Although they are always referred to as one of the big three, and have been around for very close to a century now, they very nearly didn’t exist at all.
One seemingly small decision by the Maxwell Motor Company back in the 20s would forever change the course of their history, as one of their cars, called the Chrysler Six, started to get a lot of attention they decided to rename their company. It could have also had something to do with all the debt Maxwell had accumulated, but that point is now moot, we can only assume Chrysler paid off all that debt at some point. In a history full of ups and downs, these are the cars that shaped them as a company, not always good, not all bad either, but always interesting.
10 Six
Most companies name their cars, this is the car that actually named its company. After showing a lot of promise in the 1924 New York auto show and solid sales, the parent company decided to take on the car’s name.
It was also a nod to the man that made it all possible for them; Walter P. Chrysler, the man who saved the company from what seemed like inevitable bankruptcy and led them to profitability.
9 Airflow
After a couple of decades of basically making rounded off horseless carriages, Chrysler were the first to truly break the design mold and try something pretty radical. After seeing the development of airplanes in wind tunnels, they realized that technology could be applied to cars too.
One of their most startling discoveries was that cars of the 30s were actually more aerodynamically efficient going backwards. After this discovery they made use of a wind tunnel to develop the revolutionary Airflow, it would become a sales failure, but one of the most significant design advancements in automotive history.
8 Town & Country
If you think of any car from the 40s, you might well be thinking of the Town & Country, although it was a premium option back then.
It certainly wasn’t as revolutionary as the Airflow, but it established Chrysler as a premium brand that made high quality cars.
7 C-300
Known as the letter cars, with a different letter released each year, these cars established the Hemi as a performance feature.
It was the first mass market car to produce 300 horsepower and an impressive top speed of around 130 mph. In the 60s, peak horsepower topped out at around 400 horsepower, and we can thank them for truly kickstarting the muscle car horsepower arms race.
6 LeBaron
You could make a pretty convincing argument for this being one of their worst cars, but there is no denying it is the car that almost single-handedly saved the brand. Much like the infamous Mustang II, it was the right car for the time, it was more efficient and more comfortable for a buying public that had shifted away from horsepower.
After securing a government bailout in the late 70s, they went from strength to strength in the 80s, paying back the loan and the exorbitant interest way before it was ever due.
5 Conquest
After striking up a partnership with Mitsubishi in the 70s in an effort to answer their small car problem, the partnership, and badge engineering continued into the 80s.
Although the Conquest was a sales failure, mostly thanks to what were quite possibly the strangest marketing decisions in the history of the company. The car wore badges from pretty much all the carmakers under their umbrella, but it was always just a Mitsubishi Starion, which was a capable Japanese sports car. For the JDM fans out there, this is a truly affordable way to start out.
4 Voyager
If there was a type of car that truly defined the 90s, it is without a doubt the mini-van. Successfully marketed as an affordable family car, pretty much everyone from this era grew up with at least one of these in the garage at some point.
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It was a time of prosperity for Chrysler, as their entry into this new market was arguably the best and most successful mini-van the world has ever seen.
3 Prowler
In a strange twist of fate, Chrysler beat the retro trend by well over a decade as the company decided to re-invent itself by looking into the past.
It gave birth to the Prowler, a strange sports car that wasn’t all that fast, it didn’t have a V8, and it certainly didn’t have mass appeal. It did however lay the foundation for their future retro inspired success.
2 PT Cruiser
Not everyone likes the Cruiser, but that doesn’t change the fact that this weird throwback to the 30s was a sales hit.
To this day, it is pretty hard to understand just how they got it right, but it became their first truly global car and were able to sell these pretty much all over the world.
1 300C
Getting inspiration once again from the letter cars of the 50s and 60s, they also benefited from their partnership with Mercedes-Benz (Daimler-Chrysler at the time) and got a hold of an E-Class platform.
It turned out to be a recipe for success, as they are still making this car today. Build quality may not be the best, but that hasn't stopped people from buying it in droves.