By the late 1930s Chrysler Corporation was using the same basic body for most models of its four brands. This practice continued until the 1953 model year. Passenger compartments were essentially the same aside from stretched eight passenger limousines and some sedans with front-hinged rear doors. However, the upper end of Chrysler's line had longer wheelbases and greater overall length than did entry level brands. Body shape differences took place mostly forward of the cowl/firewall.
Otherwise, the corporation's brands were given distinctive grilles as the key identification element. Other exterior brand-specific ornamentation was limited, but interiors were increasingly luxurious moving up the line's price-prestige continuum.
For 1949, along with Ford Motor Company, Nash, and General Motors' Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick brands, Chrysler Corporation introduced its post- World War 2 redesign, shedding bodies with prewar roots. That redesign is the subject of this post. Unless otherwise noted, the images below are factory photos or those of cars listed for sale.
Gallery
A 1946 DeSoto 4-door sedan, illustrating the general appearance of postwar 1946 facelifts given all Chrysler brands save Plymouth, which retained its shorter prewar front fenders. Chrysler Corporation cars for the 1947-1948 model years were essentially not facelifted again.
1948 Chrysler Windsor side view showing the long hood given to top-of-the-line models.
Here is the redesigned 1949 Chrysler New Yorker. Quite tall and boxy, unlike the sleeker postwar styling of most competitors (boxy exceptions were Kaisers and Frazers).
Side view of a 1949 Plymouth, the corporation's low-priced brand. Its passenger compartment is the same as that of the Chrysler, which has a slightly longer trunk and a noticeably longer hood.
Lower-level brands Plymouth and Dodge were given additional fastback-style two-door sedan bodies, perhaps as a hedge against the possibility that the public might reject boxy styling. Shown here is a fastback Plymouth Deluxe 2-door sedan.
Dodge, besides its boxy line, marketed this Wayfarer. I posted about Dodge Wayfarers here. Note that the cars in this photo and previous one lack the fender-top tail light assemblies found on the boxy '49s.
Chrysler continued its practice of having eight-passenger models with stretched passenger compartments. Shown here is a Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine. It too has tail lights built into the rear fenders, something the entire corporation line will feature in the 1950 model year.
Rear-quarter view of a Chrysler Windsor showing the trunk and the Chrysler brand's version of the fender-top tail lights.
* * * * *
Given the continued similarity of its basic bodies across its product line, Chrysler Corporation for 1949 followed the sensible General Motors practice of carrying over brand-identification décor elements from its 1948 Chryslers and DeSotos. Shown below are 1948 and 1949 grilles for each of the corporation's brands.
Chrysler. The first photo is of a '48 Town and County from Hyman auctions. The second is of a '49 coupe. The bold grille bars of the 1949 model are part of the large-element grill design fashion of the times. The theme of the small peak atop the '48 grille is echoed on the '49. Square turn lights are retained, as is the two-tiered grille theme defined by bolder, mid-level bars.
DeSoto. DeSotos were given their vertical-bar grille theme for the 1942 model year, and this was continued through 1955.
Dodge. First photo from a commons Web site. Here the grille theme is not strongly retained. Even the turn signal lights have different shapes. Strong retention of brand identification items is mostly found for luxury brands and often hardly at all for entry-level makes. Dodges were next to the bottom of Chrysler's brand hierarchy,
Plymouth. The same can be said for entry-level Plymouths (upper photo taken by me at the LeMay museum in Tacoma a few years ago). Interestingly, the 1948 Plymouth grille bars are bolder than those for 1949. Also note that '49 Chryslers, Dodges and Plymouths have grilles separated into upper and lower elements by means of bolder mid-level horizontal bars. (I posted about 1947-1955 Plymouth grille designs here
No comments:
Post a Comment