![]() ![]() It was very different from other cars on the road at the time and that did not prove to be what customers wanted. Unfortunately, the style had not caught up to function and sales suffered. It was a design that was far ahead of its time. The eight-cylinder engine provided around 115 horsepower or more depending on the options selected. The interior was surprisingly roomy and comfortable. Soon, the Airflow would be used by the Chrysler's counterpart, the DeSoto Motor Company. In 1937, the vehicle was taken off the market.Ĭhassis Profiles The Chrysler Airflow was introduced in 1934 as an exercise in aerodynamics, form, and function. The 1936 year saw only 6,285 Chrysler Airflow sales and 5,000 De Soto sales. The cheaper De Soto alternative sold 13,940 vehicles. The 122-horsepower Inline-8 could power the car from zero to sixty in 19.5 seconds and attain a top speed of about 88 miles per hour.ĭuring the first year of production, 11,292 Chrysler Airflow's were sold. This also did not produce desirable sales results, so the grill was again modified. When sales did not do well, the grill was changed to a more conventional 'skyscraper' gill in 1935. The front of the car had a large grill that extended from the hood to the bumper. The largest length measured 145 inches and was dubbed the Custom Imperials. The vehicle could be purchased in five different wheelbase lengths. In 1934, the production model was completed and ready for sale.Ĭhryslers Airflows used strictly eight cylinders, while the De Soto version used six cylinders. A prototype called the Trifon Special was constructed in 1932. Lightweight, rigid materials were used to help compliment the vehicle's design. Orville Wright, an aviation expert, was called upon to help design a vehicle that achieved aerodynamics similar to an airplane. The vehicle's design came about after many hours spent in wind tunnels. The design was revolutionary for the 1930s the sales, however, would be its downfall. If you want to go nuts you could buy an Edgy aluminum cylinder head, they are nice but I don't think they are worth $1400.Chassis Profiles The Carl Breer-designed Chrysler Airflow was ahead of its time in terms of aerodynamics. This requires a plexiglass or glass plate with a hole to cover the combustion chamber and a burrette to fill it with a measured amount of oil. If you want to be really scientific you could measure the different combustion chambers. You can easily examine and compare the 1937 and Spitfire heads. They used a smaller version of the same engine and had the highest compression of any Chrysler built flathead six. Probably the highest compression stock head would be off a Canadian Dodge or Plymouth 1957 - 1959. It would give higher compression on the larger engine. Even though it only had 6:1 compression the engine was only 228 cu in. ![]() Your 1937 engine should have a smaller combustion chamber than the later engine. These later ones may have had higher compression. The same engine was used up to 1968 in trucks, and 1972 as industrial and marine power plants. These had 6.6:1 compression, rising to 7:1 starting with the 1949 models. I believe Chrysler used the Spitfire name for their engines from 1946 to 1954 and the name Spitfire was cast into the head. ![]()
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