Chrysler Corporation made automotive history when it premiered the Airflow at the New York Auto Show in January 1934; it was a radical departure from anything that preceded it.

In addition to its streamlined Art Deco looks, the car was bursting with technical ingenuity: a novel beam and truss design combining light weight and superb strength, precursor to the unibody; an enormous interior with 50-inch-wide chair-height seats; for the first time in an automobile, a rear seat situated forward of the rear axle, offering unprecedented room; and an engine placed over the front axle 20 inches further forward than in other Chryslers, making for a very spacious front seat.

Passengers sat within the wheelbase, resulting in a remarkably smooth ride.

The public never quite warmed to the styling and the Airflow disappeared after 1937 with only 55,000 produced for both Chrysler and DeSoto car lines over four years.

Today, they are regarded as automotive icons due to the myriad technical and sty...