Chrysler Airflow Demonstration - Safety with a Thrill

The Wilding Corporation of Detroit produced a film for Chrysler that captured the demonstrations featuring the streamlined Airflow at the Chicago Century of Progress.
The Chrysler Airflow is a full-size car produced by Chrysler from 1934 to 1937. The Airflow was one of the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance. Chrysler made a significant effort at a fundamental change in automotive design with the Chrysler Airflow, but it was ultimately a commercial failure.
Chrysler also marketed a companion model under the DeSoto brand, the DeSoto Airflow.
The basis for the Chrysler Airflow was rooted in Chrysler Engineering's Carl Breer's curiosity about how forms affected their movement through the environment. According to Chrysler, Breer's quest was started while watching geese travel through the air in a "V" flight pattern. Another source lists Breer as watching military planes on their practice maneuvers, while still other sources attach the genesis of the project to Breer's interest in lighter-than-air airships and how their shapes helped them move through the atmosphere.
Breer, along with fellow Chrysler engineers Fred Zeder and Owen Skelton, began a series of wind tunnel tests, with the cooperation of Orville Wright, to study which forms were the most efficient shape created by nature that could suit an automobile. Chrysler built a wind tunnel at the Highland Park site, and tested at least 50 scale models by April 1930. Their engineers found that then-current two-box automobile design was so aerodynamically inefficient, that it was actually more efficient turned around backwards. Applying what they had learned about shape, the engineers also began looking into ways that a car could be built, which also used monocoque (unibody) construction to both strengthen the construction (the strengthening was used in a publicity reel[2]) of the car while reducing its overall drag, and thus increasing the power-to-drag ratio as the lighter, more streamlined body allowed air to flow around it instead of being caught through upright forms, such as radiator grilles, headlights and windshields.
Traditional automobiles of the day were the typical two-box design, with about 65% of the weight over the rear wheels. When loaded with passengers, the weight distribution tended to become further imbalanced, rising to 75% or more over the rear wheels, resulting in unsafe handling characteristics on slippery roads. Spring rates in the rear of traditional vehicles were, therefore, necessarily higher, and passengers were subjected to a harsher ride.
An innovative suspension system on the new Chrysler Airflow stemmed from the need for superior handling dynamics. The engine was moved forward over the front wheels compared with traditional automobiles of the time, and passengers were all moved forward so that rear seat passengers were seated within the wheelbase, rather than on top of the rear axle. The weight distribution had approximately 54% of the weight over the front wheels, which evened to near 50-50 with passengers,[3] and resulted in more equal spring rates, better handling, and far superior ride quality.
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[@Magnetron33]

The Airflow was probably one of the best cars ever built. I would love to have one.

[@asteverino8569]

These Air Flow promo’s. I feel worn out from being yelled at. 😂😂😂

[@FredPilcher]

I kept waiting for the editor to say "Great Caesar's ghost!"

[@SuperBullyone]

I think it is a great car, it is like an American SAAB, made 20 years earlier. I would buy one. it looks perfect to me.

[@privateprivate1865]

Id love to own one

[@gojoe2833]

Alas look at how far Chrysler has fallen...

[@MikeBarnett1776]

Yep.. about 90 feet!

[@milankuzminac6035]

Good old times.

[@dexterricketts8313]

& Euro-stylin'

[@DuckDavis3000]

Is there any idea who this baseball player being used in the video is or what team that uniform represents?

[@asteverino8569]

A year later, in 2021 ... I’ll take your entire stock!!!

[@ronfazekas1294]

Do your homework--the year was 1934--the Airflow was introduced--also the year of the Chicago Century of Progress--New York was 1939-40!

[@KingRoseArchives]

Thanks for the clarification. Since the set up was a faux New York based Newspaper we must have assumed this was set in New York. We do appreciate the thoughtful help from our viewers.

[@jpdemer5]

Sez so right at 4:00

[@randymagnum143]

Huh, same old news editor. Staging riots, I see..

[@PFPTHEGREATEST]

GET ME SOME PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN!

[@billboyd4051]

They should have called it the Mustang, and given away a horse prize.

[@danschreffler1280]

So they had methamphetamine back then, eh?

[@billboyd4051]

Hitler was a junkie with speed. Pilots kept it in their first aid kit.

[@danschreffler1280]

@@billboyd4051 The man's not here to defend himself. How unkind!

[@billboyd4051]

@@danschreffler1280 You asked the question, I simply answered it. It was considered a Miracle drug in Germany, way back when they also knew smoking caused cancer.

[@chardelraconner7324]

"graffiti ; Fe.. Fe Fe Fe.. what era se ever use odeith Marilyn Outside Flat ALSO Guzman Graphic Digi ZERO parts solid and infiniti placement since o3' using gumball machine mirrour sticker fi^e written correctly rounded star converse dual toothpick drawn and bloody dental floss shoelaces never brought to public corriculum o3'" ©

[@chardelraconner7324]

slot track ; chevrolet capische dude fell off that week

[@chardelraconner7324]

9 : 28 goes privilege non jonkchere self intuition never refered