Chrysler's Flightsweeps: Promoting Tailfins Without Serious Fins

Two interesting Chrysler Corporation concept cars that are little-known today were the 1955 Flightsweep I convertible and Flightsweep II coupe.  They were designed in Detroit and built on DeSoto chassis' by Ghia in Italy.  And they apparently were powered by Chrysler V-8 motors.

There are few photos of these cars on the Internet and little information, though some can be found here.

The Flightsweeps debuted in August of 1955, shortly before the 1956 Corporation product line sporting small tailfins was announced.  They were part of a plan to prepare potential buyers for the tailfins that were the coming thing, so far as Chrysler was concerned.

What I find interesting is that these Maury Baldwin- designed cars didn't actually have raised tailfins.  But they looked like they had them.  And that was what mattered.

Gallery

Side view of a 1955 DeSoto Firedome hardtop coupe for sale.  This represents the Chrysler line at the debut of the Firesweeps.

Mecum auction photo of a 1957 DeSoto hardtop coupe, the first year of serious Chrysler Corporation tailfins (1956 was a transition model year where small fins were grafted onto the '55's rear fenders).  This was the sort of design the Firesweeps were preparing the public for.

The Firesweep II in profile.  Note that the rear fender extension of the beltline is essentially horizontal: not a true tailfin.  What gives the car a tailfin feeling seen from the side is the two-tone paint design on the car's sides, especially the aft uptake of green paint ending in a slightly raised fender segment.  If that segment can be called a tailfin, it would have to be a near-microscopic one.

Front three-quarter view.  The hoods above the headlights add both physical and visual length to the car, especially when seen from the side.  From the point of view of this image, they detract from the Flightsweep's appearance.

A spread from a brochure that can be considerably enlarged by clicking on it.  Note the background view of the car's rear.  The sloped trunk lid reveals the inside of the right rear fender.  Here we find something that seems fin-like, but nothing like the tall fins seen on most Chrysler Corporation cars of the late 1950s.

Finally, a rear-quarter view of the Firesweep I, providing another perspective on the tailfins.  Here they do seem fin-like, but if the car had a normal, more raised trunk, they would disappear.