CarBrandLogos archive · Chrysler · 1934

ChryslerAirflow

Wind-tunnel engineering a decade early, and the sales disaster that scared Detroit.

Photo: The original uploader was DougW at English Wikipedia. · Attribution

The story

A defining chapter in Chrysler history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Chrysler Airflow, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Carl Breer, one of Chrysler's founding engineers, became interested in aerodynamics after watching aircraft manoeuvre and realising that cars were shaped almost exactly wrong — blunt at the front, tapered at the back. He had Chrysler build a wind tunnel, consulted Orville Wright, and tested scale models to establish what a low-drag car would actually look like.

'34 airflow rear 2 · Trekphiler · CC BY 3.0

Design and engineering

The Airflow of 1934 was the result. The engine was moved forward over the front axle, which allowed the rear seat to sit within the wheelbase rather than on top of the rear axle, transforming the ride. The body used a welded steel structure closer to unit construction than the separate body-on-frame practice of the day, giving it far greater strength — Chrysler advertised the point by rolling one off a cliff and driving it away. The nose was a waterfall grille flowing into faired headlamps and integrated fenders.

'34 chrysler airflow doors open · Trekphiler · CC BY 3.0

In production

American buyers hated it. The shape read as ugly rather than modern, early production problems produced quality complaints that competitors amplified, and Chrysler compounded the error by putting the design across its senior lines and DeSoto's entire range. Sales collapsed. Chrysler retreated to conventional styling with the Airstream, softened the Airflow's nose each year, and killed it in 1937 after fewer than 30,000 had been built.

'34 chrysler airflow interior · Trekphiler · CC BY 3.0

Legacy

Its influence outlived it. The Lincoln-Zephyr, the Volvo PV36, the Peugeot 402 and Toyota's first passenger car, the AA, all borrowed from it directly. And Detroit drew a conclusion that shaped the next thirty years: engineer boldly if you must, but never let the customer see it in the styling.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1934–1937

Units built

29,600

Designer

Oliver Clark

Body

4-door sedan

Technical specification

The Airflow, in detail.

Production: 1934–1937; (< 29,600 built)
Class: Full-size car
Body style: 4-door sedan; 2-door coupe
Layout: FR layout
Engine: 298.65 CID Chrysler flathead engine#Straight-8; Chrysler I8 (1934) ; 323.5 CID Chrysler Flathead engine#Straight-8; Chrysler I8 (1937)
Transmission: 3-speed manual floor shift
Designer: Oliver Clark
Assembly: Highland Park Chrysler Plant, Highland Park, Michigan, United States
Manufacturer: Chrysler Corporation