LOT 107
From the Collection of Glenn C. Gould Jr. 1934 Chrysler Airflow Model CU Sedan Chassis no. 6597577
Estimate: US$40,000 - US$60,000
Lot 107
From the Collection of Glenn C. Gould Jr.
1934 Chrysler Airflow Model CU Sedan
From the Collection of Glenn C. Gould Jr.
1934 Chrysler Airflow Model CU Sedan
Chassis no. 6597577
1934 Chrysler Airflow Model CU Sedan
Chassis no. 6597577
299ci L-Head Inline 8 Engine
Single Down-Draft Carburetor
122bhp at 3,400rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission with Overdrive
Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs and Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
*One of the most forward thinking designs in American Automotive history
*Remarkable un-restored condition
*Long standing member of the Wells Auto Museum
THE CHRYSLER AIRFLOW
The Chrysler Airflow of the mid-1930s was the first truly aerodynamic streamlined American car. "It bores through the air," Chrysler advertised—and they could prove it, because the Airflow had been extensively tested in the wind tunnel. But it was more than its form that made the Airflow historically significant. Its steel, semi-unitized body was years ahead of the competition. Chrysler demonstrated the Airflow's structural strength by pushing one off a 110-ft high cliff, then driving the car away.
All Chrysler Airflows were closed models and their interiors were also unlike anything else on the road. Inspired by aircraft of the time, the Airflow's seats featured exposed chromed tubular frames. The cloth upholstery had leather accents and piping. Most Airflows were 4-door sedans, although there was a coupe model and each year a very few long-wheelbase limousines were produced as well. During the design's four-year production run, about 55,000 Airflows were built.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
In the early 1980s, Glenn C. Gould Jr. received a contact from a museum visitor asking if they might be interested in acquiring an Airflow – they most certainly were! What they were able to purchase was this most extraordinary example, a genuine timewarp, unrestored car. It was picked up from its home in Vermont, then driven to Massachusetts, and lightly fettled before being driven again to the museum where it has resided for decades.
This '34 Airflow gives a true flavor of how these models were delivered. It is finished in one of the handful of schemes that they were available, a Salon brown finish and matched with similar tones for its interior. As viewed today, the interior is certainly much aged, the headliner being worn and sagging in places, but regardless of this, it appears to retain the details and many of its original features.
As with many of the most striking and innovative designs in the history of the automobile, the 1934 Airflow was ultimately too avant garde in its styling and the waterfall grill gave way to a more normal pronounced front end in successive years.
Single Down-Draft Carburetor
122bhp at 3,400rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission with Overdrive
Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs and Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
*One of the most forward thinking designs in American Automotive history
*Remarkable un-restored condition
*Long standing member of the Wells Auto Museum
THE CHRYSLER AIRFLOW
The Chrysler Airflow of the mid-1930s was the first truly aerodynamic streamlined American car. "It bores through the air," Chrysler advertised—and they could prove it, because the Airflow had been extensively tested in the wind tunnel. But it was more than its form that made the Airflow historically significant. Its steel, semi-unitized body was years ahead of the competition. Chrysler demonstrated the Airflow's structural strength by pushing one off a 110-ft high cliff, then driving the car away.
All Chrysler Airflows were closed models and their interiors were also unlike anything else on the road. Inspired by aircraft of the time, the Airflow's seats featured exposed chromed tubular frames. The cloth upholstery had leather accents and piping. Most Airflows were 4-door sedans, although there was a coupe model and each year a very few long-wheelbase limousines were produced as well. During the design's four-year production run, about 55,000 Airflows were built.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
In the early 1980s, Glenn C. Gould Jr. received a contact from a museum visitor asking if they might be interested in acquiring an Airflow – they most certainly were! What they were able to purchase was this most extraordinary example, a genuine timewarp, unrestored car. It was picked up from its home in Vermont, then driven to Massachusetts, and lightly fettled before being driven again to the museum where it has resided for decades.
This '34 Airflow gives a true flavor of how these models were delivered. It is finished in one of the handful of schemes that they were available, a Salon brown finish and matched with similar tones for its interior. As viewed today, the interior is certainly much aged, the headliner being worn and sagging in places, but regardless of this, it appears to retain the details and many of its original features.
As with many of the most striking and innovative designs in the history of the automobile, the 1934 Airflow was ultimately too avant garde in its styling and the waterfall grill gave way to a more normal pronounced front end in successive years.
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Please note, this lot has been withdrawn.
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