Chrysler Third Power

Chrysler Third Power

The history of Chrysler, the third most important US car producer after General Motor and Ford, is essentially the history of Walter Percy Chrysler, the son of Kansas farmer, who advanced from being mechanic to being a director at Buick, then the second highest person at GM. Finally in 1920, he incorporated his own car make.

Contrary to his rival Ford, Chrysler produced only a few dream cars but mass, produced large utility cars. An example of Chrysler’s know-how is the Chrysler Imperial from 1926 and particularly the innovative Airflow model from 1934. At the time, the Airflow received a lukewarm reception.

An embellishment of the Chrysler concern trying to develop an above-standard make was the luxury limo from 1956 simply called the Imperial. However, regardless of company marketing, the public still called it the Chrysler Imperial!

Was the Chrysler Airflow too innovative for its time? Probably yes, because this model innovative in many respect, received a lukewarm reception during its existence, which began in 1934. A possible error was its poor reliability upon the market launch.

The refined Airflow model could pamper its passengers. It had air conditioning and the rear seats were installed in front of the axle so the seats were fully comfortable.

In 1928, Chrysler bought the company from brothers John and Horace Dodge, who were former Ford dealers. Under this make, Chrysler offered the best models. We can recall the Dodge Charger model, a coupe of aggressive appearance with the grill covering retractable headlights and the V8 Big Block engine with more than 7,000 horsepower used for the most powerful models, which sent the motorized brigades crazy on the other side of Atlantic.

The term “muscle car” shows its true meaning with the Dodge Charger R/T. This model, bearing the Charger name as the second car, was one of the fastest sedans of its time. Gasoline was cheap in the USA and for Americans, the power and cylinder volume were the most important aspects. The Charger with its 375 horsepower, shown here in the Daytona version, fully met those needs!

The noteworthy lines of the Charger were reinforced with the Daytona model. Dodge, attempting to compete with Ford at Nascar races, created this very special version, of which the rear and front parts were changed many times for aerodynamic reasons. The large rear wing is special due to its uncommon noise at high speeds, which reinforces the driving pleasure!

A similar atmosphere pervaded inside, where the gear lever had the shape of a gun’s butt… In the early nineties, the aim of equipping a sports coupe with an engine from a truck was met – the Dodge Viper RT10 was introduced, in Europe under the Chrysler Viper, and containing a ten-cylinder V10 engine with a phenomenal torque.

The Viper was changed several times and still remains an extraordinarily quality sports car, the latest SRT-10 version of which has 500 horsepower. The power of the Viper model is demonstrated on the racetracks where it won the Gran Tourismo category several times.