One US car from the 1930s tore up the rule-book on design – the Chrysler Airflow. It was the company’s first serious attempt to create a modern aerodynamic shape, but it was too far ahead of its time and proved to be a complete commercial failure.

We'll take a closer look at the Chrysler Airflow in the following breakdown. More specifically we'll look at its exterior, performance, and interior.

Definitely not the two-box layout

Mass-produced cars in the early 1930s were mostly unsophisticated brick houses whose basic design hadn’t changed in years. The two-box layout, with long square bonnets, bulging headlights, and obtrusive wheel arches, was typical of cars of the period.

Designers cared no more about function than they did about passenger safety or fuel consumption. Then Chrysler and three of its founding engineers, Carl Breer, Frederick Morrell Zeder, and Owen Ray Skelton, came along to set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Breer decided a radical rethink was needed. According to urban legend, he began taking an interest in aircraft design and the way animals had physically evolved to adapt to their environment.

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The Three Musketeers...And Orville Wright

To develop the Airflow, Chrysler built a wind tunnel and tested dozens of scale models. The three engineers, who were affectionately known in the industry as The Three Musketeers, even went as far as to consult aviation pioneer Orville Wright on how to create a wind-cheating shape.

Virtually every aspect of the vehicle came under scrutiny. To save weight and increase structural integrity, Chrysler introduced a lightweight, steel monocoque that was years ahead of the agricultural ladder frames being used at the time.

Via Revsinstitute

Interior space was cavernous as the rear seats were placed ahead of the rear axle, and the inline eight engine was installed over the front axle, which also aided weight distribution and improved handling.

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Form Follows Function With Style

But if form followed function, the designers did not neglect the car’s styling, either.

The car’s most distinctive feature was the front grille, a cascading waterfall-like motif with Art Deco pretensions. Wraparound fenders, semi-flush headlights, and rear fender skirts all contributed to the Airflow’s sleek shape.

Shortly before the car’s debut, and to illustrate Chrysler’s view that the competition did not understand anything about streamlining, the company pulled off a daring marketing stunt by reversing the steering gear and axles of a conventional car and driving it backwards through the streets of Detroit. It was actually more aerodynamic than the 'correct' version.

Chrysler was convinced it was onto a winner, as apart from the Tatra 77 - a rare European offering - there was nothing quite like the Airflow. When it was unleashed on an unsuspecting public in 1934, it caused a sensation, and Chrysler’s order book quickly began to fill up.

Offered as a two-door coupe or four-door sedan, there were four different-sized versions – the CU, CV, CX, and CW – to attract buyers.

A Sales Flop And A Work Of Art

But it soon became apparent that Chrysler had underestimated the challenges of manufacturing such a modern vehicle, and many owners soon began reporting serious faults in the first batch of cars.

In response to falling sales and a realization that the car was not attracting more conservative buyers, Chrysler began back-pedaling. Out went the extravagant grille to be replaced by a more traditional, clunky design, and in came a trunk – the first cars didn’t have one – replacing the smooth tapering rear of earlier models.

But it was all for nothing. Sales never recovered, and Chrysler finally pulled the plugin 1937, less than four years after its launch.

In the end, the Airflow met with resistance, not from the air but from a traditional car-buying public that was suspicious of change and new-fangled shapes.

Via Revsinstitute

Chrysler had the last laugh, though. The Airflow's clever engineering went on to inspire future car designers - and even artists.

The 1936 Toyota AA, the Volvo PV 36 Carioca, and the legendary VW Beetle all took styling cues from the Airflow. US artist Claes Oldenburg later created his own tribute to the car with a famous resin sculpture/print titled Profile Airflow.

The Airflow had finally become a work of art – something The Three Musketeers had maybe secretly hoped to achieve when they designed the car.

If you wanted to buy a 1934 Chrysler Airflow, you can expect to pay around $50,000 to $70,000. The lowest sale value is around $25K, but an Airflow has sold for as much as $209K. The total cost will depend on factors such as its quality, mileage, and reliability. The prices can differ depending on the model year too. Notably, the median price has increased by almost 75% since 2009.

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