Bill Watson's Chronological History of Chrysler Corporation
Part VI: 1964-1971, the Muscle Car Era
1864-1911 •
1912-19 •
1920-39 •
1940-49 • 1950-63 • 1964-1971 • 1972-80 • 1981-92 • 1993-97
History • By Year • Coming: 1998-2007 (Daimler disaster) • 2007-09 (Cerberus) • 2008-2015 (FCA)
Chrysler History, Part 7
1964 - Barracuda; control of Rootes; California emissions
1864-1911 •
1912-19 •
1920-39 •
1940-49 • 1950-63 • 1964-1971 • 1972-80 • 1981-92 • 1993-97
History • By Year • Coming: 1998-2007 (Daimler disaster) • 2007-09 (Cerberus) • 2008-2015 (FCA)
Chrysler Heritage • History by Year • Chrysler People and Bios • Corporate Facts and History
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Part VI: 1964-1971, the Muscle Car Era
1864-1911 •
1912-19 •
1920-39 •
1940-49 • 1950-63 • 1964-1971 • 1972-80 • 1981-92 • 1993-97
History • By Year • Coming: 1998-2007 (Daimler disaster) • 2007-09 (Cerberus) • 2008-2015 (FCA)
Chrysler History, Part 7
1964 - Barracuda; control of Rootes; California emissions
-
- 50 Chrysler Turbine cars built, bodies by Ghia, for extensive tests by average motorists.
- Philip N. Buckminster named general manager of Chrysler-Plymouth Divison.
- Chrysler Corporation purchases 30% of voting stock and 50% non-voting stock of the Rootes Group (UK), builders of Hillman, Sunbeam, Singer, Humber cars and Karrier and Commer trucks.
- California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board (CARB) approves its first U.S.-developed exhaust control system - the system engineered by Chrysler Corporation (November)
- Simca ships all tooling for Simca Vedette (nee Ford Vedette), including the Ford engine, to Chrysler in Brazil; the flathead Ford V8 carries on for a few more years, made in Brazil, for Vedette only.
- Chrysler creates Chrysler Credit Corporation, which would later carry the company as it lost money on cars
- Show car - Dodge Charger
- New C body for 1965; Fury and Polara move up into "standard size" bodies (C size).
- Old B bodies become Plymouth Belvedere and Dodge Coronet.
- Sterling Heights stamping plant completed.
- New aluminum die casting plant completed in Kokomo, IN
- New foundry and expansion for second car line at Plymouth plant on Lynch Road
-
- Purchased: outboard engine business of West-Bend Co., Hartford, WI. and Lone Star Boat Co., Plano, TX. Together, they form Chrysler Boat Corporation.
- December - Simca Automobiles S.A. becomes Societe des Autos Simca.
- Show car - Plymouth XP-VIP, Dodge Charger II
- 14 millionth Plymouth
- 10 millionth Dodge car
- Illustration: 1965 Chrysler New Yorker
- See our fully detailed 1966 page - with racing, the Street Hemi, and more
- February 1 - Chrysler Corporation takes over marketing of Rootes and Simca products
- February - Exchanges 25% interest in Simca Industries for Fiat's 8% interest in Societe des Autos Simca.
- Belvidere, IL, assembly plant opens
- April - Dodge Charger introduced.
- May - Chrysler Corporation now controls 45% of voting stock of the Rootes Group and 77% of total equity.
- K.T. Keller dies.
- Show cars : Chrysler 300-X
- Works starts, quietly, on Plymouth Duster, which will replace Barracuda as the sporty A-body.
- 15 millionth Plymouth
- 4 millionth Chrysler
- Lynn A Townsend named chairman of the board and is succeeded by Virgil E. Boyd as president of Chrysler Corporation
- Glenn E. White becomes general manager of Chrysler-Plymouth Division; Robert J. McCurry becomes general manager of Dodge Division.
- In June, purchases Redisco Inc. from American Motors and merges it with Chrysler Credit Corporation to form Chrysler Financial Corporation.
- October - Acquires 77% control of Barreiros Diesel S.A. (Spain)
- Chrysler has a 92% interest in Chrysler do Brasil S.A.
- Show cars: Plymouth Barracuda Formula SX, Dodge Deora. Deora was created by an independent shop and was leased by Chrysler as a show car.
- 11 millionth Dodge car
- See our detailed 1967 page
- March - buys auto business of King-Seeley Division from King-Seeley Thermos Co. for $28 million, and uses it to create the Introl Division.
- August - Forms Chrysler Plastic Products Co., producing sheet vinyl and fabrics for automobiles and other applications.
- Chrysler Corporation becomes the world's fifth largest industrial corporation
- As Huntsville starts transitioning from rocketry, the division's parts checking system is adapted to use in Chrysler plants
- Signs agreement with Nissan Diesel Motors Company, Tokyo, Japan, to distribute Chrysler-Nissan diesel engines in North and South America.
- Show cars - Dodge Charger III, Dodge Daroo Dart
- 16 millionth Plymouth
- Plymouths of 1968.
- May - Chrysler Corporation enters into joint agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Chrysler will buy a large share of Mitsubishi, and eventually take over the company, which makes good quality cars but no profits.
- Show cars - Plymouth Duster I, Dodge Custom Swinger 340
- 17 millionth Plymouth
- 12 millionth Dodge car
- Heavy duty trucks of 1969 • Motor homes and campers
-
- Plymouth Valiant Duster introduced
- Richard K. Brown named general manager of Chrysler-Plymouth Division
- John J. Riccardo named president of Chrysler Corporation.
- Chrysler Corporation now owned 73% of the equity capital of the Rootes Group, which on July 1st becomes Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd.
- Societe des Autos Simca becomes Chrysler France SA
- Byron C. Foy dies.
- Show cars : Cordoba de Oro, Cencept 70-X, Dodge Diamante
- Huntsville delivers its first car radio, engineered and built by the division created to support NASA; the 2-watt AM radio is an evaluation sample. They also delivered an electronic ignition module, which in 1971 would be the first used as a standard feature in mass-market cars.
- 18 millionth Plymouth
- 13 millionth Dodge car
- 5 millionth Chrysler
- See our fully detailed 1971 page - with racing, the Street Hemi, and more
- July - Los Angeles assembly plant closed.
- The industry moves to net horsepower ratings, instead of gross, reducing reported horsepower and confusing generations of ill-informed buyers, owners, and enthusiasts. Most engines drop 40-60 horsepower as the effects of alternators, water pumps, oil pumps, fans, and fuel pumps are part of the equation; the Street Hemi, notably, remains at 425 horsepower, gross and net.
- Dodge imports Colt, built by Mitsubishi in Japan, beginning with 1971 models.
- Plymouth imports Cricket, built by Chrysler United Kingdom, beginning with 1971 models.
- Chrysler Corporation purchases 15% interest in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan, starting a relationship that would not end until DaimlerChrysler tried, unsuccessfully, to acquire Mitsubishi.
- Electronic ignition is standard on many cars; Chrysler is the first to adopt this feature on a mass scale.
- Huntsville unveils a new auto emissions analyzer, the first dispersive-type test system for the purpose.
- Dodge Dart Demon introduced, based on Plymouth Valiant Duster.
- Plymouth Belvedere was renamed to Satellite, formerly a high trim level Bevedere.
- Plymouth Valiant Scamp introduced, based on Dodge Dart Swinger.
- Dodge Coronet two door models dropped, replaced by Dodge Charger models.
- The post of general manager of Chrysler-Plymouth and Dodge Divisions is vacant.
1864-1911 •
1912-19 •
1920-39 •
1940-49 • 1950-63 • 1964-1971 • 1972-80 • 1981-92 • 1993-97
History • By Year • Coming: 1998-2007 (Daimler disaster) • 2007-09 (Cerberus) • 2008-2015 (FCA)
Chrysler Heritage • History by Year • Chrysler People and Bios • Corporate Facts and History
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.