1959 Chrysler Scimitar Concept
Design by Brooks Stevens
This is one of 3 Scimitar concept vehicles debuted at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show, this one featuring a retractable hardtop. The other two body styles were the All-Purpose Sedan and Two-Door Convertible. Designed by Milwaukee-based industrial designer Brooks Stevens and funded by the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, which had entered the aluminum business in the 1950s The bodies were made by Karosseriewerk Reutter in Stuttgart, which also built Porsche 356 bodies. Scimitars used anodized brushed aluminum in high-corrosion areas in an attempt to create a more resilient automobile The upswept black steel side panels with contrasting aluminum fenders resembled the Turkish scimitar sword and led to the name of the cars 413 CI Golden Lion V-8 engine rated at 350 HP TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission with push button selector. 1959 was the final year for body-on-frame full-size Chryslers, with the Scimitars being the last period-produced coachbuilt car on a Chrysler chassis.
