Chrysler : Imperial Series 80 Roadster

OVERVIEW:

This is an extremely rare example of a notably significant car. It holds Full Classic status with the Classic Car Club of America.
It is believed that only 6 examples are known to exist. and only two of those are in North America. This is the only left hand drive one known built for the North American market. The other known ones are right hand drives sold outside of North America. one was recently brought to the USA from the UK.

This model. "The Imperial E-80 Roadster". was the Official Pace Car of the 1926 Indianapolis 500. 1927 models were identical. although they offered options on headlamps and coach lamps.
With a serial number only 69 past the starting number. we believe this to be an early 1927 model. It was named the Series 80 as Chrysler guaranteed it would maintain a speed of "80" miles an hour to start the race. A historical photo shows Walter P. Chrysler in the passenger seat. with Louis Chevrolet at the wheel.

Built in Detroit. 1926 was the first year for Chrysler Imperials. a luxury series with distinctive styling. longer wheelbases. and a larger. more powerful engine. At 288 cubic inches it was rated at 92 horsepower. It also boasted superior braking power by way of hydraulic brakes.

Specific production numbers for the Roadster are not known. Model E-80 Chrysler Imperials were built in 14 different body styles. most of which would have been the larger 4 door and closed bodied cars.
The roadster rides on a 120” wheelbase and weighs in at just under 4. 00 lbs. It is a big car.

This particular car has a fully known history from new. when it was sold by Begg Motors in Vancouver. British Columbia. on April 14th. 1927. It has spent its whole life in British Columbia's lower Mainland. having only 3 owners. and having been garaged kept by all of them. It has been in the care of its third and present owner for the last 60 years. since 1955.
It was the subject of a photo documented. full body off restoration that spanned 9 years and was completed in 2003. Over the last 12 years since. it has travelled less than 2. 00 miles on fair weather special outings. and remains in excellent condition.
In that time the car has also been shown and featured. receiving 23 trophies and awards. including many Firsts and Best Of. Peoples' Choice. Majors' Selection. etc…
This car and its owner have twice received invitation from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to attend the Celebration of Automobiles event. which heralded the 97th running of the Indy 500 in 2013. and the 2014 Grand Prix of Indianapolis-Indy Car Series.

DRIVETRAIN:

The original engine. # XE-8360. has been fully rebuilt. The block bears a casting date of 10-7-6. It's a 288. 6 ci. . L-Head 6 cylinder. factory rated at 92 horsepower. It has 7 main bearings and solid lifters. The bore is 3½” with a 5” stroke. was bored . 030 over with new pistons and valves fitted.
The crankshaft was turned. and the rods had new babbitt poured.
There is a complete spare engine included with this car. along with some other parts such as starter. generator. sprockets. etc.

The car sports its correct Stromberg OX-3 brass carburetor and Delco-Remy 656E distributor. both of which have been restored. and the same applies to the starter and generator. The oil filter is firewall mounted.
The manifold has been porcelain coated.
The vacuum tank is in good working order but sustained a dent along the way.
The new radiator core was special ordered from England. and the original tanks were reconditioned and fitted to the new core. Correct 6 blade fan.

Overall the engine compartment and components all appear as correct and original. There are only minor deviations from originality. all of which could easily and inexpensively be changed to period correct. These are the spark plug wires. hose clamps. fan belt. tie wraps on the battery cable. and modern wiring loom.

The 3 speed transmission and differential have been overhauled as required and fitted with new bearings and seals.
Nice detail with correct leather boot wraps around the u-joints.

CHASSIS:

The solid original and damage free frame and chassis component parts were sandblasted and painted semi-gloss black. The leaf springs were disassembled. blasted. painted and reassembled. One leaf was replaced and trimmed to match the originals. The springs maintain good arch and give the car a proper stance and good ride.
The spring rubber shackles were all replaced with new ones from Steele Rubber Products in the USA.

The 4 Watson recoil shocks were all rebuilt. The right rear unit is on the car but will need to be redone. The link strap has been removed. and the owner has 2 other units to facilitate rebuilding. He can also supply a contact to do the job.

The steering box was rebuilt and new front end components were installed.
The complete 4 wheel hydraulic brake system was rebuilt. It uses external contracting bands at all 4 wheels. The master cylinder was replaced with a modern unit for greater reliability. This negated the need for the brake pressure reservoir. which would have been mounted in the bracket to the left of the vacuum tank. That reservoir is no longer with the car.

The exhaust system is stainless and in excellent condition.
The gas tank was flushed. cleaned and lined.

It has five beautiful 18”. 72 spoke Buffalo wire wheels sporting chromed rings. They are mounted on all new. professionally made custom hub assemblies. These new assemblies include the complete inner hubs. and the outer knock offs. They are made of brass and chrome plated. and were made correctly with right and left hands threads as required.
Included is a correct Buffalo hub wrench. very rare.
The tires are Firestone Deluxe Champion wide white wall 7. 00x18 in excellent condition.

BODY & PAINT:

The wood is for the most part original and very solid without any rot. or soft areas. Only a few wood pieces needed replacement.
The two main rails between the frame and the body of the car were replaced with new Western Oak from the front of the car to the rear. with proper felt webbing in between the frame and body. Two pieces in the rumble seat area that support the tilt mechanism were replaced with aluminum for rigidity and longevity.

This car carries all its original sheet metal and fenders. It is serial numbered according to the Fedco System and the original Fedco tag with number code. EW724C. and WPChrysler signature is dash mounted.

All panels and body work are very straight. Little body work was required. as the only damage the car ever suffered was a minor hit to the right front fender. which was professionally repaired. The car was rust free prior to restoration.
The fenders and hood were Redi-Stripped to bare metal prior to quality materials. primers and paints being used in the refinishing. The running boards are new.

The paint finish is excellent. ICI Auto Color acrylic enamel was used with formula based. period correct colors chosen by the owner. It has never been wet sanded or polished. and has a very smooth finish. great shine and reflection.
At this point there is no pin striping on the car. This leaves an opportunity to select a complimentary color and give the roadster that extra little spiff of eye appeal.
The only flaws worth mention are a couple of paint chips along the lower edge of the hood side panels. behind the hood latches.

ELECTRICAL:

The car has original 6-volt electrical. with the battery located under the driver side floor. At time of restoration. a correct reproduction wiring harness was not available. so all new wiring was done using modern plastic coated wire. However. the original wiring harness is still intact and comes with the car. so making a new harness with correct cloth covered wiring and loom would not be difficult.

The gauges all appear in very nice original condition. The amp. oil pressure. temperature. and gas gauges are all in working condition.
The speedometer was in working order but recently quit. the speedo cable is suspect.

The clock is in working order but has been disconnected. simply to prevent battery drain.
There is a retractable cigarette lighter on the right side of the dash. The retraction feature works. but the wire is disconnected and working condition unknown.

All lights are in working order. and glass lenses are in good condition.
The headlamps have reflectors on their backsides which light up when the high beams are on.

The tail light is correct original. Chrysler scripted.
The car has not been equipped with turn signals.
The horn is mounted low on the left side of the block just ahead of the oil filler pipe.

INTERIOR & TOP:

The seat covers and interior panels are beautifully upholstered in quality leather. with correct patterns and stitching. A touch of class is added by way of a leather swatch passing across the top of the instrument panel.

The seats are plush and comfortable. Both door panels include an upholstered pocket. and there is a leather arm rest pad at the top of each door. The rumble seat also has padded. leather wrapped arm rests.

There is 3rd door for golf club storage into the rumble seat area. New rubber matting over new plywood floor boards and in the rumble area.

New wood top bows were custom made and all hardware was restored and chrome plated. They are covered in a quality canvas top with excellent fit. and the correct rear glass window.
The owner did not have new side curtains or a top boot made. but the original side curtains are included and are in great shape for patterns. along with enough spare top material to make them and a boot cover.

A Trico vacuum wiper motor. with rare Trico scripted pull knob. is mounted at the top of the windshield. It is unrestored. not in working condition. and the vacuum line is disconnected.
The original interior door handles are off the car and are broken. but new reproduction handles are available. A pull handle to open the rumble lid is located between the backrests.
It sports a beautifully restored original wood steering wheel.

The 2 bezels around the light switch and choke control are off the car. and broken. but included. Those. as well as the instrument cluster bezel. are fragile pot metal with very ornate detailing. so the decision was made to leave them original as opposed to risking further damage or loss of detail thru the plating process.

BRIGHTWORK:

All new chrome plating on the car is outstanding show quality.
The headlamp buckets are absolutely beautiful. much nicer than the painted bullet ones initially used on the earlier cars. The chrome on them is outstanding.

Crowning appointments to this sporty roadster are the beautifully detailed Chrysler winged mascot. and the gold plated Chrysler emblem.

The original gas cap was recently lost. so in the pics the car has a temporary modern replacement. The owner has had a new correct looking and fitting steel cap made. which will need to be either painted or chrome plated.

Apart from that. there are 2 items missing on the car. a crank hole cover. and the rear bumper mounted step plate to the rumble seat. The upper fender mounted step plate is there.

SUMMARY:

If open air motoring in a CCCA Full Classic roadster turns your crank. then this extremely rare luxury sport model is ready for you to show and tour with and enjoy.
It has gone far enough to be broken in. and for the bugs to be worked out of it. yet it still conveys fresh and new. The few minor details outstanding could be easily addressed without great expense to take this beauty over the top.

Much passion. time. and money was put into this restoration by its longtime owner. The progression of years have led him to a decision to make this fine classic available.
Along with many photos of the restoration process. it includes the original Instruction Manual dated 1-1-26. a 1925-33 Chrysler Master Parts Book. and some original ads of the day.

1926-27 Chrysler Imperial Series 80 Roadster

This special and notable car is now being made available to the classic car collector world at large.
Rarely will you come across a car with as many attributes of historical and collectible significance as this. and at such investment value.

1st Model Imperial Roadster

1926 Indy Pace Car Model

CCCA Full Classic

Rare Only Known Example in North America

Big Roadster. Big Engine. Hydraulic Brakes

Fully Restored

The car is being offered with a reasonable reserve. set far below its restoration cost and appraised value.
Being the only North American example of the 1926 Indy Pace Car model. what might it be worth as the 2026 Indy rolls around! Maybe they'd invite you to do a lap?

PAYMENT TERMS:

This Full Classic is being listed on behalf of the owner. Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus. net' or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. All information listed has been gathered from discussions and test drive with the owner and visual inspection by me. Many more additional pics are available for viewing at www. carsgoneby. com/PhotoAlbums/1926ChryslerImperial . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing. with the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or wire transfer. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. Any deviation from. or changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable. and should be requested. discussed. and agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding. and please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a clear British Columbia registration (title) document and bill of sale. Car was registered as a 1926 decades ago and still appears as such on current registration.
The car is located in Langley. British Columbia. Canada. very close to the border crossings between BC and WA state on the west coast. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding. quotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth. hassle free experience by arranging all inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide. the majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!

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