I've got to admit something. When it comes to corporations that have historically cool cars, Mopar's got some seriously long chops. Back when I did the Plymouth list, I was astounded at how quickly my first pass list filled up. As I prepared for today's list of Chryslers, I was similarly astounded. And I'm saving Dodge for the last Chrysler offering because it's a slam-dunk...
With that said, here are my Top Ten favorite cars from Chrysler:
1. 1932 Imperial. This car is, in a nutshell, stunning. From the long, tapered fenders that flow into the running boards to the half-windscreen for the rear passengers to the grill that looks like it belongs on a Rolls Royce, the styling of the pre-war Imperials was breathtaking. These cars look like they should be chaffeuring Monty Burns around...
2. 1950 Newport. More chrome than an art deco apartment. A front bumper you could hold a dance on. Wood grain paneling. Deep dish hubcaps, wide white walls, a delicate balance of wood, chrome, and lacquered steel, the Newport maintained the good looks of the post-war woodies while foreshadowing the bombastic styling of the '50s.
3. 1957 300C. The first of the muscle cars, the 300C had a 390 horsepower FirePower hemi under the hood, a surprisingly powerful engine given the more refined pedigree of the marque. Power ran through the push-button TorqueFlite transmission, which was in use in one form or another from its introduction in 1956 until the early 2000s! Even as a monstrous land barge, the 300 had something about it that said "fast".
4. 1970 New Yorker. Ah, truth in advertising. The New Yorker was about as large as the city that shared its name, and seated about the same number of people... There's no truth to the rumors that the hoods of New Yorkers were used as emergency landing pads for medivac choppers...
5. 1963 Turbine. Okay, so it wasn't a full-run production car, but a limited number were given to the general public for testing. The turbine engine offered certain advantages over the traditional pushrod motors of the time, but never really caught on, most likely because of the noise level and acceleration lag.
6. 1978 Cordoba. Of course the Cordoba, with it's "rich Corinthian leather" would make the list... Twin to the Dodge Magnum (before it became a Hemi-powered monster wagon), the Cordoba was Chrysler's first mid-sized car (!!!). Sure, today the Cordoba would be classified as ZOMG size, but in the spirit of the times it was small by comparison to the other land yachts offered.
7. 1987 Conquest TSi. Yes, I know it's technically a Mitsubishi Starion, but not acknowledging the Conquest would be doing the marque a disservice. Rather than rebadge a Daytona as a Laser (spit) they borrowed their partner Mitsubishi's sports car and made a pretty darn sporty little Chrysler out of it.
8. 1971 Imperial. For some reason, Chrysler decided that their cars in the early 1970s would be sized along the lines of aircraft carriers. The Imperials of the early 1970s were powered by a 350HP 440 ci engine, and yet were only moderately powered. These are cars large enough for JATO units.
9. 1934 Airflow. Yep, I gotta love the odd. In the 1930s, Chrysler was the first manufacturer to produce a car designed with aerodynamics in mind. Hence the Airflow. It was actually tested in a wind tunnel, and led to the discovery that automobiles of the time were actually so unaerodynamic that they were better served going backwards!
10. 1961 Newport Wagon. The Newport wagon of the late 1950s and early 1960s was... interesting. From the tail fins protruding past the ginormous rear window to the trademark trapezoidal grill, no one can accuse the Newport wagon of borrowing styling cues from, well, anything...
So there's my list of Top Ten Chryslers. Once again, this list pulls heavily from the earlier years of Chrysler's heyday. I just can't get all that excited about the boxy 300s or the oddly styled Crossfire currently being offered. And the Chryslers of the 1980s and 90s were positively dreadful.
What Chryslers of note have I missed?
That is all.
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7 comments:
Turbine.
" but never really caught on, most likely because of the noise level and acceleration lag."
....We actually had a neigbor who was one of the "connected few" who tested one. As I recall, they weren't really very noisy, pretty quite actually for the day, although it was a very differnt high pitched sound that bothered some people...I thought it was a neat sound.. But a big problem was the 1600 degree exhaust said to be able to melt nylon stockings or socks if you walked behind the car at a stop light.
...and like the EV1 the real production cost would have made them the most expensive car available by a factor of 10.
Come to the Lou Jay and I'll take you to the national museum of transportation where that fabulous turbine car is on display.
Can I drive it? I like the idea of melting socks...
Jeez Jay, what is it with you melting? First TheBoy's face almost melts off from H1N1, now you're obsessing about melting socks.
And along the same line of thought, Jay Leno has a turbine powered bike that routinely melts the bumper covers of curious Lexus drivers who creep too close.
1982 Lebaron convertible. The first drop-top American car in since the mid 70s, it single-handily revived the market for convertibles.
1990 Lebaron GTC Turbo II Sporty styling, luxury interior, and a turbocharged, intercooled 4 banger that put out 175 ponies, got 30mpg+ (when you kept your foot out of the boost), and low 15 second 1/4 miles when ya kicked it.
1994 Lebaron Landau sedan Ok, personal bias 'cause I had one. Seats six, leather interior, big trunk, classic luxury car styling, and the same mitsubishi V6 motor (without the 24 valves and turbo) that was in the Stealth/3000GT. Mine gave me over 250,000 miles, and buried the needle on the speedo more then once.
1959 Saratoga OK, just cause it's another one I owned. Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" styling. Big as a whale, with fins to match. 126 inch wheelbase, 383 4barrel (not the same as the later 383; this one was a 413 with a smaller bore they only made for 3yrs) with gobs of torque, and a pushbutton tranny. What more needs to be said? :P
wv=podge: plymouth+dodge=chrysler
First year 300, 1955. White was the only color as I recall. More understated styling than the "fin" years that immediately followed, cream colored leather interior. Nice...
Ah, the Chrysler Imperial. Thanks, Jay. My dad had a '70 4-door LeBaron Imperial from 72-79 (company car). I loved that car. Yeah, it didn't quite have the sheer raw acceleration of my RX-2, but I never did find the top end (it was somewhere north of 120mph), and for luxury, nothing could match it.
If I could own ONE classic car, that Imperial would be on my very short list of choices.
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