Chrysler Airflow History

The Airflow (1934–1937) was the first full-size American production car designed around streamlining. Engineers Carl Breer, Fred Zeder, and Owen Skelton ran wind-tunnel tests — reportedly with input from Orville Wright — and found that conventional 'two-box' cars of the day were so aerodynamically poor they tested cleaner running backwards.

Beyond its smooth shape, the Airflow advanced car engineering with a near-unibody structure for rigidity at lower weight, a more even front-to-rear weight distribution, and features such as vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes. It was a genuine technical leap.

Buyers, however, rejected its radical, controversial looks. About 55,000 Airflows were built across the four years before Chrysler retreated to conventional styling — yet many of its aerodynamic and structural ideas were gradually adopted industry-wide, making it an influential failure.