All Chrysler cars were redesigned for 1940. A horizontal, thin-bar grille gave a new look, and re-contoured fenders had sealed-beam headlights, a new industry feature, integrated into their leading edge.

Six-cylinder cars were designated C-25 and came in two series: Royal, the entry-level line, and Windsor, which had better appointments. The convertible coupe, reintroduced after a one-year absence, was available only in the Windsor line. The 241.5-cubic inch L-head inline six-cylinder Gold Seal engine had been carried over from 1939, but it was given a modest power increase. Chrysler’s Fluid Drive, which had debuted in 1939, was available on eight-cylinder cars. All C-25 sixes had a conventional dry clutch and three-speed manual gearbox, but an overdrive was optional, though rarely ordered.

The condition of this 1940 Windsor Convertible Coupe belies the age of its restoration. Completed in 1996, it went on to Antique Automobile Club of America National First and Senior honors. It won Best of Show at a national Chrysler club event, and it remains concours-worthy today.

The car is finished in burgundy with a contrasting tan Haartz cloth top and has matching burgundy leather throughout. The top is power-operated, the first year this feature was available. The Windsor has Chrysler’s other noteworthy 1940 features, including a Safety Signal Speedometer, which changes color with increasing speed, front-door wind wings, unique to convertibles, and the optional hidden running boards. It has authentic bumper over-riders, a Chrysler windshield post spotlight, dual fog lights, and accessory directional signals, the latter integrated into front and rear lights. It also has the coveted but very rare overdrive transmission. Unusually, there is no radio, and in its place is a correct radio-delete plate in the dashboard. Nor is there a heater, implying it was originally sold in California or a similar warm climate. Wide whitewall tires nicely complement body-color steel wheels with correct red-line hubcaps and bright beauty rings, and the bumpers have accessory over-riders. The rear fenders have attractive skirts, an authentic Chrysler accessory.

Chrysler built just 2,275 Windsor Convertible Coupes for 1940, the lowest production of any body style except the long-wheelbase sedans and limousines. With its unusual array of equipment, this superb survivor is certainly a member of a very small constituency. One would be hard-pressed to find another, let alone one in this condition.