Say what you will about these cars , like them or hate them ,at least they produced an emotion where 90% of cars built today are so boring no one gives them a second look .
My Great Uncle had a 1960 or 61 Chrysler New Yorker that he drove well into the mid 1980s. As a kid, I hated that car. It was uuuuugggly. Now, when I see the family pictures and I see his old New Yorker, I smile and appreciate that CLASSY old car. The spare tire hump in the trunk lid, the square shaped steering wheel, the killer dash (figuratively and literally) and its glow at night were over the top. It was from a time when men and women dressed up when they went out, men wore ties and hats, and doors were held open for women. You could literally park a car inside its trunk...and still have room! Don't forget the chrome too! And look at what we have now...these crappy cross over "suv"s that all look the same and are cramped. No style at all.
I'm English and I've always been in awe of them. They looked like they'd arrived from another planet. So big and bold, garish yet attractive. I loved the way the soft suspension would have them wobbling like a jelly. I also remember my favourite comedy of all time is Its A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. As a child I loved that film as much for its cars as its comedy. American auto's of the 50s and 60s I salute you.
Those are not assymetrical designs. It's two styling exercises on one body , a mirror was used to see what the concept would look like as a whole . It saved time and money , making two clay models. This is pre computer graphics times. This technique was used well into the 70s.
One of the reasons Exner was fired was that he actually intended to create asymmetrical cars. You are correct that some of these are mock ups showing two different designs, but Exner wanted to go full asymmetric on Plymouth, especially. Rumors out of Detroit at the time said that Exner was demanding that the 1961 Plymouth would have a single, enormous fin that started in front of the driver and continued to the end of the car. Chrysler was outraged about it and fired him.
I knew someone who worked at Chrysler at the time, and they really were considering asymmetrical exteriors--and interior dashboards and seats. True Story!
Yes, like the Imperials with 'floating' head and tail lamps. That was so funny, drivers would have accidents breaking them off and ended up with the strangest ways of replacing those lights. The fins were outrageous! "The Fin Wars" of the 1950s between Harley Earl and Virgil Exner was an exponential 'mine is bigger than yours' adventure in extremely bad taste when compared to contemporary offerings!
@@rolls-royceowner1108 They reeked of style and women in their furs loved them, mom sure did and she looked great behind the wheel of her 1960 Imperial white convertible. All of us loved that car as kids.
I grew up a Ford guy, but I have lately fallen in love with the Chrysler corporation and basically everything they have made from the beginning all the way up to the 90’s
You're right about the slant six running forever. They were strong. Probably Chrysler's best six ever. I had a Duster with one in it and i sold it to a man who drove it for decades until he died. I tried to buy the car back, but his family wanted to keep it as a tribute to him.
@@dlmullins9054 You guys are right! My dad had a '69 Dart Swinger (🤣) that was green, and had a flower decal on the side next to the name "Swinger!" It had a slant six, and growing up in Chicago, ALWAYS started every morning to take us to school! It was a great lil car, as I drove it for learners permit in '85! Sure miss that one... 😔
And they had torsion bar suspension, giving the passengers a much smoother ride. Probably sales suffered due to the styling. If the looks can't get buyers in the showroom, you're sunk.
The asymmetrical designs may have been two design concepts on one model. I know many times Detroit would make clay models with split designs on each side so the concepts could be judged side by side.
The asymmetrical hood trim on the Studebaker Avanti always looked cool to me. "A little goes a long way". The whole car styling being asymmetrical would be a disaster. 😊
Yes, I've seen this happen before. And not only in Detroit. Making a full scale clay model is time consuming, so creating two design proposals for the front and the rear on the same model makes sense.
yeah, I think that is what is going on. There are photos easily found on Google about the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster styling work which shows clay models of the vehicle with asymmetrical features and Mercedes-Benz wasn't too crazy and over the top with designs to think about doing an asymmetrical car, they probably just wanted to explore two different design directions in just one clay scale model and not have to do two (or even more if we think about other different desings) models of the car.
In 1967, I had a summer job at an Earl Scheib paint shop ("Any car, any color, $39.95, right!") I worked at the front of the line, wet-sanding cars, blowing them dry, then taping over the chrome. I hated those Chryslers and Plymouths - took about five miles of masking tape to cover the endless chrome strips and hghlights on each one. We had a lot of "overspray" complaints from customers!
Growing up in the late '50's and early '60s I can tell you that the 1960-1963 falcons were complete rust buckets with a life expectancy of maybe 70 to 80,000 miles. The Valiant was a very durable car and I personally thought the styling was quit good.
I think he misspoke when he said out dated. They fit fight in with the cars of the time. And the designer quit to take a better paying job. It was the Ford guy that got fired and picked up by Chrysler before they knew he was let go. Funny how the internet changes the news of days gone by.
@@jrichardson2518 I loved all the Imperials and the 300's. I had a 61 Plymouth Fury 2 dr hardtop. and loved it. To this day I think I would buy another one . Black with a red and white interior.
@@ajpinto104 you are describing the first car I can remember my uncle driving. He bought it from the city fire Department in 64 it had the flashlight taillights and pushbutton shift . his friend had a Buick that looked very much like his Plymouth .. That car had reverse at the bottom of the shift pattern and started with a tap on the gas pedal. Those were the car days.
I thought the Valiant was strange when it came out (I was 7-years old!), but I now believe it is the most unique and stylish of the “compact” cars of the 60’s. Would love to own one in mint condition.
@@packardexelence At the time, it was considered the least attractive of the three. Back then, Chrysler was having a lot of its cars designed in Italy, hence the Italian-themed styling. Engineering-wise, it was the best, while its paint and upholstery self-destructed on contact. Valiants outlasted even the Ford Falcons, while the Corvair imploded on itself after a year. By 1970, you saw more early Valiants on the street than Corvairs and Falcons combined. It was the first year for the slant six, which is a milestone design even by today's standards.
I love the original Valiant. My dad bought a 61 model for my mom to drive in 1969. It had a push button transmission that didn't work very well (I can remember my brothers and I having to push the car out of parking spaces because reverse didn't always engage. As you said, it's a bit quirky but in a very cool way.
Yes, they all did it. I've seen pictures of the Chevrolet Caprice and the Ford LTD during their development with two different looks on each side. It would save space in the display room it they were working on several different designs.
Certainly! There would never have been any intention to actually make cars with assymmetric lights - licensing authorities would not permit it, as it would confuse other drivers at night, leading to accidents. Sometimes, clay models were made as only one side of the car. You don't really need both sides.
@@2015dwayne The Chrysler XNR concept car you directed me to pretty much confirms what I said, doesn't it? The only real asymmetry is the presence of racing-car-like body bulges in front and behind the driver. To make it road licensable the lights are not asymmetric. The chap taking in the video made me laugh - he said "even the engine is asymmetric". Of course it is - it's an inline 6 - all inline 6's are asymmetric. the carby can only go one one side. The slant 6 common to vast numbers of Chrysler cars looks more asymmetric because it is a slant engine with that distinctive intake manifold. Concept cars are often a bit weird. It lets the designers test the reaction at car shows.
I had, for 20 years, a 62 Dodge. Loved it. The headlights illuminated the road better than most other vehicles I've ever had. Had over 300,000 miles on it. Was comfortable, and powerful.
I absolutely love your videos. As someone who was old enough to appreciate cars of the 50's, my favorite being the 1955-1957 shoebox Chevy's, and got my licence in 1968, I am amazed at how perfectly you portray the cars and the times that they lived in! It's simply incredible! Thank you for that.
Sorry, I grew up with the so called 'Weird Chryslers" in a suburban neighborhood where lots of folks had Valliant's and Chrysler and Dodge wagons. In fact the Chrysler's were considered more upscale than the Fords and Chevys, especially the wagons. I think they are beautiful in that weird jet age design language. Balanced they are not but ,they are gorgeous in their excess.
I'm a GM man and I agree about the Chrylsler slant 6. They were indestructible. Not to mention those Chrysler mini-vans and Lee Iacocca which saved Chrysler in the 1980's. Lee helped bring Ford out of a slump with the launch of the Mustang in April, 1964. I personally loved the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Baracuda.
When I was a Senior in H.S. ('66) my mom bought a 61 Dodge Fury II with a 318 c.i. V8. I can still hear the whine of the starter motor when cranking it over,.....and the Beach Boys on the radio singing 'Good Vibrations'. It was bullet proof
That was a good video, thank you. Brought back a lot of memories. My sister had a '57 Dodge Mayfair, 318 with a push-button trans. They got 428 K miles out of that car until it threw a rod. Well-engineered car.
She must have lived in a road salt-free area. That car would have been extremely fortunate (well cared for) to survive even 10 years on Iowa roads and streets. BTW, the old 318 was an amazing engine.
@@utjp7077 You're right about both, and neither was good. In late 1956 Plymouth used the "Suddenly it's 1960!" and got away with it for a few months before GM was able to make it stop. They were beyond furious because even without that slogan rubbing salt in their wounds even before the slogan started. Plymouth's direct competition from GM was Chevy. As extremely popular as the '57 was and is to this day, when new it was technically a 3rd year face lift regardless of how gorgeous the Chevy was. To save face, Chevy came as close as it could to 'presenting' the '57 Chevy as close as possible to being just as new as the Plymouth, "out-advertising" Plymouth in TV and magazine ads. It worked. Chrysler Corp. abruptly stopped the '1960' ad in the face of an expensive lawsuit. The anger was two-fold. GM was not only angry their car wasn't '57 new', but that Plymouth was presenting the '57 Plymouth as a '60, because that's the year featured in the ad, not '57. Woops.
First off, thanks immensely Ed for the film footage from "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" as it's one of the most star studded movies to ever come out of Hollywood! Sorry, though, to rain on your very often well-informed and always entertaining parade, Ed, but the decade of "the 50's" was largely known as the "jet age" with the "space age" not commencing in any significant way until the Soviet Sputnik was put into orbit in the late 50's, in 1957. The tails fins, rightly stated by you starting with the 1948 Cadillac, were flourishing throughout the 50's and beyond, and the General Motors Cadillacs had the most daring and then refined tail fins of that era. Great kudos to you, nonetheless, and your quite typically Dutch great level of worldwide curiosity and education! All in all, though, there were references in the mid-50's American car monikers to the space age. I bought (as only the 2nd owner) a 1956 Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" two-tone (robin's egg blue and cream) sedan way back in 1975. So, I guess, I'm undercutting my own counterpoint to your beautifully constructed montage of the Golden Age of American tail fin cars!
In 1976, my family acquired a 1960 Belvedere from the neighbors across the street for $150. My brother decorated it for Halloween and called it "The Batsmobile". Eventually, the master cylinder went out, and we couldn't find another one, so we had to let it go.
When I was growing up in California, I saw these cars on the road. I didn’t like them much then but now I love the designs. Well most of them. The sculpturing of metal, glass and plastic, astounds me.
Love the clips from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, one of my favorite car movies. The Beverly Hillbillies also featured some great old Chryslers in the driveway.
I have a 1960 Valiant! It's a thing of beauty that gets lots of love everywhere I take it. It doesn't belong on your list. The 1960-62 valiant sold over 300,000 cars in the US alone!
What is left out about describing these designs is how well they really did work by function compared to others makes and models cars of the era. While moving in a straight line at 65 mph or more thru air Chrysler designs handled cross winds quite well and the passenger compartment was usually quieter inside both from wind drafting over and around the body as well the exhaust noise compared to many of the others. Ridden in many of the 50's driven just about every model of the 60's the Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Nash/Rambler and also watched how most of them all died.
My parents had a '61' Imperial. It was a boat, but VERY comfortable, powerful and fast, and had all the amenities you find on today's cars, including headlights that stayed on for up to one minute after you got out, so you could get to the house before you were out of light. That was important way out in the countryside!
@@dimthecat9418 :As a child one of the cars my parents owned was a 1961 Plymouth Fury station wagon. It was a hideous yellow behemoth. It was one of the strangest looking vehicles I'd ever seen, and remains so even to this day. This holds true for both the exterior and interior. On the inside, the square steering wheel was just one of the oddities of the interior. The rolling bar-type speedometer was another, along with a rearview mirror that was dashboard mounted, as well as pretty much useless (especially when hauling around a half-dozen unrestrained yard apes . And let's not forget the push-button operated transmission. What a garish exercise in automotive design. However, I recently saw a 61 Fury wagon retro-rod conversion and much to my surprise it absolutely killed. Talk about making a silk purse from a sow's ear.
@@misterdeeds2172 most of those features you mentioned are in the interior of my imperial. It’s definitely an odd car inside and out with the push button transmission and the speedometer, but that’s specifically why I bought it
My Aunt Olive had one of the push button trans cars. When I was around 9 years old, I went to the store with her once, back in the early 60s. She told me "young as you are, even you could drive this car, it's easy as pie". "Just turn the key to start it, then push the button, and away you go". RIP, Aunt Olive......
My family had the 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon. The push buttons for the transmission also had a small parking lever. This was all located at the left end of the dash by the door.
In fairness to the oddball clay models. I imagine that those clay models are not supposed to be one complete vechicle. Rather two different designs that share the same overall profile & dimensions. As a means to save time and expense creating an individual complete car model for each design. They used one car skeleton as a canvas. Then sculpted two designs on it. One on each side.
th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html The clay models were incorrect, but Exner wanting to create asymmetrical cars which he lost his job for. One of the most beautiful designs, Plymouth XNR concept. Maybe they should've kept the guy after looking at this. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_XNR
@@sludge4125 th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html The clay models were incorrect, but Exner wanting to create asymmetrical cars which he lost his job for. One of the most beautiful designs, Plymouth XNR concept. Maybe they should've kept the guy after looking at this.
There is only so much to tell in about 12 minutes... But you are absolutely right. The interiors are just outrageous, but in a good way. With their push button transmission and electroluminescent lighting.... *starts to drool*
I agree 100% with your conclusion. They are not the best looking cars ever made, but they capture a moment in automotive history perfectly, and frankly are among my favorites.
I owned a 1963 Imperial Crown, 413, vertical push button transmission, wall to wall leather, quite nice looking. Except, they had those paired headlights mounted on stalks, not a good look. The rest of it was nice, I appreciate it even more as I look back.
I love Chrysler cars. I have my 1987 Red Fifth Avenue (bought new in 1987) and it still is my daily drive. Unfortunately, it is falling apart aesthetically, but still runs well and only has 67,000 miles on it. I hope this car will outlive me. I can't imagine driving anything else after 34 years together...
I put together a daily driver out of one i got off a scrap truck, i have had SOME luck finding parts for her, she is white with matching formal top, blue interior, she is an 82, and came with a grey interior which is what i would have loved to have kept, turns out every other grey interior i found had ripped up leather or cloth only interior, i found a set of blue leather seats, and began parting together an interior, my parts car got stolen that had a straight set of doors, they all have damage of some sort, new mexico resident, she has no rust, found a GORGEOUS low mileage lady with low mileage that runs well, was hit on one side mashed into a wall on the other side, missed EVERYTHING critical, got my blue interior, leather and velour, with overhead console, she took us to oklahoma and back mid summer last year, love it that you bought your baby new, i would have loved that, but i was not able then what with personal circumstances, but i have her AND know her because i put her together, i've had her ten years now, and thouroughly enjoy driving her, thanks for sharing
I also think the 1961 Lincoln was an absolutely _beautiful_ car. So understated ... it began a very elegant "look" that carried through the Lincolns for many years.
But as the 1960s went on, it was looking outdated, especially when compare to Cadillac where they went though 7 different designs for the fullline during the decade, Lincoln only had 3, one was carry over from the 1950s, the other was a new car known as the Mark iii, and the other was the what they spent most of the decade as, by 1968 the car looked 8 years out of date
I think I speak for a lot of folks when I say I love the styling of the late-50s, early '60s Chryslers. Damn near anything is better than the ugly, look-a-like, plastic everything, crap of today.
Its not only cars which now all look boring. Look at audio systems, all similar little black boxes. Look at architecture, horrific modern creations which has no long lasting architectural value. In my city, Cape Town, we had really amazingly beautiful Cape Dutch buildings. Timeless. Many of these were knocked down by greedy developers , and replaced with the ugliest modern buildings imaginable. Cape Town now looks as if someone emptied out all his junk, just a selection of the worst architectural misfits all put together in one city
@@goforgold7082 - Yes, absolutely. Darn near everything today is dull and without true styling and craftsmanship. Music today is obviously terrible when compared to the 1950s through 1980s, and early 90s.
@@tomc8617 luckily I discovered a few gems in the line of music through my Spotify app, depending on what kind of music you like. I discovered the Avett Brothers, Passenger, Homefree, Joshua Hyslop, Joshua Radin and Canyon City just the past year. But I hate some modern music.
My buddy Geoffrey's mom had that Valiant. It was a simple but cool car. His dad drove a Dart from the same era. To small boys like us, those cars were awesome!!
When I was a kid I loved "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". I always thought the cop car driven by Spencer Tracy looked unique but could never quite put my finger on why. Seeing the clips from that movie in this video answers the question.
I had a Chrysler 300 c back in the sixties. It had a 392 hemi engine with two four barrels . I still remember racing against a 67 Corvette 427 and i actually won that race. Nobody thought such a big boat of a car could compete, but i ran 108 octane in it and that really helped the power. Only thing i didn't like , it had a push button transmission. I still loved that car. I also had a 66 Dodge Lancer with a high performance 273 small block. The lancer was Dodge's version of the Valient. My wife totaled that one. I love some of the cars you showed here. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They are searched for by collectors all over the world now, and especially if they have a hemi, Love your video. Thank you!
I owned a 1964 Dodge Polara 500 from 1978, when I bought it from its original owner with 68K miles on it, until 1996. I sold it with 337K on the odometer. Heads never off the engine, still ran well. Best A/C I ever had in a car. Never an issue. Sorta wish I'd kept it, but made a trade for a '68 Charger R/t and drew a bit of cash.
That's true.. but Chrysler WAS toying with asymmetric styling ideas at the time. Nothing major, just things like offset license plates and bonnet/hood bulges and ridges on the driver's side instead of the centre.
I remember in one of the Matt Helm spy novels by Donald Hamilton that Matt had to rent a car in a small town in the Southwestern US. The car was a Chrysler product and was, as he put it, "...from an era when Chrysler was conducting experiments in tortured sheet metal."
My folks had a 1960 Dodge Matador, i loved the speedometer with the bars that came up as you went along, plus the fins. Us kids called it the Batmobile. Later in life, I had a 1960? Valient spare tire looking trunk, 4 door, push button tranny and a horrible slant 6 engine that would not work in the rain
My older cousin lived near a neighborhood garage that did new car prep work for a local Dodge dealer on the side, knew the guys and hung out there. As a five-year-old in late summer 1960 I was quite unprepared to walk in to a sudden, unexpected profile view of a "conch shell" light-on-dark blue 1961 Dodge Polara station wagon. It made my father's fire engine red 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon with inboard headlights, gunsight front fender ornaments, sideways fins and half moon taillights look positively restrained by comparison. Indelible image I still clearly remember more than sixty years later.
The first family car I can recall was Dad’s early 60’s Valiant. I was around 4 years old. I was unimpressed with it. Then he got a ‘67 Pontiac Catalina. I then thought we had our Batmobile! Great video.
I learned to drive on a 64 Newport. Power everything. Push button transmission. Very touchy power brakes for a new driver. Dad almost went through the windshield a couple of times. Also had a 68 Dart convertible with a 318 eight cylinder. My dad and me did a valve job on it in the street. Good times.
I'm personally a big fan or the large 61-62 dodges, particularly after seeing a jay leno's garage episode on a Polara cop car. Its that front styling that makes me fall in love with it.
@ J Richardson. Your statement could apply to several manufacturers. Over the years I've bought Plymouth and Dodge for two reasons....Tough drivetrains and strong engines with timing chains. The models in this video all had torsion bar front suspensions as standard equipment to boot! Okay...three reasons.
My uncle owned a '57 Dodge Coronet brand new. Quality was terrible. Exner's 1957 radical models were rushed into production. They met their sales goals but owners were not happy. Even some dealerships left Chrysler and switched to GM or Ford.
As for former owner of a 1962 Plymouth I may be a bit biased, but the often bizarre early 60s Chrysler designs did garner a lot of attention. They were innovating. History demonstrates this is rarely profitable as a business strategy, it always drives the culture of the automobile forward. I'm sad that you missed mentioning the "Astro Dome" dashboards of the Chrysler models in 1960-61. That was a genuine work of art.
I am glad to hear you say you secretly like some of them. In the modern age it is courageous to step outside the lines. Some were pretty crazy looking, but I like 'em.
This is the episode I was waiting for. Well done, Ed! Just to be clear, the asymmetrical design cues that you see in some of the models were only made as design references and not actual production proposals. For example, a handful of design concepts could be illustrated in one clay model, as opposed to four. This approach saved the company a lot of money.
My father's '61 Fury 4-door is sitting under a tree. Hasn't been driven for 30 years now, but the interior isn't too bad as it has been in the shade. Love to get it running again.
Weird? I love the designs of that time. The 61 Plymouth is awesome. The 62 Dodge is even better. And the Chrysler with the slanted dual headlights is perfect. The 61 Imperial with the floating headlights is amazing. I guess everyone has different taste.
DAL, you are totally drug induced! The '61 Plymouth was puke ugly, and the monster four eyes grille of the '62 Dodge was abomidable! The side flanks of the '60 - '63 Valiant were designed by a drunken blind man, and the rear slanted taillights and fake spare tire imagery were just pure crap. However, the Falcon competition was less than exemplary, for sure. The Falcon got better in "64. My retired neighbor, Mr.Stone, had a new '64 Jet Black with red interior and bright finish side spear with a red insert. Highest trim level (Sport?) with chrome bumpers, bright finish window frame trim and wheel opening trim. Thin stripe white sidewall tires and sport wheels. I was 16 and so jealous of him owning that car. Always kept spotless.
My best friends' father had the Imperial with the "stand alone" headlights and I could hear him cursing under his breath every time he washed that car; which was often. [Reaching around behind them with a soapy sponge was a pain in the a.....!]
This video on Chrysler had me remember one of my old class mates from back in the 80's and 90's. He was obsessed with Chrysler and in elementary school, he built a car show from the trailer of a big rig that unfolded and became a stage for a car show for cars and he built the big rig, the trailer/stage and cars all out of Legos. Later in high school he brought in tons of Chrysler catalogs from dealerships and I think he might have even had a power point on Chrysler. He was a cool dude, and I got to look him up. I haven't talked to him for about 25 years, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's working in the automotive industry somewhere.
In 1983 I was 19 and had suffered a couple setbacks and found myself without a car. Ended up getting a 1960 Pontiac Catalina for free, which for some reason had been sitting in the middle of a cattle field! Had what I think was an original Caribbean Coral paint job that had oxidized and faded to a sort of pinkish tan, but all the chrome was intact, not a dent on her and the all original interior was in EXCELLENT condition. She drove surprisingly well but what struck me most was during the winter when everyone else in the apartment parking lot was out in the morning having trouble with their cold engines, I'd turn the key and my old Tempest V8 would roar right to life. Was not my young self's idea of a dream car at first but I was beginning to fall in love and started saving up for a new paint job. Drove her for almost a year before I had an issue. Stalled out at a busy intersection so pushed her through and parked until I could get a tow. Came back to find someone had majorly sideswiped her, caving the driver side door in and knocking her off the road into the ditch. Repairing her from that state was beyond my means so to the junkyard she went. That's the only car I've ever owned that really broke my heart to lose and I still reminisce thinking how cool she would have been if I'd managed to restore her. Nowadays, looking at the old promotional adverts I'm really struck by that model's sleek and understated beauty, with .
When I was a teenager the guy (son) across the street had a beige 4dr Plymouth Valiant. It disappeared for a few weeks, and returned with a Chevy 327 and a 4 speed stick. My first exposure to a 'sleeper'.
Dear Ed, I really appreciate your videos. I watch them all. My maternal ancestors were from the Netherlands and immigrated to America in the late 1880s. When I hear you speak, I hear my ancestors talking. I admire your command of English. However in this video, you said,"how did this came to be." That is logical, since the reference is past tense. However, as you know, English is a bit wonky sometimes. The correct phrase is," how did this come to be?". The reason is that the verb is in the subjunctive mode. I admire anyone who learns a second language and speaks it so well. I'm just trying to make a small improvement in your English. I wish you would do some videos about early American cars from about 1910 to 1950. Keep up the good work.
1962 Lancer was my first car. This was in 1971. I told everybody it had an SS225 motor. Didn't tell them that SS was for slant six. Had push button shifter too. Had a lot of fun in that thing!!
@@tommysmith6717 They were great cars. Ours had the 225 and push button transmission as well. It was a quicker car than most realized and with the unibody construction with torsion bar suspension it handled better than a lot of other cars. Just wasn't super good looking...;)
@@dangarrison3503 Chrysler just made so many bad decisions back in those days. By 1963 their top engine option should have been something like a 417 Hemi ( an increase from the 392 that they discontinued in 58 that dominated drag racing through the 1960's ).
When I was a kid, my uncle had an early 1960’s Chrysler New Yorker. The thing was as big as an aircraft carrier. What fascinated me was the push button gear selector. Always wondered what would happen if you pushed one of the buttons while hurtling down the highway at 60 mph.
Those pushbutton, or "typewriter drive," didn't have a park position. The car was put in neutral, and used the mechanical parking break. Reverse was a different color button, and not near the other buttons. I also believe they had some sort of lock out mechanism. My father had a 1962 Chrysler 300-H. It had a 3 speed transmission, 2 four barrel carbs, leather upholstery, and a chrome rollbar behind the seat that was welded to the frame at the factory. It was padded up around the headliner. The lugs were left hand threads, on the drivers side, and right hand threads on the passenger side. The signal indicator, was a lever that was sild back and fort horizontally on the left side of the dash.
My dad had one and liked it because it made it simple to rock the car when it got stuck in the deep snow we got in northern Wisconsin. Naturally that sort of abuse wasn't good for the transmission and he had to get it overhauled.
Excellent content. My parents didn’t buy Chryslers, but my grandparents did, and since being with your grandparents was a major treat so was driving in a Chrysler.
I had a 1963 Chrysler Newport, 383, pushbutton trans, it was awesome, comfortable, fast and a true tank. I used to mow down roadsigns without doing any damage at all to the car.
Say what you will about these cars , like them or hate them ,at least they produced an emotion where 90% of cars built today are so boring no one gives them a second look .
My Great Uncle had a 1960 or 61 Chrysler New Yorker that he drove well into the mid 1980s. As a kid, I hated that car. It was uuuuugggly. Now, when I see the family pictures and I see his old New Yorker, I smile and appreciate that CLASSY old car. The spare tire hump in the trunk lid, the square shaped steering wheel, the killer dash (figuratively and literally) and its glow at night were over the top. It was from a time when men and women dressed up when they went out, men wore ties and hats, and doors were held open for women. You could literally park a car inside its trunk...and still have room! Don't forget the chrome too! And look at what we have now...these crappy cross over "suv"s that all look the same and are cramped. No style at all.
Yeah you walk into a parking lot and can’t tell which one is yours. At least the colors are starting to vary more.
8mm mm mmmmmmm m m mmm ml m mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmxmmm m mmmmmmmmm
The Rivian company would like to have a word…
I'd gladly take boring over laughably hideous.
I'm English and I've always been in awe of them. They looked like they'd arrived from another planet. So big and bold, garish yet attractive. I loved the way the soft suspension would have them wobbling like a jelly. I also remember my favourite comedy of all time is Its A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. As a child I loved that film as much for its cars as its comedy. American auto's of the 50s and 60s I salute you.
What a great and funny movie.
@@John-jl9de Hi John. It's brilliant. " Do I hear bells baby"? :)
I'm also a fan of that movie but never realized your point about the cars but youre right
Was Smokey and the Bandit a gentle remake of that movie? It too had a huge cast.
GOD BLESS AMERICA (and no other countries)
Those are not assymetrical designs. It's two styling exercises on one body , a mirror was used to see what the concept would look like as a whole . It saved time and money , making two clay models. This is pre computer graphics times. This technique was used well into the 70s.
That’s right.
Just another example of this narrator talking out of his ass.
One of the reasons Exner was fired was that he actually intended to create asymmetrical cars. You are correct that some of these are mock ups showing two different designs, but Exner wanted to go full asymmetric on Plymouth, especially. Rumors out of Detroit at the time said that Exner was demanding that the 1961 Plymouth would have a single, enormous fin that started in front of the driver and continued to the end of the car. Chrysler was outraged about it and fired him.
Some where mock-ups, but some really were asymmetrical
I knew someone who worked at Chrysler at the time, and they really were considering asymmetrical exteriors--and interior dashboards and seats. True Story!
I absolutely adore these old 50s 60s “space age” type cars honestly. The huge obnoxious wings. They just look so awesome lol.
Yes, like the Imperials with 'floating' head and tail lamps. That was so funny, drivers would have accidents breaking them off and ended up with the strangest ways of replacing those lights. The fins were outrageous! "The Fin Wars" of the 1950s between Harley Earl and Virgil Exner was an exponential 'mine is bigger than yours' adventure in extremely bad taste when compared to contemporary offerings!
>>>DITTO
@@rolls-royceowner1108 They reeked of style and women in their furs loved them, mom sure did and she looked great behind the wheel of her 1960 Imperial white convertible. All of us loved that car as kids.
@@John-jl9de - My grand dad had a 1961 Imperial. That car floated along the highway!
@@rolls-royceowner1108 Excellent
I grew up a Ford guy, but I have lately fallen in love with the Chrysler corporation and basically everything they have made from the beginning all the way up to the 90’s
That 61 Lincoln is a beautiful automobile.
😅Chrysler made some ugly cars but those plymouth cars were fast.
Those old Valiants were actually good cars. My dad had a few customers with them; that slant-6 engine would run forever.
You're right about the slant six running forever. They were strong. Probably Chrysler's best six ever. I had a Duster with one in it and i sold it to a man who drove it for decades until he died. I tried to buy the car back, but his family wanted to keep it as a tribute to him.
@@dlmullins9054
You guys are right! My dad had a '69 Dart Swinger (🤣) that was green, and had a flower decal on the side next to the name "Swinger!" It had a slant six, and growing up in Chicago, ALWAYS started every morning to take us to school! It was a great lil car, as I drove it for learners permit in '85! Sure miss that one... 😔
I had one too
ikr? the valiant sold very good in south america and all are in good or higher condition
And they had torsion bar suspension, giving the passengers a much smoother ride. Probably sales suffered due to the styling. If the looks can't get buyers in the showroom, you're sunk.
The asymmetrical designs may have been two design concepts on one model. I know many times Detroit would make clay models with split designs on each side so the concepts could be judged side by side.
The asymmetrical hood trim on the Studebaker Avanti always looked cool to me. "A little goes a long way". The whole car styling being asymmetrical would be a disaster. 😊
That's what I was thinking!
Yes, I've seen this happen before. And not only in Detroit. Making a full scale clay model is time consuming, so creating two design proposals for the front and the rear on the same model makes sense.
yeah, I think that is what is going on. There are photos easily found on Google about the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster styling work which shows clay models of the vehicle with asymmetrical features and Mercedes-Benz wasn't too crazy and over the top with designs to think about doing an asymmetrical car, they probably just wanted to explore two different design directions in just one clay scale model and not have to do two (or even more if we think about other different desings) models of the car.
@@jimbo97 any information on the state of the Avanti over it time span beginning to end?
In 1967, I had a summer job at an Earl Scheib paint shop ("Any car, any color, $39.95, right!") I worked at the front of the line, wet-sanding cars, blowing them dry, then taping over the chrome. I hated those Chryslers and Plymouths - took about five miles of masking tape to cover the endless chrome strips and hghlights on each one. We had a lot of "overspray" complaints from customers!
man, this 62 plymouth concept is BEAULTIFUL. They really lost a opportunity there
Growing up in the late '50's and early '60s I can tell you that the 1960-1963 falcons were complete rust buckets with a life expectancy of maybe 70 to 80,000 miles. The Valiant was a very durable car and I personally thought the styling was quit good.
Australia or USA? Chrysler Valiants and Ford Falcons were here as well.
Not to mention the Falcon trunk floor was the gastank.
@@troyandog8749 You mean like as in many cars of the era and later!
@@martintaper7997 Not in the states, only Fords.
@@troyandog8749 Many cars in the USA had the same because the same cars were sold here, and not just Fords.
I actually quite like a lot of these old Plymouth Chryslers
Yes, now! But not back then
Yeah... Me, Too!❤️
I feel a little guilty... I like them too.
Same here, for fun and giggles I'm roasting the designs troughout the video. But secretly, they are a guilty pleasure of mine!
@@EdsAutoReviews actually some of them are nice looking.
But then I do like how the mustang II looks
They may have looked outdated in the 60's, but I LOVE them now!
I think he misspoke when he said out dated. They fit fight in with the cars of the time. And the designer quit to take a better paying job. It was the Ford guy that got fired and picked up by Chrysler before they knew he was let go. Funny how the internet changes the news of days gone by.
@@jrichardson2518 I loved all the Imperials and the 300's. I had a 61 Plymouth Fury 2 dr hardtop. and loved it. To this day I think I would buy another one . Black with a red and white interior.
Oh, and a 318 and automatic. Easier to drive with your right arm on your honey's shoulder.
@@ajpinto104 you are describing the first car I can remember my uncle driving. He bought it from the city fire Department in 64 it had the flashlight taillights and pushbutton shift . his friend had a Buick that looked very much like his Plymouth .. That car had reverse at the bottom of the shift pattern and started with a tap on the gas pedal. Those were the car days.
Would, by far, take any car featured in this video over any car manufactured today!
Who picked up on the scenes of the film, “It’s a Mad Mad World”...
I thought the Valiant was strange when it came out (I was 7-years old!), but I now believe it is the most unique and stylish of the “compact” cars of the 60’s. Would love to own one in mint condition.
@jrwynd ---I WAS 5 WHEN THE VALIANT CAME OUT & ABSOULTY LOVED & STILL LOVE IT;---& I HATED IT'S GOD-AUFUL BOX REPLACEMENT!!!!
LOL, It looks like a turtle
Yeah, it looks dope.
@@packardexelence At the time, it was considered the least attractive of the three. Back then, Chrysler was having a lot of its cars designed in Italy, hence the Italian-themed styling. Engineering-wise, it was the best, while its paint and upholstery self-destructed on contact. Valiants outlasted even the Ford Falcons, while the Corvair imploded on itself after a year. By 1970, you saw more early Valiants on the street than Corvairs and Falcons combined. It was the first year for the slant six, which is a milestone design even by today's standards.
I love the original Valiant. My dad bought a 61 model for my mom to drive in 1969. It had a push button transmission that didn't work very well (I can remember my brothers and I having to push the car out of parking spaces because reverse didn't always engage. As you said, it's a bit quirky but in a very cool way.
The '61 Imperial is beautiful. I remember when they were just out and on the lot. A real work of art.
its horrid
Absolutely floored when my car appeared in the video (61 Linc Convert) with me behind it in the tent. Made my day!
Asymmetrical clay models were common in the industry to show two different early proposals simultaneously.
Yes, they all did it. I've seen pictures of the Chevrolet Caprice and the Ford LTD during their development with two different looks on each side. It would save space in the display room it they were working on several different designs.
Yep exactly! Seen it with other makes as well
Certainly! There would never have been any intention to actually make cars with assymmetric lights - licensing authorities would not permit it, as it would confuse other drivers at night, leading to accidents. Sometimes, clay models were made as only one side of the car. You don't really need both sides.
@@keithammleter3824 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_XNR
th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html
@@2015dwayne The Chrysler XNR concept car you directed me to pretty much confirms what I said, doesn't it? The only real asymmetry is the presence of racing-car-like body bulges in front and behind the driver. To make it road licensable the lights are not asymmetric. The chap taking in the video made me laugh - he said "even the engine is asymmetric". Of course it is - it's an inline 6 - all inline 6's are asymmetric. the carby can only go one one side. The slant 6 common to vast numbers of Chrysler cars looks more asymmetric because it is a slant engine with that distinctive intake manifold.
Concept cars are often a bit weird. It lets the designers test the reaction at car shows.
I had, for 20 years, a 62 Dodge. Loved it. The headlights illuminated the road better than most other vehicles I've ever had. Had over 300,000 miles on it. Was comfortable, and powerful.
What?
Wow.
I absolutely love your videos. As someone who was old enough to appreciate cars of the 50's, my favorite being the 1955-1957 shoebox Chevy's, and got my licence in 1968, I am amazed at how perfectly you portray the cars and the times that they lived in! It's simply incredible! Thank you for that.
Sorry, I grew up with the so called 'Weird Chryslers" in a suburban neighborhood where lots of folks had Valliant's and Chrysler and Dodge wagons. In fact the Chrysler's were considered more upscale than the Fords and Chevys, especially the wagons. I think they are beautiful in that weird jet age design language. Balanced they are not but ,they are gorgeous in their excess.
The slant 6 was a winner, an engine that could turn over the odmeter, not once but twice.
You got that right. You couldn’t kill those slant six’s. You could add orange juice for oil and they would still go. Lol
I'm a GM man and I agree about the Chrylsler slant 6. They were indestructible. Not to mention those Chrysler mini-vans and Lee Iacocca which saved Chrysler in the 1980's. Lee helped bring Ford out of a slump with the launch of the Mustang in April, 1964. I personally loved the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Baracuda.
Yeah but could you get over 100 😂
@@moparmaniac5206 My neighbor owns a 1968 Plymouth Satellite convertible (not a Hemi). Gorgeous. I think he's trying to sell it.
My father bought a '61 Valiant brand new. White. Red Gut. 4dr.
Killed the indestructible Slant 6 in 6 years!
Dude, I think you're almost first man in TH-cam who want's to talk about this theme...
Who knows.. Who knows...
I guess you never seen an episode of coldwarmotors here... Scott has quite a few of these cars... the work he has done to his 60 fury 300 is amazing
8:31
But you're watching. There was a world before you bro. Peace
When I was a Senior in H.S. ('66) my mom bought a 61 Dodge Fury II with a 318 c.i. V8. I can still hear the whine of the starter motor when cranking it over,.....and the Beach Boys on the radio singing 'Good Vibrations'. It was bullet proof
I’m a Mopar man through and through! And I love those early 60’s cars. Virgil Exner was the best car designer ever!
Sorry to hear that.
@@Atomwaffen-y3s Sounds like you lack some taste.
@@kronk9418😅😂😅
That was a good video, thank you. Brought back a lot of memories. My sister had a '57 Dodge Mayfair, 318 with a push-button trans. They got 428 K miles out of that car until it threw a rod. Well-engineered car.
She must have lived in a road salt-free area. That car would have been extremely fortunate (well cared for) to survive even 10 years on Iowa roads and streets. BTW, the old 318 was an amazing engine.
Chrysler’s slogan in 1955: “Suddenly it’s 1960!”
Chrysler’s slogan in 1962: “Suddenly, it’s 1960!”
Lol🤣🤣🤣
Hahahaha!
in 1957 Plymouth's slogan actually was “Suddenly it’s 1960!”
when the 1960 cars were introduced the public mockingly said " “Suddenly it’s 1957"
@@utjp7077 You're right about both, and neither was good. In late 1956 Plymouth used the "Suddenly it's 1960!" and got away with it for a few months before GM was able to make it stop. They were beyond furious because even without that slogan rubbing salt in their wounds even before the slogan started. Plymouth's direct competition from GM was Chevy. As extremely popular as the '57 was and is to this day, when new it was technically a 3rd year face lift regardless of how gorgeous the Chevy was. To save face, Chevy came as close as it could to 'presenting' the '57 Chevy as close as possible to being just as new as the Plymouth, "out-advertising" Plymouth in TV and magazine ads. It worked. Chrysler Corp. abruptly stopped the '1960' ad in the face of an expensive lawsuit. The anger was two-fold. GM was not only angry their car wasn't '57 new', but that Plymouth was presenting the '57 Plymouth as a '60, because that's the year featured in the ad, not '57. Woops.
That's like the 1968 Mercury Breezeway ads SHOULD HAVE said "last chance to buy yourself a 1958 Continental".
Ed: You can't sell an asymmetrical car.
Nissan Cube: Hmmph.
Beat me too it. I for one applaud Nissan for producing the Cube.
It also reminds me of how the grill was off center on 1980's Honda City's.
Toyota Tercel Wagon - but only the rear
The car itself is not asymmetrical, just body features. Renault had cars with two different wheelbase dimensions, the Renault 16 was one.
Hyundai Veloster owner, checking in
First off, thanks immensely Ed for the film footage from "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" as it's one of the most star studded movies to ever come out of Hollywood! Sorry, though, to rain on your very often well-informed and always entertaining parade, Ed, but the decade of "the 50's" was largely known as the "jet age" with the "space age" not commencing in any significant way until the Soviet Sputnik was put into orbit in the late 50's, in 1957. The tails fins, rightly stated by you starting with the 1948 Cadillac, were flourishing throughout the 50's and beyond, and the General Motors Cadillacs had the most daring and then refined tail fins of that era. Great kudos to you, nonetheless, and your quite typically Dutch great level of worldwide curiosity and education! All in all, though, there were references in the mid-50's American car monikers to the space age. I bought (as only the 2nd owner) a 1956 Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" two-tone (robin's egg blue and cream) sedan way back in 1975. So, I guess, I'm undercutting my own counterpoint to your beautifully constructed montage of the Golden Age of American tail fin cars!
In 1976, my family acquired a 1960 Belvedere from the neighbors across the street for $150. My brother decorated it for Halloween and called it "The Batsmobile". Eventually, the master cylinder went out, and we couldn't find another one, so we had to let it go.
When I was growing up in California, I saw these cars on the road.
I didn’t like them much then but now I love the designs. Well most of them.
The sculpturing of metal, glass and plastic, astounds me.
Love the clips from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, one of my favorite car movies. The Beverly Hillbillies also featured some great old Chryslers in the driveway.
Wondering if anybody would mention the Hillbillies.
Great movie
The stunt driver earned his money that day, but if you're into ramps/jumps, like I was, he LOVED IT!!
The "Leave It to Beaver " TV show also featured many Chrysler Corporation cars,from 1959 until the end of the series in 1963....
Yes, that was Spencer Tracy driving that black Dodge.
Owning a '61 Plymouth fury in the Netherlands. Im actually shocked you spotted another dutch one.
I have a 1960 Valiant! It's a thing of beauty that gets lots of love everywhere I take it. It doesn't belong on your list. The 1960-62 valiant sold over 300,000 cars in the US alone!
What is left out about describing these designs is how well they really did work by function compared to others makes and models cars of the era. While moving in a straight line at 65 mph or more thru air Chrysler designs handled cross winds quite well and the passenger compartment was usually quieter inside both from wind drafting over and around the body as well the exhaust noise compared to many of the others. Ridden in many of the 50's driven just about every model of the 60's the Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Nash/Rambler and also watched how most of them all died.
My parents had a '61' Imperial. It was a boat, but VERY comfortable, powerful and fast, and had all the amenities you find on today's cars, including headlights that stayed on for up to one minute after you got out, so you could get to the house before you were out of light. That was important way out in the countryside!
I dont care what anyone says, the early 60's Chrysler Dodge and Plymouth cars were STUNNING
When i was a kid my father had a 300F and my grandfather had a 61 imperial with a square steering wheel.
I have a 1962 imperial and the square steering wheel’s one of the best features
I got a set of Imperial head lights the start of a ratrod
@@dimthecat9418 :As a child one of the cars my parents owned was a 1961 Plymouth Fury station wagon. It was a hideous yellow behemoth. It was one of the strangest looking vehicles I'd ever seen, and remains so even to this day. This holds true for both the exterior and interior. On the inside, the square steering wheel was just one of the oddities of the interior. The rolling bar-type speedometer was another, along with a rearview mirror that was dashboard mounted, as well as pretty much useless (especially when hauling around a half-dozen unrestrained yard apes . And let's not forget the push-button operated transmission. What a garish exercise in automotive design. However, I recently saw a 61 Fury wagon retro-rod conversion and much to my surprise it absolutely killed. Talk about making a silk purse from a sow's ear.
@@misterdeeds2172 most of those features you mentioned are in the interior of my imperial. It’s definitely an odd car inside and out with the push button transmission and the speedometer, but that’s specifically why I bought it
My dad had a 64 New Yorker with a square steering wheel, push button transmission, and a peppy 413 engine
There is something so charming and humorous about the text early on that says "What happended?"
Great video and the use of "Tank!" by the Seatbelts from Cowboy Bebop as the bumper music makes all the more enjoyable. 🎶🎷
These models featured a pushbutton automatic transmission which was a perfect match for the advanced body styling. Love the 62 Dodge
My Aunt Olive had one of the push button trans cars. When I was around 9 years old, I went to the store with her once, back in the early 60s. She told me "young as you are, even you could drive this car, it's easy as pie". "Just turn the key to start it, then push the button, and away you go". RIP, Aunt Olive......
My family had the 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon. The push buttons for the transmission also had a small parking lever. This was all located at the left end of the dash by the door.
In fairness to the oddball clay models. I imagine that those clay models are not supposed to be one complete vechicle. Rather two different designs that share the same overall profile & dimensions. As a means to save time and expense creating an individual complete car model for each design. They used one car skeleton as a canvas. Then sculpted two designs on it. One on each side.
You are absolutely right. The narrator is obviously brain dead.
th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html The clay models were incorrect, but Exner wanting to create asymmetrical cars which he lost his job for. One of the most beautiful designs, Plymouth XNR concept. Maybe they should've kept the guy after looking at this. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_XNR
@@sludge4125 th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html The clay models were incorrect, but Exner wanting to create asymmetrical cars which he lost his job for. One of the most beautiful designs, Plymouth XNR concept. Maybe they should've kept the guy after looking at this.
@@2015dwayne Thank you for this information! Obviously, he was considering just about anything at this point.
Again, thanks.
How could you not show the interior of the 1960 plymouth fury? One of the craziest dashboard setups i have ever seen
That's incredible, a sort of luna park car
The glitter-filled square steering wheels and asymmetrical front seats of '61 MoPars are something to behold...
Yeah they’re awesome
There is only so much to tell in about 12 minutes... But you are absolutely right. The interiors are just outrageous, but in a good way. With their push button transmission and electroluminescent lighting.... *starts to drool*
@@EdsAutoReviews You're doing a great job, Ed!
I agree 100% with your conclusion. They are not the best looking cars ever made, but they capture a moment in automotive history perfectly, and frankly are among my favorites.
I owned a 1963 Imperial Crown, 413, vertical push button transmission, wall to wall leather, quite nice looking. Except, they had those paired headlights mounted on stalks, not a good look. The rest of it was nice, I appreciate it even more as I look back.
I love Chrysler cars. I have my 1987 Red Fifth Avenue (bought new in 1987) and it still is my daily drive. Unfortunately, it is falling apart aesthetically, but still runs well and only has 67,000 miles on it. I hope this car will outlive me. I can't imagine driving anything else after 34 years together...
I put together a daily driver out of one i got off a scrap truck, i have had SOME luck finding parts for her, she is white with matching formal top, blue interior, she is an 82, and came with a grey interior which is what i would have loved to have kept, turns out every other grey interior i found had ripped up leather or cloth only interior, i found a set of blue leather seats, and began parting together an interior, my parts car got stolen that had a straight set of doors, they all have damage of some sort, new mexico resident, she has no rust,
found a GORGEOUS low mileage lady with low mileage that runs well, was hit on one side mashed into a wall on the other side, missed EVERYTHING critical, got my blue interior, leather and velour, with overhead console,
she took us to oklahoma and back mid summer last year, love it that you bought your baby new, i would have loved that, but i was not able then what with personal circumstances, but i have her AND know her because i put her together, i've had her ten years now, and thouroughly enjoy driving her, thanks for sharing
My sincerest congratulations!
@@ronaldhuff635 Thanks for sharing too, fellow Fifth Avenue friend...
@@TheBrooklynbodine Thanks, January 17 made our 35th year together...
I also think the 1961 Lincoln was an absolutely _beautiful_ car. So understated ... it began a very elegant "look" that carried through the Lincolns for many years.
The '56 2 dr hardtop was, to me, the most beautiful car of its time.
But as the 1960s went on, it was looking outdated, especially when compare to Cadillac where they went though 7 different designs for the fullline during the decade, Lincoln only had 3, one was carry over from the 1950s, the other was a new car known as the Mark iii, and the other was the what they spent most of the decade as, by 1968 the car looked 8 years out of date
I think I speak for a lot of folks when I say I love the styling of the late-50s, early '60s Chryslers. Damn near anything is better than the ugly, look-a-like, plastic everything, crap of today.
You nailed it perfectly! We Have a consensus!!
So true, such uninspiring styling. And 80% plastic it seems like.
Its not only cars which now all look boring. Look at audio systems, all similar little black boxes. Look at architecture, horrific modern creations which has no long lasting architectural value. In my city, Cape Town, we had really amazingly beautiful Cape Dutch buildings. Timeless. Many of these were knocked down by greedy developers , and replaced with the ugliest modern buildings imaginable. Cape Town now looks as if someone emptied out all his junk, just a selection of the worst architectural misfits all put together in one city
@@goforgold7082 - Yes, absolutely. Darn near everything today is dull and without true styling and craftsmanship. Music today is obviously terrible when compared to the 1950s through 1980s, and early 90s.
@@tomc8617 luckily I discovered a few gems in the line of music through my Spotify app, depending on what kind of music you like. I discovered the Avett Brothers, Passenger, Homefree, Joshua Hyslop, Joshua Radin and Canyon City just the past year. But I hate some modern music.
My buddy Geoffrey's mom had that Valiant. It was a simple but cool car. His dad drove a Dart from the same era. To small boys like us, those cars were awesome!!
We had a 1960 red Valiant that I loved. Later, a 64 and 67 Dodge Dart. Loved the styling on all 3.
When I was a kid I loved "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". I always thought the cop car driven by Spencer Tracy looked unique but could never quite put my finger on why. Seeing the clips from that movie in this video answers the question.
The Dodges coming down that hill is in reference to the movie - "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
Yep!
Spencer Tracy driving the black one...scooped the money and split
YES
The Big W
I still drive a 1966 Dodge Charger, except in winter it is a daily driver.
I loved all those old Chryslers and Dodges . Of course I was a 10 year old car nut at the time. Great video !
The 1960 Dodge was the most outrageous in styling. As a little tyke blew my mind.
:)
I had a Chrysler 300 c back in the sixties. It had a 392 hemi engine with two four barrels . I still remember racing against a 67 Corvette 427 and i actually won that race. Nobody thought such a big boat of a car could compete, but i ran 108 octane in it and that really helped the power. Only thing i didn't like , it had a push button transmission. I still loved that car. I also had a 66 Dodge Lancer with a high performance 273 small block. The lancer was Dodge's version of the Valient. My wife totaled that one. I love some of the cars you showed here. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They are searched for by collectors all over the world now, and especially if they have a hemi, Love your video. Thank you!
I owned a 1964 Dodge Polara 500 from 1978, when I bought it from its original owner with 68K miles on it, until 1996. I sold it with 337K on the odometer. Heads never off the engine, still ran well. Best A/C I ever had in a car. Never an issue. Sorta wish I'd kept it, but made a trade for a '68 Charger R/t and drew a bit of cash.
The split designs are them trying different ideas at scale in clay, so they can bet a better idea of which way to go.
Yep, saves on clay - get two styling options in one model. Was also common to build only one half and place it against a large mirror.
Beat me to that remark. :)
styling exercises correct ... but the maker of the video is brain dead and does not get it ...Just bashing Mopar !
That's true.. but Chrysler WAS toying with asymmetric styling ideas at the time. Nothing major, just things like offset license plates and bonnet/hood bulges and ridges on the driver's side instead of the centre.
I remember in one of the Matt Helm spy novels by Donald Hamilton that Matt had to rent a car in a small town in the Southwestern US. The car was a Chrysler product and was, as he put it, "...from an era when Chrysler was conducting experiments in tortured sheet metal."
This is my favorite era for cars, the 58-62 were so different and wild. I'd drive that Imperial all damn day!!😎
My folks had a 1960 Dodge Matador, i loved the speedometer with the bars that came up as you went along, plus the fins. Us kids called it the Batmobile.
Later in life, I had a 1960? Valient spare tire looking trunk, 4 door, push button tranny and a horrible slant 6 engine that would not work in the rain
My older cousin lived near a neighborhood garage that did new car prep work for a local Dodge dealer on the side, knew the guys and hung out there. As a five-year-old in late summer 1960 I was quite unprepared to walk in to a sudden, unexpected profile view of a "conch shell" light-on-dark blue 1961 Dodge Polara station wagon. It made my father's fire engine red 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon with inboard headlights, gunsight front fender ornaments, sideways fins and half moon taillights look positively restrained by comparison. Indelible image I still clearly remember more than sixty years later.
The first family car I can recall was Dad’s early 60’s Valiant. I was around 4 years old. I was unimpressed with it. Then he got a ‘67 Pontiac Catalina. I then thought we had our Batmobile! Great video.
I own a 1957 Chrysler New Yorker. It’s my absolute favorite car to ever exist. Gotta love those fins!
My dad had one. I liked the "happy" face grill, the fins, and the rear view mirror coming out of the dashboard. His was light blue.
Absolutely. One rally handsome design. Especially in black.
my Dad had a 57 Savoy wagon, dark green. I loved that car and hated when he sold it. My first time feeling power since he quit buying Ramblers.
I'm not even a Chrysler guy but the 1962 Dodge Dart Max Wedge is one of the coolest cars of the 60's.
And that Max Wedge made mince meat out of almost every other car on the road.
Agreed the Dart was ahead of it's time. The compact was the best idea ever as the 70s car became battleships.
@@deepfreezevideo in terms of early 60s cars it was second only to the Fairlane Thunderbolt imo. Both insane cars that people seem to forget
The 413 was damn near untouchable
@@garyblanchard8570 still have one...in my 62 New Yorker. 100k miles and the 413 runs as new. Even with old gas and leaky Carter AFB.
I learned to drive on a 64 Newport. Power everything. Push button transmission. Very touchy power brakes for a new driver. Dad almost went through the windshield a couple of times. Also had a 68 Dart convertible with a 318 eight cylinder. My dad and me did a valve job on it in the street. Good times.
I'm personally a big fan or the large 61-62 dodges, particularly after seeing a jay leno's garage episode on a Polara cop car. Its that front styling that makes me fall in love with it.
this channel is criminally underrated
The term underrated is criminally overrated.
that 1962 Plymouth concept-car looks really good. Looks like a elegant coupe.
The concept car was actually a lot better looking than the production cars...
I knew a Chrysler dealer salesman who had been selling cars for 30 years. He said if you sold one of the early 60s Dodges you deserved a bonus.
"Beep Beep".!!!! Schwweeeeet
the problem had less to do with design and more to do with build quality.
@ J Richardson. Your statement could apply to several manufacturers. Over the years I've bought Plymouth and Dodge for two reasons....Tough drivetrains and strong engines with timing chains. The models in this video all had torsion bar front suspensions as standard equipment to boot! Okay...three reasons.
My uncle owned a '57 Dodge Coronet brand new. Quality was terrible. Exner's 1957 radical models were rushed into production. They met their sales goals but owners were not happy. Even some dealerships left Chrysler and switched to GM or Ford.
@@frdjr2527 Those 57s were originally intended to be the 58s, so the production 57 was a mass-produced prototype.
As for former owner of a 1962 Plymouth I may be a bit biased, but the often bizarre early 60s Chrysler designs did garner a lot of attention. They were innovating. History demonstrates this is rarely profitable as a business strategy, it always drives the culture of the automobile forward.
I'm sad that you missed mentioning the "Astro Dome" dashboards of the Chrysler models in 1960-61. That was a genuine work of art.
I am glad to hear you say you secretly like some of them. In the modern age it is courageous to step outside the lines. Some were pretty crazy looking, but I like 'em.
If it had a Hemi engine, the car looked better
This is the episode I was waiting for. Well done, Ed! Just to be clear, the asymmetrical design cues that you see in some of the models were only made as design references and not actual production proposals. For example, a handful of design concepts could be illustrated in one clay model, as opposed to four. This approach saved the company a lot of money.
I thought the Valiants looked awesome.
My father's '61 Fury 4-door is sitting under a tree. Hasn't been driven for 30 years now, but the interior isn't too bad as it has been in the shade. Love to get it running again.
A 1961 Chysler Imperial Crown LeBaron sedan in black with a red and black interior is still my dream car...
Damn i liked almost every single one of them im weak for 50s and 60s us cars
Weird? I love the designs of that time. The 61 Plymouth is awesome. The 62 Dodge is even better. And the Chrysler with the slanted dual headlights is perfect. The 61 Imperial with the floating headlights is amazing. I guess everyone has different taste.
x2
As an owner of a factory black with silver interior 2 door hard top they are ugly but they grow on you real fast.
DAL, you are totally drug induced! The '61 Plymouth was puke ugly, and the monster four eyes grille of the '62 Dodge was abomidable! The side flanks of the '60 - '63 Valiant were designed by a drunken blind man, and the rear slanted taillights and fake spare tire imagery were just pure crap. However, the Falcon competition was less than exemplary, for sure. The Falcon got better in "64. My retired neighbor, Mr.Stone, had a new '64 Jet Black with red interior and bright finish side spear with a red insert. Highest trim level (Sport?) with chrome bumpers, bright finish window frame trim and wheel opening trim. Thin stripe white sidewall tires and sport wheels. I was 16 and so jealous of him owning that car. Always kept spotless.
My best friends' father had the Imperial with the "stand alone" headlights and I could hear him cursing under his breath every time he washed that car; which was often. [Reaching around behind them with a soapy sponge was a pain in the a.....!]
This video on Chrysler had me remember one of my old class mates from back in the 80's and 90's. He was obsessed with Chrysler and in elementary school, he built a car show from the trailer of a big rig that unfolded and became a stage for a car show for cars and he built the big rig, the trailer/stage and cars all out of Legos. Later in high school he brought in tons of Chrysler catalogs from dealerships and I think he might have even had a power point on Chrysler. He was a cool dude, and I got to look him up. I haven't talked to him for about 25 years, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's working in the automotive industry somewhere.
Spencer Tracy was in one of those Dodges in the last film clip. Near the end of "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World." Enjoyed being reminded of that.
In 1983 I was 19 and had suffered a couple setbacks and found myself without a car. Ended up getting a 1960 Pontiac Catalina for free, which for some reason had been sitting in the middle of a cattle field! Had what I think was an original Caribbean Coral paint job that had oxidized and faded to a sort of pinkish tan, but all the chrome was intact, not a dent on her and the all original interior was in EXCELLENT condition. She drove surprisingly well but what struck me most was during the winter when everyone else in the apartment parking lot was out in the morning having trouble with their cold engines, I'd turn the key and my old Tempest V8 would roar right to life. Was not my young self's idea of a dream car at first but I was beginning to fall in love and started saving up for a new paint job. Drove her for almost a year before I had an issue. Stalled out at a busy intersection so pushed her through and parked until I could get a tow. Came back to find someone had majorly sideswiped her, caving the driver side door in and knocking her off the road into the ditch. Repairing her from that state was beyond my means so to the junkyard she went. That's the only car I've ever owned that really broke my heart to lose and I still reminisce thinking how cool she would have been if I'd managed to restore her. Nowadays, looking at the old promotional adverts I'm really struck by that model's sleek and understated beauty, with .
I think the Valiant estate looks really nice and the 1961 Imperial is gorgeous.
Virgil Exner lived in a mad mad mad world
Very clever! You caught that footage of old Plymouths taken from Stanley Kramer’s movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”
Hehe!
Love the clips from "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"!
When I was a teenager the guy (son) across the street had a beige 4dr Plymouth Valiant. It disappeared for a few weeks, and returned with a Chevy 327 and a 4 speed stick. My first exposure to a 'sleeper'.
Dear Ed, I really appreciate your videos. I watch them all. My maternal ancestors were from the Netherlands and immigrated to America in the late 1880s. When I hear you speak, I hear my ancestors talking.
I admire your command of English. However in this video, you said,"how did this came to be." That is logical, since the reference is past tense. However, as you know, English is a bit wonky sometimes. The correct phrase is," how did this come to be?". The reason is that the verb is in the subjunctive mode. I admire anyone who learns a second language and speaks it so well. I'm just trying to make a small improvement in your English.
I wish you would do some videos about early American cars from about 1910 to 1950.
Keep up the good work.
Learned to drive in a '62 Dodge Lancer GT (bucket seats)
We called it the road toad.
I love my 62 Lancer
1962 Lancer was my first car. This was in 1971. I told everybody it had an SS225 motor. Didn't tell them that SS was for slant six. Had push button shifter too. Had a lot of fun in that thing!!
@@tommysmith6717
They were great cars. Ours had the 225 and push button transmission as well. It was a quicker car than most realized and with the unibody construction with torsion bar suspension it handled better than a lot of other cars. Just wasn't super good looking...;)
But most people in 62 only saw the tail lights of the Savoy. Scary fast.
I had a 63 plymouth Savoy with a max wedge 413. Very quick car
All those old Mopars with the big V8s would go like mad. They were funky looking though.
@@dangarrison3503 holy cow if I had a time machine THAT would of been my purchase. Did yours have a heater delete and radio delete?
@@maximuswedgie5149 radio delete
@@dangarrison3503 Chrysler just made so many bad decisions back in those days. By 1963 their top engine option should have been something like a 417 Hemi ( an increase from the 392 that they discontinued in 58 that dominated drag racing through the 1960's ).
9:06 "Somehow the car looks pissed off" idk why, but that line make me laught.
The 1957 New Yorker had a "goofy" smile, I kind of liked it.
Well, yes. I'd be royally pissed of as well, if someone intentionally made me look like that.
@@error52 ..thats what -I- was gonna say. You nailed it. 😂👍
You are ABSOLUTELY right in suggesting it was Exner who couldn't/wouldn't adjust.
Thanks. I didn’t realize I’ve been watching your videos for a long time, and just subscribed to watch them all.
Great video loved looking at those old vintage automobiles from the 1960’s
When I was a kid, my uncle had an early 1960’s Chrysler New Yorker. The thing was as big as an aircraft carrier. What fascinated me was the push button gear selector. Always wondered what would happen if you pushed one of the buttons while hurtling down the highway at 60 mph.
Those pushbutton, or "typewriter drive," didn't have a park position. The car was put in neutral, and used the mechanical parking break. Reverse was a different color button, and not near the other buttons. I also believe they had some sort of lock out mechanism. My father had a 1962 Chrysler 300-H. It had a 3 speed transmission, 2 four barrel carbs, leather upholstery, and a chrome rollbar behind the seat that was welded to the frame at the factory. It was padded up around the headliner. The lugs were left hand threads, on the drivers side, and right hand threads on the passenger side. The signal indicator, was a lever that was sild back and fort horizontally on the left side of the dash.
My dad had one and liked it because it made it simple to rock the car when it got stuck in the deep snow we got in northern Wisconsin. Naturally that sort of abuse wasn't good for the transmission and he had to get it overhauled.
It's like a glimpse of an alternate timeline.
The opening clip and some others during the presentation - 'It'sA Mad Mad Mad Mad World' - love it Ed - class :)
I had a 1962 Chrysler Valiant and I loved it. from Melbourne VIC Australia.
Yes they were somewhat radical but kind of cool at the same time. I was early teens at the time and loved them.
This channel is gonna blow up real soon
It would be great. he deserved it.
In a good way or bad way?
@@buixrule In the best way
Ed is so brain dead that he doesn’t know that those clay models are SOP.
It’s almost comical.
He was right though.
th-cam.com/video/T8OzauxSQN4/w-d-xo.html
Excellent content.
My parents didn’t buy Chryslers, but my grandparents did, and since being with your grandparents was a major treat so was driving in a Chrysler.
I had a 1963 Chrysler Newport, 383, pushbutton trans, it was awesome, comfortable, fast and a true tank. I used to mow down roadsigns without doing any damage at all to the car.
Putting in the clips from "it's a mad, mad, mad, world" was cool, great movie.