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Tag: chrysler

April 23,1987 – Chrysler buys Lamborghini
23Apr By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

April 23,1987 – Chrysler buys Lamborghini

On this day 1987 Chrysler Corporation purchased Lamborghini for an estimated cost of $25 million. At the time, the luxury automaker was experiencing financial difficulty under the ownership of the Mimram Brothers. Above: Lamborghini 350 GT, produced 1964 to 1966Top: 1990 Lamborghini Diablo. By Mr.choppers - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the sports car company in 1963 after, as legend has it, he experienced mechanical issues with his Ferrari. To remedy the issues, he made an attempt to meet with Enzo Ferrari, that car company’s founder. After being turned away, Ferruccio, who had already made a fortune in the sale of tractors and air conditioners, set out to build better, faster cars. His efforts led to the development of the first Lamborghini, the 350 GTV,...
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Five 1950s project cars for $5,000 or less
18Apr By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Cheap Classic Cars

Five 1950s project cars for $5,000 or less

By Cody Clark Every day, classic cars become more expensive. But for $5,000, can you still drive around in a relic from America’s golden era of motoring? While these project cars for sale on Craigslist may not be the best examples of the height of American manufacturing, they prove that on a budget there are still cars out there that require just a few very long weekends to roar back to life. Great investments start when the car can’t lose any more value, right? 1955 Chrysler for sale This 1955 Chrysler Windsor is available in Long Beach, CA for $3,600. It looks like it still has a few years before it rusts fully into the ground, and the seller states the engine turns. The dash mounted shifter, ‘Power steering’ label on the steering wheel and extremely wide white walls make t...
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Escaped New Yorker – Restore-ready 1965 Chrysler New Yorker
13Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Cheap Classic Cars

Escaped New Yorker – Restore-ready 1965 Chrysler New Yorker

By Cody Clark Coming off of his conservative, sleek days at General Motors with the Continental, Elwood Engel had a plan to save the Chrysler New Yorker. He adopted that same less-is-more design language with 1965’s offering and essentially saved the model - Detroit’s red-headed stepchild sold 62% more New Yorkers over the prior year. Available on craigslist in Renton, WA for $4,500, this 1965 Chrysler New Yorker for sale is an example of Engel’s iconic design philosophy without the hefty price tag of the Continental but still brimming with all the retrofuturism your heart desires.  Information is sparse on this example, although the critical parts are at least somewhat visible. The paint looks like a cloudy melange compared to the deep blue this car would have shown in its ...
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January 24, 1957 – The 10,000,000th Plymouth
24Jan By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

January 24, 1957 – The 10,000,000th Plymouth

If you wanted a cheap car in 1928, you had quite a few options. Ford's first all new car since 1908, the Model A, could be had that year for around $500. A similar sized Chevrolet could be parked in your driveway for less than $100 more. Or, if you wanted something your neighbor didn't have, you could drive off in a Plymouth for around $675. Chrysler launched Plymouth, one of the first engineered brands, in July of 1928 to compete directly with low priced Fords and Chevys. Though about $175 more than a Ford (roughly $2,500 in 2021), Plymouths did have features its competition didn't, such as hydraulic brakes. Are you sold yet? Above: 1928 Plymouth Model Q. By DougW. Top: The 10 millionth Plymouth When the Great Depression began the next year, it would be Plymouth that would ensu...
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January 5, 1924 – The first Chrysler car debuts
5Jan By Brian CoreyNo Comments
This Day

January 5, 1924 – The first Chrysler car debuts

Visitors to the lobby of the Commodore Hotel in New York City on this day in automotive history in 1924 may have been treated to the public unveiling of the first Chrysler car to use the trademarked name. Released under Maxwell as the Chrysler Six during the New York Motor Show, the car had only began rolling off the assembly line on December 20, a few weeks prior. Getting to this point was no easy task for proprietor Walter Chrysler. Maxwell-Chalmers hired Chrysler to head the ailing automobile brand just a year before. They had high hopes that Chrysler could save the company, as he had recent success revitalizing Willys-Overland. Among the first steps Chrysler took to get MC out of the hole: shutting down production of Chalmers in 1923. This left Maxwell on its own. To give the c...
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December 10, 1970 – Lee Iacocca elected President of Ford Motor Company
10Dec By Automotive History4 Comments
This Day

December 10, 1970 – Lee Iacocca elected President of Ford Motor Company

On this day in 1970 Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca became the president of Ford Motor Company. He would serve in the role for nearly eight years before a jealous Henry Ford II kicked him to the curb. His career in the auto industry is the stuff of legend, and it may have never happened if not for getting sick. Due to a childhood illness, Lee was barred from service during WWII. Though this may have saved his life, Lee recalled wanting nothing more than to fly a bomber over Nazi Germany. Unable to join the fight, Lee took the opportunity to study engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He would later attend Princeton before joining Ford’s own educational engineering program. Following his graduation from the Ford institution he became an engineer with the company. He soon found a ...
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December 5, 1977 – Chrysler Corp debuts FWD compacts Omni & Horizon
5Dec By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

December 5, 1977 – Chrysler Corp debuts FWD compacts Omni & Horizon

The first mass produced front wheel drive cars from the Chrysler Corporation debuted on this day in 1977. The subcompact Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon would help save the company. They became a popular alternative to economical imports at a time when Chrysler was losing major money. Aside from being the first FWD cars from Chrysler, they're among the first from any American automaker. Previous domestic FWD cars include the Cord 810/812, introduced for 1936, followed by the Oldsmobile Toronado, first offered in 1966, and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. The cars remained in production for eleven years with few changes. Some 2,500,000 Omnis and Horizons left the factory by the end of their run in 1990.
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November 2, 1983 – The first minivans from Chrysler leave the assembly line
2Nov By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

November 2, 1983 – The first minivans from Chrysler leave the assembly line

Lee Iacocca with the first Plymouth Voyager A few years before automotive executives Lee Iacocca and his Mustang sidekick Hal Sperlich found themselves kicked to the curb outside of Ford headquarters, the two spearheaded a new concept car known as the Carousel. Henry Ford II, who often butt heads with Iacocca, was less than impressed. It's design was radical, unlike anything else on the road. The Edsel fiasco also weighed heavy on Hank's shoulders, reducing his will to take a chance on a new vehicle. In the late 1970s, Iacocca and Sperlich both ended up fired from Ford and then hired by the struggling Chrysler Corporation. With Iacocca as president (later chairman and CEO), the two brought their concept back to life. Renamed the Magic Wagon during development, the project would res...
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October 15, 1924 – Lee Iacocca is born
15Oct By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

October 15, 1924 – Lee Iacocca is born

On this day in 1924 Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca was born. He would become one of the most influential men in modern American automotive history. In his career he would achieve many incredible feats throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s at Ford and Chrysler.  Due to a childhood illness, Lee was barred from service during WWII. Though this may have saved his life, Lee recalled wanting nothing more than to fly a bomber over Nazi Germany. Unable to join the fight, Lee took the opportunity to study engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He would later attend Princeton before joining Ford’s own educational engineering program. Following his graduation from the Ford institution he became an engineer with the company. He soon found a better fit in sales and marketing afte...
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August 18, 1940 – Walter Chrysler dies
18Aug By Automotive History7 Comments
This Day

August 18, 1940 – Walter Chrysler dies

The founder of the Chrysler Corporation, Walter P. Chrysler, passed away on this day in 1940 after succumbing to a cerebral hemorrhage. Chrysler was born in Kansas in 1875 and began his career as a machinist and mechanic in the railroad industry. His railroad career peaked as works manager of the Allegheny locomotive erecting shops of the American Locomotive Company (Alco). His introduction to the automotive business would come in 1911, when he was approached by  James J. Storrow, an investment banker who was critical in the formation of General Motors just a few years prior. Above: Walter Chrysler (right)and his car from when he worked on the railroads. Can you identify it? His brother Ed at left. Top: Walter Chrysler and 1924 Maxwell Chrysler B-70. Storrow also happened to be...
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