1924 Chrysler Model B-70

Walter P. Chrysler officially founded the Chrysler Corporation in 1925 following an attempt to re-organize the ailing Maxwell Motor Company. An all-new model was well underway, as Mr. Chrysler had plans to construct a mass-market car that offered higher quality than the commonly seen Ford's yet more affordable than other marques such as Buick and Cadillac. The first Chryslers actually appeared the year before the company was made official.

The Chrysler Model B-70, the first car to bear the Chrysler name, was designed by Fred M. Zeder, Owen R. Skelton, and Carl Breer. It made its public debut at the 1924 New York Automobile Show at the Hotel Commodore and was powered by a high-compression six-cylinder engine with Lockheed four-wheel hydraulic brakes. The Chrysler had advanced engineering features that were uncommon and unprecedented in a car in its mid-level price class. The '70' portion of its name was in reference to its comfortably achievable top speed.

The Chrysler Model B-70 was offered in a range of nine different body styles and prices that ranged from the low $1,00s to the high $3,000s. The coupe was priced at $1,195, a four-door tourer at $1,335, a phaeton at $1,400, a roadster at $1,525, a sedan at $1,625, a two-door brougham at $1,800, and Imperial Sedan at $1,900, a Crown Imperial Sedan at $2,195, and the Town Car at $3,725.

The styling of the Model B was conventional and clean, with classic lines and flowing fenders. It had drum headlights, vertical hood louvers, step-type fenders, and a double beltline molding on the closed body styles. Early production examples had split windshields on the open cars. The radiator had a double-winged radiator cap with the Chrysler Viking helmet logo located at the upper center. The wheelbase measured 112.75-inches which was similar to the 109-inches of the Buick Model 24 Four (but less than the six-cylinder Buicks of 120- and 128-inches), more than the Chevrolet's 103-inch wheelbase and Ford's 100-inch platform, and much less than the Cadillac's 132-inch wheelbase.

Known as the Model 70, Model B, and the 'Chrysler Six,' the company focused much of the advertising on its 4.7:1 compression ratio and the four-wheel hydraulic braking system. At the time, most other manufacturers offered an inferior and less efficient 4:1 compression ratio and two-wheel mechanical brakes. The L-head inline-6 had a 201 cubic-inch displacement, solid valve lifters, a Ricardo-type cylinder head, a Ball & Ball carburetor, seven main bearings, and delivered 68 horsepower at 3,000 RPM. It was backed by a three-speed manual transmission with a conventional clutch and floor shift controls. It rode on steel disc wheels on the touring body style and wood-spoke wheels on the other body styles. The list of optional equipment included spare tires, trunk rack, step plates, accessory radiator cap, side curtains, outside rearview mirror, wind wings, and double bar bumpers.

During its inaugural year, the Chrysler - which replaced the Maxwell, had over 32,000 examples produced and a total of 19,960 units were registered during the calendar year.

The Chrysler's innovations and many speed records and hill climb victories helped boost the popularity and notoriety even further. Ralph de Palma drove a Chrysler to an overall victory at the 1924 Mt. Wilson Hill Climb, and several 1000-mile outright speed records. Malcolm Campbell won the '100 Short' at Brooklands (in Europe) in 1924 in an aerodynamic-bodied '70.' The Chrysler Model 70 also notably became the first-ever American car to compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2021