The 1950 Crosley Hot Shot is often given credit for the first production disc brakes but the Chrysler Imperial actually had them first as standard equipment at the beginning of the 1949 model year.
[1] The Crosley disc was a Goodyear development, a caliper type with ventilated rotor, originally designed for aircraft applications.
[1] Lack of sufficient research caused enormous reliability problems, especially in regions requiring the use of salt on winter roads, such as sticking and corrosion.
[1] It was built by Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company (Ausco) of St. Joseph, Michigan, under patents of inventor H.L.
[1] The discs spread apart to create friction against the inner drum surface through the action of standard wheel cylinders.
[1] But because of the expense, the brakes were only standard on the Chrysler Crown Imperial through 1954 and the Town and Country Newport in 1950.