TBT: The Chrysler Norseman!

After World War II, the concept car (or "idea car" as it was known around the Chrysler campus) was a display of American optimism and engineering leadership. These cars began to evolve into an art form of ingenuity, typically with ultramodern styling and advanced engines!

During this time, Virgil Exner, the chief Chrysler designer, revolutioned the company's approach to styling during the "Forward Look" years, transforming Chrysler vehicles into sleeker and more sophisticated driving machines. Through the 1950s, Chrysler commissioned the Italian design house, Ghia, to inject Euro-sophistication into its concept vehicles. These beauties included, most notably, the Chrysler C-200, the K-310, and the DeSoto Adventurer. But, no one concept showed more promise than the Chrysler Norseman.

The Chrysler Norseman was expected to be one of the main attractions of the 1957 auto show circuit. An original press release from 1956 stated that Chrysler had "incorporated more structural, chassis, electrical, and styling innovations than any other 'idea' car ever designed by Chrysler." In fact, it's complex design took manufacturers 50,000 hours and cost the company approximately $150,000 to produce, which, with inflation, would be equivalent to $1.2 million today!!!

The Norseman's exterior design was ahead of its time and introduced one of the most innovative features to emerge from Chrysler's design studio: the cantilever roof. The roof included a power-operated 12-square-foot panel of glass in the roof, which slid forward for a partial open-air experience. This unconventional feature, accompanied by a curved windshield, included very thin A-pillars, allowing a fluid, uninterrupted forward and side view. In addition, the automobile featured concealed headlights that retracted into the front fenders when the headlights were turned off.

Under the hood, this fully functional aluminum-bodied automobile was equipped with a 5.4-liter HEMI (or 33 1-cubic-inch polyspheric) V8 engine, which produced 235 horsepower, mated with a two-speed push-button Powerflite transmission. With an overall length of 228 inches, and a wheelbase of 84 inches, the Norseman was classified as the second longest Chrysler idea car of the era!!!


(Article Source: Chrysler Lost Heritage: The Norseman, Part I)

TBT - 1955 Chrysler Imperial

Back in the day, "The Chrysler product line for 1955 was as intended to be a complete break from the past, visually and mechanically. Color was everywhere, inside and out. All car lines had optional or standard V8s; most had a standard or optional “dual rocker” (Hemi), a Chrysler exclusive, and Chrysler’s two speed Powerflite automatic transmission, operated by a dash mounted stalk in 1955." 

"The 1955 Imperial, minus the Chrysler badge for the first time, was an impressive automobile. The front end was an Exner triumph, with its divided grille, large parking lights thrusting out over the front bumper, and elaborate medallion separating the two halves of the grille. The rest of the car, detail by detail, reinforced the impression of luxury and substance, and an Imperial would not suffer from a side-by-side comparison with Cadillac."

(Quotes from Article Source: "The Hundred Million Dollar Look: Chrysler for 1955-56" by Gerard Wilson, on AllPar. Read more of the article here!)