Re: IML: Airflow knock-off?

["A. Foster" <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>]

Kenyon;
   The Peugeot 403 was an intentional copy of a Chrysler Airflow, and they
were pretty shameless about it. One critical difference was that, unlike the
Airflow, the Peugeot did not employ unitary construction. The result was
that they had a greater selection of body styles available including a
hardtop convertible coupe which hit the market 20 years before Ford. Unlike
the Airflow they sold very briskly, likely becaust they were a little more
stylish, and were even produced after the war
   In addition to the Peugeot, the Airflow's design also inspired Toyota's
first attempt at building an automobile.
The Toyota looked exactly like an Imperial airflow at 3/4 scale. I don't
know what form of body construction was employed but they never reached the
production stage before the war broke out.
   It's interesting that people think of the Chrysler, DeSoto, and Imperial
Airflows as a failure. In a sales and marketing sense they were when they
hit the market for 1934, but in an engineering sense they weren't. The
Lincoln Zephyr, whose bodies were also made by Budd, entered the market a
few years later and was a great success, it was just better looking at the
front end. In fact within five years of the Airflow coming out the entire
industry was marketing cars with that same potato shape
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenyon Wills" <imperialist1960@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "IML" <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 2:58 PM
Subject: IML: Airflow knock-off?


The Europeans have been very influential on american
car design, especially in the prewar years, when many
affectations from the continent were put onto domestic
cars.

I was floating around randomly on ebay and came across
a 1938 Peugeot, which would have been made about 4
years (long enough for the influence to be copied)
after Chrysler introduced the Airflow in 1934.

Check out ebay item number  4558648065

and then open a second window and check out a 1934
Airflow here:

http://imperialclub.com/Yr/1934/34AirflowIntro/Page03-04-reg.jpg

I doubt that's a coincidence that the grille, rear
skits, cowl, and curves seem so similar, although I'll
give the french credit on the under-grille lights for
coolness.

Despite the Airflow almost dragging the company under
(it was a sales disaster), it was a heck of a design,
and very modern when you compare it to its
contemporaries.  Too bad the public wasn't ready for
it....




Kenyon Wills
























-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm





-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm