Chrysler poster Amag Automobil-u Motoren AG Zürich – Chrysler Across the Alps art print – 1929

Chrysler poster Amag Automobil-u Motoren AG Zürich – Chrysler, Across the Alps art print – 1929 This is a superb reproduction of a classic 1920’s art deco automobile advertising poster. It was created in 1929 by the renowned Swiss poster artist Otto Ernst. It was produced by AMAG, who were the official Swiss dealers for Chrysler cars. Today, the Zurich based automobile importer and dealer AMAG are the biggest car dealership in Switzerland. Ernst’s Chrysler Across the Alps poster is created in an Art Deco style. It features a bright red Chrysler car speeding its way up a mountain. The car in question appears to be a beautiful, convertible Chrysler Imperial 80. The automobile is depicted travelling across the Alps, which are represented by a series of blue triangles. The mountain peaks protrude high above the clouds which Ernst has  represented in the form of a series of circles at the foot of the mountain range. The poster reads: Chrysler. AMAG Automobil-u. Motoren A.G. Zurich. The poster is signed ‘Ernst’ in the bottom right hand corner. The Chrysler Imperial automobile The Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler. It was formed out of the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company and the Chalmers Automobile Company. Maxwell had been one of the top three American automobile manufacturers between 1904 and 1925. The Maxwell line was phased out in 1925 by the newly founded Chrysler company. However, Chrysler continued to produce cars that had been designed and developed at Maxwell. The Chrysler Imperial is one example. The car was introduced in 1926 as their top of the line car. The car was Chrysler’s highest priced model manufactured to rival other prestige marques by the likes of cadillac, Lincoln, Duesenburg, Pierce Arrow, Studebaker and Packard. The Chrysler Imperial in it various forms was the company’s most exclusive vehicle between 1926 and 1954. The Chrysler Imperial was available in a choice of four engine sizes, the models were named the Imperial 50, 60, 70 and 80. The model numbers denoting the speeds the car could reach. The car was available in eight body styles including a two-door coupe, four-door sedan and four-door Town Sedan and were priced at between $2495 and £3595. Considering the popularity of the Chrysler Imperial in its heyday, it’s surprising that so many still exist. Perhaps it’s because they were once so common nobody considered them worth saving. This applies to many of the early Chrysler automobiles. most of them are extremely rare. Few even survived the Great Depression and World War II’s scrap metal drives.