The 1931 CG Imperial was a bellwether for where Chrysler’s top-of-the-line prestige models were heading as automakers entered the Classic Era at full steam. A challenge to the likes of the V-16 Cadillac and Senior Packards, it was based upon a grand, 145-inch-wheelbase chassis. Styling by Alan Leamy incorporated a bold, subtly raked radiator shell; a long hoodline and fenders behind Duesenberg-like bumpers; and sleek bowl headlights. Power came from a 384.8-cubic-inch nine-main-bearing straight-eight engine, producing 125 horsepower with peerless smoothness. Most significantly, reflecting Chrysler’s engineering prowess, the CG Imperial was a wonderful package—beautifully balanced and, for its era, exceptional to drive in all regards.

Among the most striking bodies on this chassis was LeBaron’s roadster, a jaunty ragtop whose rakish lines were distinguished by an interior that wrapped over the edges of the doors, as on a vintage biplane. It was dramatic, exciting, and scarce even when new. Historians believe that only about 100 roadsters were originally built; of those only a dozen original examples are known to survive, of which historian Joe Morgan indicates just three retain their original drivetrain.

The example offered here is one of those three. Mr. Morgan indicates that the car was originally delivered to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on 26 December 1930 as an early production model. It was originally restored in the early 1960s by the pioneering trader in vintage automobiles M.H. “Tiny” Gould of Trucksville, Pennsylvania, who recorded it in the Antique Automobile Club of America’s rosters in both 1961 and 1968, the former inaccurately recording it as a coupe. Mr. Gould exhibited the freshly restored car at several Classic Car Club of America events, including the Annual Meeting at Buck Hill Falls in 1966; it eventually earned Senior badge number 275. He later sold the Chrysler to his longstanding client A.N. “Al” Rodway, a Cleveland-area nightclub proprietor and an avid collector of Full Classics with one of the East Coast’s nicest private museums. Later it was acquired by the well-known enthusiasts and brokers Mark Smith and Norman Wolgin.

Mr. Wright acquired the Chrysler in 1987 from Archie Meinerz of Wisconsin and undertook a fresh restoration with his trusted team, Roy and Ralph Snyder of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. Meticulously, authentically, and correctly restored in their skilled hands, with ample historical research provided by Mr. Wright, the car was refinished in its original colors of Dustproof Gray and Auto Gray Dark, with chassis and undercarriage in Dover Cliff Blue and striping in silver. It went on to achieve a Grand National First Prize from the Antique Automobile Club of America in 1996. In more recent years it has been carefully preserved within the Wright Collection, and its restoration today remains in outstanding overall cosmetic condition, reflecting the excellent care and minimal use that it has received since its completion.

Among the finest surviving examples of the CG Imperial roadster, and thus among the most sought-after of all Classic Chryslers, this car is worthy of the finest collection in every important regard.