Tag Archives: Exner

Golden Lion – Chrysler Windsor Sedan

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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 !

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Forward Design – Plymouth Savoy

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The arrival of of the 1957 Mopars saw a dramatic shift in styling from a conservative Plane Jane to Virgil Exner’s jet age inspired Forward Design featuring the outrageous tail fins that became synonymous with the late 1950’s and lead Plymouths advertising copy to read “Suddenly – It’s 1960!”

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The only car that dared to break the time barrier Plymouth, De Soto, Dodge and Chrysler full size models all featured variations of the same body design that were available to meet a variety of needs at an all important variety of prices.

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Two years after Chrysler replaced the ’55 body styles the Plymouth Savoy alone was offered with 2-door coupe, 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 4-door hardtop and station wagon bodies which with 8 engine options and 3 transmission options allowed a diligent salesman to sell up or down according to the purse of just about anybody who walked through the dealers showroom door.

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Allegedly “The Forward Look of Motion” caused GM’s styling boss Harley Earl to ask Chevrolet exterior designer C.J. MacKichan “Why don’t you quit?” after seeing the 1957 Plymouth catalogue”.

Despite Torsion-Aire Ride using torsion bars but not airbags as the name might suggest, build quality problems with the Forward Designs meant many did not survive long before they started to rust away, the ’57 Savoy featured in these photographs is seen at last years Summer Classics meeting in Easter Compton.

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

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Stock Body Record – Chrysler 300D

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The 1957 Chrysler ‘Letter Series‘ high-performance luxury cars had evolved to the 300C model powered by either a 370 hp or 390 hp 392 cui / 6.4 litre Hemi motor and either Coupé or Convertible bodies that were styled by Virgil Exner with a new ‘yawning’ grill at the front and larger tail fins at the rear.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

1958 300D’s, like the example seen here at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, retained the 1957 body in Coupé and Convertible forms.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

The 392 cui FirePower Hemi motors were all tuned to produce 380 hp except for 18 fuel injected cars which produced 390hp that was so unreliable most were converted back to fuel delivery by carburetor.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

Norm Thatcher loaded his 300D, fitted with 8 non stock Stromberg carburetors into the back of his truck and took it to Bonneville from Van Nuys with 3 other people, supplies, food and extra tires in the trunk / boot.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

He then showed the cars high performance capability by recording a top two way average speed of 156.386 mph, using Firestone tyres and Quaker State oil without the aid of any special lubricants on the famous salt flats.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

Having accomplished his mission to set an new ‘Stock Body’ record Norm loaded the 300D, one of only two with manual 3 speed transmissions and all the factory options deleted, back into his truck and drove back to his shop where the car was eventually returned to stock carburetor configuration and sold on as a daily driver which is still a runner today.

Chrysler 300D, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham, Psychoontyres,

Automobile sales plummeted in 1958 and so only 618 Coupés and 191 Convertibles were built, down nearly two thirds on the previous year.

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

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FliteSweep Deck Lid – Imperial Crown

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In 1955 Chrysler turned the hitherto top of the Chrysler range Imperial model into an exclusive standing alone premium brand a division of Chrysler Corporation in much the same way as Continental became a premium division of Lincoln in 1956 and Cadillac has always been the premium division of General Motors.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

For 1957 the second generation Imperials were launched with wider platforms that were unique to the Imperial brand and wider than any of it’s rivals. Three motor options were available ranging from 6.4 litre / 392 cui Hemi’s to 7.2 litre / 440 cui Wedgeheads. So far as I have been able to determine from the DVLA records today’s featured ’57 Imperial Crown is fitted with a non standard MOPAR 6.2 litre 383 cui engine which did not go into production until 1959.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

A highly rated smooth ride was facilitated by Torsion-Aire suspension with torsion bars on the front and multi-leaf springs on the rear axle the benefits of which one critic elucidated thus “cornered at speed flatter than a tournament billiard table”.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Virgil Exner evolved his ‘Forward Look’ and 1955 “The New 100-Million Dollar Look” design themes on the 1957 Imperial which featured the FliteSweep Deck Lid complete with optional faux continental tyre bulge in the boot / trunk lid.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The gunsight tail lights were way ahead of the game and along with several other details would be a much copied feature on General Motors products from Buicks Buick, to Cadillacs over the following years.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

While power seats and dual exhausts were standard on all Imperials, Custom, Crown, LaBaron or custom built Crown Imperial trim levels were available according to the customers requirements.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Despite being so far ahead of the curve in handling, styling and size the ’57 Imperials were outsold 1 to 3 by the ’57 Cadillacs.

Thanks for joining me on this “FliteSweep Deck Lid” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a highly collectible FIAT. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sales Dipper – DeSoto Firesweep Convertible

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When I first saw today’s featured DeSoto Firesweep Convertible on the lawn outside Goodwood House a couple of months ago my first thought was along the lines of “Wow ! a convertible Batmobile.”

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

This is the first DeSoto I recall ever seeing in the flesh and it would appear to me that Virgil Exner, who was responsible for the ‘forward look’ that graced the Chrysler Corp’s models across the Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler brands, was himself influenced by the 1955 Lincoln Futura that became the 1965 Batmobile for the Batman TV series.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

1958 Firesweeps were offered with six body options of which the rarest was the convertible with just 700 examples built.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

One of the more interesting items on the 1958 DeSoto Options list, not fitted to this car so far as I know, was a 45rpm Hi Way Hi Fi record player, for which Chrysler also had a list of hits that could be ordered from the dealer.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 1957 sales of the Firesweep totaled 40,000 so it must have come as a shock to DeSoto executives when sales of the 1958 Firesweeps with slightly larger and more powerful 5.7 litre / 350 cui 280 hp motors slumped to just 18,000 units.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

There are numerous reasons why DeSoto sales slumped including a recession which saw unemployment in Detroit alone rise to 20% in 1958 and the same year also marked the end of the post war baby boom which would see US birth’s in decline for 11 consecutive years.

At the time of writing it appears today’s featured car, thought to be one of just twelve Firesweep convertibles known to remain, is being offered for sale by a dealer in the Netherlands, usual disclaimers, with advice to proceed with caution and plenty of your own research, apply.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sales Dipper” 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 !

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Small MPV – Dodge Sierra

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Since I started blogging my love of acres of Detroit sheet metal has grown in no small part due to the the California Streets blogs of Jay Wollenweber.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

So it is with a little trepidation that I offer today’s blog on a vehicle probably better suited to his patch than mine and one that he will probably be able to tell me a lot more about than me, namely the the nine seat 1958 Dodge Sierra.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

The Sierra name in the UK is usually associated with a 1980’s 4 door Ford that bore a striking resemblance to a jelly mould, that only gained any credibility after Cosworth had dumped it’s finest 200 hp turbocharged twin cam 4 cylinder motor under the bonnet and Ford gave it an outsize tea tray rear spoiler.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

I digress, from what I have been able to work out the Dodge Sierra seen here was the Estate / Station Wagon version of the Dodge Royal which sat in the middle of a Dodge model mix that included the Coronet at the lower end, the Custom Royal at the upper end with a short lived Regal Lancer at the very top.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

It would appear that Virgil Exner was responsible for the design of both the first, introduced in 1955, and second, introduced in 1957, generation Dodges, that were marketed under these model names which featured the same body shells and running gear but different motors and trim levels.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

To further confuse matters in 1958 the lower priced Plymouth and higher priced De Soto ranges appear to have used the same basic Dodge body panels for their models as well.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

Among the options I have seen available for the Sierra, not necessarily the ’58 model year, are swivel seat, 3 speed transmission, power steering, power brakes, power rear window, wire wheels, full tinted glass, rear view mirrors (!) AM radio and a Kleenex dispenser.

Dodge Sierra, Goodwood Revival

I have no idea if the asking price of £7,000 seen on the windscreen of this car at Goodwood Revival represents good value for a vehicle with a 5.7 litre / 350 cui Super Red Ram Hemi V8 with 4 barrel carb which is in need of a pair of rear drums for the brakes, but I suspect if I was looking to make that California Trip along Route 66 with a vehicle that was not 100 point Concours Condition this might be a fun vehicle in which to take a 2000 mile ride.

Apologies if I have made any obvious blunders on this blog, please do not hesitate to log in and chime in with any corrections below.

Thanks for joining me on this Hemi edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Chthonic deity of vengeance – Plymouth Fury

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Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

The second generation Plymouth Fury was in production from 1960 to 1964, in 4 door saloon / sedan, 2 door coupé, 4 door estate / station wagon or 2 door convertible body styles. The model featured in today’s blog was built in 1961.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Second generation Furies are distinguishable from their earlier siblings by featuring unit-body construction doing away with the need for a separate chassis.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

The Fury takes its name from mythological subterranean personifications of vengeance.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

An electric motor powers a hydraulic pump which acts to power the hood down and back up, the hood is locked shut manually and sealed with a couple of press studs.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Allegedly the ’62 Fury was downsized after the President of Chrysler misheard a GM executive saying that Chevrolet, GM’s bargain equivalent of Chryslers Plymouth brand would not have any full size cars in it’s ’62 model line up.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

With some 5,400 body welds to each Plymouth the unitary construction of the second generation Fury was estimated to have 40% more sag resistance and double the twist resistance of the first generation Fury with its body on frame construction method.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

There is some debate about the ’61’s down turned fins which were critically acclaimed but not well received by the public , were they a deliberate feature or an unresolved feature by designer Virgil Exner who suffered a heart attack in 1960 and was near death when the 1961 and ’62 Fury designs were finalised.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

A particularly cool feature of the second generation Fury is that it has no gear stick / shift either floor or column mounted but instead the Torqueflite automatic gearbox is operated by just five simple push buttons at the 9 o’clock position to the left of the steering wheel.

A copy of this transmission operating system was also adopted by Bristol Cars on their 407 model which also used identical Chrysler 313 cui V8 engines and Torqueflite gearboxes to this particular Plymouth Fury.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Imported from California in 1976 this is thought to be the only working ’61 Plymouth Fury in the United Kingdom and can be hired for weddings for a modest £275 pounds.

My thanks to the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum for keeping this magnificent land yacht in working fettle and on display,

Thanks for joining me for another Mopar edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when we take a peak at something very large and in charge from behind the Iron Curtain. Don’t for get to come back now !

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