Forward Look

Classic Chrysler Convertibles | A Forward Look Photo Album

By: Forward Look | May 10, 2013 9:47 AM

1933 Chrysler Royal 8 Convertible Coupe – Photo Courtesy Jack Snell*

It’s a fact. Consumer tastes and vehicle design change drastically over time. What may seem like incremental changes from year to year and from model to model, suddenly appear extreme when the cars are placed on broader timelines (think in terms of decades or generations).

Regardless of what goes in and out of fashion, one thing never seems to change: the appeal and the feeling of cruising down the highway in a sleek convertible with the top down.

For this month’s Forward Look Photo Album, we’ve searched the web and our own files to bring you a selection of classic Chrysler convertible vehicles, from the 1930s to present day. Please enjoy this gallery as we all look forward to warm weather and another long summer of convertible cruising.

Hello My Name Is | Chrysler Brand Badging through the Years

By: Forward Look | May 1, 2013 12:43 PM

Nameplates and vehicle badging are important distinguishing features for any automobile. Not only do they serve a practical purpose—that is, indicating to passersby and potential owners alike the make and model of the vehicle they are admiring—they also offer a vehicle’s designers another outlet to express their overall vision for the car.

Think of it this way: Much like the signature of an author, athlete or famous artist can reveal the individual’s personality, automobile badging can reflect the very essence of the car—refined, stylish badging speaks to the luxury of a vehicle like the Chrysler 300; a vintage-looking badge is the perfect touch for descendants of ‘60s- and ‘70s-era muscle cars (think today’s Dodge Challenger); and no-nonsense badging is just the thing for working vehicles like the Ram Heavy Duty lineup.

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Chrysler Heritage: The 1976 Cordoba Hardtop Coupe

By: Forward Look | April 12, 2013 10:41 AM

This week on the Chrysler Heritage series, we make our first foray into the 1970s. But no matter how unkind history has been to certain cultural relics from that fateful era (disco music, platform shoes), a few things remain as stylish as the day they were introduced—exhibit number one, the 1976 Chrysler Cordoba Hardtop Coupe.

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Chrysler Heritage: The 1956 Imperial Southampton Coupe

By: Forward Look | March 29, 2013 10:22 AM

Many classic car enthusiasts would agree that the second half of the 1950s was a golden age in Chrysler design. Credit for that goes to Virgil Exner, the legendary Chrysler designer who helped usher in a new design aesthetic marked by sleeker lines and lower, more aggressive profiles.

But one could also argue that in some ways the post-WWII economic boom was just as important as Mr. Exner’s vision. After all, without a thriving, highly competitive automobile market driving innovation and design, particularly in the luxury car arena, automakers may have been less inspired to push ahead with the same intensity into new territories of design.

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