The 1940 Chrysler Thunderbolt Concept
The Chrysler Thunderbolt Concept introduced many new designs. The body was aluminum and the roof was an electrical retractable hardtop. There were no door handles; they opened with the push of a button. It had hydraulically controlled windows. And, there were no A pillars.
The design was the brainstorm of Alex Tremulis, who also introduced other designs, namely the Tucker. It was based on the Chrysler Crown Imperial and named after Captain George Eyston’s who held land speed records. In 1938 Eyston set the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats by achieving a speed of 357.53 mph. The vehicle her used was powered by two Rolls-Royce 12-cylinder engines.
The retractable top was way before it’s time, because it wasn’t until 1957 before another auto maker introduced the same feature. It was the Ford Skyliner.
Only six were produced and only four exist today, one is at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum located in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Photo Credit: All photos herein are the property of FCA-US and were published by MyclassicNEWS with their permission and consent. All content herein, other than property published by permission, is the property of myclassicnews.com and any reproduction, other than normal social media sharing, is strictly prohibited. Copyright ©, myclassicnews.com. For reprint permission contact us at rick@tessarect.com
