Orville Wright's Chrysler.... [PIC]

Aerodynamic coachworks were available to the wealthy before this 1934 Chrysler Airflow, but this was the first mass produced automobile of its kind. As Chrysler designers were tackling the design aspects, they hired Orville Wright for his expertise in aircraft design. With the approval of Walter P. Chrysler, a wind tunnel was built and by 1932, a prototype was built. Some of the innovations, like an all steel frame rather than wooden structural members, required special types of welding, so early production cars suffered from poor quality control and rumors began that the whole body was unsafe. Chrysler even rolled one off a cliff in Pennsylvania and then drove it away to prove the point of safety. All of the Airflows were equipped with straight flat-head eights and were easily capable of 90 mph. All said, the country wasn't ready for such a strange looking car and production came to an end in 1937. It was probably just too early for such a radical design.