Among the most desirable body styles on the beautifully engineered Chrysler CG Imperial chassis of 1931 is the dual-cowl phaeton, a design so striking that it, in part, served as inspiration for the Classic Car Club of America’s logo.

The car offered here, an original example of this design, was discovered by the noted Imperial specialist and historian Joe Morgan in the early 1980s in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where it had been stored for many years. In 2015, Mr. Morgan noted that the car had been delivered in Pittsburgh on 13 January 1931, equipped with the very desirable 3.82:1 gears, and that it remained a very solid and complete example that was an ideal basis for restoration. Its new owner spent nearly four years on the car’s restoration, including a very slightly lowered top to improve its lines, after which it proved quite successful in competition with both the Antique Automobile Club of America, winning its Senior First Prize and the 1993 James Melton Memorial Cup, and the CCCA, winning its Primary and Senior First Prizes with two perfect 100-point scores.

In 1994 Mr. Morgan sold the Imperial to the great enthusiast John McMullen of Lapeer, Michigan, who exhibited the Chrysler at that year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning First in Class—an honor that it soon repeated at the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance and Willistead Classic Concours d’Elegance. In Mr. McMullen’s ownership the car was also featured in Dennis Adler’s well-known book, Speed & Luxury: The Great Cars, and in the August 1997 issue of Car Collector magazine.

After spending over a decade as a centerpiece of the McMullen Collection, in 2007 the car was sold to another noted connoisseur of Full Classics, Paul Andrews Jr. of Texas, then from him to Donald Bernstein of Pennsylvania. In early 2015 it was added to the Adderley Collection and has since been proudly exhibited in its hallowed halls. The restoration exhibits some age to its finishes but overall is still very handsome, with an evident quality of workmanship and attention to detail visible throughout, reflective of Mr. Morgan’s work. It should be noted that the car has also been refitted with its original serial number tag, discovered in its history file.

The CG Imperial Dual-Cowl Phaeton is one of the greatest Full Classics, both to admire and to drive, and this example is in the first rank of the rarefied survivors.