1947, 1948, 1949 Chryslers - HowStuffWorks

[http://www.howstuffworks.com/] SUBSCRIBE Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech Video Shows Quizzes Auto Basics Tech and Transport Auto Parts & Systems Auto Racing Buying & Selling Car Models Driving & Safety Fuel Efficiency Motorcycles Trucks Under the Hood Home / Auto / Car Models / Modern Cars / Chrysler How Chrysler Works by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide Page 2 The Chrysler Airflow 3 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946 Chryslers 4 1947, 1948, 1949 Chryslers 5 The Chrysler Hemi Engine The 1947 Chrysler Town & Country was one of Chrysler’s best sellers in the years following World War II. 1947, 1948, 1949 Chryslers Postwar inflation pushed prices up dramatically. For example, a Royal business coupe that had cost a little more than $1000 in 1942 was over $1400 in '46. Prices would continue rising through decade's end, when a Crown Imperial went for nearly double its 1940 figure. Even so, Chrysler ranked among the top-10 in industry production for 1947-48. Only detail alterations occurred for 1947: fender trim, wheels/hubcaps, colors, carburetion, instruments, plus low-pressure Goodyear "Super Cushion" tires. The Traveler name returned for a luxurious Windsor utility sedan with special paint and interior and an attractive wood luggage rack. Unlike DeSoto's similar Suburban, it had a separate trunk instead of fold-down triple seats and wood rear floorboards. Also making a belated comeback was the eight-passenger Crown Imperial sedan. The '48 Chryslers were just carryover '47s, though the six-cylinder T&C sedan was dropped at midyear, leaving the straight-eight convertible to carry on alone. The latter would prove the most numerous early T&C, with total 1946-48 production of 8380 units. Like all T&Cs through 1950, they've long been bona fide collectibles. Chrysler planned a redesigned Silver Anniversary line for late '48, but ran into delays. Thus, existing models -- save the ragtop T&C -- were sold through March 1949 at unchanged prices, though none of these "first-series" '49s were built in that calendar year. Though streamlined styling with integral, skirted fenders had been considered for the all-postwar "second-series" '49s, Keller insisted on bolt-upright bodies with vast interior space. He got them, but with some loss in sales appeal. Output fell to some 124,200 for model-year '49, and Chrysler slipped back to 12th in the industry race. Overall, the '49 Chryslers were ornate, with massive chrome-laden grilles, prominent brightwork elsewhere, and curious vertical taillights except on Crown Imperials (which were spared the gaudy devices). Gimmicky names were used for certain desirable features: "Safety-Level Ride," "Hydra-Lizer" shock absorbers, "Safety-Rim" wheels, "Full-Flow" oil filter, "Cycle-Bonded" brake linings. Wheelbases were generally longer. Royals and Windsors now spanned 125.5 inches, though a 139.5-inch chassis continued for long models. Saratogas, New Yorkers, convertible T&C, and an Imperial sedan got a 131.5-inch chassis; Crowns remained at 145.5. Engines were largely unchanged. Chrysler-based customs were still around in the late '40s, many built by Derham of Rosemont, Pennsylvania. In 1946-48 Derham offered a Crown Imperial town limousine, as well as numerous one-offs such as a dual-cowl Imperial phaeton and a New Yorker coupe that resembled a Lincoln Continental with a Chrysler front end. Derham also tried the padded-top treatment on a handful of '49 New Yorker sedans. Chrysler itself built custom formal sedans, and A.J. Miller of Ohio did a long-wheelbase limousine/hearse. Wildest of all was a promotional 1946-48 New Yorker parade car done up as a giant Zippo lighter. Chrysler entered the '50s as a lower-medium-price make with seven series and 24 models. By 1959 it was an upper-medium line with 15 models spanning four series. Styling and engineering improved rapidly, and the dowdy L-head cars of 1950 gave way to exciting high-performance machines by mid-decade. Chrysler also had some of the best-looking tailfins of the age. Those fins, which premiered as tack-ons for '55, were the work of Virgil M. Exner, who came from Studebaker to head corporate styling in 1949. Exner favored "classic" design elements: upright grilles, circular wheel openings, rakish silhouettes. But the practical, boring boxes of K.T. Keller (then preparing for retirement) weren't selling, and before Exner could get out anything completely new, Chrysler Division's yearly volume had dropped from 180,000 to barely 100,000. For more on the amazing Chrysler, old and new, see: Chrysler New Car Reviews and Prices Chrysler Used Car Reviews and Prices Print Cite This! Close Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. "How Chrysler Works" 01 June 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 04 November 2014. Citation & Date Feedback Page 1 Chrysler Origins 2 The Chrysler Airflow 3 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946 Chryslers 4 1947, 1948, 1949 Chryslers 5 The Chrysler Hemi Engine 6 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 Chryslers 7 1960, 1961 Chryslers 8 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 Chryslers More To Explore More Great Links Top 10 Green Driving Tips 5 Scariest Stunt Car Feats The Ultimate CarStuff Fan Quiz 5 Warning Signs You Need New Tires 10 Most Expensive Classic Cars Watch American Chopper videos >> You Might Also Like 1981-1987 Audi Coupe/Coupe GT The 1981-1987 Audi Coupe/Coupe GT was affordable and offered secure handling and decent performance. The Audi Coupe was roomy and pleasant however the driving experience leaves room for improvement. Learn more about this classic car. How the MINI Cooper Works Occasionally, a car design comes along that somehow remains relatively untouched for decades. These cars can garner a loyal band of supporters and enthusiasts whose passion for the model might seem, to an outsider, to go well beyond the merits of the car itself. Popular Articles 1987 Shelby Charger GLH-S Chevrolet Celebrity 1985-1991 Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro/200 Quattro Most Popular Most Watched Top 5 Reasons Your Car Is Vibrating How Stirling Engines Work 5 Signs That You Need Your Brakes Checked Car Smarts: Camshafts Auto Puzzles: Charging an Electric Car Understanding Cars Auto Parts & Systems Deconstructed Wrecks to Riches: Rebuilding Classic Cars Car Accident Videos Bikes, Hacks, Trikes and Choppers Don't Miss Stuff You Should Know: Demystifying Your World Stuff Mom Never Told You: All Things Women and Gender Stuff You Missed in History Class: Fact or Fiction? CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS HOWSTUFFWORKS NEWSLETTER THE LATEST AND GREATEST SUBSCRIBE HOWSTUFFWORKS Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech MORE STUFF Store Blogs RSS Maps Podcasts Quizzes Newsletters Video Site Map HSW Brazil HSW China STUFF WEBSITES BrainStuff CarStuff Fw:Thinking Stuff Mom Never Told You Stuff of Genius Stuff They Don't Want You to Know Stuff to Blow Your Mind Stuff You Missed in History Class Stuff You Should Know CUSTOMER SERVICE Advertising Contact Us Help CORPORATE About Us Careers @ HSW Privacy Policy Visitor Agreement TAKE US WITH YOU FOLLOW US Copyright © 1998-2014 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace LLC