Love it or hate it, you may’t actually deny the influence that the Chrysler 300 and the LX platform vehicles had on the automotive trade. The first-generation Chrysler 300 was a design icon, so daring and American it was nearly stunning when it hit the market in 2005. Amazingly, although, the longer term legend nearly didn’t make it to manufacturing.
In a current interview with Motor Trend, former Chrysler design and product chief Tom Gale spoke in regards to the 300, its historical past and its legacy now that the mannequin has formally ended manufacturing. Gale rose by the ranks in Chrysler. He began with the corporate in 1967 and by 1985 he was head of Chrysler design, serving to to create and affect iconic fashions just like the cab-forward LH sedans, overseeing the design of the present car-like unique Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler and naturally, the 300.
One a part of the interview that was essentially the most eye-opening was Gale explaining how Chrysler’s rear-drive LX platform nearly by no means occurred. Despite what most consider, the Daimler Chrysler merger wasn’t the catalyst for Chrysler going rear-wheel drive; Gale says he and a workforce had been engaged on a rear-drive successor to the LH vehicles as early as 1997.
Gale needed the LH substitute to be rear drive for one key cause: He believed rear drive would allow Chrysler to create a automotive with the packaging and proportions consumers usually related to dearer automobiles. Also, he believed rear drive would make Chrysler’s sedan stand out in a market section the place competitors was cutthroat and revenue margins had been razor skinny: “One way to be meaningfully differentiated was to move to a rear-drive car,” he mentioned.
The bomb drop was him admitting that many engineers at Chrysler needed to stay with front-wheel drive out of familiarity, price, and “the old Motown canard that front drive was better in the snow.” To each shut them up and show that was a lie, Gale compromised.
“A BMW with good tires would do anything and everything a front-wheel-drive car would do in the snow, Gale countered. On top of that, he proposed the LX platform would be designed to accept all-wheel drive,” mentioned Motor Trend.
One of the massive causes for wanting a rear-wheel drive automotive, although, was notion. Market analysis confirmed that individuals could be prepared to pay extra for one thing that was rear-wheel drive and got here throughout as premium. It was a no brainer.
“The fact many of the premium European sedans were rear-drive lent an upscale aura to what we wanted to do, and the research supported that,” Gale mentioned.
Ultimately, the rear-drive LX platform and the 300 had been born. The Daimler merger made issues simpler as Gale and his workforce received to raid the Mercedes components bin, one thing he says was one of many good issues to come back out of the merger. “That’s where we got the five-speed transmission, and of course the E-Class suspension.”
Paired with the long-lasting 5.7-liter Hemi V8, a brand new period of American vehicles hit the streets and nothing was ever the identical. Sort of makes you unhappy while you understand that we’ll in all probability by no means see something prefer it available on the market once more.
Source: jalopnik.com