Chrysler Six B-70 Touring
The first Chrysler was a roomy open touring car with unusually advanced engineering for 1924. Its light chassis, smooth six-cylinder engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes helped establish the new Chrysler name.
Chrysler 70 Touring 1924.jpg · Lars-Göran Lindgren Sweden · CC BY-SA 3.0
More than a set of wheels.
Walter P. Chrysler introduced the Chrysler Six in 1924 while the car was still being built by Maxwell Motor Corporation in Detroit. The B-70 Touring combined family-car seating with ideas then associated with more expensive machinery: full-pressure engine lubrication, filters, aluminum pistons, shock absorbers and hydraulic brakes at all four wheels. The model name's “70” advertised the performance class Chrysler was aiming for, but this profile sticks to the museum-verified 68 hp specification rather than turning that name into an unsupported speed promise.
Look a little closer.
This open Touring body cost $1,395 when new, according to The Henry Ford's preserved example.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A six designed to keep working
The 201-cubic-inch engine used seven main bearings, aluminum pistons, water-pump cooling, a full-pressure oiling system and replaceable oil and air filters. For a child, the useful comparison is a long spinning shaft held in many steady hands: the extra bearing supports help the crankshaft turn smoothly, while oil and water carry heat away from hard-working parts.
Source: Walter P. Chrysler Museum — 1924 Chrysler Six ↗What the brake claim really means
Chrysler's centennial history describes the Six as the first passenger car to make four-wheel hydraulic brakes standard equipment. That is narrower than saying Chrysler invented hydraulic brakes: the achievement was making the system standard on this passenger car, so all four wheels could be slowed by fluid pressure from the pedal.
Source: Chrysler 100th Anniversary — 1924 Chrysler Six ↗Where these facts come from
- Chrysler 100th Anniversary — 1924 Chrysler Six
- Walter P. Chrysler Museum — 1924 Chrysler Six
- The Henry Ford — 1924 Chrysler Touring Car
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.