Tag Archives: Chrysler

Shadeyside Bonded Body – Chrysler Prowler

Aged just seven Chip Foose started working on car at his Dad’s Project Design shop, in Santa Barbara, California in 1970.

Chrysler Prowler, Pendine Sands

After financial difficulties Chip dropped out of the Art Center College of Design in 1982, but returned to graduate in 1990 by which time he had designed a retro coupé / roadster for a a Chrysler-sponsored college project.

Chrysler Prowler, Pendine Sands

After attracting much attention with it’s Dodge Viper, Chrysler design director Thomas C. Gale, also a hot rodder, gave the Plymouth Prowler which was influenced by Chip Fooses College design the go ahead as a concept car in 1993.

Chrysler Prowler, Pendine Sands

The Prowler went into production in 1997 with a chassis and body built from adhesive bonded aluminium at a facility in Shadeyside, Ohio with the rest of the assembly being completed by hand in Detroit.

Chrysler Prowler, Pendine Sands

Initially the Prowler was powered by a 214hp 3.5 litre / 213 cui V6 but in 1999 this was upgraded to produce 253hp, the motor is linked to a a four-speed Autostick semi-automatic transmission mounted in in the back, a al Alfa Romeo and Porsche 924/944/968 among many others to improve weight distribution, by a torque tube.

Chrysler Prowler, Pendine Sands

When the Plymouth brand was dropped in 2001 the Prowler continued to be marketed as a Chrysler until production ceased in 2002 with 11,700 examples built.

The 2002 example seen in these photographs taken at Pendine Sands was first registered in the UK on the 19th of December 2002.

Thanks for joining me on this “Shadeyside Bonded Body” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Wishing all GALPOT readers a Happy New Yew Year. Don’t forget to come back now !

Simulated Walnut Grain – Chrysler Town & Country

Twenty five years after the original Chrysler Town & Country Barrel Back Estate / Wagon was first seen the forth post war generation Town & Country Estate / Wagon was launched in 1965.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Elwood Engel was responsible for the design which featured a unitary body with a 121 inch wheelbase.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The 220 inch body of the fourth generation Town & Country used a combination of torsion bar front suspension and leaf sprung rear suspension and was initially available with either a 270 hp or high compression 305 hp motor, the latter requiring premium fuel.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Push button activated automatic transmission was deleted in favour of a near ubiquitous PRNDL selector that could be either floor or steering column mounted for the standard Torqueflite automatic transmission.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Despite the Chrysler Imperial Crown having standard disc brakes since 1950, they were still optional on the fourth generation Town & Country.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

By 1968 the lower powered Town Country produced 290 hp from it’s two barrel carburetor 383 cui V8.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

’68 model Town & Country models, the last of the fourth generation, are also distinguished by their mandatory side running lights and the introduction of simulated wood panels, reprising the genuine wood panels last seen on the Town & Country models in 1950.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Today’s featured ’68 Town & Country was first registered in the UK on 17th September 2012.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The car seen at an Avenue Drivers Club meeting in Bristol earlier this year is shown as running a 7.2 litre / 440 cui motor of a type not seen until 1971 on the fifth generation post war Town & Country.

Thanks for joining me on this “Simulated Walnut Grain” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for a Festive Ferrari Friday. Wishing all GALPOT readers a Merry Christmas, don’t forget to come back now !

Golden Lion – Chrysler Windsor Sedan

From it’s introduction in 1939 the Chrysler Windsor was one level up from the entry level Chrysler Royal until the demise of the latter in 1950 when the Windsor became the entry level model a position it held until the arrival of the Chrysler Newport in 1961 one year before the Windsor model name was retired.

Chrysler Windsor Sedan, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

In 1957 the sixth generation Chrysler Windsor was launched with, distinctive Virgil Exner styled tail fins and torsion bar Air Ride suspension, the following year Windsors made up 42.36% of Chrysler’s sales.

Chrysler Windsor Sedan, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

7th generation Windsors featured an interim face lift and upgrade on the 6th generation models and were only built during the 1959 model year.

Chrysler Windsor Sedan, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

External style differences included an outward flare at the top of the front wing / fender panels even more chrome on the front grill and bumper and kinked chrome side trim running the length of the vehicle.

Chrysler Windsor Sedan, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Big news for US customers was the new wedge head RB385 V8, the twin barrel carb Golden Lion 385 cui / 6,309 cc motor produced 305 hp up from 290hp on the previous Spitfire powered model, Canadian customers had to make do with the 295hp R361 Low Block V8.

Chrysler Windsor Sedan, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

The US Spec Golden Lion powered ’59 sedan seen in these photographs taken at Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet was first registered in the UK on the 1st of May 2008.

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

Silent Running Hypoid Gears – Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible

Visitors to the 1934 New York Auto Show were stunned by the appearance of the Chrysler Airflow with it’s aero dynamic shape and the comfort promised by mounting the engine over the front axle and moving the rear seats ahead of the rear axle.

Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Unfortunately, not for the first time nor the last, the futuristic Airflow did not sell as well as might be expected, despite it’s superior agility and comfort, so subsequent Airflow models became more conservative in their design.

Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The 1936 Chrysler Six C7 Convertible seen here is powered by a 241.5 cui / 3,957.5 cc flat head straight six, who’s origins can be traced back to 1924, with an automatic choke ensured easy starting.

Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

A new rear axle which promised silent running thanks to it’s hypoid gears, a spiral bevel gear whose axis does not intersect with the axis of the meshing gear, was introduced to the 1936 C7 range with automatic overdrive an option to further reduce the vehicles noise at speed.

Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Only 450 Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertibles, which cost nearly double that of the equivalent Ford, are believed to have been built,

Chrysler Six C7 Airstream Rumble Seat Convertible, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The rare right hand example, seen here at Summer Classics Easter Compton, almost certainly a conversion as the speedometer is on the passengers side, is showing as first registered in the UK on the 1st of April 1994, it is also showing as having a 2.7 litre 167 cui motor, a detail I suspect is at variance with the facts since there was no Chrylser 4,6 or 8 cylinder motor of that size that I know of, if you know different please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Thanks for joining me on this “Silent Running Hypoid Gear” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Something Yet Everything – Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé

The “something” that was “everything” that the Chrysler marketing department believed was never to be sensed or enjoyed in any other car….

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

…. was Chrysler engineering which excelled in 1930 when the 70 and 77 models were introduced.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The 77 was available with nine body options, including the Royal Coupé seen here, which were described in the companies marketing campaign as being of “dreadnought construction”.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

To put the battleship construction into the guaranteed 77 mph performance arena Chrysler were among the pioneers who used of down draught carburetors ….

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

… and a cam driven fuel pump to replace the gravity flow vacuum fuel tank to improve fuel distribution to the 4.4 litre / 268 cui 93 hp straight six engine.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

A “Multi Range” 4 speed gearbox was used to “out-distance all attempts to equal Chrysler performance.”

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Further superior engineering was evidenced by the standard “weatherproof hydraulics” for the braking system and a handy brake fluid resevoir mounted conveniently on the engine firewall.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The other 8 body styles offered for the 77 Series were Business Coupé, Convertible Coupé, Crown Coupé, Crown Sedan, Phaeton, Roadster, Royal Sedan and Town Sedan.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

A new Royal Coupé would cost an owner $1725 excluding all extra’s which included a novel electrical option radio for which the wiring was factory fitted.

Chrysler 77 Royal Coupé, Ken Thompson, 2014 Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The example seen in these photo’s owned by Ken Thompson was first registered in the UK on the 3rd of June 1930.

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

Hemispherical FirePower – Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport

The advantages of a hemispherical cylinder head are that it makes an efficient combustion chamber with minimal heat loss to the cylinder head, however there are numerous difficulties to be overcome to make such a head reliable and commercially viable due to the complexity of the cross flow valve gear, the need for domed piston crowns to attain the necessary compression ratio and the need for high octane fuel to prevent inefficient and destructive detonation in the combustion chamber.

Chrysler engineers began developing hemispherical combustion chambers in 1940 for an inverted V16 that powered a prototype for the P.47H Tunderbolt and was considered for the XP.60C, but the motor was so delayed it never went into production.

Later Chrysler also worked on a hemi head design with Continental for the 810hp Continental AV-1790-5B V12, air-cooled twin-turbo gasoline engine that powered the M47 Patton Tank which was manufactured from 1951 to 1953.

Chrysler New Yorker, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

In 1951 Chrysler introduced it’s first FirePower V8’s with hemispherical heads on the New Yorker and Imperial models and as an option for the Saratoga.

Bill Sterling and Robert H. Sandidge drove a Hemi powered Saratoga to a third place finish in the 1951 Carrera Panamericana finishing behind two Ferrari 212 Inters, less than 16 mins behind the winning car driven by Piero Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti.

Similarly Belgian Paul Frére drove Hemi powered Saratogas’s to class wins at the Mille Miglia and Spa 24 Hour races, Lee Petty won the first of his three NASCAR titles in 1954 scoring seven victories in Hemi powered Chryslers and Dodges.

Chrysler New Yorker, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

The grill on today’s featured car suggests that it is a Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport built for the 1954 model year which was fitted with a 235 hp version of the Hemi that was good for a theoretical top speed of 97 mph.

New Yorkers appeared on the Carrera Panamericana in 1951,’52 and ’53 but were not as successful as the Saratoga, Reginald McFee scored the models best result a 12th place finish in 1952.

Today’s featured New Yorker was driven on the 2011 Carrera Panamericana by David Buchanan and New York auto engineer Raffi Najjarian dropping out on day 2, I believe they finished third in class with the same car in the 2015 edition of the event.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs taken at Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

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

The Terror Of Poissy – Simca 1000 Rallye 2

Afrer a varied career, that started aged just 14 when his father disappeared, that included running the family transport business, selling war surplus motorcycles, experience in the coal import business and founding a business importing scrap steel from France to be recycled into FIAT’s in Italy Henri Théodore Pigozzi was appointed as FIAT’s man in France responsible for the distribution of, and later assembly of, FIAT’s for the French market aged just 28.

Henri founded Société Anonyme Français des Automobiles FIAT (SAFAF) to handle the work and purchased premises formerly used by Donnet to establish manufacturing operations in 1934 for a new entity the Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile (SIMCA) of which FIAT was the major share holder.

The “Simca Mille” was primarily designed by a team headed by Dante Giacosa and was chosen with FIAT’s blessing by Henri from a variety of four door concepts FIAT were exploring to expand the FIAT 500 and 600 series range into the up to 1 litre / 61.5 cui market segment.

Simca 1000 Rallye 2, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Former GM employee Mario Revelli de Beaumont and Felice Mario Boano were responsible for developing the Simca 1000 to production readiness in time for it’s launch in 1961, by which time FIAT had given up on the idea of launching it’s own four door model electing instead to go with another two door vehicle the FIAT 850 which was launched in 1964.

The Simca Mille remained in production until 1978 by which times variants had been built in France, Spain, Colombia and Morroco with 4 cylinder engines in the boot / trunk varying from 777cc / 47 cui to 1294 cui / 79 cui which were sold at a rate of over 100,000 a year up until 1974 with over 2 million examples built by 1978.

FIAT tuner Abarth started producing modified versions of the Simca Mille but they never went into regular production after SIMCA first bought Ford’s French interests and then itself came under the control of Chrysler’s European arm, however Simca started offering the 53hp, red only, Simca 1000 Rallye in 1970, which became known as the The terror from Poissy, where it was built, to fill the rear engine rear wheel drive gap left by the popular Renault 8 Gordini that was replaced by the front engine front wheel drive Renault 12 Gordini.

Simca 1000 Rallye 2, Frank Breidenstein, Oulton Park,

The next evolution of the Mille was the 60hp Rallye 1 which had a top speed of 96mph that was launched in 1972, today’s featured model the twin carburetor 82 hp Rallye 2 was built alongside the Rallye 1 and had a top speed of 100 mph and was the first Rallye to be fitted with 4 discs brakes as standard.

The Rallye 2 was used in touring car racing from 1973 to 1981 particularly in France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain and Germany during which time it recorded at least 11 class (1.3 litre / 79.3 cui) victories.

The #31 Rallye 2 seen in these photographs is driven by Daniel Burrows while I believe President of ”Simca Heckmotor (rear engine) Deutschland, Frank Breidenstein is seen at the wheel of the #131 during a track day at Oulton Park a few years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Terror Of Poissy” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a Concours d’Elegance edition of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”. Don’t for get to come back now !