As a child of the 1970s and 1980s, I remember the Chrysler K-Cars very well. These were the cars that get the credit for ...

As design chief, Gale was thrust into the public eye and was widely credited with leading the transformation of Chrysler's styling away from the boxy K-Cars to the swoopy, "cab-forward" LH sedans.

Unlike the disastrous General Motors X-cars, the K-cars were designed and built well, and they were so successful that Chrysler was able to pay off its loans, with interest, by 1983.

The V8 was then paired with a Getrag five-speed manual transmission and most special of all, an all-wheel-drive system—allegedly developed by Lotus and specifically designed for the K-Car ...