This is the story of a remarkable engineering team as told by one of its members, Carl Breer. Breer, Fred Zeder, and Owen Skelton worked together for 35 years, first at Studebaker and then at Chrysler, bringing solid engineering principles to the design and testing of early automobiles. The Birth of Chrysler Corporation and Its Engineering Legacy begins with a look at Carl Breer's early years, giving readers a glimpse of his engineering adeptness, even as a youth. The book's focus then shifts to the Zeder, Skelton, and Breer engineering team. Through the eyes of Carl Breer, we see the trio at work first at Studebaker prior to World War I, and then, more importantly, in 1919 as they meet Walter Chrysler and become the engineering building blocks upon which the Chrysler Corporation was founded. The Birth of Chrysler Corporation and Its Engineering Legacy offers readers a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the many innovations developed by the Zeder, Skelton, and Breer team during Chrysler's early days, including hydraulic brakes, all-steel bodies, 'fresh air' heaters, and more. It also describes the team's groundbreaking wind tunnel research which resulted in the developmen of the Airflow, an engineering tour de force that was so far ahead of its time that, unfortunately, the marketplace didn't respond well to it. The Airflow's design was so advanced that the aerodynamic principles upon which it was based continue to shape the design of today's cars.

Auto buffs and local historians will appreciate Yanik's thorough and engaging look at this slice of automotive history.

The first comprehensive history of the Chrysler Corporation, this book is intended for readers interested in the history of automobiles and of American business, and for fans and critics of Chrysler's products.

This book chronicles over 75 years of engine design, development, and production at Chrysler Corporation. Every production engine built by Chrysler is covered in detail, with descriptions, pictures, specifications, and timelines provided for each. In addition to the specifications, the book also looks at the personalities behind the engines' development, and the vehicles in which the engines were used.

A detailed history of Maxwell Motor Company, a medium-sized Detroit automaker that became the foundation of the Chrysler Corporation.

Power, Speed, and Form is the first accessible account of the engineering behind eight breakthrough innovations that transformed American life from 1876 to 1939—the telephone, electric power, oil refining, the automobile, the airplane, radio, the long-span steel bridge, and building with reinforced concrete. Beginning with Thomas Edison's system to generate and distribute electric power, the authors explain the Bell telephone, the oil refining processes of William Burton and Eugene Houdry, Henry Ford's Model T car and the response by General Motors, the Wright brothers' airplane, radio innovations from Marconi to Armstrong, Othmar Ammann's George Washington Bridge, the reinforced concrete structures of John Eastwood and Anton Tedesko, and in the 1930s, the Chrysler Airflow car and the Douglas DC-3 airplane. These innovations used simple numerical ideas, which the Billingtons integrate with short narrative accounts of each breakthrough—a unique and effective way to introduce engineering and how engineers think. The book shows how the best engineering exemplifies efficiency, economy and, where possible, elegance. With Power, Speed, and Form, educators, first-year engineering students, liberal arts students, and general readers now have, for the first time in one volume, an accessible and readable history of engineering achievements that were vital to America's development and that are still the foundations of modern life.

The first comprehensive history of the Chrysler Corporation, this book is intended for readers interested in the history of automobiles and of American business, and for fans and critics of Chrysler’s products. From the Chrysler Six of 1924 to the front-wheel-drive vehicles of the 70s and 80s to the minivan, Chrysler boasts an impressive list of technological "firsts." But even though the company has catered well to a variety of consumers, it has come to the brink of financial ruin more than once in its seventy-five-year history. How Chrysler has achieved monumental success and then managed colossal failure and sharp recovery is explained in Riding the Roller Coaster, a lively, unprecedented look at a major force in the American automobile industry since 1925. Charles Hyde tells the intriguing story behind Chrysler-its products, people, and performance over time-with particular focus on the company's management. He offers a lens through which the reader can view the U.S. auto industry from the perspective of the smallest of the automakers who, along with Ford and General Motors, make up the "Big Three." The book covers Walter P. Chrysler's life and automotive career before 1925, when he founded the Chrysler Corporation, to 1998, when it merged with Daimler-Benz. Chrysler made a late entrance into the industry in 1925 when it emerged from Chalmers and Maxwell, and further grew when it absorbed Dodge Brothers and American Motors Corporation. The author traces this journey, explaining the company's leadership in automotive engineering, its styling successes and failures, its changing management, and its activities from auto racing to defense production to real estate. Throughout, the colorful personalities of its leaders-including Chrysler himself and Lee Iacocca-emerge as strong forces in the company's development, imparting a risk-taking mentality that gave the company its verve.

Looks at the history of the Chrysler Corporation through a collection of vintage photographs.

This richly detailed account of one of the most important men in American automotive history is based on full access to both Chrysler Corporation and family historical records. Curcio traces Chrysler's rise through the industry and gives unique insight into this colorful and passionate man. 50 halftones.