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Car and Driver
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Sampling the Best of the Brand for Chrysler's 100th Anniversary
It's been 100 years since former railroad mechanic Walter P. Chrysler gave his last name to a burgeoning car company. Chrysler cars were upscale and technologically advanced, early adopters of safety features like non-splintering windscreen glass (1933) and padded dashboards (1949) as well as experimental designs like the wind-tunnel-tested Airflow (1934) and the radical Turbine Car (1963). Later Chrysler cars competed with Lincoln and Cadillac to be the preferred ride for fat cats and big shots. In the '80s, Chrysler went family-friendly, introducing the minivan first as Dodge- and Plymouth-branded models, and later under its own nameplate as a Town & Country. When the Hemi engine made a return in the 2000s, Chrysler went for the sleeper muscle car with the 300 SRT (a highly slept-on collectible, in my opinion) but was soon eclipsed by the Hellcat-powered Dodges, Jeeps, and Rams, leaving what was once the flagship brand as the least interesting of the options. All of which could have left Chrysler celebrating its century in a kinda gloomy mood, but instead the company hosted a birthday celebration at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle—where Walter P. was a member—and invited all its favorite concept and production cars of the past. We also got a look at an anniversary edition Chrysler Pacifica, which unfortunately does not incorporate the woodgrain, big fins, or plaid wool seats of lovely Chryslers past, but does come in a patriotic trio of color options (Red Hot, Bright White, or Hydro Blue) and has special badges and new-for-2026 grille and wheel options. If you're excited about owning an anniversary edition, they should be on sale now (June 2025) and start at $44,390 ($47,385 with AWD) for the nonhybrid and $52,565 for the Pacifica PHEV. 2026 Pacificas sans birthday badges will retail at $42,465 with PHEVs starting at $51,070. Stellantis 2026 Chrysler Pacifica 100th Anniversary Edition. But a single minivan does not a party celebration make, even if it does have semi-gloss granite crystal trim, so Chrysler let us get behind the wheel, or at least in the passenger seat of some of the cars from its heritage collection. Here are a few favorites. 1924 Chrysler Six B70 Prototype Walter himself drove this car some 100 years ago, it's pretty cool to take it out on the road. We weren't allowed to drive this one, something about it being one of five prototypes that has been owned by the company since its inception. As its name suggests, the 1924 Chrysler is powered by a straight-six engine making 68 horsepower and backed by a three-speed transmission with a dog-leg shift pattern. Production versions of the B70 won the Mount Wilson hill-climb in California, finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and set a 100 mph lap record at Brooklands race circuit in the UK. We didn't get quite to 100 mph, but the B70 has good off-the-line acceleration and a spectacularly roomy back seat. Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1924 Chrysler B70 Prototype. 1934 Chrysler Airflow The Airflow (top of page) looks so normal by today's standards that it's hard to understand how shocking its rounded front and smoothed out fenders must have looked to car buyers in the early '30s, when every other brand was still upright and squared off. Orville Wright of the Wright brothers worked with the Chrysler engineers to test the models for the Airflow in his wind tunnel, and while the results were too wild for the consumers—and too complex for Chrysler to produce in a quick and affordable fashion—we can see the influence of the Airflow on today's aerodynamic profiles. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1934 Chrysler Airflow. 1948 Chrysler Town & Country, 1951 Chrysler New Yorker, 1955 Chrysler 300, and 1958 Chrysler 300D I'm putting all these together because they represent the introduction of name plates that would grace Chrysler fenders for decades to come. This was Chrysler's big shot era, making cars that paced the Indy 500, introduced power steering and semi-automatic transmissions, and (with the '55) shoved a Hemi V-8 engine under the hood. Riding in cars of this era is a reminder of how cushioned and soft a luxury car used to be. The plaid-covered seats and tall white-walled tires soak up every pavement imperfection. The interiors are also fantastic, with chrome and Bakelite details that make something as pedestrian as opening a fresh-air vent feel like an important event. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car Eeeek, this wasn't just a ride-along, it was a scientific experiment. Powered by a gas turbine mated to a modified Chrysler automatic transmission, this car represents the impact of of the space-race on the mainstream. There were 54 turbine cars made, and nine in existence today, of which only a few are in running condition. The turbine car whirrs like a jet engine and has a tach that goes to 60,000rpm—although most documents about the car suggest redline was closer to 45,000. Chrysler received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the turbine cars, especially after running a loan program which allowed regular civilians to borrow the cars for a few months. As is often the case with ambitious ideas, the project was expensive and never went into full production. This is truly one of the wildest cars ever to grace public roads, and getting to see and feel it in action was very cool. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. 1976 Chrysler Cordoba Is it wrong that out of all these fabulous machines, the '76 Cordoba might have been my favorite? It was just such a baller machine with its intimidating four-light front end, balck and silver paint, and grumbly 360 V-8. This particular car belonged to Ricardo Montalban, whose smooth voice made "Corinthian leather" into a phrase still used today. Ironically, this car did not have leather from Corinth, but instead was trimmed in silver vinyl. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Here's that woodgrain and nameplate again. The K-car gets a lot of grief, but it saved Chrysler from financial disaster, and I have to say, this was a pretty sweet ride. I felt like I should be heading to a country club to lay out by the pool but not go in for fear of ruining my new perm. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1996 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan Talk about nostalgia. The second I got in this, turned the key, and heard that distinctive seat-belt chime, I felt like I was back in carpool on the way to middle school. It actually gave me some unfinished homework anxiety. My mom never had a minivan but plenty of my friends' parents did, and it was quite the flashback to roll that heavy sidedoor back and scramble into the third row. Note to all modern SUV designers: The '96 minivan has a perfect space between the seats to keep a handbag or backpack. 2006 Chrysler 300 SRT8 Speaking of nostalgia, the Chrysler engineers must have been thinking back to the '55 when they stuffed the new 6.1-liter Hemi into the 300 and revived the idea of a luxury muscle machine. It was funny to drive the 300 after all the plush-riding machines that preceded it. The early 2000s were all about a stiff suspension and direct steering. Still, I think the 300 SRT8 was overlooked when it came out, and would make a good buy today for someone thinking of future collectibility. After sampling so many of Chrysler's excellent machines, one wonders what's next for the brand. Today's Chrysler is at a crossroads, with only a few variations of the minivan in its line-up. The role of glamorous SUVs is being covered by Maserati, Alfa, and of all things, Jeep. Big, fast cars are under Dodge, and trucks, even if there was room alongside Ram, have never been a Chrysler focus. It doesn't leave a lot of space, but there's still the possibility that Stellantis could return the company to big luxury cruisers, or even "banker's hot rods," like the 300. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver Recent concept cars like the futuristic Halcyon revealed in 2024, show that Chrysler's designers and engineers aren't just thinking about third rows and Stow 'n Go seating. Here's hoping they bring back five-digit redlines, under-cover performers, and fine Corinthian leather. Elana Scherr Senior Editor, Features Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn't know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver's license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story "A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2." In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story "In Washington, D.C.'s Secret Carpool Cabal, It's a Daily Slug Fest" was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club. Read full bio
The National
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
Woman in UAE buys 'clocked' Mercedes with 145,000km dialled back
A woman who was sold an imported car with a tampered mileage clock has warned other used car buyers to complete a full history check before purchasing a second-hand vehicle. In March 2023 Emilia Cosbuc, a personal trainer from Romania, bought her dream car, a Mercedes C200, from a dealership in Sharjah. The 2016 model vehicle had 92,000km on the clock and was offered with a one-year warranty. After a smooth test drive, Ms Cosbuc handed over Dh90,000 for the luxury saloon. There was no indication of any serious mechanical faults until January 2025, when she started to experience engine problems, thinking the car had 150,327km on the clock at this point. When a mechanic assessed the vehicle, the full reality of the car's chequered history became clear. Records showed that it had been involved in several accidents, and a major collision in August 2022. Further online records showed the car was imported from South Africa and sold on at auction in the UAE for $1,700 in November 2022. Then it had 236,748km on its odometer; but four months later, when the car was sold to Ms Cosbuc, the clock showed nearly 145,000km fewer than that. Rather than the car having travelled 150,327km when it began to have engine problems, as Ms Cosbuc thought, it had actually done 295,027km - a significant and dangerous difference, as 250,000km is generally considered to be the point at which a vehicle has gone through significant wear and tear. 'Initially the car looked great, the test drive was smooth, and the seller gave me a one-year warranty contract - I trusted them and happily bought the car,' Ms Cosbuc, who lives in Abu Dhabi, told The National. 'When my car engine needed a major repair, the garage discovered its real history. I spoke to the auction house, which verified the car was sold to an individual in November 2022. "The photos of the car's odometer show 236,748km, which means it had been tampered with by the time I bought it. Selling a vehicle with an altered odometer reading and a concealed accident history puts unsuspecting buyers at serious financial and safety risks.' Victims of fraud have the right to seek compensation for damages, which can cover financial losses and emotional distress. Ms Cosbuc is facing a repair bill of Dh30,000 to get the car back on the road. As the vehicle is considerably more used than she believed, she asked for compensation from the dealership that sold the vehicle and lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Economy. The company said it was an honest mistake, and admitted they should have completed a more thorough check of the car's history. It has since changed its policy to ensure all cars purchased to be sold on are fully researched, and paid Ms Cosbuc Dh40,000 in compensation. Fines Car-sale fraud is a criminal offence in the UAE, with legal penalties including imprisonment and fines governed by the UAE's Consumer Protection Law and Commercial Transactions Law. Odometer tampering is the practice of rolling back a car's odometer to make it appear to have a lower mileage, to artificially inflate its value. There is huge demand for used cars across the UAE, with each emirate operating its own safety checks and records for imported vehicles. According to Credence Research, the UAE's used car market was worth $20.15 billion in 2022, and is expected to climb to $48.14 billion by 2030. Several e-commerce sites used to advertise second-hand vehicles for sale are improving their transparency when it comes to a car's history. Despite that, experts say buyers should conduct their own checks on any used vehicle before handing over their cash. 'This market can be a bit of a minefield, so buyers need to be careful,' said Ryan Hughes, co-owner of RMA Motors in Dubai. 'If the car is from the GCC it's usually a bit easier to track its history, if it's imported it can be more difficult. "There are a lot of imported cars that are crash repaired from America, Europe and Canada, and also stolen cars from Canada. A lot of these cars have mileage manipulation, with clocked cars usually coming from North America and Europe.' Pre-purchase safety checks As the traffic departments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are not connected, it can be difficult to maintain consistency in export papers to show any discrepancies in a vehicle's mileage. To check for any mileage manipulation, buyers can check a car's control unit with a mechanic to ensure its chassis number matches what is printed on the car. That can help ensure the mileage matches up with what is on each control unit on the odometer. 'On some cars you can access what is called a service reset counter to make sure that the amount of service resets match the kilometres recorded,' said Mr Hughes. 'On a Mercedes you can see if the service intervals have been once a year or every 15,000km. If it was a three or four-year-old car, you could see it would have had three or four service resets in that time, so you could make an estimate of what the kilometres should be. "But if a car had 25 service resets, for example, you would know it should have 250,000km or more. It's really about just doing your due diligence from the paperwork you have on the vehicle's history, as well as a standard inspection and technical evaluation.'
The National
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
UAE's used car buyers warned after woman buys 'clocked' Mercedes with 145,000km dialled back
A woman who was sold an imported car with a tampered mileage clock has warned other used car buyers to complete a full history check before purchasing a second-hand vehicle. In March 2023 Emilia Cosbuc, a personal trainer from Romania, bought her dream car, a Mercedes C200 from a dealership in Sharjah. The 2016 model vehicle had 92,000km on the clock and was offered with a one-year warranty. After a smooth test drive, Ms Cosbuc handed over Dh90,000 for the luxury saloon. There was no indication of any serious mechanical faults until January 2025, when she started to experience engine problems, thinking the car had 150,327km on the clock at this point. When a mechanic assessed the vehicle, the full reality of the car's chequered history became clear. Records showed the it had been involved in several accidents, and a major collision in August 2022. Further online records showed the car's previous history – that it was imported from South Africa and sold on at auction in the UAE for $1,700 in November 2022. Then it had 236,748km on its odometer, but four months later, when the car was sold to Ms Cosbuc, the clock showed nearly 145,000km fewer than that. Rather than the car having travelled 150,327km when it began to have engine problems, as Ms Cosbuc thought, it had actually done 295,027km - a significant and dangerous difference, as 250,000km is generally considered to be the point at which a vehicle has gone through significant wear and tear. 'Initially the car looked great, the test drive was smooth, and the seller gave me a one-year warranty contract - I trusted them and happily bought the car,' Ms Cosbuc, who lives in Abu Dhabi, told The National. 'When my car engine needed a major repair, the garage discovered its real history. I spoke to the auction house, which verified the car was sold to an individual in November 2022. "The photos of the car's odometer show 236,748km, which means it had been tampered with by the time I bought it. Selling a vehicle with an altered odometer reading and a concealed accident history puts unsuspecting buyers at serious financial and safety risks.' Victims of fraud have the right to seek compensation for damages, which can cover financial losses and emotional distress. Ms Cosbuc is facing a repair bill of Dh30,000 to get the car back on the road. As the vehicle is considerably more used than she believed, she asked for compensation from the dealership that sold the vehicle and lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Economy. The company said it was an honest mistake, and admitted they should have completed a more thorough check of the car's history. It has since changed its policy to ensure all cars purchased to be sold on are fully researched. The company has since paid Ms Cosbuc Dh40,000 in compensation. Fines Car-sale fraud is a criminal offence in the UAE, with legal penalties including imprisonment and fines governed by the UAE's Consumer Protection Law and Commercial Transactions Law. Odometer tampering is the practice of rolling back a car's odometer to make it appear to have a lower mileage, to artificially inflate its value. There is huge demand for used cars across the UAE, with each emirate operating its own safety checks and records for imported vehicles. According to Credence Research, the UAE's used car market was worth $20.15 billion in 2022, and is expected to climb to $48.14 billion by 2030. Numerous e-commerce sites used to advertise second-hand vehicles for sale are improving their transparency when it comes to a car's history. Despite that, experts say buyers should conduct their own checks on any used vehicle before handing over their cash. 'This market can be a bit of a minefield, so buyers need to be careful,' said Ryan Hughes, co-owner of RMA Motors in Dubai. 'If the car is from the GCC it's usually a bit easier to track its history, if it's imported it can be more difficult. "There are a lot of imported cars that are crash repaired from America, Europe and Canada, and also stolen cars from Canada. A lot of these cars have mileage manipulation, with clocked cars usually coming from North America and Europe.' Pre-purchase safety checks As the traffic departments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are not connected, it can be difficult to maintain consistency in export papers to show any discrepancies in a vehicle's mileage. To check for any mileage manipulation, buyers can check a car's control unit with a mechanic to ensure its chassis number matches what is printed on the car. That can help ensure the mileage matches up with what's on each control unit on the odometer. 'On some cars you can access what is called a service reset counter to make sure that the amount of service resets match the kilometres recorded,' said Mr Hughes. 'On a Mercedes you can see if the service intervals have been once a year or every 15,000km. If it was a three or four-year-old car, you could see it would have had three or four service resets in that time, so you could make an estimate of what the kilometres should be. "But if a car had 25 service resets, for example, you would know it should have 250,000km or more. It's really about just doing your due diligence from the paperwork you have on the vehicle's history, as well as a standard inspection and technical evaluation.'
