farm-O-Road

Crosley introduced several “firsts” in the American automobile industry, including the first use of the term ‘Sport Utility‘ in 1948 (albeit on an open model based on the wagon, not a wagon on a truck chassis); first mass-market single overhead camshaft (SOHC) engine in 1946; first slab-sided postwar car, also in 1946; first all steel-bodied wagon in 1947; first American car to be fitted with 4-wheel caliper type disc brakes in the 1949 model year (Chrysler Imperial introduced four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment on Crown Imperials at the beginning of the 1949 model year, but they were not of the caliper type); and the first American sports car, the Hotshot, in the 1949 model year. 1950 brought the Farm-O-Road model, a 63-inch (1,600 mm) wheelbase utility vehicle predictive of the John Deere Gator and other UTVs.

Pre-war production with Waukesha air-cooled I2 engine:

• 1939: Series 1A including convertible Coupe and convertible Sedan
• 1940: Series 2A including Sedan, Deluxe Sedan, Coupe, Covered Wagon, and Station Wagon
• 1941: Series CB41 including Sedan, Deluxe Sedan, Coupe, Covered Wagon, and Station Wagon
• 1942: Series CB42 including Convertible Sedan, Deluxe Sedan, Convertible Coupe, and Station Wagon (all 2-Doors)

 1950 Crosley station wagon on display at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History

 1951 Crosley Super Sport

 1952 Crosley Super Station Wagon.

Post-war production with CoBra water-cooled I4 engine

• 1946: CC Four including Sedan and Coupe
• 1947: CC Four including Sedan, Coupe, and Wagon 2-Door
• 1948: CC Four including Sedan, Sport Utility Sedan, convertible Coupe, and Wagon

Post-war production with CIBA water-cooled I4 engine

• 1949: CD Four including Deluxe Sedan, Coupe, Station Wagon, Pickup Truck and Panel Truck; VC Four including Hotshot Roadster and Super Sports Roadster
• 1950: CD Four including Sedan, Super Sedan, Coupe, Super Coupe, Station Wagon, Super Station Wagon; VC Four including Hotshot Roadster and Super Sports Roadster; FR Four including Farm-O-Road (in various submodels)
• 1951: CD Four including Business Coupe, Super Sedan, Station Wagon, Super Station Wagon, Super Coupe; VC Four including Hotshot Roadster and Super Sports Roadster; and FR Four including Farm-O-Road.
• 1952: CD Four including Standard Business Coupe, Super Sedan, Station Wagon, Super Station Wagon, Super Coupe; VC Four including Hotshot Roadster and Super Sports Roadster; FR Four including Farm-O-Road. (Crosley, Encyclopedia of American Cars, 2003,)

With 24,871 cars sold, Crosley’s best year was 1948. Sales began to slip in 1949, and adding the Crosley Hotshot and a combination farm tractor-Jeep-like vehicle called the Farm-O-Road in 1950, could not stop the decline. In 1952, only 1522 Crosley vehicles were sold. Production ceased after the July 3rd shift that year, and the plant was sold to the General Tire and Rubber Company. A plan to sell the Crosley auto concern to Nash failed to materialize, when Nash merged with Hudson.(Nash, Club Newsletter 1986, Vol. 1)

1948 Specs.

Engine	HP	Transmission	Wheelbase	Length	weight	MPG
44 cu in (724 cc) 4-cylinder[3]	26.5	3-speed manual	80 in (2,032 mm)	145 in (3,683 mm)	1,155 lb (524 kg)	35 mpg-US (6.7 L/100 km; 42 mpg-imp)-50 mpg-US (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg-imp)

Regardless of its short life and small size, the Hotshot is well remembered as a phenomenal sports car within its class. A Hotshot won the 1950 Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours, (averaging a blistering 52 mph) and a Siata 300 fitted with Crosley power won the SCCA’s 12 hour Vero Beach race. Throughout, the 1950s Crosley engines dominated 750 cc sports car racing, winning 10 out of 12 SCCA west-coast races alone.

Engines

 Crosley CoBra Engine Complete with Transmission

The original engine is the Waukesha Model 150 Cub Twin, a 580 cc air-cooled L-head opposed twin-cylinder engine built by Waukesha Engines of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and used from 1939 through 1942. It was replaced in 1946 with the CoBra (for “Copper Brazed”), a 724 cc overhead-cam four with a 2.5 in (63.5 mm) bore and 2.25 in (57.2 mm) stroke. That engine in turn was replaced in 1949 by the new and more reliable CIBA (Crosley Cast Iron Block Assembly) engine utilizing five main bearings.

Crosley CoBra (1946–1949)

 Crosley CoBra Block and Valve Cover

The CoBra (Copper Brazed, also known as “The Mighty Tin”) was originally developed by Lloyd Taylor, of Taylor Engines in California, for military use aboard PT boats and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. The engine was made from sheet metal rather than cast iron like most other engines. This was done to get a thin, uniform wall thickness and thus avoid the creation of hot spots around the combustion chamber that could ignite the fuel, causing pre-ignition (knocks), which in turn limited the compression ratio. These engines were used mainly to power generators, refrigeration compressors, etc., and were widely praised for their successes in the war effort.

The engine was adopted for automobile use in 1946. It was a small, lightweight engine with single overhead camshaft driven by two sets of bevel gears and a vertical shaft at the front of the block. The unitary block and cylinder head weighed only 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg) dry; complete with all accessories (including the flywheel) weighing only 133 pounds (60 kg). The engine displaced 44 cu in (724 cc) and produced 26.5 hp (20 kW) at 5,400 rpm. Longevity was measured in hours and was strictly controlled by equipment maintenance schedules for the wartime duties, but corrosion became a problem for these engines in civilian service. This problem with these automotive powerplants had tarnished Crosley’s reputation by 1948.

CIBA (1949–1952; 1955)

 Crosley racing engine with a supercharger

The CIBA (Crosley Cast Iron Block Assembly) was a more traditional and more reliable engine utilizing a cast-iron block. When Crosley Motors, Inc. was sold, the engine was renamed “AeroJet” and production continued. Production of the AeroJet ended in 1955 and the engine rights were sold to Fageol and later to a series of different companies ending in 1972 with the Fisher-Pierce Bearcat 55. Maritime modifications mostly included increasing displacement and converting the engine to operate with a vertical axis.

In Europe the Crosley CIBA would be used to great advantage in 750cc sports car class, eventually maturing to a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design used in the Bandini 750 sport internazionale as well as Nardi 750LM and Siata Amica.

Notable Crosley owners

• Gordon Baxter (HotShot, story in his book Bax & Car & Driver: The Best of Gordon Baxter)
• General Omar Bradley
• Humphrey Bogart (Two-cylinder Crosley)
• David Carradine (VC Super Sports)
• Kenny Delmar (‘Senator Claghorn‘ on The Fred Allen Show)
• Tommy Dorsey
• President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1951 CD Surrey)
• Geraldine Ferraro (Two-cylinder Crosley)
• Paulette Goddard (Two-cylinder Crosley)
• Pamela Harriman (purchased the first 1939 Crosley)
• George M. Humphrey, Secretary of the Treasury
• Art Linkletter (1952 CD Sport Convertible)
• Alex Raymond, Flash Gordon cartoonist (Crosley-Bandini)
• Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York (1950 HotShot)
• Gloria Swanson (Two-cylinder Crosley)
• Boy George (VC Super Sports)
• Fred Waring (Two-cylinder Crosley)
• Frank Lloyd Wright (1952 VC Super Sports)

See also

• Crosley Car Owners Club (CCOC) History
• Powel Crosley Jr.
• Lewis M. Crosley
• Crosley Pup
• WLW
• List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers

Further reading

• Rusty McClure (2006). Crosley – Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation, published by Clerisy Press, ISBN 978-1-57860-322-0

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^{a b} Genat, Robert and Newhardt, David. American Cars of the 1950s. Motorbooks. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-4508-0642-8.
2. Jump up^ Githens, Perry, ed. (September 1949). “New Crosley Roadster Strips Down to Racer”. Popular Science. Vol. 155 no. 3. p. 120. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
3. ^ Jump up to:^{a b} Kimes, Beverly (1996). standard catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause publications. ISBN 0-87341-428-4.
4. Jump up^ “Directory Index: Crosley/1948_Crosley/1948_Crosley_Foldout”. Oldcarbrochures.com. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
5. Jump up^ Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours http://www.racingsportscars.com, Retrieved on 31 July 2012
6. Jump up^ The auto editors of Consumer Guide. “1949-1952 Crosley Hotshot and Super Sports”. HowStuffWorks, Inc. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
7. Jump up^ Simanaitis, Dennis (January 1994). Bryant, Thos L., ed. “Tech Tidbits”. Road & Track (Newport Beach, CA US: Hachette Filipacchi Magazines) 45 (6): 121. ISSN 0035-7189.
8. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c} Simanaitis 1994, p. 121.

External links

• CROSLEY – Two Brothers and an Empire That Changed the Nation – Rusty McClure
• CROSLEY A Compact born 30 years too soon!
• Crosley Car Owners Club (CCOC)
• Crosley Automobile Club Inc.
• West Coast Crosleys
• Crosley Engine Family Tree
• The Mighty Tin (CoBra)
• Crosley at DMOZ
• The Crosley Automobile — A Fine Car
• Crosley Radio Corporation
• Review of the book, Crosley
• Scans from the 1948 Crosley Sales Brochure
• Crosley at the Internet Movie Cars Database

AEROCAR Taylor Aerocar, Aerocar 2000, Portsmouth Aerocar, Wagner Aerocar, Stinson Aerocar, etc.

Aerocar

Aerocar
Taylor Aerocar III on museum display
Role
Manufacturer	Aerocar International
Designer	Moulton Taylor
First flight	1949
Number built	6

Aerocar International‘s Aerocar (often called the Taylor Aerocar) was an American roadable aircraft, designed and built by Moulton Taylor in Longview, Washington, in 1949. Although six examples were built, the Aerocar never entered production.

Design and development

Taylor’s design of a roadable aircraft dates back to 1946. During a trip to Delaware, he met inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., who had designed an earlier roadable airplane, the Airphibian. Taylor recognized that the detachable wings of Fulton’s design would be better replaced by folding wings. His prototype Aerocar utilized folding wings that allowed the road vehicle to be converted into flight mode in five minutes by one person. When the rear license plate was flipped up, the operator could connect the propeller shaft and attach a pusher propeller. The same engine drove the front wheels through a three-speed manual transmission. When operated as an aircraft, the road transmission was simply left in neutral (though backing up during taxiing was possible by the using the reverse gear.) On the road, the wings and tail unit were designed to be towed behind the vehicle. Aerocars could drive up to 60 miles per hour and have a top airspeed of 110 miles per hour.

Testing and certification

Civil certification was gained in 1956 under the auspices of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), and Taylor reached a deal with Ling-Temco-Vought for serial production on the proviso that he was able to attract 500 orders. When he was able to find only half that number of buyers, plans for production ended, and only six examples were built, with one still flying as of 2008 and another rebuilt by Taylor into the only Aerocar III. In 2013, the Disney film, Planes honored the design with a character based on the aerocar, Franz aka Fliegenhosen.

The six models

There are four Aerocar I(s), one Aerocar II, and one Aerocar I that was rebuilt as an Aerocar III.

N4994P

 Aerocar at the EAA AirVenture Museum

N4994P (1949, originally N31214) is yellow with silver wings. It was the very first Aerocar and is on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is maintained in flying condition but is not flown.

N101D

N101D (1954) is owned by Greg Herrick’s Yellowstone Aviation Inc. It is maintained in flying condition and is on display at the Golden Wings Flying Museum located on the south west side of the Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minneapolis. This aircraft is featured flying overhead on the cover on the book “A Drive In the Clouds” by Jake Schultz. As of December, 2011, N101D is being offered for sale at an asking price of USD1.25 million.

N102D

N102D (1960) is yellow and green. The last Aerocar built and the only one still flying, it is owned by Ed Sweeney and is on display at the Kissimmee Air Museum located at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee, Florida. N102D was the only Aerocar built with the larger O-360 Lycoming powerplant giving it much better performance. It is the only road legal and driven Aerocar left. It is currently flown by the owner’s son Sean Sweeney. It was previously owned by actor Bob Cummings, who used it in his TV sitcom The New Bob Cummings Show. It has also appeared in James May‘s “Big Idea” on BBC2, first aired Sunday September 28, 2008. Inspired by this vehicle, Ed Sweeney is currently developing the Aerocar 2000 via his Aerocar firm.

N103D

N103D (1956) has been repainted to red/black with red wings. It has been owned by Carl Felling and Marilyn Stine of Grand Junction, Colorado since 1981. It once flew Fidel Castro‘s brother, Raúl Castro in Cuba. It hit a horse on the runway and damaged the aircraft.

Raúl Castro

From 1961-1963 the Aerocar was operated under contract between Star Stations (Don Burden) and Wik’s Air Service, Inc. It was used as a traffic-watch (AIRWATCH) aircraft for KISN (910AM) radio station in Portland, Oregon where it was flown by “Scotty Wright” (Scotty Wright was the alias used by the acting pilot of the Aerocar during traffic-watch transmissions). Several pilots provided the AIRWATCH service beginning with World War II veteran pilot Guilford Wikander, President of Wik’s Air Service, Inc. Guilford was followed in order by his sister Ruth Wikander, W. John Jacob III, Wayne Nutsch and Alan Maris. Scotty Wright reports Nutsch having 350 flying hours in N103D performing AIRWATCH duty. Traffic reporting was from 7:00 AM–8:30 AM and 4:30 PM–6:00 PM. During the Aerocar’s AIRWATCH missions, it was painted white with red hearts and had the letters KISN on the top and bottom of the wings.

The aircraft was equipped with an emergency police/fire receiver for use in reporting emergency events on KISN radio stations broadcast. When flown for KISN it was based at Wik’s Air Service, Hillsboro Airport (HIO), Hillsboro Oregon. On one of its more eventful flights for KISN it survived the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 without damage after its evening traffic reporting flight. Ruth Wikander was piloting the aircraft at that particular time and is credited with the successful landing during extreme wind conditions (perhaps more than 100 mph). Ruth Wikander was an active member of the 99’s, the International Organization of Women Pilots. In 1962 Ruth Wikander drove the Aerocar as an automobile while trailering the wings in the annual Portland Rose Festival parade. The Aerocar was an integral part of KISN Radio and can be seen at stumptownblogger.com along with photos of famous rock musicians and KISN DJ’s of the times.

Last flown in 1977, the aircraft is no longer airworthy and has been in storage ever since. It is currently listed for sale for the price of US$2.2 million.

N107D (Aerocar II)

N107D (1966) is an Aerocar Aero-Plane, or Aerocar II. It is not a roadable aircraft but is based on the original Aerocar design. It uses the wing and tail section from the Aerocar. It seats four and is powered by a 150 hp IO-320 Lycoming engine. Only a single example was built. It is presently located in Colorado Springs, Colorado owned by Ed Sweeney owner of N102D.

N4345F (Aerocar III)

The sixth Aerocar (N4345F) is painted red with silver wings. It was the final flying car effort by Moulton Taylor. The vehicle began life as one of the original Aerocars, but Taylor bought it back from a customer after it had been damaged in an accident on the ground in the 1960s. From there, he considerably re-built it as the Aerocar III, replacing the original cabin with a sleeker, more streamlined front wheel drive one (although it still fell far short of the sporty lines that Taylor had originally wanted to give it). The automotive unit weighed 1,100 lbs and was powered by a 140 hp Lycoming O-320. The trailer wheels for the wings in towed configuration were deployable from a compartment on the outside of each wing leading edge. The propeller driveshaft contains fine ball bearings that swing outward with centrifugal force, creating stiffness and dampening. Taylor was able to attract some interest from Ford, but ultimately, no production resulted. The single prototype is now displayed at Seattle’s Museum of Flight, where it is displayed wearing registration N100D.

Specifications (Aerocar I)

Data from Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 1961–62

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Length: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Wing area: 190 sq ft (18 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,500 lb (680 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 air-cooled flat-four, 143 hp (107 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell HA12 UF, 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 117 mph (188 km/h; 102 kn)
• Cruise speed: 97 mph (84 kn; 156 km/h)
• Stall speed: 50 mph (43 kn; 80 km/h)
• Range: 300 mi (261 nmi; 483 km)
• Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,658 m)
• Rate of climb: 610 ft/min (3.1 m/s)

Aerocar (1905 automobile)

Aerocar

Industry	Automobile
Fate	factory sold
Successor	Hudson Motor Car Company
Founded	1905
Defunct	1908
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, USA
Key people	Alexander Malcomson Henry Ford
Products	automobiles

The Aerocar was an American automobile built from 1905 to 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. Backed by Henry Ford‘s former partner, coal merchant Alexander Malcomson, the short-lived company offered an air-cooled 24 hp(18 kW) four-cylinder luxury car which sold for $2800.

The factory was sold to Hudson Motor Car Company.

History

In 1906, the Model A was powered by a Reeves 24-horsepower, four-cylinder, air-cooled engine. It came with a “Standard Extension Black Top” and two gas headlights as well as “Full Oil Lamp Equipment.” The automobile had a Prest-o-Lite tank, Hartford shock absorbers, Gabriel horn and a speedometer. It also came with an extra tire and inner tube in a waterproof case with attaching irons, robe-rail and a footrest in Tonneau. A toolbox with full equipment was attached to the exterior running board. The machine cost $2,800.^[1] The air-cooled engine was later replaced by a Reeves water-cooled model.

Advertisements

The Aerocar Company – Detroit, Michigan – 1906

Aero Car (1919 automobile)

Connected to:

CyclecarSturmey-ArcherGearbox

The Aero Car was a British 5/7 hp (533 W) flat twin-engine cyclecar manufactured from 1919 to 1920 by the Aerocar Engineering Company in Clapton, London. The engine was an air-cooled flat-twin built by Blackburne and the gearbox was a Sturmey-Archer. The body had a bullnose radiator and pointed tail.

Aero Car (1921 automobile)

The Aero Car was a planned Americanautomobile. It was to have used a two-cycle engine to drive a propeller. The car, whose wheelbase was only 60 inches (1,524 mm), was to have sold for $160. One prototype was made, in 1921, before the project was shelved.

Wagner Aerocar

Wagner Aerocar
Role
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Wagner
Designer	Alfred Vogt
Introduction	1965
Developed from	HTM Skytrac
Variants	HTM Skytrac

The Wagner FJ-V3 Aerocar was a prototype 4-place flying automobile. The vehicle used counter-rotating rotor helicopter technology for flight.

Design

The Aerocar was developed in the era of space-age futurism, and looked the part. It looked slightly like the Jetsons flying car, with a large bubble cockpit, tailfins, and disproportionately small wheels for a car. It was developed from the Rotocar III design which was based on the Sky-trac 3 helicopter. The helicopter used counter-rotating rotors. On ground propulsion to the wheels was through a hydraulic linkage to the engine.

Operational history

A prototype with the registration D-HAGU was completed and flown in 1965. The Franklin 6AS-335-B engine was replaced with a 134lb, 420shp Turbomeca Oredon turbine engine with a front mounted gearbox. The design was sold to Helikopter Technik Munchen (HTM). HTM suspended development of the Aerocar in 1971.

Variants

HTM Skytrac

Specifications Wagner Aerocar

General characteristics

• Capacity: 4
• Powerplant: 1 × Franklin , 190 kW (260 hp)

Performance

Notes

1. Jump up^ http://www.unrealaircraft.com/roadable/wagner.php
2. Jump up^ Air pictorial journal of the Air League, Volume 30.

References

• Flight International, June 1968
• Aero Engines; Flight International, Jan 2, 1969
• http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=Wagner%20Rotocar%203&u=type

Aerocar 2000

Aerocar 2000
A Lotus Elise displayed next to an Aerocar to promote the Aerocar 2000 concept
Role	Flying automobile
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Aerocar
Designer	Ed Sweeney
Status	Halted
Number built	2 (Non flying)

The  was a proposed flying car under development in the early 2000s in the United States. The Aerocar 2000 was designed by Ed Sweeney, who was inspired by Moulton Taylor‘s Aerocar of the 1950s (and is the owner of the only still-flying example of this vehicle). The Aerocar 2000 consisted of a removable wings, tail, and powerplant “flight module” added to a modified Lotus Elise roadster.

Comparison to original Aerocar

Specifications (Aerocar 2000, as designed)In conception, this was far closer to the AVE Mizar of the early 1970s than to Taylor’s designs, the vehicle portions of which were purpose-designed and built. Another difference with the original Aerocar (and similarity to the Mizar) is that the flight module is not designed to be taken away from the airfield. Finally, while the Aerocar used the one engine to drive both the road wheels and the propeller, the Aerocar 2000 (again like the Mizar) uses two separate engines. In the Aerocar 2000’s case, the flight engine is a twin-turbocharged V-8 motor from a Lotus Esprit. A far lighter three-cylinder engine and gearbox from a Chevrolet Sprint is to be installed in the road module to power the vehicle on the ground.

Data from The Aerocar Home Page

General characteristics

• Crew: One (pilot)
• Capacity: one passenger
• Length: 27 ft (8.2 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft (11 m)
• Height: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
• Empty weight: 2,850 lb (1,293 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,450 lb (1,565 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lotus 2.5L V8 piston engine, 350 hp (260 kW)
• Propellers: 3-bladed MT-Propeller constant-speed

Performance

• Cruise speed: 268 mph (233 kn; 431 km/h)
• Range: 300 mi (261 nmi; 483 km)

References

1. Jump up^ Grossman, John (October 1996). “It’s a car! It’s a plane!”. Boys’ Life (Irving, TX: Boy Scouts of America): 40.
2. Jump up^ Green, George W. (2010). Flying Cars, Amphibious Vehicles and Other Dual Mode Transports: An Illustrated Worldwide History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 60. ISBN 978-0786445561.
3. Jump up^ Smith, Martin J.; Patrick J. Kiger (2006). Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 219–220. ISBN 978-0060780838.
4. Jump up^ Grzybala, Kim (October 1, 2009). “Have Our Flying Car Dreams Come True?”. Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
5. Jump up^ Ed Sweeney (May 29, 2002), The Aerocar Home Page, Aerocar LLC, retrieved 2013-04-25

Portsmouth Aerocar

Aerocar
Role
National origin	UK
Manufacturer	Portsmouth Aviation
Designer	Major F. L. Luxmoore (concept)
First flight	18 June 1947
Number built	1

The Porstmouth Aerocar was a British light utility aircraft design of the late 1940s. It was intended to be an aircraft that could be used for a variety of tasks including transport “mobile office” but only one prototype was built being scrapped in 1950.

Design and development

The Aerocar was a high-wing monoplane with gondola fuselage and twin-boom tailplane and tricycle undercarriage. The cabin could hold five passengers in addition to the pilot. Four doors were fitted to the cabin. The manufacturer claimed that as well as taking off in 160 yards on (dry) grass, it could climb on one engine at full load at 230 ft/min.

It was of composite construction; fabric-covered wooden wings, tail booms and tail fitted to a metal fuselage but the production model would have been all-metal. Clamshell doors at the rear of the fuselage were advertised.

Construction of both a Major and Minor variants was started but the company decided that the Minor would not have enough power and construction was abandoned. The Major prototype was completed and started taxying trials at Portsmouth on 18 June 1947, Frank Luxmoore was pleased with the trials so he undertook the maiden flight the same day.

It was exhibited at the SBAC but funding for the development of the Aerocar was dependent on an agreement for licence manufacture in India. With the uncertainty arising from the partition of India in 1947, this became unlikely and Portsmouth Aviation was unable to continue with development. With Lionel Balfour, the driving force behind the Aerocar, no longer part of the company the Aerocar was stored until scrapped.

To support planned production in India the uncompleted Minor was sent to act as a pattern aircraft, the Indian financial backers failed to support the project and the idea of production in India was abandoned.

Variants

Aerocar Major

Powered by two 155hp Cirrus Major engines and a retractable landing gear, one prototype built and flown.

Aerocar Minor

Planned variant powered by two 101hp Cirrus Minor II engines and a retractable landing gear, construction of a prototype abandoned and moved to India to act as a pattern aircraft for local production.

Aerocar Senior

Proposed variant of the Major with a fixed landing gear and lower level of equipment fit.

Aerocar Junior

Proposed variant of the Minor with a fixed landing gear and a lower level of equipment fit.

Specifications (Aerocar Major)

Data from Flight Sept 1947 p280

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 5 passengers
• Payload: 1000 lb ()
• Length: 26 ft 3 in ()
• Wingspan: 42 ft ()
• Height: 10 ft 7 in ()
• Loaded weight: 3,950 lb ()
• Powerplant: 2 × Blackburn Cirrus Major piston engine, 155 hp () each
• Propellers: Rotol two-bladed “variable pitch airscrews” propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 164 mph
• Cruise speed: 136 mph
• Range: 500 miles ()
• Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min ()

Notes

1. Jump up^ Flight
2. Jump up^ Flight 1947
3. Jump up^ http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%201018.html Flight
4. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g} Partington, David (2013). “Head-on View No. 49 – The Portsmouth Aerocar”. Archive (Air-Britain) 2013 (4): 151–154. ISSN 0262-4923.
5. Jump up^ http://www.portav.co.uk/Downloads/PAAerocar.pdf

References

• “Advertisements”, Flight, 12 September 1946, p. 31
• “Portsmouth Aerocar”, Flight, 3 July 1947, p. 20
• “British Aircraft”, Flight, 11 September 1947, p. 280

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

1955 Miles M.57 Aerovan

Miles Aerovan

The Curtiss Autoplane – 1917

by Matthew DeLuca

Nearly 100 years ago, aeronautics pioneer Glenn Curtiss showed up at the New York Pan-American Aeronautical Exposition with his Model 11 Autoplane, widely considered to be the first serious attempt at a car equally comfortable on the wing and the runway. What it lacked in aesthetic appeal it made up for in ingenuity, and the boxy aluminum vehicle made headlines. Powered by a four-bladed propeller that sat behind the cab, the Autoplane was 27 feet long and had a wingspan that stretched more than 40 feet. Curtiss made a short flight in his winged car, but the first patent for a flying automobile went to competing inventor Felix Longobardi in 1918.

AVE Mizar – 1971

by Matthew DeLuca

Advanced Vehicle Engineers rolled out its flying car prototype, the AVE Mizar, between 1971 and 1973. Perhaps taking a hint from the Convaircar, the Mizar wedded the flying power of a Cessna Skymaster with the body of a Ford Pinto. Designed by Henry Smolinksi, the idea was to work with cars that were already being commercially produced and attach wings and a tail. The Mizar came to a quick end, however, when Smolinski and other Mizar designers were killed in a crash in September 1973.

http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/c/curtiss/curtiss.htm

Stinson

Convaircar – 1947

by Matthew DeLuca

This one is pretty much a car with an airplane plopped on top of it. While many early attempts at flying cars were criticized for the motley ways they mixed elements of automobile design with spare plane parts, Henry Dreyfuss seems to have decided to rig up a vehicle that was unambiguously half of each. While the possibility of, say, parallel parking the car seems to have been outright ignored, the contraption had a certain utilitarian charm. Dreyfuss was something of a well-known inventor, but that did little to help him salvage the Convaircar’s reputation after one went down in a test flight.

Taylor Aerocar – 1959

by Matthew DeLuca

The Aerocar was one of a few other flying cars approved by the government. Inspired by a chance meeting between inventor Moulton Taylor and Airphibian designer Robert Fulton, the Aerocar sported detachable wings and tail. Five Aerocars were produced, and while four of them wound up in museums, one was in semi-active use through at least 2002, when Ed Sweeney of Florida would snap on the wings for flights with his wife between Daytona Beach and Orlando, Florida. “They would report me as traffic to other aircraft,” Sweeney said of air traffic controllers. “You have an automobile in your 9 o’clock position.”

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

That’s my picture collection about Aerocar’s

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2012/04/08/17-flying-cars-a-mostly-factual-history-of-airborne-autos.html#slide_11

HUPMOBILE Automobiles, Hupp Motor Car Company, Detroit, Michigan, United States 1909-1941

1909 HUPMOBILE model 20 Runabout

Hupmobile

 

Hupp Motor Car Company

Former type	Automobile Manufacturing
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1909
Defunct	1940
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Products	vehicles Automotive parts

Hupp grille badge, on a 1941 Skylark

Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Car Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909. The company initially produced 500 vehicles.

History

Founding

Robert Craig Hupp (June 2, 1877 in Grand Rapids, Michigan – 1931), a former employee of Oldsmobile and Ford, founded the company with his brother Louis Gorham Hupp (November 13, 1872 in Michigan – December 10, 1961 in Michigan) in 1908. Production began in 1909. In 1910, production increased by more than 5000. Following disagreements with his financial backers Robert Hupp sold his stock in the Hupp Motor Car Company and established the short-lived RCH Automobile Company, later the Hupp-Yeats Electric Car Company. In 1912, Hupp would be one of two automakers pioneering the use of all-steel bodies, joining BSA in the UK. Hupp’s panels were produced by Hale & Kilburn, which was run by Edward Budd. Carl Wickman, a car dealer in Hibbing, Minnesota, used an unsold 7-passenger model as the first vehicle for what became Greyhound. In 1913 Frank E. Watts was hired as a designer.

Expansion

Hupp Motor Car Company continued to grow after its founder left. A new plant was purchased in 1924 as Hupp competed strongly against Ford and Chevrolet. DuBois Young became company president in 1924 moving up from vice-president of manufacturing. By 1928 sales had reached over 65,000 units. To increase production and handle the growth in sales, Hupp purchased the Chandler-Cleveland Motors Corporation (Chandler Motor Car) for its manufacturing facilities.

Decline

Sales and production began to fall even before the onset of the depression in 1930. A strategy to make the Hupmobile a larger, more expensive car began with the 1925 introduction of an 8-cylinder model, followed by the discontinuance of the traditional 4-cylinder Hupmobile. While aiming for a seemingly more lucrative market segment, Hupp essentially turned its back on its established clientele. The company made the same mistake that many other medium-priced carmakers were making at the same time. In an attempt to capture every possible sale, they offered many different models. With Hupmobile’s relatively low production volume, the result was that no model could be produced in sufficient quantity to keep manufacturing costs low enough to provide an operating profit.

New models

Hupp abandoned its more conservatively styled product line and turned to industrial designer Raymond Loewy to design its 1932 Hupp cyclefender, a flashy roadster that did well at the track, but sales continued to decline. 1934 saw the introduction of a striking restyle called the “Aerodynamic” by Loewy, as well as the lower-priced series 417-W using Murray-built slightly-modified Ford bodies.

Despite technical innovations, squabbles among stockholders and an attempted hostile takeover in 1935 took their toll on the company. By 1936 the company was forced to sell some of its plants and assets and in 1937 Hupmobile suspended manufacturing. A new line of six- and eight-cylinder cars was fielded for 1938, but by this time Hupp had very few dealers, and sales were disappointingly low.

Desperate for a return to market strength, on February 8, 1938, Hupmobile acquired the production dies of the Gordon Buehrig designed Cord 810/812 from the defunct Cord Automobile Company. Hupp paid US$900,000 for the tooling. Hupmobile hoped that using the striking Cord design in a lower-priced conventional car, called the Skylark, would return the company to financial health. Enthusiastic orders came in by the thousands, but production delays soured customer support.

Joint venture

Lacking adequate production facilities, Hupmobile worked out a deal with the ailing Graham-Paige Motor Co. to share the Cord dies. Hupmobile and Graham would both sell similar models, which would all be built at Graham-Paige’s facilities. While each marque’s product used its own power train, the Graham edition, called the Hollywood, otherwise differed from the Skylark in only a few minor details.

Closure

In 1939 the Hupmobile Skylark finally began delivery. Unfortunately, it had taken too many years to produce and most of the orders had been canceled. Production lasted only a couple of months, and only 319 Skylarks were produced. Hupmobile ceased production in late summer. Graham-Paige suspended production shortly after the last Hupmobile rolled off the line.

Technical innovations

In a constant effort to remain competitive, Hupp introduced a number of new features. They were one of the very first automakers to equip their cars with “free wheeling,” a device that enjoyed immense, but brief, popularity in automobiles in the 1930s. Hupmobile also pioneered fresh-air car heaters with the Evanair-Conditioner.

Legacy

In 1914, Eric Wickman tried to establish a Hupmobile dealership but couldn’t sell them so he started transporting miners in one of the vehicles and founded Greyhound Lines. The National Football League was created at Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile dealership in Canton, Ohio in 1920.

The Skylark’s grille later inspired the grilles used on Lincoln Continental models in the 1940s. Their heater technology became widely adopted in the industry. The Hupmobile dealership in Omaha, Nebraska is a prominent historic landmark. The dealership building in Washington, D.C. is now the H Street Playhouse.

Models Gallery

1909 HUPMOBILE model 20 Runabout

1910 Hupmobile 12, USA

1910 Hupmobile Model 20 Roadster

1910-hupmobile-racing

1910-hupmobile-model-20-runabout

1911

  Hupmobile 1912

1913-hupmobile-model-32-two-seater

1913-hupmobile

 

1914-hupmobile-32-coupé

1914-hupmobile-hak-32

1914 Hupmobile Model H 15-18hp with Coachwork by Oakley Ltd.

1914 Hupmobile

Hupmobile 1915

1916 Hupmobile

1917 hupmobile dirk-van-der-mark NL

1918 Hupmobile-Ad

1919 Hupmobile 17 HP, USA

1920 Hupmobile

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

1921 Hupmobile

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

1922 Hupmobile

1923 Hupmobile

1924 Hupmobile RRS Special Roadster

1924 Hupmobile Touring

Hupmobile 1925

1926-hupmobile-four-door-sedan

Hupmobile 1927

1928-hupmobile-century-e-4-dv

Hupmobile 1928

Hupmobile Series M De Luxe Century 4-Door Sedan 1929

Hupmobile 1929

Hupmobile 1930

1931 Hupmobile

Hupmobile 4-Door Sedan 1932

1933 Hupmobile

Hupmobile Series 417-W 4-Door Sedan 1934

dwg by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky

1935 Hupmobile

Hupmobile 1936

1937 Hubmobile

1938 Hupmobile

Hupmobile 1939

1940 Hubmobile

1941 Skylark, based on the iconic Cord 810

KF2-22A0