Without question, the stars of the 1957 season came from Chrysler Corporation. Virgil Exner’s stunning designs simply clobbered everything else on the market. For buyers seeking newness, glamour and the most modern expression of longer, lower and wider, no other company could top Chrysler’s offerings. Engineering was first-rate too, with robust engines and transmissions, along with new torsion bar suspensions that provided better road feel and handling than any domestic competitor. Even mighty GM was startled by the newfound strength of the perennial #3 U.S. automaker. Of course, there was a dark side to the new products–abysmal quality–which would lead to long-term brand damage. But when the cars were shiny and new, making their first appearances in Motor Trend and on showroom floors, there was nothing but wonder.
Chrysler brand cars wore the new Forward Look styling especially well: the simple detailing really helped showcase the beauty of the clean, sweeping design. Ironically, Chrysler was the only division in Mopar’s stable to post a sales decline for ’57–volume was down by almost 5% to 122,273. Perhaps some of this dip could be attributed to in-showroom competition: I’m sure some New Yorker shoppers couldn’t resist moving up to Imperial, while frugal Windsor prospects may have been tempted by the much-lower-priced but still beautiful Plymouth Belvederes. Or maybe the bad word-of-mouth about the terrible quality of the new designs hit Chrysler first…
DeSoto had been slowly declining for years, but 1957 proved to be a short-term shot in the arm for sales–one last hurrah before the division died in November 1960. The dramatic styling undoubtedly helped; DeSoto offered a particularly nice rendition of the Forward Look. An entry-level Firesweep model was added to the line-up, targeting the large pool of price-conscious buyers, and the new model wound up accounting for 40% of total 1957 DeSoto sales. The problem was that the Firesweep was simply a Dodge with different trim, and showcased the muddled brand positioning that ultimately would sink DeSoto.
Dodge’s rendition of the Forward Look (referred to as “Delta Wing” by Motor Trend, but called “Swept-Wing” in divisional marketing materials) was the edgiest and most aggressive of the lot. The bold image helped give Dodge a big lift in the tough mid-priced market segment, and sales grew 17% to 281,360 while market share increased by 14%, at a time when all other non-Mopar medium-priced competitors were losing ground.
1957 was the Year of the Imperial. For the first (and last) time, Chrysler’s top luxury marque was a real contender in the quest for high-end buyers. The new design brought greater styling differentiation than ever compared to less expensive Chryslers, allowing the Imperial to really stand out from the crowd. Curved side window glass was also an Imperial exclusive and pioneered a look that would become commonplace in the 1960s. Interiors were particularly lavish, while power was smooth and strong. In sum, it was an aggressive push into the luxury market. Sales soared, rising 251% over 1956 to a record 37,593 Imperials–just 3,530 units shy of Lincoln. Even King Cadillac felt the heat, losing sales (down 5%) and market share (down 6%), so undoubtedly some Cadillac intenders decided to go for the Imperial instead.
Sweeping new styling led to soaring sales heights for Plymouth: the division regained its 3rd place ranking in the industry with a 33% increase in volume over 1956. It was a bold play in a segment that had historically been more about value than flash, though for ’57 Plymouth delivered both, with proven engines, excellent transmissions and torsion bar front suspensions to go with industry leading looks. But then there was that unavoidable Achilles Heel of horrific quality control…
1957 represented the best of times and the worst of times for Chrysler Corporation. The market reaction to the new designs was impressive–Chrysler Corporation market share surged, climbing a full 4 percentage points in one year, from 17% in 1956 to 21% for 1957. Sadly, the wildly popular 1957 products were rushed to market and weren’t ready for prime time. Production models were riddled with defects and poor workmanship, and showed an alarming tendency for premature rust. Many, if not most, of the new and repeat buyers that flocked to Mopar for 1957 were bitterly disappointed with the quality of their cars. That damage to Chrysler’s long-standing quality reputation was severe and long-lasting, and subsequent years would see dramatic sales declines as a result.
For my automotive alternate universe, however, I love to ponder the “what ifs” that could have been. Imagine what today’s automotive landscape would look like, for example, if these Forward Look Chrysler products had been as well-built as they were well-styled. What if the market share gains achieved for 1957 hadn’t abated and had stayed relatively strong (the impact of the 1958 recession not withstanding) filling Chrysler Corporation’s coffers with profits? Could Mopar have genuinely challenged Ford, or even GM, for market position if things had all gone as planned? We’ll never know… But at least we’ll forever enjoy the Forward Look cars, flaws and all.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
Yep ;
If you got a good one these were fantastic drivers .
My 1958 Plymouth Plaza two door didn’t have radio nor heater but it’s handling was peerless and the dual leading shoe brakes backed that up with great stopping power .
Mine was wonderful, no leaks / rattles that plagued most “Forward Look” Mo Pars .
-Nate
The “greater”, and or, “deeper wrap around” windshields must a been the bee’s knees, then.
Another alternate universe “What If?” What if the corporation realized the quality issues, reskinned 56 cars for 57, and introduced these new cars for the 1958 model year. They would have come out during the recession year. Then what?
Hard to compete with GM. They had so many lines with unique transmissions and motors. Too bad they suffered from the corporate profit scheme of more profits every year. Detroit’s answer to the consumer was the Vega and Pinto. They still haven’t a clue as to what it takes to have a quality product. Was a GM fanboy then Ford, now I have joined the foreign car fanboy club.
The ‘Forward Look’ was a big step up for Chrysler Corporation. For much of the Fifties, they had been criticized for their stodgy, upright styling. On top of the damage done by the ’57s poor build quality, the company was crippled again when they mis-stepped on the 1962 down-sizing that left the cars so odd-looking.
As we can see from the past decade, Chrysler is still problematic and has a 75 year record of being unable to keep from stubbing their toe.
I’ve always heard that Chrysler was stung quite badly by the damage the poor quality of these 1957 models did to their reputation. One consequence was that they worked extra hard on their next all-new model, the 1960 Valiant which, despite questionable styling, generally had much better quality.
One interesting thing is that the pre-production(?) Plymouth has the same recessed door handles as the rest of the line, which production Plymouths didn’t presumably for cost reasons.
You are right, but I think I see these handles as somewhat different from the rest. If I’m right, the cost difference would have been even greater. The final door handles of the Plymouth are not consistent with the ultra modern style.
Interesting about the door handles. It may have been a supply issue to ensure the more premium models had the newer style handles.
I assume the Plymouth handles were carried over from the previous years models so the tooling was already done.
I like the older pull type handles for some reason, just like the ones on an old refrigerator.
Looks like Plymouth used them till the 1960 models.
I’ve owned a “survivor” unrestored 1957 Imperial Crown coupe (single headlamp) for almost 20 years never experienced a poor factory build quality issue, other than rocker panel rust (car was from the east coast). The 392 Hemi V8 is not only eye candy, but a satisfying and robust performer on the road.
Could we have an in-depth report with pictures?
Yes I read about the poor quality issues from Chrysler from that year but that still doesn’t stem my desire for a ’57 Plymouth Fury, DeSoto Adventurer, or a Chrysler 300C. Beautiful cars in their own right.
My 70 year old Plymouth never seemed like it suffered poor quality or engineering. Mine had dealer installed undercoating. Mine must be the odd exception.
I agree… I have been a proud 57 Plymouth Belvedere owner for 30 years. She was my very first car and all these years later we are still inseparable. She is completely stock mechanically and corners like a dream, there is nothing better on a Saturday night than a girl, her Plymouth and taking a roundabout at 60mph, LOL!!
One of my uncles was a surgeon. Every other year he bought a new Chrysler – at first it was a New Yorker. When the Imperial name came out, he switched to it. I remember going to visit them in their two storey brick home. Driving up in our ‘56 Ford Fairlane, thinking : Oh why can’t we have an Imperial like this? Not at all realizing how expensive they were. The last one he bought was a ‘70.
I appreciated the extra research that was offered here, filling in Chrysler’s story from this era. There are parallels to the Ford lineup, especially with narrow differences between Ford/Mercury/Edsel. GM also leveraged their platforms to economize, albeit more successfully.
The torsion bar concept is an example of the engineering talents they had at the time. IMO, very much out of the box thinking.
Thanks for the article.
The 1957 Forward Look cars were really the last gasp Chrysler had to compete on the same level as GM and Ford and, man, did they blow it on a couple of fronts. Obviously, the first was the terrible quality as a result of trying to keep up with demand, but there was also the ‘Suddenly, It’s 1960!’ ad campaign. While effective in the short-term, it locked-in fins for the next three years. When 1960 did arrive, the fad was pretty much worn out and Chrysler was in such disarray, that it’s a miracle that they survived after the resulting 1960-62 cars.
Say what you will about Lynn Townsend’s conservative approach of simply copying GM’s styling trends, but it worked well enough in the go-go sixties. Chrysler likely absorbing most ex-Studebaker owner sales didn’t hurt, either.
It’s been said before that Chrysler was the largest independent and, to a certain extent, it fits. GM and Ford were the major players mostly due to their extensive dealer network which meant they could produce cars at a much higher volume. One wonders if Chrysler (or any of the independents) had that same advantage, how they might have faired in the long run.
Even then, Chrysler’s ability to compete, model-for-model with GM and Ford, came to a screeching halt with the appointment of Iacocca. In effect, he contracted Chrysler’s model line-up much in the same way the independents were forced to do. Someone had recently commented that Iacocca refused to compete in a category he had no chance of winning and was the reason he let the R-body die soon after he took over.
That sounds very much like how the independents operated by finding or creating a niche the majors had yet to go into and exploiting it for all it was worth until GM and Ford decided the effort would be profitable enough (i.e., the fifties compact market).
My ’58 Plymouth was essentially the same car – but with the benefit of having many of the early build quality problems corrected.
I bought this Plymouth in Tulsa back in 1976. Being an Oklahoma car since new and evidently not much used in 18 years, the car had not rusted away like northern cars. It had top surface rust from sun exposure, but fenders and rocker panels were sound. The original owner had specified factory AC making it my 1st car so equipped. Amazingly, it still worked quite well once I replaced the compressor brushes.
The Plymouth had its faults, but the most lasting memory of the car is that even in the mid to late ’70s, it handled on par with contemporary new cars. Given the smog choked engines of the era, performance and economy were often better.
It was certainly out of style by 1976. Other than that, I honestly don’t believe a new car from 1976 did anything better than that 18 year old Plymouth. I can only imagine how advanced they must have seemed to buyers looking for a car in 1957.
Too bad these things were not better sorted out upon introduction. If Chrysler had held the design for one more year of development and introduced these as a 1958 model, I wonder how they would have fared against GMs bulbous looking ’58 models.
Given lead times, such a scenario means we probably wouldn’t have been treated to GMs over the top ’59 designs. Can’t rewrite history, but it is interesting to speculate.
Good question, have they arrived when the economy cooled off from what people called the “Eisenhower recession”, I wonder how the public would have received them?
Some wondered the same question about what if Edsel had come one year earlier or one year later?
I was 13 when the ’57s were introduced. My Dad was a Dodge-Plymouth dealer in Benton Harbor, Michigan (Miller Dodge-Plymouth). I had the opportunity to hang out at the dealership often, and I fell in love with these cars. Quality was a definite problem — I remember my Dad complaining that they had to use the wrecker to pull one vehicle off of the transporter because reverse gear wouldn’t work! But the styling was fantastic, especially the 2 door hardtops. Neither Ford or Chevy could compete.
As the article stated, the poor quality of the ’57s hurt later year sales. ’58s had the best styling but with the recession, sales were brutal. The ’59 models were, in my opinion, overly styled with too much chrome on the Dodges, the “spare tire covers” of the trunks of the Plymouths, etc. Styling came back on the ’60 models. I still believe that the ’60 Dodge Dart is one of the best looking cars ever. Then there were the abominations of ’61 and ’62. Oh well………………
My Dad had a ’57 Plymouth; I believe it was the first year of torsion bars. His was parked in front of his office; a friend who shared the office was parked in front of Dad’s car, was getting his bag out of the trunk and heard a gunshot-like bang right behind him. He turned to see Dad’s car settling down on one side, then another bang and the other side joined it. Both torsion bars had snapped.
The ’57 didn’t live long, it was t-boned, totaled, and replaced by a ’58.
My parents had a 57 that they bought used, probably in 58, to replace the 53 Ford. It also snapped a torsion bar, but it was sitting in our driveway. We heard the noise in the house. The only other problem was carb icing. It seemed to happen when my mom was driving and it really annoyed her. I was only about 8 then, so I don’t remember much else, except the push button automatic impressed me. I was the first automatic that my parents had.
I well remember the pushbutton transmission!
Dad was a smoker. He’d left the driver’s door of his ’58 open while he took the full ashtray to the back yard to dump it in the rubbish burner (remember those?).
I climbed into the car and started pushing the transmission buttons, liking the sound (I was three years old). I apparently hit neutral, and the car started moving down the slight slope of the driveway, until stopped by the closed (and now damaged) garage door.
Or you can bury them in the ground for fifty years.
Yes, enlarged versions of the highly vaunted Hemi engines, torsion bar suspension, and an improved automatic transmission (That was available mid-year in 1956), but the rest of the cars were cheese-ball overdone styling, poorly engineered bodies in fit and finish that were largely jury rigged and proved to be terrific rusters. The only exception in Chrysler’s lineup was possibly the Imperial.