De Soto Airflow SE
Car : De Soto Airflow SE
Year : 1934
Engine : 6 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke :85.7?114.3 mm
Cylinder capacity : 3956 cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power :100
Maximum speed : 85 mph
Wheelbase : 9 ft 7?ins (2.933 m)
Suspension : front and back:  semi-elliptic leaf- springs
De Soto, founded in Detroit in 1928, was part of the Chrysler group until 1960, when, for commercial reasons, it ceased production. The 1934 Airflow model was a fairly typical De Soto model, but it was not a success. It is possible that it arrived on the scene too early. The shape of the body made access to both trunk and engine difficult, and sales soon showed that the Airflow was not particularly popular (about 14,000 vehicles in 1934, 4,600 in 1937).
In almost every respect the version brought out by De Soto resembled the Chrysler, and the engine was the only 6-cylinder engine in the Airflow range. Its maximum speed was just over 85 mph. Efforts were made to break records, to bring the car to the public’s notice. A De Soto Airflow reached an average of almost 75 mph over a distance of 500 miles. Another crossed the United States from New York to San Francisco using, on average, a gallon of gasoline every thirty miles. Demand for the model continued to fall, however, and in 1937 it was decided to sell only the Chrysler version although this move did not help the sales. The Airflow did, however, represent an attempt at innovation, and proved once again that among American car buyers such attempts always receive a cool reception to begin with.

Car : Chrysler CD
Year : 1931
Engine : 8 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 85.7 x 127 mm
Cylinder capacity : 5857.6cc
Gears : 4 forward
Brake horse power : 100
Maximum speed : 72 mph
Wheelbase : 10 ft 4 ins (3.14m)
Suspension : front and back : semi-elliptic leaf- springs
Car : Chrysler coup?  50
Year : 1927
Engine : 4 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 92.07?104.7mm
Cylinder capacity : 2790 cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 100
Maximum speed : 55 mph
Wheelbase : 8 ft 6 ins (2.59m)
Suspension : front and back : semi-elliptic leaf- springs
The CD dates from 1931. It was inspired by the big 6300 cc Custom Imperial, but had a shorter wheelbase, a less complicated engine (on 5 bearings), a mechanical feed pump, hydraulic brakes, a thermostat for the radiator, and a 4-speed transmission. The CD sold for $1,565. The engine was considered to be under-powered, so the cylinder capacity was increased twice that year, bringing the bhp up from 80 to 100. The four-speed gearbox was abandoned after 1933, in favour of 3 speeds.

In 1934, pursuing his desire for innovation, Chrysler brought out one of his most original, but at the same time most controversial models, the Airflow. The engine was sited between the axles, for increased comfort.
Walter Chrysler died in 1940, leaving behind him the third largest motor manufacturing company in America. Later, together with Ford and General Motors, the company was to become a multi-national, with many factories in Europe.

Cord L 29
Car : Cord L 29
Year : 1929
Engine : 8 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 82.5?114.3 mm
Cylinder capacity : 4881 cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 125
Maximum speed : 77 mph
Wheelbase : 11 ft 5? ins (3.49 m)
Suspension : front: ?semi-elliptic leaf- springs ; back: semi-elliptic leaf- springs
One of the most outstanding Cord motor cars was the L 29. The engine was an 8-cylinder in-line Lycoming (the same as the engine used in the Auburn, but mounted the other way, with the clutch at the front). The bodywork, front and back, was designed by Leo Goessen. The quarter elliptic leaf-spring suspension and inner brakes and radiator were by Miller. The structure of the bodywork also derived from Auburn.

Produced in 1929, the car sold at $3,095 for the sedan, and $3,295 for the convertible. The front-wheel drive, it was feared, would mean that it had little power going uphill, especially since the engine was behind the front axle, but these fears were not justified.
Cord was in fact a finance company, which combined Cord (named after its founder Errett L. Cord), Auburn, Lycoming, the Kalamazoo Limousine Body, the Stinson Aircraft Factory and Duesenberg. Errett Lobban Cord’s own undisciplined vitality lay at the heart of the difficulties encountered by all the firms he had gathered into his empirel; but the quality of Auburn, Cords, and Duesenbergs made him one of the most prominent figures in the American automobile industry.

Chrysler coupe  50
Chrysler CD
Like many other founders of car manufacturing companies, Walter Chrysler showed outstanding enterprise and spirit of initiative. At 45 he was already an important figure in the industry (head of Buick, and deputy vice-president of General Motors). But then his ideas began to clash with those of Durant. Rather than waiting for things to smooth over, he went his own way, and started again from the beginning, by joining Willys-Overland, which was in trouble at the time. After helping to sort out problems at Willys, he joined Maxwell-Chalmers, which was in the same state as Willys had beed before his arrival. The success of this double rescue operation, and his faith in three young engineers, Fred Zeder, Owen Skelton, and Carl Breer, persuaded him to start his own business. A year later, in 1924, he had already produced a vehicle of exceptional quality. It had a 6-cylinder engine with side valves, developing 68 bhp at 3,200 revs, aluminium pistons, and hydraulic expanding brakes on all four wheels (Lockheed)-the first time these had been used on a standard car. It was very successful and 100,000 vehicles were sold in 1925.

Chrysler CD

The Chrysler coupe  50 appeared in 1927, when Walter Chrysler extended his range. It was a two-seater coupe, with wooden wheels, a crankshaft on 3 bearings, thermo-syphon cooling, choke, and disc clutch. The accessories included windshield wiper, electric horn, anti-theft device, removable wheels, and rear-view mirror. The ideal car, therefore, for Chrysler to put up in competition against Ford and General Motors. To cover all sectors of the market, he pushed forward the Dodge and brought out two new models, the De Soto and the Plymouth. All his cars were characterized by certain important innovations, such as the downdraft carburetor and the swing-valve engine.

Chevrolet Model C
Chevrolet Four Ninety Touring
Chevrolet Superior Roadster
The largest motor manufacturer in the world came about through the meeting of two exceptionally talented men, one a major industrialist, the other a first-class driver, and a designer open to new ideas. When they met, William C. Durant, creator of General Motors, was pursuing his dream of creating a vast car manufacturing group, whilst Louis Chevrolet was a test driver for Buick. Durant was born in Boston in 1861. Chevrolet was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1878 and emigrated to the U.S.A. with his parents.
Durant gave Chevrolet the job of designing the prototype for a car which was to develop into a massive undertaking. The enterprise eventually grew to a colossal size, making the Chevrolet mark the back-bone of General Motors.
Chevrolet was officially founded on November 3, 1911, under the name Chevrolet Motor Company of Michigan, and its first car had a 6-cylinder engine (4850 cc) and was called the Classic Six. Surprisingly, 2,999 of these were made in 1912. The car sold for $2,150. Durant’s boldly commercial way of doing business did not coincide with that of Louis Chevrolet, who resigned in 1913, accepting the harsh condition that he would never use his name on any other commercial product. Chevrolet was an engineer with no over-riding ambitions in life. He eventually set up his own small engine-transformation business under the name of Frontenac. This gave him satisfaction from a creative point of view, but was not particularly successful financially. Chevrolet is remembered in history as being a person with enormous mechanical talent, but lacking in any business sense.

Car : Chevrolet Model C
Year : 1911
Engine : 6 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 90?127 mm
Cylinder capacity : 4845cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : -
Maximum speed : -
Wheelbase : 10 ft 0 ins (3.04m)
Suspension : front and back : semi-elliptic leaf- springs
Car : Chevrolet Four Ninety Touring
Year : 1921
Engine : 4 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 93.66?101.6 mm
Cylinder capacity : 2800cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 30
Maximum speed : 52 mph
Wheelbase : 8 ft 6 ins (2.59m)
Suspension : front and back :  ?elliptic leaf- springs

Chadwick Six Model 19
Car : Chadwick Six Model 19
Year : 1910
Engine : 6 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 127?152.4 mm
Cylinder capacity : 11577cc
Gears : 4 forward
Brake horse power : 75
Maximum speed : 96 mph
Wheelbase : -
Suspension : front and back : semi-elliptic leaf- springs
It is estimated that in about ten years Chadwick built no more than 300 cars, of which only two survive today. Their creator, however, Lee Chadwick, is held in the highest esteem for his application, ability and perfection in all he produced.

Lee Sherman Chadwick, an engineering student at Purdue University, invented a mechanism for a washing-machine manufacturer when he was only 24. He ended his career as director of the Perfection Stove Company, specializing in the production of cooking stoves. As one American historian has put it very aptly, his career began in the washroom and ended in the kitchen. Of the various models he made, the most famous was the Six Model 19, which was produced in 1910, and which, for a supplementary &376, could include a supercharger. There was no need for a supercharger, however, as even without one the Chadwick Six could exceed 96 mph, developing 70-75 bhp at 1,100 revs. An essential feature of the engine (three-block, 6 cylinders, with inlet valves in the head, and exhaust valves at the sides), was the cooling system, which consisted of a copper cover around each group of two cylinders, with water circulating inside it.

Car : Buick Series 40
Year : 1936
Engine : 8 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke : 78.6?98.5 mm
Cylinder capacity : 3821cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 93
Maximum speed : 80 mph
Wheelbase : 9 ft 10 ins (2.99m)
Suspension : front : independent wheels with coil springs ; back : semi-elliptic leaf- springs
The Series 40 dates from 1936, and was called ‘the Doctor’s Friend’ because of its sturdiness, which allowed it to be used continuously. It was one of the most successful and widespread models to be produced between the wars. The 8-cylinder inline engine had five main bearings, coil ignition, and twin down-draft carburetor. The two top gears had synchro-mesh. In that year hydraulic brakes were adopted, together with a handbrake acting on the rear wheels alone. There were eight models with two engines (3800 and 5200 cc)  and four different wheelbases in the range.
The 40 was the cheapest model and the most popular. It weighed over 3,700 lb (1,700 kg).  The engine developed 93bhp and its maximum speed was about 80 mph. It could accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in 12 seconds. The 1940 version incorporate the special 4-speed transmission made by General Motors, which was semi-automatic. This transmission was initially available only to Buick and Oldsmobile.

Buick was one of the first in the General Motors group to adopt the 8-cylinder engine in all its cars. It introduced independent front suspension, completely overhauled the bodywork and adopted aluminum pistons and hydraulic brakes.
One of the presidents of Buick at one time was Walter Chrysler. In 1919 he left because of disagreement with the directors of General Motors. But he did not leave the industry. He started his own firm, which then later became one of the big Detroit companies. The times were propitious for enterprising men, and the story of the American car industry is full of dramatic developments and of firms growing up and vanishing, all in an extraordinarily short period of time.