Chrysler kind of day in Munich....

[cawimmer430]

1963 Chrysler Newport and Dodge Viper GTS ACR in downtown Munich. #HowDareYou would some hysterical girl in Sweden exclaim! 

[giant_mtb]

Viper dude couldn't figure out a better solution for that front plate...? 

[cawimmer430]

Viper dude couldn't figure out a better solution for that front plate...? 

It appears to be a magnetic-slap-on-plate. I knew a guy once who had the same thing on his AC Cobra. I think in this case it would have been better if he had positioned the license plate in the front center high up on the snout, the only workable solution. Ideally that front license plate should be left completely off but that's illegal in Germany. IIRC some US states allow the lack of a front license plate.

[shp4man]

Love that Chrysler. My old man was a Chrysler lover.

[CaminoRacer]

I'm supposed to have a front plate but I've never installed it on the El Camino or Miata

[cawimmer430]

Love that Chrysler. My old man was a Chrysler lover.

How did he react when you came home with a Ford pickup?

[shp4man]

He actually preferred GM trucks over Dodges. Weird. 

[giant_mtb]

It appears to be a magnetic-slap-on-plate. I knew a guy once who had the same thing on his AC Cobra. I think in this case it would have been better if he had positioned the license plate in the front center high up on the snout, the only workable solution. Ideally that front license plate should be left completely off but that's illegal in Germany. IIRC some US states allow the lack of a front license plate.

Can't be magnetic...I'd bet $7 that the front bumper cover there is plastic.

But yeah, only 30 of the 50 States require front plates. The state I live in (Michigan) does not require front plates.

[GoCougs]

Sadly, that model was the downfall for Chrysler from which it never really recovered. That model (and most others all across Chrysler) took its styling cues from the compact econo Valiant of 1962. Beginning in ~1955, Chrysler was the leader in styling (hard to believe) by ushering in the finned era that saw GM and Ford playing catch-up into the early '60s. But things were changing - post war excess and gaudiness was left behind for the minimalist-ish mid-century aesthetic across most of US culture. This styling was Chrysler's answer, where as GM and Ford jumped ahead at least a decade - from luxury (1961 Lincoln Continental) to plebeian (1962 Chevy Impala) to premium (1963 Buick Riviera) to sporty (1963 Chevy Corvette) to first legit muscle car (1964 Pontiac GTO) to eventually the most successful car ever sold (1965 Impala at 1.1MM units sold, equivalent to ~2MM+ today, by which time GM had fully taken the styling crown). Most of the mid-'60s Mopar stuff is just abysmal from a styling POV. Chrysler had a bit of a resurgence with the 2nd gen B-body (Road Runner, 2G Charger, GTX, etc.) and was full throttle on with the excesses of the muscle car era (colors, names, decals, wings, scoops, Hemi of course), but by then the reputation for quirky styling and not-quite-what-WtP want product was cemented.

[shp4man]

Not all the Exner cars were ugly. I always like this one:

[GoCougs]

Not all the Exner cars were ugly. I always like this one:

Good looking car - at least in '62 there was vestige of the Chrysler styling heyday (that '62 is basically a '61 minus the fins), but that wasn't enough as the '61 Continental basically changed everything:



The response was the all-new Exner Valiant-ism the very next year in '63:



Then really, it gets worse in '65 (and lasted through '67):



Imagine this stuff trying to compete with the Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado!

[AutobahnSHO]

Amazing how much a little bit of style makes or breaks a model/ brand.

I can't understand how certain brands are able to kill it while others languish. But it's also funny to me no matter how irrelevant the style may be to efficiency/ performance will make a model successful, or tank.

[SJ_GTI]

Are German police strict about front license plates? I would think a car like that would just be able to drive around without the front plate and no one would bother them.

Technically I am required to have a front plate in NJ, but so far in over 6 years I've never gotten a ticket despite not having it displayed (its sitting with my spare tire under the floor in the back).

[MrH]

Are German police strict about front license plates? I would think a car like that would just be able to drive around without the front plate and no one would bother them.

Technically I am required to have a front plate in NJ, but so far in over 6 years I've never gotten a ticket despite not having it displayed (its sitting with my spare tire under the floor in the back).

Ohio finally got rid of their front plate law a year or two ago.  It didn't make any sense when the 5 surrounding states didn't have front plates.

I got pulled over once without one in the ten years I was breaking the law and just got a warning.  The best part about getting rid of them by law: dealers no longer drill into bumpers and ruin them.

[AutobahnSHO]

Ohio finally got rid of their front plate law a year or two ago.  It didn't make any sense when the 5 surrounding states didn't have front plates.

I got pulled over once without one in the ten years I was breaking the law and just got a warning.  The best part about getting rid of them by law: dealers no longer drill into bumpers and ruin them.

Right?

I'd guess the pros are few in this day and age- and it's half the expense to require only one.

[cawimmer430]

He actually preferred GM trucks over Dodges. Weird. 

Weird indeed!

[cawimmer430]

Can't be magnetic...I'd bet $7 that the front bumper cover there is plastic.

But yeah, only 30 of the 50 States require front plates. The state I live in (Michigan) does not require front plates.

Damn, that means it's either attached with some kind of hard temporary suction pads, tape... or... they really drilled holes into the plastic...

[cawimmer430]

Are German police strict about front license plates? I would think a car like that would just be able to drive around without the front plate and no one would bother them.

Very. It's illegal to not have a license plate up front.

Some older car designs don't allow for a license plate at the front so the owners will display it inside underneath the windscreen on the passenger side - I've seen that a few times. But a license plate at the front must always be present.