Chrysler

Out of the ashes of the former Maxwell Motor Company, Walter P. Chrysler formed the corporation that would bear his surname in 1925. In 1928, Chrysler began dividing its vehicle lineup by price and by function, leading to the creation of the brands Plymouth for entry-level cars and DeSoto for middle class cars. At this time, Walter P. Chrysler had purchased the Dodge brand after the deaths of John and Horace Dodge and continued their successful Dodge brand under Chrysler’s corporate umbrella. After World War II, Chrysler became an automotive technology pioneer with innovations such as the first all-transistor car radio, the first modern electronic fuel injection system, the first production car to feature an alternator, and perhaps, an experimental jet engine-powered car, and their

most famous contribution: the Chrysler HEMI V8. As Chrysler’s Dodge and Plymouth brands flourished during the muscle car era of the mid to late 1960s thanks in part to the Chrysler HEMI engine, the Chrysler brand focused their efforts on premium luxury family cars, competing against Cadillac, Lincoln, and Packard. Touting Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” design, Chrysler’s famous 300 “Letter Car”, the Imperial, Town & Country, and New Yorker were strong competitors against the Fleetwoods, Continentals, and Caribbeans that dominated the American luxury car market. In the 1980’s, under leadership from former

Ford boss and father of the Mustang, Lee Iacocca, Chrysler would once again forever change the face of the automotive industry with two revolutionary creations: the K-car universal platform and the minivan. Now under ownership by one-time partner Fiat, Chrysler returns to the American luxury car segment with their imposing 300S (formerly, 300C) and the critically-acclaimed Pacifica luxury family minivan. Shop Discount Starter & Alternator for brand new, OEM-spec, aftermarket replacement starters for vintage and late model Chrysler automobiles.