1933 Chrysler CL Custom Imperial Roadster

Nine Convertible Roadsters were built in 1933 including using the last bodies originally built for 1932. Of those nine, six examples remain in existence. This example was originally delivered to New York City on March 17th of 9133 and its earliest known owner was Raymond Burgess of Greenville, South Carolina, in the early 1950s. It was later owned by James A. Nelson, Jr., of Tyron, North Carolina, and then Myron M. Reichert of Rancho Santa Fe, California, who purchased the Chrysler in 1988. David Kane of Bernardsville, New Jersey purchased it a decade later and in 1999 it was given a restoration by Stone Barn in nearby Vienna. It was given its original color scheme of black with a tan top and a tan leather interior (the interior was done by Sharp Auto Upholstery of Elyria, Ohio).

This Chrysler has dual side-mounted spare tires with body-color covers, double whitewall tires, and an opening windshield.

The car made its restoration debut at the 50th anniversary Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2000, winning 1st in the American Classic 1933-1941 Open category. It achieved its CCCA Senior Premier award after no fewer than three perfect 100-point scores and received the Warshawsky Award as the highest-point judged Classic at the Annual Meeting in 2001. It was awarded the Most Significant Chrysler at the Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance in 2002, and a Palmetto Award at Hilton Head the following year.

Tom Kowalski of Colorado acquired the Chrysler in 2006 and it remained in his care for seven years. In 2013 it was sold into new ownership.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022