1934 DeSoto Airflow Gold Brougham

1 of 4 in the World — 1934 Airflow gham
 
In 1934, the entire lineup featured Chrysler Corporation’s new streamlined Airflow design. lter P. Chrysler expected the streamlined and futuristic Airflow models to take the nation by storm and to reap huge profits. To cover all customer appetites and desires, the 1934 could be purchased in five body styles: the four-door sedan, four-door town sedan, two-door brougham, and three and five-passenger coupes.  The gham was intended as a sophisticated town car.  Not having a trunk, but rather a large rear seat, it would have been something that might have been driven to a night at the opera.  The 2-door gham is also considered by some as the best-looking Airflow body style. 
 
 A design far ahead of its time, the Airflow featured built-in headlamps and wider front seats that could accommodate three adults abreast. The hood was extended past the front axle, and the rear fenders had full fender skirts. There was also a rounded radiator grille, nicknamed the waterfall grille, which only existed in the debut year of 1934. There was also a modified two-piece vee-shaped windshield that cranked open for ventilation, and further styling features that set this car apart from anything ever seen on n shores. 
 
 Not just an exercise in styling, the Airflow series was also a mechanical marvel, incorporating many new concepts in an effort to improve the driving experience.  Airflow’s were the first n production cars that were wind-tunnel tested, with the help of Orville .  This is in part why they set cross-country endurance and fuel mileage records.  For improved handling, neutral weight distribution was attempted, and the body was lower to the ground thanks to a unit body construction and extra-long leaf springs.
 
  the 13,940 Airflows sold in 1, Chrysler altered the waterfall grille styling (considered too modern and radical at the time), and also dropped the two-door gham body style for 1935.

 

This 1934 Airflow gham offered for sale is one of only 4 Airflow ghams known to exist. 

 

This rare gham has benefitted from a ground up restoration. The exterior was painted two-tone medium brown and light tan using metallic finish paint, which is appropriate given that Chrysler was one of the first to introduce metallic, or as they called it, polychromatic paint, in the mid-1930s. To complete the exterior, all the chrome was redone, and the undercarriage was finished appropriately.

 

The interior was fitted with tan cloth and brown vinyl bolsters following the correct pattern and seams, and shows excellent workmanship. 

 

The engine was completely rebuilt and balanced in the last two years and starts easily and runs smoothly as it should.  A new aluminum head was fabricated and installed.  For enhanced reliability we’ve also added an electric fuel pump, as well as a 6-bladed fan to better cool the engine. 

 

The transmission was also serviced at the same time as the engine rebuild and shifts well, with the clutch functioning as intended. 

 

to storer magazine did a feature on our car a few years ago.  Some of what they had to say after visiting and driving the car includes: 

 

“ ady for a Drive

The door is sturdy, wide and accommodating. Climbing into the Art Deco-style front seat is easy, though you have to cantilever your bottom over the chrome pipe armrest attached to it. The seat is sofa-like and is soft, comfortable, and very roomy. I roll down the side window, and to my surprise, the vent wing goes down with it.
  

I depress the clutch, which is light, then twist the key and hit the starter. The 241.5-cubic-inch, 100-horsepower flathead six turns over a couple of times, comes to life, warms a little, and then settles into a smooth quiet purr.
 

The big steering wheel is mounted almost straight up and down in front of you because the steering box is up in front of the front axle on this car, partially due to its short front end, and partly because the engineers at Chrysler knew that this position would make steering easier in this pre-power steering era because the more vertical position only involved your arms rather than having to get your back into it to turn the car. Chrysler’s engineers even consulted the thers, founders of the Clinic, on the ergonomics of the car, many years before ergonomics became a science unto itself.
 
 I pull the shift lever down into low gear and we are off. The lever curves down and forward under the dash, and the shifter ends up close to the dash even in high gear, making it a fairly safe arrangement for a third passenger in the middle.

At me On Today’s ds

The engine is smooth and has plenty of bottom-end torque, so even though we are going uphill, acceleration is quite good for a car made 85 years ago. The transmission has synchromesh in second and third gears and shifts smoothly.
 

king is not up to modern disc brake standards in terms of brake-fade on our ’34 , but under normal conditions its vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes work well and stop straight, with little pressure on the pedal. The appearance of these cars smacks of the Art Deco era of the 1930s and looks dated today, but they were way ahead of their time when it came to engineering.
 
 Chrysler’s Cliff-Diver

All of this newfound information was incorporated into the design of the new Airflow which was revolutionary in other ways as well. For example, the body of the car was entirely made of steel, and had an internal cage welded into a unit, making it stronger and lighter than the traditional wooden framework with sheet metal tacked to it that was standard at the time. The Airflows still had a light frame under them but the car depended on the unitized body for strength. The fenders were still separate and bolted on though, as was standard at the time.
 
 The result of these innovations was a comparatively lightweight but very sturdy automobile. In fact, it was so sturdy that later in 1934 a Chrysler Airflow was driven off of a 110-foot cliff in nsylvania. It suffered minimal damage, and was righted and driven away. Film of this publicity stunt still exists…
 

Other engineering innovations consisted of moving the engine forward over the front axle, and moving the passenger seating in front of the rear axle, making for a much softer ride. That, on top of Chrysler’s Floating Power rubber motor mount arrangement made for a very quiet, smooth, comfortable car. The Floating Power system consisted of two motor mounts down low in the rear, and one on a yoke high up in front that let the engine dance around without transmitting the vibrations to the passenger compartment.
 
 These early Chrysler engines were state of the art for their time, with full oil pressure to thin shell bearings, and aluminum pistons, so once this example was overhauled it was ready for another couple of lifetimes of service.
 
 Chrysler engineers came up with several innovations that allowed them to use the sloping clamshell hood, unique to the Airflows at the time. The radiator slopes back, and its top tank is actually mounted longitudinally along the driver’s side inner fender. The air filter is also offset to allow for hood clearance. These ideas became common later, but were unique when the Airflow debuted.

Smooth, Quiet and Enjoyable

Driving through the picturesque hills of the insula in Southern fornia on a nice day in a smooth, quiet, unique classic car with the windows down and people looking up from their gardening occasionally to smile and wave is about as good as it gets.
 
 Although its flathead six cylinder engine, three-speed transmission and solid axle front suspension were not revolutionary at the time, the car rides and drives like a modern one, and pulls well without a lot of gear changes. It must have been very impressive in 1934, and still is today.  The fresh seaside air wafts through the crank-out two piece opened windshield and comes in through the twin cowl vents that allow both driver and passenger to adjust air circulation. There are also pivoting wind wings in the rear to let air out, making for a very comfortable situation on warm days.”

Before we bought this gham about 14 years ago, a former owner was a senior master AACA judge.

the 4 gham’s known to exist, this is thought to be the only one in restored condition.  We have enjoyed showing it at concours events and winning trophies.  We even won the Chairman’s Award at a concours show!  But just as fun is all the attention it generates with the general public. It’s a real crowd pleaser.  No matter where you are people will want to talk to you, ask questions (“What is THAT???…I’ve never heard of that or seen one…it’s amazing!”), take photos, and are generally in awe seeing such a piece of history.

For another 100+ photos and many more videos, including an interview with the owner, visit this link…

1934 Airflow gham
 
We’re sad to see it go but it’s time to thin our collection.  Now is your opportunity to acquire a unique slice of advanced engineering and art deco styling that’s a rare piece of history.  This car is a true crowd pleaser.  ou’re guaranteed to have the only Airflow gham at any show or event!  ou’ll likely never find another one like it.