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.

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.

The Dodge Story Thomas A. McPherson. The most complete photographic history available on Dodge cars and trucks from 19 through 1975. More than 1,5 illustrations are backed by detailed, informative descriptions. McPherson traces the development of all Dodge vehicles throughout the early years. Trucks, cars, buses, and other special-bodied vehicles. An important reference work. Hdbd., 8 3/4"x 11 1/4", 32 pgs., 1,54 b&w ill.

In recent years, Chrysler has made waves with a series of dramatic new show cars, exciting production vehicles like the Prowler and Viper, and its mega-merger with German juggernaut Daimler-Benz. It is generally accepted that Chrysler is the most forward-thinking of the Big Three American automakers, yet the company also has a wonderfully compelling past. Just in time to mark Chrysler's 75th anniversary, this beautifully illustrated history takes readers on a journey that spans the company's genesis in the 1920s to present. Marvelous archival black-and-white photography is accompanied by nostalgic period color imagery, print ads, and new color photography of classics. The story includes model from Doge, Plymouth, Imperial, and DeSoto, while sidebars highlight key figures and stunning feats of engineering and styling.

This book tells the story of Walter Chrysler, who established the Chrysler Corporation and founded Dodge Brothers Motor Co. It contains many delightful anecdotes about his childhood, his work on the railroads, and his turn-around of American Locomotive, Buick, and then Maxwell-Chambers.

Once Upon a Car is the brilliantly reported inside-the-boardrooms-and-factories story of Detroit’s fight for survival, going beyond the headlines to chronicle how the country’s Big Three auto companies—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—teetered on the brink of collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. In a tale that reads like a corporate thriller, Bill Vlasic, who has covered the auto industry for more than fifteen years, first for the Detroit News and now for the New York Times, takes readers into the executive offices, assembly plants, and union halls to introduce a cast of memorable characters, many of whom are speaking out for the first time, including the executives who struggled to save their companies but in the end had to seek a controversial, last-gasp rescue from the U.S. government. Vlasic goes behind the scenes to portray the men at the top during Detroit’s last stand. Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, tried to turn around a dying company, only to be forced to resign as a condition of the government bailout. Bill Ford, great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, had the will to keep Ford alive but needed the guts to hire an unknown outsider, Alan Mulally, to transform the company before it crashed. At Chrysler, leadership was constantly changing as new owners tried in vain to fix the smallest of the beleaguered Big Three. And through it all, the president of the United Auto Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, fought to save the jobs of the men and women who build American-made cars and trucks. This tale of an iconic industry in crisis is more than a big business drama and provides a rich, unvarnished portrait of how Detroit’s decline affected tens of thousands of workers and dozens of communities nationwide. The story moves from the gleaming corporate skyscrapers and massive auto plants to the halls of the U.S. Congress and into the Oval Office, where President Obama and his aides wrestled with how to keep General Motors and Chrysler from going out of business. Vlasic shows why the bailout worked, and how Detroit can succeed under new leadership and build automobiles equal to any in the world. Once Upon a Car tells a uniquely American tale of success, failure, and redemption. It is an important and illuminating chapter in an astonishing story that is still unfolding. And no one is more qualified to write it than Bill Vlasic.

From the early decades of the Indy 500 to the modern superspeedways of NASCAR, from the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race to drag racing’s 4.5-second quarter-mile runs, this is the story of one company’s pursuit of performance and the glory that came with it. Full of hundreds of color and black and white photos, we hear tales of the Hemi, the Superbird, Don Garlits, Richard Petty, and many other legends. Noted author and Chrysler enthusiast Jim Schild tells the whole MOPAR story, from door-banging Trans Am racing, to land speed records on the salt flats of Bonneville, from the legendary C-300 to the road-shredding Dodge Viper. Full of fascinating history and excitement, this book is a must-have for all fans of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth.

In the early 1970s, Chrysler started working on a "magic wagon" -- a completely new passenger van that would fit into a normal garage. It was a daring project for a company that was strapped for cash. This book taps the people who created the minivans, with previously unpublished photos of the original clay models. It is not just a story of a vehicle, but of the people who pushed it through the development process, brought it to life, and refreshed it in the face of intense competition. Engineers, planners, and designers started arguing over alternatives ten years before the first van left the factory. This book dives into the reasons behind their decisions, and some of the ways minivans could have been very different; it also covers electric and CNG minivans, engines and transmissions, concept cars, and the assembly plants. The paperback is generously illustrated with full-color design studies and photos of the final product; the Kindle version has fewer photos, but still covers the original clay models and the concepts. "It's incredibly rare when the auto industry creates an entirely new class of vehicle, and rarer still when that innovation is an unqualified success story, but such was the case with Chrysler and the development of the minivan. "In Mopar Minivans, Zatz uses the people who were there to retell in vivid detail the largely forgotten story of how this innovative people mover evolved into a quintessential piece of American family life for two generations. It's a story that showcases not only how the automotive industry can work at its best, but also the ways that the industry's prevalent groupthink mentality can stifle innovation." -- Larry Vellequette, Automotive News "I am amazed how complete you are, having not been on-site in the front trenches during agreements, disagreements, and, yes, even skirmishes, at times." -- Chrysler employee David Zatz founded Chrysler-focused web site allpar.com; he also holds a Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology from Columbia University, and has been a business consultant for 20 years.

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.