Chrysler launched its CD series in July of 1930, featuring a smaller 240-cubic-inch inline eight-cylinder engine, in July 1930. A second series followed in January 1931, with an 88-brake-horsepower, 261-cubic-inch engine, followed in May by the new CD Deluxe Eight with its 100-brake-horsepower, 282-cubic-inch engine. The latter was luxuriously trimmed to a level nearly equal to that of the grand Imperial and was second only to it in power, though produced in sportier body styles and generally in even smaller numbers.

Like all eight-cylinder Chryslers of this era, at at time when the company led the country in engineering prowess, it was one of America’s finest driving cars, with road manners superior to most everything else on the market—and it was even something of a performance bargain for its buyers. The Chrysler CD was a beauty, too, with a design inspired by the Cord L-29 and closed body styles featuring V-shaped windshields.

The CD Deluxe Eight offered here was one of just 1,506 built in this style, a rakish coupe with rumble seat. Restored some years ago for a prior owner and formerly resident in Pennsylvania, the car is finished in a very appropriate color scheme: dark green with black fenders and moldings, with yellow wire wheels and matching pinstriping. Typical of the automobiles in Sonny Schwartz’s Suzy Q Collection, it is lavishly accessorized, including with dual horns, a radiator stone guard, Gazelle mascot, dual side-mounted spares with mirrors, and wind wings. At the rear, a luggage rack carries a metal trunk, handy for tools and parts while touring. The interior is finished in gray wool cloth with a blue dashboard carrying an impressive roster of instrumentation and rich trim throughout creating an especially handsome appearance.

Ideal for local showing and touring, the Chrysler recorded 127 miles at the time of cataloguing. It exhibits some minor age and use to its finishes, in particular to the interior, although the dashboard is beautiful and the car still has a wonderful appearance. Returned to the road after years on exhibit in the collection, it would surely deliver excellent power for its age and size, while its V-shaped windshield, low-slung lines, and rumble seat would return no small amount of entertainment value and start conversations everywhere.

Ideal for Antique Automobile Club of America events and the Vintage Motor Car Club of America’s famous Glidden Tour, there is nothing like a 1930s Chrysler.