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Chrysler: 101 Years, Through the Decades
Jun 6, 2025
Chrysler’s official “100 years” video, celebrating 1924 to 2025. If you really like Chrysler history, find the book Century of Chrysler on Amazon!
View Video Transcript
0:01
[Music]
0:05
brand like Chrysler can't be around for
0:07
100 years without bringing out some
0:09
really cool products
0:21
a car so revolutionary in its mechanical
0:23
betterments that it was destined to be a
0:25
sensation it all started with the 1924
0:28
Chrysler the first vehicle that Mr
0:30
chrysler really wanted to put his own
0:32
name on it was sleek it had a better
0:34
design than most vehicles out there it
0:36
was lower really the the important parts
0:38
were the high compression engine which
0:40
was more performance than most vehicles
0:41
had out there plus the four-wheel
0:43
hydraulic brakes which were standard
0:45
equipment this is something that Mr
0:47
chrysler always wanted a safe vehicle
0:49
and value for the customer
0:52
so then 1930s uh we brought out the
0:55
airflow and this it's really they
0:57
advertised as the first modern vehicle
0:59
and it truly was this is the first
1:00
vehicle to use a wind tunnel in its
1:02
design had a tubular steel frame mean it
1:05
was very rigid and very safe here it
1:07
comes on its death drop leaping clear of
1:10
the ledge and landing with crushing
1:11
impact in the rocky shale beneath they
1:14
changed the architecture of the vehicle
1:16
to move the axles front and rear for a
1:18
better ride
1:21
the 1940s of course we were very busy
1:24
with the Arsenal democracy and providing
1:26
uh things for our troops and for our
1:28
government all over the world but after
1:29
the war they brought out the town and
1:31
country and this wood vehicle it really
1:34
kind of was Americana really it was
1:36
vehicle you know your Hollywood people
1:38
own and it really set the uh standard in
1:42
in design and really built Chrysler's
1:44
reputation as a design company and an
1:46
elegant company
1:49
the 1950s of course so much went on from
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the early concept cars and design
1:55
styling of Virgil Xner to the Chrysler
1:58
300 and in early 1955 we released our
2:01
first model the Chrysler 300 300 for
2:07
horsepower chrysler 300 it's the first
2:09
car from the factory that could put out
2:11
over 300 horsepower and was built for
2:13
performance with upgraded brakes and
2:15
even the badging had checkered flags on
2:17
them
2:18
we then brought out the fins in Dotto
2:20
for 57 you just touch a button and go
2:23
split-second getaway and the most
2:25
exciting car in the world today anybody
2:27
in the world will look at a vehicle with
2:29
fins on it and know that that car came
2:31
from America and the Chrysler brand
2:33
really is the the brand that brought
2:35
those
2:37
out so in the 1960s Chrysler brought out
2:39
fuselage styling and it really reflected
2:42
the times this is the 1960s where we're
2:45
going to space we're going to the moon
2:46
and uh it's really kind of a rocket ship
2:49
looking car uh when you look at it the
2:52
the whole side of the vehicle uh it
2:55
looks like it could be a rocket ship and
2:57
that's really went across all brands
2:59
that look
3:03
Chrysler finer than ever in 1973
3:07
1970s was a was a difficult decade we
3:10
were transferring from um larger
3:13
vehicles um to smaller ones because of
3:15
the uh changing taste in the uh consumer
3:18
as well as the oil crisis in 1973 so
3:22
Chrysler brought out the Cordova their
3:24
first small Chrysler shortly after that
3:26
things transitioned again uh to
3:29
front-wheel drive vehicles if you don't
3:30
agree they're the best Chrysler ever
3:32
made the very best America has to offer
3:34
at a sensible price then I'm in the
3:36
wrong business oh one more thing if you
3:39
can find a better car buy it in the
3:42
1980s brought back the convertible the
3:44
Town and Country convertible in 1982 and
3:47
there hadn't been a convertible in the
3:48
American market uh since 1976 so again
3:52
you know the brand's leading and of
3:53
course the minivan came out in 1984 a
3:56
segment that did not exist until this
3:58
company created it and now we've been a
4:01
leader in that segment ever since day
4:03
one when those vehicles came
4:06
out throughout the 1980s the design
4:09
changed uh became more modern they moved
4:12
to an updated Learon at first but then
4:15
in the 1990s is when the Town and
4:18
Country minivan arrived and then of
4:20
course cab forward design came out in
4:22
1993 a a very modern interpretation of
4:29
design late 1990s saw the PT Cruiser
4:32
which was you know a retro car but a fun
4:36
one and it still has a loyal following
4:39
and when you see a PT Cruiser you know
4:41
what it is and uh it's it's just a fun
4:44
car and of course the 300 came back in
4:47
2005 you know an iconic car that it
4:50
looks dated you know really back to the
4:52
original 300 really paid homage to that
4:55
original car and of course the Pacific
4:57
came out in
5:01
2016 you know the most awarded minivan
5:04
ever and still leads the
5:08
market so drawing upon all these decades
5:12
you know you can see that it's a company
5:14
and a brand that uh is going to be at
5:16
the forefront going forward is going to
5:18
be bringing out new technology is going
5:19
to be leading different segments um cuz
5:22
that's what we've done for the last 100
5:24
years
5:25
[Music]
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