Contact: Lori McTavish

Two Vintage Chrysler Vehicles to Race in 's Historic

May 17, 2005, Auburn Hills, Mich. -

Chrysler Group Marketing Chief Joe Eberhardt to drive a 1951 Chrysler car Chrysler Group International Sales and Marketing Director Thomas Hausch to drive a 1930 Chrysler 77 roadster Participation in historic race recalls the brand's Mille Miglia heritage The Chrysler brand relives a racing heritage built on durability and dependability

The Chrysler brand relives a unique history in European racing when two historic Chrysler vehicles from different eras take part in the 2005 Mille Miglia, May 19-22, 2005, one of the world's premier vintage racing events.

A 1930 Chrysler Model 77 roadster and a 1951 Chrysler Saratoga coupe will compete in the 1,000 mile race in Italy, which winds through Ferrara and before returning to finish in . The vintage race of today is strictly limited to cars identical to those that competed in the original race. Joe Eberhardt, Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing and Service for the Chrysler Group, will drive the Saratoga coupe with German journalist, Bernd Wieland. Thomas Hausch, Chrysler Group's Executive Director of International Sales and Marketing, will drive the Model 77 roadster with American journalist, Sue Mead.

"Chrysler never had a factory race team in that era, but the use of Chrysler vehicles in many of the major road races was a compliment to Walter P. Chrysler's emphasis on engineering excellence and his determination to build affordable products that were also powerful and durable," said Joe Eberhardt, Executive Vice President-Global Sales, Marketing and Service. "We are proud to reclaim Chrysler's place among the great competitive marques."

The Chrysler roadster is the lineal descendant of the remarkable car that Walter P. Chrysler introduced under his own name in 1924. By 1930 the Model 77's six-cylinder 4.4-liter engine was rated at 93 horsepower. With a four-speed transmission, hydraulic brakes, a total weight of 1,591 kilograms and a factory price of only $1,665 in 1930, it is not surprising that the series 70 Chrysler vehicles were dubbed the "poor man's Bentleys." The Chrysler vehicles finished first in their class in 1929 and 1930 Mille Miglia races.

The 1951 Chrysler Saratoga placed 11th in 's famed Carrera Panamericana race in that same year; a similar 1953 Chrysler ran in the Mille Miglia in 1953 piloted by Paul Fre're and Andre Milhoux. These cars were powered by the first of Chrysler's famed HEMI® engines, introduced in 1951. The 5.4-liter V-8 produced 180 horsepower and made the 1,791-kilogram Chrysler a spirited performer, and a true value at a factory price under $3,000.

"In the twenties and thirties, Chrysler was predominantly known as 'the engineering company'. The company concentrated on improving performance AND durability, so I am looking forward to driving the Chrysler 77, which should be able to hold its own with some outstanding vintage makes," said Thomas Hausch, Executive Director- International Sales and Marketing.

The Chrysler Saratoga piloted by Eberhardt benefits from an additional 20 years of automotive evolution, an advantage in a grueling vintage race that begins as early as 6:30 a.m. and runs as late at 9:30 p.m.

"Driving a car with an original HEMI makes it very special," said Eberhardt. "You have the real sense of a direct line from this car to today's products--the same mix of performance, comfort and dependability."

The participation of Chrysler Group in the Mille Miglia comes as the company continues to expand the global reach of the new Chrysler 300C range, coinciding also with the 50th anniversary of the original Chrysler 300's introduction. 1930 Chrysler Model 77 Roadster

Owner: DaimlerChrysler Classic, Stuttgart Provenance: unknown. The pennon-style hood indicates this car was built early in the model year, this hood design was abandoned later in the year because it contributed to cooling problems.

The 77s were the largest Chryslers except for the Imperial. Chrysler used a numbering system for its models supposedly related to sustained high-speed capability--the range was 66, 70, 77, and Imperial (formerly Imperial 80). All these cars shared a technical similarity to the original Chrysler, introduced as the B-70 in 1924, which became the foundation of Chrysler's remarkable success in the 1920s. Generally the other Chrysler products that followed shared the engineering characteristics of the 70: high speed (relatively) high compression six cylinder L-head engine with cylinder head utilizing Ricardo design principles, full-pressure lubrication with filtration, hollow front axle, hydraulic shock absorbers (double acting in 1930) and hydraulic brakes.

Although Chrysler, like most American makers, did not have a factory racing team, the engineering of the early Chryslers was so advanced that they found favor as racing vehicles and did especially well in European . What they lacked in top end speed they made up in durability, braking and handling, and of course they were a bargain to buy. At the Mille Miglia they placed 2nd and 3rd in class in 1928, then first in class in both 1929 and 1930. At the Spa 24 Hour they placed first in class every year between 1929 and 1931. They ran well at Le Mans in 1925, 1928, and 1929. In 1928 they finished 3rd and 4th overall. True, they were long behind the winning Bentleys, but their success, given their essentially bourgeois market slot, was remarkable. They were highly competent, well- engineered cars in their time.

Specifications:

Weight: 1,558 kg. 3,435 lbs

Wheelbase: 315 cc. 124 inches Tires: 18 x 6 inches

Production: 1930 total for this model and body style: 1,729

Base factory price: $1,665

Engine: 4,410 cc (269 c.i.) producing 93 bhp at 3,200 rpm B/S was 3.335 x 5 inches (The original Chrysler engine in the B-70 was 201 c.i. and 68 hp., the B-70 roadster of 1924 was some 600 pounds lighter and the WB 3.5 inches shorter than the 77. The 1924 price for the B-70 was $1,525)

By 1930 Chrysler was leading the move in the domestic American industry from updraft to downdraft carburetion, necessitating the use of a mechanical fuel pump in place of the old vacuum system.

Brakes: With the B-70 Chrysler introduced an improved version of Malcolm Lockheed's hydraulic brake system, originally with external contracting shoes; in 1929 Chrysler has completely switched to internal expanding. In this era, hydraulic braking was a distinctive characteristic of Chrysler Corporation products; Mercedes didn't adopt hydraulics until 1933, GM in 1935, Packard in 1937, Ford in 1939.

Transmission: In 1930 Chrysler changed the 77's H-pattern 3-speeds forward tranny to a "dual-range" 4-speed.

1951 Chrysler Saratoga Club Coupe

Owner: Walter P. Chrysler Museum, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Auburn Hills, Michigan

Provenance: This vehicle placed 11th in the 1951 Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico. This was a stock production vehicle taken off the showroom floor of Horace Holly Motors in Abilene, . With minor modification it was driven by Clyde Johnson and Royal Russell. Only tire problems prevented a higher finish for the car. The vehicle remained the property of Horace Holly until purchased and restored to racing condition by the restoration department of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.

Chrysler's famed HEMI® engine debuted for the 1951 model year, replacing an L-head straight eight whose basic design Chrysler Corporation had used since 1930. Although the efficiencies of hemispherical combustion chambers had been known for decades, their use in mass-produced vehicles was limited, since the central placement of spark plugs in the domed cylinder heads meant putting the overhead valves on opposite sides of the plug, with valve stems inclined at opposite angles. Two rows of valves typically required activating one or two overhead camshafts for each cylinder head. This meant an engine expensive to manufacture which also that posed maintenance challenges for the average mechanic. Chrysler engineers however preferred the superior efficiency of a hemi head to the overhead valve "wedge" layout that lined up all the valves in a single row. The advantage of wedge-type engines was that they permitted use of a single camshaft within the block to activate valves via pushrods and a rocker shaft atop each cylinder head. Chrysler engineers adapted this layout to the engine formally named the "Firepower V-8" by designing heads using two rockershafts with pushrods angled to accommodate the two shafts. The engineers dubbed it "the dual rocker engine" (not "the HEMI") and while it was heavier and wider and rather more expensive to build than the OHV wedge design used by Chrysler's competition, it was a much better engine. Although not designed for race use, the new engine resulted in Chryslers being used for roadracing and stock car competition, and the engines themselves were installed in everything from sportscars to drag racers.

Specifications:

Weight: 3948 pounds/1791 kg

Wheelbase: 125 inches/317.5 cm.

Production: 1951 this model and body style: 8105

Base factory price: $2989

Engine: Overhead valve "Firepower" V-8; Displacement: 331 c.i.d./5.4L; B & S 3.81 x 3.63 inches/ 97 x 92 mm.; Compression ratio: 7.5 : 1; Output: 180 hp@ 4000 rpm

Brakes: Chrysler Safe-guard power hydraulic brakes

Transmission: Hydraulic automatic four-speed

-###- Additional information and news from Stellantis are available at: https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com