In 1926, Walter P. Chrysler launched his company into the luxury car market with the Imperial. By 1928, the upgraded Series 80 Imperial, featuring the 112 hp “Red Head” engine, was hailed as “America’s Most Powerful Motorcar.” The Imperial was offered with factory coachwork or custom bodies designed by high-end coachbuilders like Dietrich, LeBaron, and Locke & Company of Rochester, New York. Locke’s designs, including this rumble seat Roadster and the John Tjaarda-designed Touralette, catered to youthful, affluent buyers of the Roaring Twenties.

This Locke-bodied Roadster was once part of Bill Pettit’s Museum of Motoring Memories in Natural Bridge, Virginia, founded in 1958 by Chrysler dealer W.A. “Claude” Pettit Jr., and curated by his son Bill. The museum featured a remarkable collection of cars, including Duesenbergs, Rolls-Royce, and a Tucker, many acquired from their original owners and preserved in unrestored condition. This Chrysler is no exception – it was acquired from its first owner, who traded it in toward a 1953 Plymouth convertible. It was also featured in the museum’s postcard series, with one included in the car’s file.

Stan Lucas purchased this rare Imperial from the Pettit collection at the 1998 Christie’s Tarrytown auction, and it has remained a fixture in his superb collection for the past 27 years. Still unrestored and in remarkably original order, this is a particularly attractive and charming example of a seldom-seen Chrysler Imperial.