Cruisin'
1949 Chrysler-chrome bumpers discontinued during War
BY GREG ZYLA

Q: I want to know about my grandfather's 1949 Chrysler Windsor sedan. When he bought it, he told me Chrysler hadn't built a new car since 1942, and that all the cars up to 1948 were the old designs because it built air raid sirens and other equipment for World War II. - Fran S., Philadelphia

A: Fran, the reason your grandfather's car was "all-new" is because Chrysler and the other manufacturers curtailed car production during the World War II era. The government mandated in January 1942 that all chrome bumpers and trim be discontinued due to war manufacturing

needs. Instead, Chrysler utilized ivory-coated plastic for chrome.

In February 1942, all car production was halted, and Chrysler started building Wright Cyclone airplane engines, anti-aircraft guns, radar units, mine detectors, tugboats and those air raid sirens

you mentioned. Chrysler had begun building tanks in 1940 for Great Britain, so supplying our military needs was easy.

There were no 1943 through 1945 Chrysler models, and from 1946 to 1949, the ones sold were similar to the 1942 model, including the initial 1949 Chryslers called "Series One."

The all-new "Series Two" designs debuted in mid-1949 and included your grandfather's Windsor four-door sedan, which retailed for $2,329. It featured lots of chrome, a huge grille, vertical taillights and a 251-inch, 116-horsepower flathead inline six-cylinder as standard equipment. A flathead 324-inch eightcylinder

that pumped out 135 horsepower was available in the more expensive models.

Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send an e-mail to letters.kfws@hearstsc.com.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.