The following info was found on MSN.com this morning as part of their coverage of Dodge celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. You might or might not agree - I don't, especially since there's not an A-body in the bunch - but here they are:
15 Cars That Made Chryler What It Is Today
* 1924 Chrysler Model B
View attachment 1924ChryslerModelB.jpg
The first Chrysler car was developed by the firm of Zeder, Skelton, Breer Engineering Laboratories. Called the Model B, it was powered by a 201-cubic-inch straight-6 engine that made 68 horsepower and pushed the car to speeds of 70 mph, which was impressive for the day. It was a quality car and one of the first on the market with hydraulic brakes. Six body styles were offered, with prices starting at $1,395 $40 more than a comparable Buick model. Some 55,000 Model Bs were sold over its 18-month run, putting Chrysler on the map as a viable automaker.
* 1934 Chrysler Airflow
View attachment 1934ChryslerAirflow.jpg
The 1934 Chrysler Airflow was a car ahead of its time. Designed by engineer Carl Breer using aircraft principles, it was one of the first cars designed with aerodynamics in mind. A beam-and-truss cage-type structure made the car lighter and more nimble than comparably sized competition, and moving the engine forward gave the Airflow lots of interior space. Four Chrysler Airflow models were offered, all with 8-cylinder power, and all of the Chrysler DeSoto cars of the time received the design, although they had 6-cylinder engines. Depression-era buyers rejected the Airflow due to its odd looks, and the design lasted only until 1937.
* 1956 Chrysler 300B
View attachment 1956Chrysler300B.jpg
The 331-cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine was introduced in 1954, and in 1956 it grew to 354 cubic inches and became the first engine to achieve one horsepower per cubic inch. The 355-horse Hemi, which featured dual carburetors and a 10:1 compression ratio, launched the 1956 300B from zero to 60 mph in nine seconds and pushed it to a top speed of 140 mph. The 300B was not only fast, it was stylish, with cool new tailfins, leather upholstery and a design that looked great in monotone red, white or black. Only 1,102 were sold, but the 300B was one of the best cars of its day.
* 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car
View attachment 1963ChryslerTurbineCar.jpg
From 1963 to '66 Chrysler put 50 experimental cars in the hands of 203 Americans to test the viability of the turbine engine. The cars, all hardtops, were styled by former Ford designer Elwood Engel and bodied by the Italian firm Ghia. Based on jet engine principles, the turbine engine put out 130 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque, launching the car from zero to 60 mph in 11 seconds. The hotter the engines ran the more efficient they were, but that required expensive materials and fuel economy proved to be a problem. Chrysler pursued the technology until 1981, but the company's brush with bankruptcy prevented further development.
* 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner
View attachment 1968PlymouthRoadrunner.jpg
No car better embodies the essence of the muscle car more than the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner. Based on the Belvedere, it was a barebones car with a big engine just what a muscle car should be. Pillared and hardtop coupe body styles were offered, with prices starting at a modest $2,896. A 335-horsepower 383-cubic-inch V8 engine was standard and buyers could opt for the 425-horsepower 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8. Plymouth licensed the likeness of the Road Runner cartoon character from Warner Bros., ensuring the muscle car would captivate car-crazy kids. Adults liked it, too, snapping up some 45,000 of them even though Plymouth had planned only 2,500 sales.
* 1968 Dodge Charger R/T
View attachment 1968DodgeChargerRT.jpg
The second-generation Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic cars in muscle car history, starring as the villain's car in the chase scene in the 1968 motion picture "Bullitt" and as the General Lee in "The Dukes of Hazzard" television series. It also had looks and plenty of street cred. The Coke-bottle shape gave it sumptuous lines, and strong engine choices gave it real power. The 440-cubic-inch V8 engine churned out 375 horsepower and the available 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8 cranked it up to 425 horses. Car and Driver magazine posted a 6.0-second zero-to-60 run and a 13.5-second quarter-mile time in a Hemi Charger.
* 1970 Plymouth Superbird
View attachment 1970PlymouthSuperbird.jpg
NASCAR driving legend Richard Petty left Plymouth for Ford in 1969 due to problems with Plymouth's aerodynamics. Plymouth lured "The King" back in 1970 with the wind-cheating Superbird. Aero treatments included a nose cone fitted to Dodge Coronet fenders, a 25-inch-tall rear spoiler, and a flush rear window. All Superbirds had a vinyl roof due to a weld seam caused by the rear window. Only 135 were sold for street duty. The street Superbirds, as well as the NASCAR race cars, were powered by the 426-cubic-inch 425-horsepower Hemi V8 engine. The Superbird won eight superspeedway races in 1970, and Petty claimed five of them.
* 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda
View attachment 1970PlymouthAARCuda.jpg
The AAR 'Cuda was built to homologate the car so it could compete in Trans-Am racing. Named for and run by Dan Gurney's All-American Racers team, the AAR 'Cuda was powered by a 340-cubic-inch V8 engine with triple two-barrel carburetors and side-exiting exhaust pipes. A flat-black fiberglass hood with a functional scoop helped cut weight. Other exterior cues included dashed flat-black stripes, a flat-black rear spoiler and large rear tires. Though the car was built for handling, the 290-horsepower V8 powered the car to a 14.3-second quarter-mile time for Car and Driver magazine. The AAR 'Cuda wasn't overly successful in Trans-Am racing, but it looked cool and customers bought 2,724 of them for street use.
* 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express
View attachment 1978DodgeLilRedExpress.jpg
In an era when style and performance were hard to come by, Dodge offered both but in a pickup truck. The 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express was powered by a police interceptor 360-cubic-inch V8 engine that put out 225 horsepower, making it the fastest vehicle of the year. More noticeable was the styling, with big-rig style exhaust stacks, bright red paint, oak bed sides, and an old-timey "Li'l Red Express Truck" scripted logo. The truck was part of the brand's Adult Toys line that also included the black Warlock pickup. A total of 7,306 Li'l Red Express pickups were sold in 1978 and '79, and they are quite collectible today.
* 1981 Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant
View attachment 1981DodgeAries_PlymouthReliant.jpg
Chrysler was struggling in the late 1970s until a trio of saviors arrived: former Ford executive Lee Iacocca, the U.S. government, and the Chrysler K-car. Iacocca restructured the corporation, and in mid-1980 convinced the government to bail out Chrysler. On the product side, the new K-cars the Aries and Reliant arrived for the 1981 model year. These compact, front-drive cars may not have been sexy, but they were roomy for their size and offered fuel-efficiency during the country's second oil crisis in a decade. Several variants would follow, including midsize cars and minivans, saving money on development costs. Sales picked up, Chrysler became profitable again, and the K-car was credited with saving the automaker.
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15 Cars That Made Chryler What It Is Today
* 1924 Chrysler Model B
View attachment 1924ChryslerModelB.jpg
The first Chrysler car was developed by the firm of Zeder, Skelton, Breer Engineering Laboratories. Called the Model B, it was powered by a 201-cubic-inch straight-6 engine that made 68 horsepower and pushed the car to speeds of 70 mph, which was impressive for the day. It was a quality car and one of the first on the market with hydraulic brakes. Six body styles were offered, with prices starting at $1,395 $40 more than a comparable Buick model. Some 55,000 Model Bs were sold over its 18-month run, putting Chrysler on the map as a viable automaker.
* 1934 Chrysler Airflow
View attachment 1934ChryslerAirflow.jpg
The 1934 Chrysler Airflow was a car ahead of its time. Designed by engineer Carl Breer using aircraft principles, it was one of the first cars designed with aerodynamics in mind. A beam-and-truss cage-type structure made the car lighter and more nimble than comparably sized competition, and moving the engine forward gave the Airflow lots of interior space. Four Chrysler Airflow models were offered, all with 8-cylinder power, and all of the Chrysler DeSoto cars of the time received the design, although they had 6-cylinder engines. Depression-era buyers rejected the Airflow due to its odd looks, and the design lasted only until 1937.
* 1956 Chrysler 300B
View attachment 1956Chrysler300B.jpg
The 331-cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine was introduced in 1954, and in 1956 it grew to 354 cubic inches and became the first engine to achieve one horsepower per cubic inch. The 355-horse Hemi, which featured dual carburetors and a 10:1 compression ratio, launched the 1956 300B from zero to 60 mph in nine seconds and pushed it to a top speed of 140 mph. The 300B was not only fast, it was stylish, with cool new tailfins, leather upholstery and a design that looked great in monotone red, white or black. Only 1,102 were sold, but the 300B was one of the best cars of its day.
* 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car
View attachment 1963ChryslerTurbineCar.jpg
From 1963 to '66 Chrysler put 50 experimental cars in the hands of 203 Americans to test the viability of the turbine engine. The cars, all hardtops, were styled by former Ford designer Elwood Engel and bodied by the Italian firm Ghia. Based on jet engine principles, the turbine engine put out 130 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque, launching the car from zero to 60 mph in 11 seconds. The hotter the engines ran the more efficient they were, but that required expensive materials and fuel economy proved to be a problem. Chrysler pursued the technology until 1981, but the company's brush with bankruptcy prevented further development.
* 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner
View attachment 1968PlymouthRoadrunner.jpg
No car better embodies the essence of the muscle car more than the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner. Based on the Belvedere, it was a barebones car with a big engine just what a muscle car should be. Pillared and hardtop coupe body styles were offered, with prices starting at a modest $2,896. A 335-horsepower 383-cubic-inch V8 engine was standard and buyers could opt for the 425-horsepower 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8. Plymouth licensed the likeness of the Road Runner cartoon character from Warner Bros., ensuring the muscle car would captivate car-crazy kids. Adults liked it, too, snapping up some 45,000 of them even though Plymouth had planned only 2,500 sales.
* 1968 Dodge Charger R/T
View attachment 1968DodgeChargerRT.jpg
The second-generation Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic cars in muscle car history, starring as the villain's car in the chase scene in the 1968 motion picture "Bullitt" and as the General Lee in "The Dukes of Hazzard" television series. It also had looks and plenty of street cred. The Coke-bottle shape gave it sumptuous lines, and strong engine choices gave it real power. The 440-cubic-inch V8 engine churned out 375 horsepower and the available 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8 cranked it up to 425 horses. Car and Driver magazine posted a 6.0-second zero-to-60 run and a 13.5-second quarter-mile time in a Hemi Charger.
* 1970 Plymouth Superbird
View attachment 1970PlymouthSuperbird.jpg
NASCAR driving legend Richard Petty left Plymouth for Ford in 1969 due to problems with Plymouth's aerodynamics. Plymouth lured "The King" back in 1970 with the wind-cheating Superbird. Aero treatments included a nose cone fitted to Dodge Coronet fenders, a 25-inch-tall rear spoiler, and a flush rear window. All Superbirds had a vinyl roof due to a weld seam caused by the rear window. Only 135 were sold for street duty. The street Superbirds, as well as the NASCAR race cars, were powered by the 426-cubic-inch 425-horsepower Hemi V8 engine. The Superbird won eight superspeedway races in 1970, and Petty claimed five of them.
* 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda
View attachment 1970PlymouthAARCuda.jpg
The AAR 'Cuda was built to homologate the car so it could compete in Trans-Am racing. Named for and run by Dan Gurney's All-American Racers team, the AAR 'Cuda was powered by a 340-cubic-inch V8 engine with triple two-barrel carburetors and side-exiting exhaust pipes. A flat-black fiberglass hood with a functional scoop helped cut weight. Other exterior cues included dashed flat-black stripes, a flat-black rear spoiler and large rear tires. Though the car was built for handling, the 290-horsepower V8 powered the car to a 14.3-second quarter-mile time for Car and Driver magazine. The AAR 'Cuda wasn't overly successful in Trans-Am racing, but it looked cool and customers bought 2,724 of them for street use.
* 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express
View attachment 1978DodgeLilRedExpress.jpg
In an era when style and performance were hard to come by, Dodge offered both but in a pickup truck. The 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express was powered by a police interceptor 360-cubic-inch V8 engine that put out 225 horsepower, making it the fastest vehicle of the year. More noticeable was the styling, with big-rig style exhaust stacks, bright red paint, oak bed sides, and an old-timey "Li'l Red Express Truck" scripted logo. The truck was part of the brand's Adult Toys line that also included the black Warlock pickup. A total of 7,306 Li'l Red Express pickups were sold in 1978 and '79, and they are quite collectible today.
* 1981 Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant
View attachment 1981DodgeAries_PlymouthReliant.jpg
Chrysler was struggling in the late 1970s until a trio of saviors arrived: former Ford executive Lee Iacocca, the U.S. government, and the Chrysler K-car. Iacocca restructured the corporation, and in mid-1980 convinced the government to bail out Chrysler. On the product side, the new K-cars the Aries and Reliant arrived for the 1981 model year. These compact, front-drive cars may not have been sexy, but they were roomy for their size and offered fuel-efficiency during the country's second oil crisis in a decade. Several variants would follow, including midsize cars and minivans, saving money on development costs. Sales picked up, Chrysler became profitable again, and the K-car was credited with saving the automaker.
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