Night before another day

The birth
Founded in 1925, by Walter Chrysler, an engineer who began his career working for railroad companies, and made a pile of money heading General Motors’ Buick Motor division before starting out on his own.

The great survivor
Depression? Revamp! In 1930, a year after the Great Crash, Walter Chrysler revamped the product line and launched the 75bhp Series 70 roadster

Not just cars…
During WW-II, Chrysler made engines for the B29 Superfortress bombers, battle tanks, Dodge trucks et al. Back from the dead Chrysler faced bankruptcy once in 1979, and was saved by government guarantees for its loans. It was steered back to profits by Lee Iacocca, who had joined from Ford.

Going great guns

After life? Fiat management at the wheel Foreign (Fiat) technology American labour in the assembly line “Exciting, fuel-efficient cars” No more SUVs or fuel-guzzlers Chrysler cars enter Europe, Fiat’s cars go to US

Most beautiful car (many say) was the 1931 CG Imperial. Ahead of its time, with hydraulic brakes, 4-speed gearbox, 125hp. Most unique car was the Chrysler Airflow (1934-37), for which Chrysler took the help of Orville Wright and conducted extensive wind-tunnel tests. First American car with full-steel body (rivals were still using wood members in frame). A commercial failure.

{mosimage}Most powerful car…
The Chrysler 300, a 1955 race-car-in-disguise sold for the road, was the first to top 300hp, with a 5.4-litre engine. The 1957 model, the 300C, with several upgrades, became a classic. The series continued till 1965 as the 300L. Resurrected in 1999 as the Chrysler 300M.

Most successful model
Chrysler invented the minivan segment, in 1983. Aimed at the baby-boomers, the minivan was an instant success and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, with Chrysler alone having sold 12 million minivans since then across four marquees and five generations.

The last days
April 30, 2009 Unable to broker a deal with bondholders, Chrysler files for bankruptcy, with CEO Bob Nardelli stepping down once the company emerges from Chapter 11.

Compiled by Somnath Dasgupta