Engine – 384.8-Cubic-Inch L-Head Inline Eight-Cylinder
Cylinder Head – Experimental High-Compression Aluminum Head
Drivetrain Features – Vacuum-Operated Clutch and Free Wheeling
Wheelbase – 135 inches
Coachwork – Chrysler Custom Body Shop
Body Design – Herbert Weissinger, Chrysler Art Department
Production – One-Off Factory Commission for Walter P. Chrysler

"A Chrysler for Chrysler"

Among the special automobiles commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler for himself and his family, few were as individual as this 1932 Imperial CH Speedster. Conceived entirely within the corporation bearing his name, it was designed by Herbert Weissinger of Chrysler’s Art Department and constructed by the company’s experimental Custom Body Shop. Though long mistaken for a LeBaron creation, the Speedster was something rarer: a Chrysler designed, engineered, and built by Chrysler for Chrysler.

Even among the era's great coachbuilt Imperials, this car stands apart. Rather than using the long-wheelbase CL chassis favored for many bespoke Imperials, the Speedster was built on the shorter 135-inch CH chassis and developed with unusual freedom from normal production constraints. Virtually every visible element received special treatment. Its sweeping pontoon fenders incorporated concealed storage compartments; individually styled step plates replaced running boards; the full-size spare disappeared beneath the rear deck on a sliding trolley; and the folding top concealed its radio antenna within the fabric. Unique bumpers, headlamps, fittings, controls, and interior details carried the same attention throughout. Chrysler Jr. later recalled that the car’s deep maroon finish was developed to capture the richness of a color his father had admired on a Ming Dynasty vase.

Beneath the largely aluminum body, the experimentation continued. The straight-eight received an experimental high-compression aluminum cylinder head, while accelerator-operated starting, automatic restart provisions, a vacuum-operated clutch, and Free Wheeling explored ways of making a powerful luxury automobile increasingly effortless to operate. Period factory photographs even show racing legend Barney Oldfield at the wheel, with Chrysler engineering vice president Fred Zeder beside him.

The Speedster remained with the Chrysler family for decades before passing through a remarkably small succession of owners. Acquired by Sam and Emily Mann in 1989 and subsequently restored, it earned Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1991 before eventually joining The Singleton Collection.