Advertisements
8. Chrysler Airflow
The car most associated with the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Chrysler Airflow was the first car to have an aerodynamic body. Aerodynamics are taken for granted today as car makers work to increasingly improve aerodynamics and the fuel efficiency of their cars. Every car on the road today has been designed to cut through wind. However, this was not the case back in the 1930s. Designing an aerodynamic car was super innovative on the part of Chrysler at the time.
The Airflow was also revolutionary in other ways, namely that it was built out of tubular steel, which made it both lightweight and strong simultaneously. The engine was positioned directly over the front axle, which helped increase interior space, and it came standard with hydraulic brakes, which were safer than the mechanical brakes of the time. Sadly, the expensive Airflow was a commercial bust as people in the Great Depression had little money to spend on state-of-the-art cars. The car had come and gone between 1934 and 1937. Nevertheless, after the Airflow all cars made have been aerodynamic.
Advertisements
Advertisements