Chrysler Red-Head Engine and the 1927 Imperial 80

I wasn't able to find anything about the Chrysler Red-Head engine other than ads of the period. This one comes from the November 3,1927 issue of Life Magazine. I couldn't resist the nouveau feel of the ad, so here it is. According to the copy, the red-head engine was a high-compression option for Chrysler 52's, 62's, 72's, and Imperial 80's, but that's all I've got.

The Imperial 80 was Chrysler's high-performance, luxury sedan of the era, with the "80" supposedly representing the vehicle's top speed. With the roads of the era being what they were, I'd imagine 50 miles per hour would be enough to rattle the fillings right out of your teeth and leave you shaking like you had the DT's for a month afterward. Every time I see its design, I start to hear jazz and think of gangsters and Tommy guns.

Nice ad and a fantastic car!

1959 Chrysler SIMCA Elysee

The Chrysler SIMCA was one of the US' first encounters with the European-style "smart" car. The acronym "SIMCA" stands for the French auto maker Societe Industrielle de Mecanique et Carrosserie Automobile which (according to Wiki) translates to "Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company". Makes you wonder what happened to the engine, transmission, interior, and everything else that's required to make a working car, doesn't it?

SIMCA was founded by Fiat in November of 1934 which it remained affiliated until it eventually became largely controlled by Chrysler.  SIMCA once was the largest automotive manufacturer in France, producing the popular SIMCA 1100. During Chrysler's management, SIMCAs were manufactured in Brazil, Spain, Chile, Colombia, and the Netherlands. Eventually, though, Chrysler divested itself of its European holdings, possibly a sign of the slow, soufflé-like collapse that nearly killed the company, and in 1978 SIMCA was swallowed up by PSA Peugeot Citroen which renamed the brand Talbot.

This is a rare US ad for the SIMCA which ran in the August 17, 1959 issue of Life Magazine. Doubtless aimed at Vespa-riding beats who secretly craved a trunk in which to transport their Ginsberg and acoustic guitars from cafe to cafe.  No word on whether the tiny SIMCA managed a following, but the lack of evidence probably is the answer.

1922 Maxwell

Here's (most of) a 1922 Maxwell ad from the November issue of Vanity Fair magazine. The Maxwell was manufactured by the Maxwell-Briscoe Company of Tarrytown New York from 1904 up to the mid-twenties. When a 1907 fire destroyed Maxwell's facilities they rebuilt, construction what then was the world's largest manufacturing facility in New Castle Indiana.

Competition eventually caught up with Maxwell, though and eventually Chrysler took over the struggling company.