What was the reasoning/decision behind Chrysler's inverted C pillars?

[edbods]

I'm talking about this:

See how the C pillar goes from wide to narrow, top to bottom? Does anyone know the history behind it? Personally, I've never been a fan of these kinds of C pillars, they always just made the cars look weird to me. Always thought they'd look better if they were narrow at the top, wide at the bottom.

 

[Big_John]

Personally, I love that C pillar.

It might be to mimic a convertible top as there are creases across the top that mimic the convertible cross bars. Vinyl tops were a common option, again, mimicking a 'vert.

 

[300rag]

Personally, I love that C pillar.

It might be to mimic a convertible top as there are creases across the top that mimic the convertible cross bars. Vinyl tops were a common option, again, mimicking a 'vert.

I love them as well, but the '64 is my favourite. Probably due to the curved rear glass...

 

[CBODY67]

If you were putting up a canopy/shelter, would you want the roof to connect at a narrow point of the support or at the wide part of the support? That style was unique to Chrysler products, rather than variations of the "Thunderbird C-pillar" that others used (including the '65-'66 New Yorker 2dr hardtops).

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[413]

Couple of the best right here.

 

[edbods]

would you want the roof to connect at a narrow point of the support or at the wide part of the support?

I dunno...I feel like it wouldn't make too much of a difference given that these didn't really have rollover protection in mind, unlike new cars now which have ridiculously fat pillars not helped by the airbag assemblies inside them.

 

[MoPar~Man]

So what about this C pillar?

 

[detmatt]

The “inverted” C-pillars are one of my favorite design queues on the B & C bodies of that generation.

 

[edbods]

Yeah those look pretty slick. But for me I really like the four door hard tops.

I know in the US four doors have a stigma with them, the coupes tend to command higher prices in auctions, must be a cultural thing. In Oz there's not as much value placed on whether it's a two or four door, unless there's significant history behind it. I also have a soft spot for the sedan coupes:

It's surprisingly hard to find a decent side shot of these cars, as far as I can tell few people bought them, they were bought up more as fleet vehicles than private.
I've always been somewhat pragmatic with cars, and as pragmatic as buying a half-century old american car is, I've always preferred the sedans over the hardtops because they're about 200 kg lighter and more rigid due to having a full B pillar. Not gonna win any races any time soon, but weight is one of the most underestimated things when it comes to vehicles and their driving characteristics. These sedan coupes scratch that itch for me at least.

 

[darth_linux]

I heard/read it was influenced by the Mercedes Pagoda top from ‘63

 

[Stev]

I always thought it was a carry over from Exner's design language. Elwood Engle had to work with retooling the later and wackier Exner designs after Exner was excised, which had that kind of shape language in it. (And though I like Exner's later excesses, i understand why most people don't.) I assume that kind of shape on the C-Body was was Engle keeping some kind of Chrysler continuity in styling even on designs he had total blank sheet control over.

Plus that kind of asymmetric, geometric 'reverse' language was just popular at the time. In cars, buildings, and industrial design/marketing in general.


On the roofline too, I suspect one motivation was trying to minimize the post as much as possible on the hardtops, both inside and out. Draws the eye to the main volume of the car, belt line down, and thus emphisizes the length as well as making the interior feel airy. Makes the small car feel bigger than it is, and the big cars as big as they are.

Pretty good choice, honestly. I like that early 60's look a lot and usually i hate the modernist bauhaus influenced stuff.

 

[Jim 68cuda]

I'm talking about this:
View attachment 715005
See how the C pillar goes from wide to narrow, top to bottom? Does anyone know the history behind it? Personally, I've never been a fan of these kinds of C pillars, they always just made the cars look weird to me. Always thought they'd look better if they were narrow at the top, wide at the bottom.

Well, seeing as I have a 66 Sport Fury and a 67 Coronet with the C-pillars you are inquiring about, I guess I have to turn that question around and ask a similar question. See how the C pillar, on the 67 C body below (not mine), goes from narrow to wide, top to bottom? Does anyone know the history behind it? Personally, I've never been a fan of these kinds of C pillars, they always just made the cars look weird to me. Always thought they'd look better if they were wide at the top, narrow at the bottom (or at least roughly equal thickness top to bottom).

The C-pillars that are narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, are my favorite Mopar rooflines. Those C-pillars provide great visibility and makes the car look like its moving at speed even when parked. I even have a wagon with that style pillar.

 

[edbods]

ha, time for a swap meet with someone that has the inverted c pillar and wants something like yours

 

[Jim 68cuda]

Wait. Now which style are you referring to as "inverted"?

 

[edbods]

Wide at top, narrow at bottom. Subconsciously caught it after reading a blog post delving into it when I got curious and tried finding more info about it. I reckon it suits wagons a lot more than the sedans, it looks great on your wagon.

 

[Jim 68cuda]

Wide at top, narrow at bottom. Subconsciously caught it after reading a blog post delving into it when I got curious and tried finding more info about it. I reckon it suits wagons a lot more than the sedans, it looks great on your wagon.

Well, at the time that Chrysler was designing the tapered C-pillar design for the 64-67 B bodies and 65-66 C bodies, many of Ford, AMC and GM's best sellers had C-pillars that featured a roughly equal thickness top to bottom. Chrysler just made their roof lines a bit more distinctive.

 

[Big_John]

I heard/read it was influenced by the Mercedes Pagoda top from ‘63

That's another roof line that I really like.

 

[detmatt]

The roofline and C-pillar in the center is by far my favorite

 

[Justin Plant]

A very good friend and mentor of mine went to a mechanic school in Chicago in 1957, on a GI Bill. One of the instructors was an engineer for Chrysler sometime before that. He said Walter Chrysler told his engineers and stylists to make it as good or better than GM and Ford, only do it different. I'm guessing that thought process carried on for several decades after his tenure. Those roofs look nothing like any one else's of the time.

 

[Toolmanmike]

I love them as well, but the '64 is my favourite. Probably due to the curved rear glass...

View attachment 715012

View attachment 715013

Yep, me too.