1926 Chrysler Model F-58

Walter P. Chrysler reorganized the ailing Maxwell Motor Company after it was deeply in debt due to the post-World War I recession of the early 1920s. Chrysler re-incorporated it in West Virginia and began work on improving its faults, particularly its lack of quality. During this time, Maxwell was in the process of merging with another ailing automobile company, Chalmers, which ultimately ceased production in late 1923. The Maxwell line was phased out in 1925, the same year that the Chrysler Corporation was founded. The early Chrysler vehicles were essentially Maxwell models.

The first Chrysler model was the B-70 which had a 112.75-inch wheelbase platform and was equipped with an L-head, inline six-cylinder displacing 201 cubic inches and offering 58 horsepower at 3,000 RPM. It used a three-speed manual transmission, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and steel disc wheels for touring body styles and wooden wheels on the others. It was priced in the $1,200 to $2,200 range. The five-passenger Town Car was considerably higher at $3,725.

The first four-cylinder Chrysler model was the F-58 introduced for the 1926 model year. Its styling was similar to its larger six-cylinder siblings (the Model G-70 and the E-80) and rested on a 109-inch wheelbase platform. (The G-70 had a 112.75-inch wheelbase and the E-80 measured 120 inches.) The L-head inline four-cylinder engine powering the F-58 displaced 185.8 cubic inches, had a cast iron block, solid valve lifters, a Stewart carburetor, and developed 38 horsepower at 2,200 RPm. The G-70 had a 218.6 CID inline-6 with 68 horsepower and the E-80's 288 CID six-cylinder engine produced 92 hp. All three engines were paired with a three-speed manual transmission with a conventional clutch. Mechanical rear wheel brakes provided the stopping power to the early F-58 models but were soon replaced by hydraulic brakes in the back.

The F-85 was priced from $890 to $1,095, the G-70 listed for $1,625 to $2,100, and the range-topping E-80 was priced in the high $2,000 to low $3,000 range.

Production of the Model F-58 began in December of 1925 and was a direct descendant of the Maxwell. Its F-58 name was in reference to its effortless cruising speed of 58 mph. Chrysler's advertising material of the era boasted that the four-cylinder, five-passenger convertible 'offered three qualities combined in no other car – 58 miles per hour, 2 to 25 mph in 8 seconds, and 25 miles to the gallon.'

The F-58 was offered in a vast array of body styles that catered to a variety of needs and uses. The two-passenger roadster list for $890, the four-door touring at $895, the two-passenger coupe at $995, the two-door coach at $1,045, and the sedan at nearly $1,100. Approximately 81,089 examples of the F-58 were produced for the 1926 model year, slightly more than the 72,039 examples of the G-70 but significantly more than the 9,114 examples of the E-80.

The Chrysler Model F-58 had bodies designed and built by Budd Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia. Unique styling elements included the winged Viking hood ornament and a thinner, rounded radiator shear. The closed-bodied cars had 'cadet' type visors and a one-piece windshield. The open-bodied cars had a two-piece windshield of the swing-out design.

Although sales were strong for the four-cylinder line, they did not wear the Chrysler name for very long. After 1928, the four-cylinder models wore the Plymouth nameplate (Chrysler Plymouth nameplate in its debut year), and the Chrysler models were solely powered by six-cylinder power. An eight-cylinder model was added in the early 1930s as the cylinder wars escalated, with sixteen-cylinder models being offered by Cadillac and Maron, and a host of twelve-cylinder models available from many marques, including Packard and Cadillac.

The low-priced Plymouth models had many styling and mechanical qualities of its larger six-cylinder brethren. Initially wearing a 'Chrysler Plymouth' badge, the 1929 models dropped the 'Chrysler' prefix and were now labeled as 'Plymouth.' Sales were strong and by 1931, Plymouth placed third in national new car sales with nearly 107,000 examples produced. 1932 was the final year that Plymouth would offer a four-cylinder automobile until 1971, moving to six-cylinder power in 1933.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2022