1934 Chrysler Airflow 4-Door Sedan
2019.0030.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 299 cu. in. (5 L) Cast-iron block, L-head, I-8
Output: 122 HP @ 3,400 RPM
Transmission: 3-Speed Manual
Wheelbase: 122 in.
Weight: 3,760 lbs.
Top Speed: 90 MPH
No. Produced: 7,226
Original Price: $1,345
Manufacturer: Chrysler
Based on his early work designing Zeppelins, Paul Jaray pioneered aeronautical automobile styling. Jaray patented a “teardrop” car design in 1921, the basis for the Chrysler Airflow. Flowing body lines with rounded edges, the Airflow departed from the norm: a box in the front for the engine, and another in the back for the passenger compartment. The exterior squared-off radiator was now concealed under a “waterfall grille.” The Airflow transformed the look of America’s automobiles.
Chief Engineer Carl Breer, like Jaray, pioneered a new method of car construction using wind tunnel testing. He also created the first American unibody vehicle. Passenger seating located within the front and rear axles provided a smoother ride. A combination of the Depression, manufacturing delays, and a skeptical public limited the Airflow’s life span to 4 years. In addition, Chrysler was successfully sued by Paul Jaray for patent infringement and shell-shocked Chrysler spent the next two decades playing it safe and avoiding innovation.