Chrysler G70 Golfer's Coupe

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Walter Chrysler arrived at the ailing Maxwell-Chalmers company in the early 1920s having been hired to overhaul the company's troubled operations.

By 1925 the Maxwell name had been absorbed into the Chrysler Corporation, the first production car to bear the Chrysler name being the Series B70, introduced to the public at the New York Auto Show in January 1924. The B70 was designed to provide customers with an advanced, well-engineered car, but at a more affordable price than they might expect. The 3.3 litre, six-cylinder engine produced nearly 70hp and gave the B70 very respectable performance with a top speed of 75mph.

Among the innovations it introduced were the first practical, mass-produced, four-wheel hydraulic brakes (a system nearly completely engineered by Chrysler), a high compression engine, full pressure lubrication and an oil filter. This was also one of the first cars fitted with rubber engine mounts to reduce vibration. The B70 was an instant success and by the end of 1924 some 32,000 cars had been sold, an industry record for the introduction of a new model.

The more upmarket G70 was introduced in 1926. Intended to be a car for the middle classes, the G70 had a 3,582cc six-cylinder engine with a seven bearing balanced crankshaft, delivering 68bhp and driving through a single-plate clutch and a three-speed transmission with floor-mounted gear lever, to the rear wheels. All four wheels had hydraulic brakes. Seven different body styles were offered, similar to those of the earlier B70 model. The G70 was in production for just one year during which 72,039 examples were built, after which it was replaced with the Chrysler 70 series.

This 1926 model has the attractive Golfer’s Coupe body style and was first registered in the UK in 1992, joining the Stondon Collection in 1997. An old MOT from shortly after importation records a mileage of 2,700 on the clock. We assume this was a replaced speedo and the V5 does indicate that the vehicle has been rebuilt and assembled from later and other parts. Another old MOT from 1994 probably indicates when the car was last in use, an online check revealing that the last tax disc expired in August 1995.