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Posts Tagged ‘Chrysler’

Chrysler Part 3

Monday, December 6th, 2010

In the late 1930s other technical advances followed such as independent front suspension, steering column gearchange and a semi-automatic transmission in 1939.

It was the time of the estate cars and in 1941 the first Chrysler estate car, being partly of wooden construction was launched. This ‘Town & Country’ look was after the war extended to the saloons and convertibles too.

Chrysler New Yorker © sahlgoode/flickr.com

The Chrysler models of the late 1930s and early 1940s – such as the six-cylinder Windsor or eight-cylinder New Yorker – were still built after the Second World War, but completely restyled in 1949.

After 25 years of straight-six and straight-eight engines in 1951 the new generation of ohv V8s came on the market. They were called ‘hemi’ because of the hemispherical combustion chambers allowing big valves and good breathing. In 1955 the hemi produced 300bhp and up to 500bhp in the 1960s.

The horsepower race of the 1950s, usually led by Chrysler, was started by the 333ci (5457cc) engine. This was also clearly reflected by the new Chrysler 300 of 1955. The car was a two-door hardtop based on the New Yorker and was equipped with a 300bhp hemi. The 1962 300H offered 405bhp and a top speed of 135mph (217 km/h). Even though the Chrysler 300s never sold in very large numbers they did a lot for Chrysler’s reputation.

But in the 1970 Chrysler too was forced to follow the new trend of downsizing. One of the cars built at that time was the Chrysler Cordoba with a 318ci (5211cc) V8 and a 115in (2.9 m) wheelbase. This car was the company’s best seller in 1975.

Tags: car, Chrysler, Chrysler 300, Chrysler New Yorker, Chrysler Windsor
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Chrysler Part 2

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

As opposed to the Dodge and Plymouth, for the Chrysler marque itself it was hard to repeat the early success.

After the long period of nearly 20 years the sales figures of 1927 were exceeded and Chrysler usually was placed outside the top ten U.S. marques. The post-war production saw alternating periods of good and poor sales and in the late 1970s the company was close to bankruptcy.

The 1920 were pretty good times though and in 1928 Chrysler took over Dodge to give it a place in the intermediate market. The newly launched Plymouth was able to compete with Chevrolet and Ford.

1934 Chrysler Airflow © dok1/flickr.com

In 1931 straight-eight engines of 242ci (3966cc), 262ci (4293 cc), 284ci (4654cc) und 387ci (6342cc) were added to the range. The latter was used by the new Series CG Imperial and offered 125bhp. That was enough for a top speed of 95mph (153km/h) as long as one of the lighter body options was chosen. There was a great variety of factory and Le Baron semi-custom styles available. But even though the straight-eight Imperial was able to compete with a Lincoln or Cadillac, it wasn’t a good time for luxury saloons and not many cars were sold.

But as Chrysler so far had not produced any milestone car, it was time to design one. It is said that Carl Breer, one of the young designers Walter Chrysler had brought in from Willys, one day saw a group of fighter planes that were so streamlined that they resembled geese. He thought that a streamlined car would not only look good but also slip through the air very efficiently. After six years of experimentation the Chrysler Airflow was launched in 1934. It was a streamlined monocoque construction and to have a better weight distribution the passengers were moved forward and seated within the wheelbase. This guaranteed better handling and superior ride quality.

But even though the car was a great step forward it seemed to be too radical for the customers and only a little over 11,000 were sold in the first year. A milder version named Airstream was launched in 1935 but sales kept dropping and after three years production ceased. But the Airstream’s influence on car design had been of great importance.

Tags: car, Chrysler, Chrysler Airflow, Chrysler Airstream
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Chrysler Part 1

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

After Henry Ford in 1903 being first of the Detroit Big Three and General Motors being second before 1910, Chrysler was the third to enter production in 1924.

The fact that he didn’t built cars that bore his name before 1924 had nothing to do with him being inexperienced. At that time he was nearly 50 and had not only worked for General Motors but also for Willys-Overland. From the latter he even got a million-dollar salary just to join in. And as the troubleshooter that he was, he succeeded in cutting Willys debts in no time.

1930 Chrysler 70 © Pat Durkin-Orange County, CA/flickr.com

He was asked to do the same for Maxwell-Chalmers even before his contract was terminated and soon realized that Maxwell was in need of an up-to-date car. Therefor he bought tree young designers from Willys, who came up with the Chrysler 70 (not a Maxwell!) launched in 1924.

The car had a great performance from an advanced 203ci (3326cc) side-valve six and a top speed of 75mph (121 km/h). Nine different body styles were offered as well as hydraulic for-wheel brakes.
The car was a great success and in the first year 32,000 Chrysler 70s were sold. After Maxwell-Chalmers had become Chrysler even the smaller four-cylinder was renamed Chrysler 58. By 1926 both cars were improved. The new Model F-58 had a new four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 187ci (3064cc) and the 70’s six had a capacity of 220ci (3605cc).

A new Series I-80 was powered by a 290ci (4752cc) six.

Due to the large network of about 4000 Maxwell-Chalmers dealers, Chrysler could rise rapidly and in 1927 over 180,000 cars were sold. Chrysler became the seventh best-selling marque in the U.S. that year. But even though Chrysler soon became one of the Big Three, they always stayed in third place behind General Motors and Ford.

Tags: car, Chrysler, Chrysler 70
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Chrysler 300 Letter Series Part 2

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

The 300E models were equipped with Chrysler’s new Golden Lion wedge-head V8 engine at 392 cu in (6.4 L) displacement.

The power output was about the same but the loss of the Hemi and the recession still meant poor sales of 522 coupés and 125 convertibles.

The engine of the 300F introduced in 1960 delivered 375 hp (280 kW) as standard and to boost power at lower and mid rpms, a special “cross-ram” intake manifold was derived. Also a special 400 hp (300kW) “short ram” version was produced for competition. The 300F also had a new lightweight unibody construction and a sharper-edged styling. 969 coupés and 248 convertibles were built.

Chrysler 300L © flickr/Hugo90

The 1961 300G was wider at the bottom than the top had different headlights, the fins were made sharper-pointed and the rear lights were moved from the fins to the tail below them. The cross-ram engines remained the same but the unreliable French manual transmission used in the 300F short ram models was replaced by a more reliable Chrysler racing manual transmission and cars with this transmission now are among the most rare and desirable of all letter series cars. Of the 300G 1617 cars were built.

The 300H of 1962 had no fins any longer and for the first time the plain (non letter) Chrysler 300 appeared. Except for a 300H badge, externally there was little difference between the 300H and the plain 300 and many options of the 300H could be ordered on the other models too. The cross ram intake was gone and the 300H again had an inline dual 4-barrel carb setup. The body was about 300 lb (140 kg) lighter and the car was faster than the 300G. Due to the loss of exclusivity and the fairly high price only 435 coupés and 135 convertibles were sold. 25,020 of the plain 300 were sold.

The letter “I” was skipped and 1963’s 300J looked smoother and more angular. The convertible and the “short ram” engine were now dropped and the only engine available was the 413 cu in (6.8 L) “long ram”, with a little more power than the previous model. The top speed was 142 mph (229 km/h). Only 400 cars were sold.

For the 300K of 1964 the convertible returned and the cars had a 413 cu in (6.8 L) Wedge with a single 4-barrel carburettor, a regular intake manifold and 360 hp (270 kW). It was the new standard engine and the cross-ram engine became an extra-cost option available on the 300K only. As the baseline price was reduced 3,022 coupés and 625 convertibles were built.

1965’s Chrysler 300L was the final year of the letter series and the car was totally restyled. It had a sleek mid-1960s linear look and the cross ram engine was no longer available. For the first time every feature on the letter car could be ordered as option on the plain 300 the only difference was the ‘300L’ badge. 2,405 coupés and 440 convertibles were sold.

Tags: Cars, Chrysler, Chrysler 300, Chrysler letter series
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Chrysler 300 Letter Series Part 1

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

The glorious years for high performance cars were the years after WW2.

In Europe those cars were made by Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati and Aston-Martin. In the USA the Muscle Cars were born.

Chrysler 300B © flickr/Rex Gray

While GM built the Corvette and Ford the Thunderbird, Chrysler went a different way. The Chrysler letter series. Based on a 2-door saloon it was the fastest and most powerful American car for several years.

The first car of the letter series, the C-300 launched in 1955, didn’t bear a letter but can retroactively be considered the 300A. The 300 originally stood for the 300 hp (220 kW) engine.
The design was pretty similar to other Chrysler models as parts from other cars were used. The front clip and grille were taken from the Imperial, the mid section from the New Yorker hardtop and the rear quarter from the Windsor.
The C-300 was equipped with Chrysler’s most powerful engine, the 331 cu in (5.4 L) FirePower “Hemi” V8, fitted with twin 4-barrel carburettors, a race-profiled camshaft setup, solid valve lifters, stiffer suspension and a performance exhaust system.
It was the most powerful American car for many years and the first American production car to top 360 hp (270 kW). The cars were successfully raced in NASCAR and numerous international rallies. The interest it aroused was not reflected in the sales figures of 1,725 built though.

The Chrysler 300B launched in 1956 looked pretty similar with larger tailfins and smaller modifications. The engines were larger with two models of 354 cu in (5.8 L) Hemi V8 with either 340 or 355 hp (254 or 265 kW) and performance was a little better, being measured at almost 140 mph (225 km/h). Only 1,102 cars were sold.

The 1957 300C had a completely new styling with a wide front grille and fins. For the first time a convertible model was available too. The Hemi engine was upgraded to 392 cu in (6.4L) with 375 hp (280 kW). A limited edition of 18 cars had 390 hp (290 kW). 1,767 coupés and 484 convertibles were built.

The 1958 300D was the last model with the old FirePower Hemi. It was a 392 cu in (6.4 L) engine tuned to 380 hp (280 kW) as standard. 35 cars had fuel injection and delivered 390 hp (290 kW). The fuel injection system caused problems though and most cars were replaced with the standard twin-quad carburettor setup. Thanks to recessionary times only 618 hardtops and 191 convertibles were built.

Tags: Cars, Chrysler, Chrysler letter series, Muscle Cars
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SIMCA

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

SIMCA (Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carosserie Automobile) was founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi.

In 1935 the company started producing FIAT cars under license. First the Fiat 500 Topolino which was sold under the name of Simca 5 in France. Untill 1950 the Simca 8 and the Simca 6 followed. Under German occupation during WW2 SIMCA amongst others had to produce parts for the NSU-Kettenkrad, a small military vehicle.

In 1954 SIMCA bought Ford’s French branch and it became the most modern car factory in Europe. With 15 percent of shares Ford became a shareholder of Simca.

The former Ford models Vedette and Comète became Simca Vedette and Simca Comète Monte Carlo. One year later the production of the Simca Comète Monte Carlo came to an end but the Simca Vedette was produced until 1961, in Brazil even until the end of the 1960s.

In 1951 the Simca Aronde was first sold followed by the Simca Ariane in 1957. In 1961 the Simca 1000 was produced and from 1963 on the 1300/1500 series. The Simca 1100 built in 1967 was the first model with front engine and front wheel drive.

In 1958 Chrysler bought the 15 percent shares held by Ford and in 1959 Simca bought the French Talbot-Lago company. In 1971 Chrysler owned almost 100 percent of the Simca shares mostly by purchasing them from FIAT. The company now was officially called Chrysler France but the brand name Simca was still used.

In 1978 Simca was sold to Peugeot S.A. which still built the models until 1986 under the brand name Talbot. The last Simca design was the Talbot Arizona which was sold as the Peugeot 309.

The Aronde, the Simca 1000 and the front engined 1100 compact car were the most popular pre-Chrysler models.

Tags: car, Chrysler, Ford, Simca
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The 1965 Chrysler 300L

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

The 1965 Chrysler 300L has been the last of the letter series for more than 30 years.

The series started in 1955 (the letter I was skipped) and during this time less than 17,000 were produced. From 1955 through 1957 the Chrysler was the fastest American car, because Chrysler had become the first American manufacturer to develop 300 hp in a production car.

The body styles available were either hardtop or convertible, except 1955,1956, and 1963 when no convertible was available.

The original 300′s are by some people considered to be the first muscle cars, winning a total of 37 NASCAR and AAA stock car events in 1955. But they were not only fast but also large and luxurious. Qualities muscle cars did not typically match.

Of the Chrysler 300L 2,845 cars were produced, 2,405 were 2-door hardtops, and 440 2-door convertibles.

The specifications were as follows: V-8, 413 cid, 4 bbl carb, 360 bhp at 4,800 rpm, 470 ft/lbs at 3,200 rpm, either standard 3-speed auto or optional 4-speed manual.

Tags: American Car, Chrysler, Chrysler 300L, Muscle Cars
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