![]() ![]() In conclusion, the Chrysler Airflow models had a major impact on automotive styling trends since World War II. By 1937, the last Chrysler Airflow models (known as the Airflow III models) were produced in two different body styles, a six passenger sedan and a five passenger coupe. Today, automotive historians agree that Chrysler had introduced one of the best known aerodynamic vehicles in automotive history. ![]() Greater speed for the driver was an added bonus of the Airflow models as well. These vehicles created a new form of transportation and offered top of the line aerodynamics. It took determination and creative thinking to produce such a scientifically streamlined automobile. A total of 11,292 Chrysler Airflow models were built in 1934, with 6,797 DeSoto Airflow models built in 1935 available in three different models: the four door, six-passenger sedan the town sedan for six passengers and the coupe with a enclosed rumble seat. The doors were extra wide for ease of entrance for the driver and passengers, and the seats were cradled on a frame of chromed tubing to allow air to circulate beneath the driver and passenger seats. The rear wheels on Airflow models were partially covered to reduce air drag. The rear end design offered a continuous sweep in a true streamlined design form. The appearance of the Chrysler Airflow was designed to include a hood that had a long graceful curve, headlights, and a chromed grille set within its forward front surface. During the first car show where the Airflow models were featured, one journalist from Motor Yearbook said, “At first glance, these cars will look strange to most people, however, after you have looked at them for two or three days you become accustomed to them and sooner or later you begin to admire them.” Despite the economic times, Chrysler continued to move forward with its Airflow package design program. However, 1934 was also a year of despair, as the Great Depression changed so many American lives. The Chrysler Airflow models were released in 1934, creating a huge impact on the market after being introduced at the 1934 Automobile show. It took six years to develop the new Chrysler and DeSoto Airflow automobiles, and they were great looking vehicles to some. These tests had proven that over time that with increasing speeds, wind resistance alone consumed an astonishing amount of power. The goal was to determine the effect of head-on wind resistance and rear end wind drag. However, the vehicles offered many innovations and safety features that proved these models were simply ahead of their time.ĭuring the early stages of Chrysler Airflow development, there was constant wind tunnel testing with smaller wooden models and delicate instruments. Many Americans did not like the 1934-1937 Chrysler or DeSoto Airflow automobiles. In 1934, Carl Breer and two of his associates, Owen Skelton and Fred Zeder, created a special kind of Chrysler vehicle that would become very controversial in the auto industry. Images Courtesy of the Robert Tate Collection ![]() By Robert Tate: Automotive Historian/Researcher ![]()
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