Chrysler

The company’s skyscraping Manhattan headquarters is arguably as iconic as its most notable vehicles, such as the 300. Walter Chrysler began the history of the ‘Pentastar’ brand when he made tracks from the railroad business to the car industry in 1911. After a stint at Buick, where he became president, Chrysler Motor Corporation was formed out of the Maxwell Motor Company. With its multiple brands that included Plymouth and Dodge, Chrysler established itself as one of America’s biggest car companies – and one famous for its Hemi V6 and V8 engines. An Australian subsidiary was formed in 1951 to build and sell cars locally, the most memorable of which is the 1971 Valiant Charger. The Chrysler badge – though not all nameplates – disappeared when Mitsubishi took over local operations, before the US car maker returned as an importer (initially with Jeep in 1994). After the failed 1998 DaimlerChrysler “merger of equals” and a liquidation scare in 2008, Fiat stepped in to save the company and form FiatChrysler in 2009.