The Chrysler Royal was a
full-size
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as ...
car produced by the
Chrysler Corporation in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It was first released in 1933 and continued being built until 1934. Then, the model ended production and did not return until 1937, and then continued until 1950.
Chrysler Eight
For production year 1931, Chrysler introduced their first straight eight engine for the Chrysler Imperial, and offered it in the Chrysler Eight Series CD. It borrowed appearance influences from the
Cord L-29.
The engine used had a displacement that was smaller than the one used in the Imperial Series CG, followed in 1932 with the Chrysler Series CP and an upgraded engine, while both Eights used a wheelbase. The Chrysler Eight offered
sweeping fenders, rear
suicide doors, dual
windshield wipers, dual
taillights and dual chrome trumpet horns, sharing an appearance with the 1931 Chrysler Imperial Series CG, and was available with five different two-door body style choices that could accommodate between two through five passengers, and three four-door coachwork choices were offered, to include a sedan convertible and two versions of the Royal Sedan in Standard and Special trim packages. Prices ranged from US$1,495 ($ in dollars ) for the two-door Sport Roadster to US$1,970 ($ in dollars ) for the four-door Dual Cowl Phaeton.
A stripped-down Chrysler Eight Series CD Sport Roadster was entered along with an Imperial roadster in the
1931 24 Hours of Le Mans but did not finish due to radiator issues.
Large displacement engines provided the horsepower and torque clients wanted and due to the low quality of
gasoline fuel at the time, and low
compression ratios, 50 bhp was more than adequate. It is estimated that the rating equivalent of early gasoline available varied from 40 to 60 octane and that the "High-Test", sometimes referred to as "fighting grade", probably averaged 50 to 65 octane.
File:Chrysler CD Convertible Coupe 1931.jpg, 1931 Chrysler Eight Series CD Convertible
File:1932 Chrysler Coupe Rumble Seat (26886885893).jpg, 1932 Chrysler Eight Series CP Coupe
Chrysler Royal (eight cylinder engine)
The Chrysler Royal is a
full-size car that was produced by
Chrysler. The "Royal" nameplate was added to the 1932 Chrysler Eight Series CP and appeared in 1933 as the Chrysler Royal Series CT and was previously used to describe a top level trim package on sedans.
The Royal was originally installed with the
Chrysler Straight Eight, and it was the second Chrysler to use a nameplate that didn't refer to a "Series" designation that referred to an internal body code or the speed it was capable of in past products. The first Chrysler product to do so was the
Imperial, which it originally shared a shortened chassis. The Royal was offered as a two-door Business Coupe, Roadster Coupe, Convertible Coupe, a two-door, five-passenger Convertible Sedan and four-door Sedan using a shorter wheelbase from previous years. The longer wheelbase was used for the eight-passenger sedan, while the longer wheelbase was available as a cowl and chassis only for special coachwork choices from private companies, of which 95 were documented to have been built.
Prices ranged from US$895 ($ in dollars ) for the business
coupe to US$1,085 ($ in dollars ) for the
convertible sedan, while the long wheelbase was listed at US$1,125 ($ in dollars ), offering the appearance of the flagship Imperial but at an affordable price.
Chrysler Royal (six cylinder engine)
The "Royal" nameplate was used for one year in 1933 when the
Airflow
Airflow, or air flow, is the movement of air. Air behaves in a fluid manner, meaning particles naturally flow from areas of higher pressure to those where the pressure is lower. Atmospheric air pressure is directly related to altitude, temperat ...
replaced the Royal in 1934, then brought back as a new model in 1937 when the Airflow sold poorly, and was sold alongside the Airflow which continued to offer the Chrysler Straight Eight.
The Airflow received no direct successor. A November 1936 advertisement listed the 1937 Royal as available in ten body types, starting at US$715 ($ in dollars ), with the four door sedan at US$815 ($ in dollars ). The 1937 Royal Series C-16 was installed with the
Chrysler Straight Six and took the entry-level position in the Chrysler hierarchy, while being shared with the DeSoto Airstream. In 1939 the Series C-22 Royal introduced the "Royal Windsor" nameplate as a trim package, then in 1941, the "Royal", "Windsor" and "Highlander" became separate nameplates sharing the same wheelbase but only using the Straight Six, with "Windsor" models offering more standard features and a higher standard interior over the "Royal".
1948 models built after 1 December 1948 were officially designated as First Series 1949 models.
The Royal replaced the
Chrysler Six that the company originated with in 1925, and the Royal remained the 6-cylinder entry-level model for Chrysler until it was dropped at the end of 1950 model year, making the
Chrysler Windsor the entry-level car for the 1951 model year. Pre-war models were offered in two wheelbase lengths, with coupes and sedans available on the shorter wheelbase, while seven-passenger sedan and limousine were offered on the longer wheelbase. While it was the most affordable Chrysler, it was still a well equipped car with luxurious attention to detail as it was above
DeSoto Custom,
Dodge Custom and
Plymouth De Luxe.
Later use of the Royal name by Chrysler
The
Royal name was revived by
Chrysler Australia in 1957 for an
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n produced model based on the 1953
Plymouth.
[The Australian Chrysler Royal, Plainsman, and Wayfarer]
Retrieved from www.allpar.com on 27 March 2010 The "royal" model name was also revived for the 1955 North American
Dodge Royal.
The name was later applied as a
trim level of the
Chrysler Newport from 1970 to 1972; It was also used on
Dodge Ram pickup trucks and
vans until the early 1990s.
[Flory, p.890.]
See also
*
Chrysler Airflow
*
Chrysler Imperial
References
{{Chrysler historic timeline
Royal
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
1930s cars
1940s cars
1950s cars
Full-size vehicles
Sedans
Coupés
Convertibles
Cars discontinued in 1950
Cars introduced in 1931