Monthly Archives: April 2015

Guaranteed 80mph – Chrysler Imperial 80

A year after founding Chrysler in 1925 and launching the first Chrysler cars Walter P Chrysler moved into the prestige segment of the automobile market occupied by Cadillac and Lincoln.

02 Chrysler Imperial 80_0192sc

The Chrysler Imperial 80 was first shown at the 1926 New York Show, the 80 signifying that the car was guaranteed to reach 80 mph.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

To meet the guaranteed top speed the Imperial was fitted with a 4.7 litre / 288 cui straight 6 which produced 92 horsepower, enough to propel the car from rest to 60 mph in less than 20 seconds with a gearbox that featured only 3 forward speeds.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The first generation Imperial was offered with a variety of bodies that included; roadster with rumble seat, four-seat coupé, five-passenger sedan or phaeton, and a seven-passenger limousine.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Motor cycle racer and later publisher Floyd Clymer drove a Chrysler Imperial 80 in 1926 from Denver to Kansas in just under 14 hours to average just over 51 mph over 700 miles, astonishing given that only 200 miles of the route was on paved roads.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The first generation Chrysler Imperial remained in production until 1930 by which time a four speed transmission was available.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The Imperial 80 Roadster seen in these photo’s taken at last years Classic Run in Chipping Sodbury was first registered in the UK on the 23rd of October 1926.

Thanks for joining me on this “Guaranteed 80mph” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Patrick Joyce Rally Car – Citroën Xantia SX

In 1987 Dan Abramson working for Bertone drew the first sketches of the X1, the car that would become the Citroën Xantia.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

The Xantia replaced the popular mid range BX series, designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone that was in production from 1982 to 1994.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

The most innovative feature of the stylish Xantia was the Citroën DS derived “Hydractive” suspension first seen on the Citroën XM.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

Hydractive suspension computer-controlled version of Citroën’s famous hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension that now includes a programmed self-steer rear axle to enhance the cars responsiveness and driving pleasure.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

Sold with a wide range of engine options, mostly 4 cylinder, the Xantia range was topped by a 3 litre / 183 cui V6.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

Xantia’s were manufactured from 1993 to 2001 at Citroën’s factory in Rennes factory in Brittany, France with additional units being built in Iran’s capital Tehran.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

With a name derived from the Greek Xanthos meaning light it seems highly appropriate, however coincidentally, that Bristol artist Patrick Joyce should use his 1996 Xantia, seen in these photographs on The Plinth in the centre of Bristol Bear Pit, to shed light on the Motor Nuerone Disease he was diagnosed with in 2008.

Citroën Xantia GX, The Plinth, Bear Pit, Bristol,

The statement for this work reads “… A life long lover of cars, he (Patrick) designed this piece for a Rally around the coast of Ireland – his last serious driving trip before the progression of the condition meant he had to hang up his crochet backed driving gloves. The markings on the car are all riffs on existing Rally Car branding altered to reference the challenge of his (MND) condition…”

You can follow Patrick’s MND awareness activities on his Patrick The Incurable Optimist website linked here.

Thanks for joining me on this “Patrick Joyce Rally Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Chrysler. Don’t forget to come back now !