Chrysler Corporation

1864- John Francis Dodge born.

1868- Horace Elgin Dodge born.

1875- Walter P. Chrysler born April 2 Ellis Kansas.

1892- WPC starts work with Union Pacific railroad  for 5¢/hour.

1902- Ransom Olds places an order to the Dodge brothers for 3000 transmission to be used in his curved dash model.

1903- Dodge brothers join Ford in starting a new car company. Their responsability is to build engines.

1908- Walter P Chrysler becomes super intendent of locomotive power of the Chicago Great Western Railroad At- 33,youngest man to ever hold that position. With only $700 in savings,buys $5000 locomobile for the single purpose of taking it apart to examine.

1909- Whit no chance for advancement, WPC quits Great Western and joins American Locomotive.

1911- Charles Nash replaces William Durant at General Motors.Nash hires WP. Chrysler for $6000 per year,taking a 50 % cut in salary to join the automaker.

1913- John Dodge resings as director of Ford Motor.Co.

1914- First Dodge Bros. car rolls out November 14.

1915- Durant regains power at General Motors,and gives Chrysler $500,000 per year to stay whit the company.

1919- After four years of broken buisness promises by Durant, Chrysler leaves General Motors.

1920-Walter P. Chrysler becomes executive vice president of troubled Willys Overland with a salary up wards of $1 million/year, two year contact. Whit in months, WP.C reduces debt from $46 million to $18 million.Now asked to take control of Maxwell which was in worse condition. John Dodge dies in January of pneumonia and Horace Dodge dies in Decembre of the flu and cirrhosis of the liver.

1922- Maxwell shows a profit of one million dollars how over still deeply in debt. Walter P.Chrysler completes his contrat with Willys Overland.

1924- During a time of many longtime auto company going bust, Maxwell introduces an all new model, first automobile to bear the Chrysler name; a six cylinder costing between $1625-$1925 call the Model B.

1925- Maxwell Motor Company reorganized as the Chrysler Corporation, Dodge familly sells interest in Dodge Company.

1926- Imperial Roadster paces Indy 500.

1928- Chrysler starts "Art & Color's" styling department headed by Hebert V Henderson. De Soto and Plymouth introduced. Dodge purchased by Chrysler for $170 million in stock.

1931- 1931 models culninate Art & Color's first major role in styling an entire car. Work begins on the desing of the Airflow.

1933- Ray Dietrich becomes chief styling,bringing Le Baron name which remains a registered Chrysler trade mark to this day, Imperial Le Baron roadster paces Indy 500.

1934-First Airflow introduced. De Soto Airflow wins Grand Prix Award for aerodynamic styling at Monte- Carlo Concours d'Elegence,also sweeps all closed stock car records in class.

1940-Walter P Chrysler dies August 18 th.

1941-Newport Le Baron dual-cowl pheaton paces Indy 500.

1945-Chrysler among the last to get back into production following WW II

1949-Virgil Exner starts with Chrysler.

1951-First Chrysler V8 introduced: a 331c.i. Hemi.New Yorker paces Indy 500.

1954-Turbine-powered Plymouth debuts in June. Dodge Royal paces Indy 500.

1956-De Soto Fire Flite paces Indy 500.

1963-Chrysler 300 paces Indy 500.

1964-Richard Petty wins Daytona 500 and his first career NASCAR championship in a Belvedere Hemi.

1965-Plymouth Sport Fury paces Indy 500.

1971-Dodge Challanger paces Indy 500.Accident while exiting the track causes deathand injuries.

1987-Chrysler purchassed American Motors for $1.5 billion. Chrysler pace Indy 500 again (Le Baron) 16 years after fatal 1971 accident.

1994-Dodge Viper paces Indy 500.

1996-Dodge Viper GTS paces Indy 500.
 
 

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