Chrysler C8 Airstream Deluxe Lebaron Town Car
This was the most exclusive model in Chrysler’s 1936 programme. The C8 Airstream DeLuxe Town Car with its austere yet aerodynamic, streamlined bodywork by LeBaron, cost 5,000 dollars.
Compared to Chrysler’s C8 DeLuxe Business Coupe which could be purchased for a mere 925 dollars. T
he bodywork displayed modern aerodynamic details such as the teardrop headlights and rounded grille, but the Town Car was essentially conservative in its design. The driver was seated in the open, but in bad weather could make use of an extendable roof panel located above the passenger compartment. The conservative bodywork was intentional. It was designed to counteract the Airflow, which the Americans deemed to be too progressive and which did not sell well at the time. The car had a 4.5-litre, straight-eight engine.
Only eight Chrysler C8’s were produced with a LeBaron bodywork, and this is most probably the last remaining example of its kind.
By 1936, only 12 years after it was founded, Chrysler had become the largest car manufacturer after Ford. It was a remarkable achievement, and that same year Chrysler saw its sales peak, thanks to this Airstream.