Museo Stradale

Online Auto Museum
One man's passionate quest to survey finest motorcars in the world

Photographed: Saint Michaels Concours d'Elegance, 2009. Owner: Gale & Henry Petronis

SEE OUR MAIN ARTICLE ON THE Chrysler CG Imperial FOR A FULL HISTORY AND EVALUATION.

For Those Keeping Track: One of my sources for the whole shebang on the CG Imperial is a write-up done by Christie's for the sale of a very pretty two-tone blue car which, at the time, was fresh out of the Lloyd Harriman collection. So of course I was thrilled to run into that very same car at St. Michael's. This must be one of the prettiest Imperials known to exist, and all the more special because it is fitted with the hot motor, distinguished by a fire engine red cam cover across the top of the block.

Apart from the motor, you can see a few differences in the trim level between this and the bright green example we have in the main article. The leather trim, for instance, extends around the edge of the doors—looking rather sporting in red—while the windscreen is a two-piece vee in place of the solid plate on other versions. And the cloth canopy over the driving compartment is truncated, a bit more spiffy for doing without landau irons. These were top-shelf cosmetic changes that would have commanded a premium, particularly with the hotted up motor.

The rest is perfunctory: 125 horsepower from eight cylinders and roughly 384 cubic inches, a four-speed manual transmission, and hydraulic brakes all around. This was a nice car to drive, and a beautiful one at that.

More to Follow: Sometimes it's nice to collect a sampling of different examples of the same species. In the case of the Imperial, we'll have two more fine cars appearing shortly. So please bear with me as these days I'm also in the mood to expand our selection of Delahayes and Jaguars.

Sources:

Christie's International Motor Cars - Pebble Beach Auction Catalogue, 1999, Offering this same example p.78-79

"Chrysler, The Early Eights" by Don Butler, Cars and Parts, October 1978

"1931 Chrysler Imperial Roadster" by Jerry Bengel, Car Classics, June 1975 p. 16-19

 

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