Chrysler
Brief History
In 1920 Maxwell Motor Company, Inc., was on the verge of bankruptcy and Walter P. Chrysler, who had retired as President of Buick and vice-president of General Motors, was asked to head-up a reorganization committee, which arranged for the purchase of the combined assets of Maxwell and Chalmers and formed Maxwell Motor Corporation, effective May 1921. Mr. Chrysler became Chairman of the Board.
Maxwell Motor Corporation continued to build the Chalmers car and an improved Maxwell car, advertised as the "Good Maxwell".
In 1923 Walter Chrysler brought Fred Zeder, Owen Skelton and Carl Breer into the organization, as the nucleus of a new Engineering Department - and while continuing to build the Good Maxwell at Highland Park, commenced production of pilot models of the Chrysler Six in the Jefferson Ave. Plant.
The Chrysler Six was introduced to the public in January 1924 during the National Auto Show in New York City, where it was very favorably received, getting off to a good start with production of 32,000 units in the first year. The Chrysler Corporation was organized effective June 6, 1925, replacing the Maxwell Motor Corporation and the Maxwell car was discontinued. A new four- cylinder car, the Chrysler Four, went into production in June at the Highland Park Plant, as a companion car to the Chrysler Six, which was built at the Jefferson Avenue Plant.
In June 1928, Chrysler commenced production of the Plymouth car, at Highland Park, replacing the 4-cylinder Chrysler. In July they also started production on a new light six to be known as the De Soto for distribution though a new De Soto dealer organization.
In July 1928, Chrysler Corp. also purchased Dodge Brothers, INC., from the New York banking firm of Dillon, Read & Co., for $170,000,000. The bankers had purchased the company from Dodge family a few years earlier, after the death of the two Dodge brothers. Dodge became a division of Chrysler Corporation.
In 1928, Chrysler Corporation also established separate divisions for distribution of various lines of cars: Plymouth Motor Corporation, Dodge Brothers Corporation, DeSoto Motor Corporation and the Chrysler Sales Corporation.
