Of the Big Three, Chrysler was the last to introduce a fully automatic transmission in its cars. But once it did, it soon rose to the top of the industry in building automatic transmissions.By 1954, Chrysler had introduced the two-speed PowerFlite as an option on most models (with an inevitably high take-up rate) and standard on Chrysler New Yorker and Imperial. It was a simple transmission, yet in typical Chrysler fashion a very strong one- handling as it did the sheer power of the mighty Hemi powering New Yorkers and Imperials. It remained an option in several Mopar lines until 1961.
But the 1957 model year was the full introduction of what one of, if not THE greatest automatic transmissions known to mankind.
The TorqueFlite.
TorqueFlite became standard on many high-line Mopar cars and eventually made their way to lesser lines. It was a three-speed automatic shifted by the push-button controls made famous by Chrysler. Not only that, it was a more "performance" oriented transmission and also found its place in racing.
Many variants of the Torqueflite developed:
- the A488 from 1957 to 1961, was cable-operated with a cast iron crankcase.
- the legendary 727 was introduced in 1962 with an alloy crankcase. In 1965, this transmission became column or floor-shifted for the first time, and rod-operated for 1966.
- the A904 was used behind Chrysler's smaller engines.
What made the TorqueFlite so special? Was it the ability to deliver behind Chrysler's awesome engines? Or was it the fact that it was utterly indestructible. Yes, it was both. Being used as it was in Chrysler's revered luxury and muscle cars, the TorqueFlite continued to be used in RWD Chryslers for many years. Many believe that nothing ever came close to the TorqueFlite, despite the very good automatic transmissions also offered by Ford and GM at the time.
The tragedy of it all, is that Chrysler was once known for mechanical indestructibility in the engine and transmission departments, something that has been far more questionable from that company in more recent times.
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