Chrysler : Imperial CV Coupe

We have for your consideration a very rare 1934 Chrysler Airflow Imperial model CV coupe. The Chrysler book reports that 212 of these cars were built in 1934. This automobile has become very rare and is believed to be one of 7 Imperial CV coupes left in existence. This car is identical to the one that Chrysler Motors sent into the desert in the spring of 1934 to have race legend Harry Hartz. under certification by AAA Club. to test the cars endurance. A record of 94 miles per hour was set for the 24 hour period with a gas consumption of 18 miles per gallon. ALL models of the Imperials CU. CV. CX & CW were equipped with overdrive transmissions and power assisted brakes. This car has 99% of the parts needed for a concourse restoration. The only rust is believed to be a small spot in the rear corner of each door. Two hoods and two grills come with the car. one early production with narrow bars and later production with wider bars (stainless steel). The interior fabric has been baked away by the sun as has the fabric roof insert. The special wire mesh for the top is there. The passenger compartment had plywood inserts in the floor and these are now gone. Some seat parts are missing but could be fabricated from other models. The gauges are intact. The bumpers are comprised of the three stacked bars and held together by the backing bar. All the bumpers are with the car as well as the 4+ hubcaps. Missing is the hood ornament & outside door locking handle. The dash board and instruments are in quite nice shape. This fine automobile is a rare piece of automotive history and when restored can safely be driven at highway speeds. which is unusual for most cars of this era. I am representing and listing this car for a friend of mine. Bill and the car is located in Central Minnesota. Bill purchased the car about 35 years ago in California and had it transported to Minnesota with dreams of this being his big life restoration. The first 4 photos which were take 35 years ago show the Chrysler being loaded into a semi trailer where it has spent the last 35 + years. Bill has decided to thin out his collection of 129 cars and trucks and has hired me to sell 89 of them. and this is one of the rarest he has. This car deserves to be restored and I am sure it will be by some savvy investor. The car is currently out of the semi trailer and stored in a garage. I traveled from California this summer to inspect it and the other vehicles. quite a collection!This is a NO RESERVE listing and encourage you to inspect the car before purchasing it. Please contact me at 949 492-8702 to set up an inspection. I am at this number Monday through Friday for 9:00AM to 5:00 PM most days. I own and operate Classy Chev USA in San Clemente CA. This car is almost 80 years old and is sold as-is where is with no warranty. The car is sold with a Bill of Sale and a photo copy of The California title when he purchased it. Bill and his helper can assist loading the car and coordinating with a transport driver. We are glad to export this car to Europe. Japan. Australia or Canada. ALL costs after the sale are the responsibility of the purchaser. We now have it ready for a tow truck or trailer to pick up. Please feel free to ask any questions or make any offers. We want this to be a pleasant transaction for all involved. so IF you bid or commit to purchasing this car. please be aware that a bid is part of a legally binding contract. We will require a Pay Pal payment of $1000. 00 with-in 24 hours of your committing to purchase. This payment is non refundable. The balance must be paid in cash on pick up. direct wire transfer or certified bank cashiers check. All and any funds MUST CLEAR our bank before the car is released. The car does have the original engine and transmission installed in the car.

The serial number on this car is 7011041

Jay Leno argue that the bold. design of the 1934 Chrysler Imperial CX Airflow—a car that was considered unattractive in its day—was just ahead of its time.

Jay's CX sedan has an extra-long front door from the Airflow coupe. Photograph by John LammBack in its day. my 1934 Chrysler Imperial CX Airflow was considered unattractive. which was a painful surprise to the Chrysler engineers and designers. This styling and engineering masterpiece represented Chrysler's moonshot at greatness. The company broke from that era's traditional design—flat-front radiators. big fenders. separated headlights and imposing. squared-off bodies—in favor of a more rounded shape combined with several engineering innovations.

Yet it was a sales disaster.

It's hard to sell something before its time. and car buyers simply weren't ready for the Airflow's slick shape.

The Airflow owes its existence to Carl Breer. one of Chrysler's most celebrated engineers (the others were Fred Zeder and Owen Skelton). Breer spent six years researching and developing the revolutionary car. In consultation with aviation pioneer Orville Wright. he conducted wind-tunnel tests that showed the average car in the 1930s was 30 percent more aerodynamic going backward.

Besides its streamlined shape. the new Airflow tried to sell safety. but auto safety just didn't sell cars back then. Most auto ads in that era were not instructional. They were poetic. like the 1923 ad for the Jordan Playboy that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. The illustrated ad. titled "Somewhere West of Laramie. mentions little about the Jordan's mechanical attributes. but describes how a stylish cowgirl—who's taming a bucking horse—would find kinship with the Playboy. Or the famous "He Drives a Duesenberg" ad. where they never even showed the car and instead featured an obviously wealthy man seated in a private library. It was all about lifestyle.

In contrast. Chrysler produced a widely viewed promotional film that showed an Airflow being pushed over the side of a cliff. When it landed. the reinforced roof hadn't collapsed. all the doors still opened. and a guy got in it and drove it away. It had survived a crash that would probably have demolished other cars of the era. which still used wood in their bodies. The Airflow had many other safety features. Its steering column goes right into the dashboard—not between the clutch and brake pedals—so the shaft doesn't interfere with the driver's feet. The body had 40 times the rigidity of previous Chryslers; a strong tubular frame meant you were essentially driving in a steel cage.

The Airflow's rounded waterfall grille resembled a streamlined locomotive. Other innovations included wraparound windshields on the top-line CWs. but they were hard to install and many broke on the assembly line. Before air conditioning. carmakers tried to get lots of air circulating through the cabin. The vent and side windows open. and at the flip of a switch the entire frame goes down. Even the windshield cranks open. You can get a lot of air flowing through this car and stay quite cool.

The passenger compartment has so many art deco touches. it looks like you're sitting in the Chrysler Building in New York. It had such wide. upright seats that Chrysler had to produce them on a special assembly line. The front-engine layout locates all occupants optimally between the front and rear axles. The chassis was designed with long. soft leaf springs that provide an incredibly comfortable ride. Chrysler. which did anything it could to get prospective buyers to go for a convincing test drive. called it the Floating Ride.

My Imperial Airflow is wonderful to drive—more like a car from the 1940s or early 1950s than the '30s. due to its smooth ride. It came with a 323. 5-cid. 130-bhp straight Eight and automatic overdrive. You lift off the gas at 38 mph and step on the clutch. and fourth gear automatically engages. Like the Duesenberg. it's one of the few cars from the '30s that you can drive 70 mph on the freeway and not feel rushed or pushed. And you know it's aerodynamic. because there's virtually no wind noise.

For years. nobody wanted Airflows. Prices were quite reasonable. and still are to this day. There's an Airflow club that's very active. But not many cars survive. Chrysler sold only 11. 92 Airflows in 1934. and just 67 were CX Custom Imperial eight-passenger limos like mine. They designed a new hood and a conventional grille for the 1935 models to make them look more like the other cars on the road. but it was all for naught. and production ended in 1937 after only four years.

Which just goes to show that it's hard to sell something before its time. The Airflow was a complete change from its predecessor. and the styling was so extreme that people were really shocked. To them this round thing looked like something from another planet. It still does. The 1933 Chrysler Imperial resembled a Duesenberg or a Packard. In 1934. the new Airflow looked like a giant jellybean.

And that's why I like it.

By Jay Leno

Here is the link to Jay Leno's website. He owns a 1937 CX Limo which is similar to the Coupe in many ways. VERY Kool!

http://www. jaylenosgarage. com/extras/articles/when-car-design-is-ahead-of-its-time-jay-leno---article/index. shtml#item=83809

Also published at eBay.ca

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