Chassis No. 7803657 Body No. 172-50 Engine No. CL1357 Few automobiles are as inextricably tied to their creators as chassis number 7803657 is to influential LeBaron designer Ralph Roberts. Having joined LeBaron Carrossiers shortly after its founding by Raymond H. Dietrich and Tom Hibbard in 1920, Roberts ascended to partner following Hibbard's departure for Paris in 1923 and Dietrich's move to Lincoln in 1924. Under his leadership, LeBaron continued its innovative business model of creating bespoke designs for execution by independent coachbuilders until 1927, when Briggs Body Company's acquisition brought Roberts to Detroit to manage LeBaron as their prestigious in-house design studio. It was there, as Briggs' primary supplier to Chrysler, that Roberts would create some of the most elegant automotive designs of the Classic Era, culminating in this personal commission—his own vision for the ultimate dual-windshield phaeton. The CL Imperial of 1932-33 represented Chrysler's ultimate expression of Classic Era opulence. Building upon the success of the earlier CG Imperial, which had established Chrysler as a serious contender in the luxury market with its powerful 385 cu-in straight-eight engine and flowing LeBaron-designed coachwork, the CL series elevated the model's sophistication with an enhanced front-end design and distinctive hood featuring ventilation doors in place of traditional louvers. However, just as Roberts and his team at LeBaron were perfecting these elegant designs, the luxury car market was collapsing in the depths of the Depression. Of the mere 151 CL Imperials built in 1933, this extraordinary motorcar—Roberts' personal commission intended as a gift for his wife and believed to be the final Dual-Windshield Phaeton produced—represents the most significant example of this rare and desirable series. Working with LeBaron's standard Dual-Cowl Phaeton body, which featured an innovative crank-down rear windshield housed in the back of the front seat, Roberts orchestrated a series of subtle yet transformative modifications to emphasize the car's already dramatic proportions. In place of the conventional side-mounted spares, Roberts specified dual rear-mounted units, employing a repurposed Locomobile mounting bracket to increase both the car's actual length and its visual presence. The rear fenders were adorned with full skirts, foreshadowing a design element that would later appear on Chrysler's revolutionary Airflow and Airstream models. Perhaps most dramatically, Roberts specified custom headlamps mounted notably lower than standard, visually dropping the car's front profile, while the decision to paint rather than chrome the radiator shell created the illusion of an even longer hood. The sophisticated specification was completed by the addition of body-color “French disc” wheel covers over the wire wheels, lending the car a sleek, Continental appearance. The car boasts an impressive known history since new, having been retained by Mr. and Mrs. Roberts until 1942, when wartime constraints prompted its sale in Detroit. It subsequently passed through a series of notable West Coast collectors, including Bob Harrison of San Francisco (1942-1960), Bob Burkholder, Douglas O'Connell, and Jerry Lindler, before joining the renowned Otis Chandler Collection in the early 1980s. After gracing the Chandler Vintage Museum until the early 1990s, the car passed to New Hampshire-based Imperial expert Joe Morgan, and later Neil Wynn of Hillsborough, Florida, who commissioned a complete restoration by Curt Austin. This work returned the car to its original Moon Glow Blue Polychromatic finish and saw the careful recreation of Roberts' specified features, including the distinctive fender skirts and wheel discs. The quality of this restoration was immediately recognized when the car was awarded Most Elegant Open Car at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car later joined the esteemed Milhous Collection from 1998 to 2012, after which its next owner, renowned collector Judge Joseph Cassini III, entrusted RM Auto Restoration with an extensive mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment. This work included fabricating new metal covers for the dual rear-mounted spares, installing a new top and carpeting in a tan-grey color, and undertaking extensive mechanical work including new bearings for the straight-eight engine. Following this restoration work, the Imperial amassed an extraordinary succession of concours honors, earning Best of Show at both the 2012 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's and the 2014 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance, as well as Best in Class honors at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car was further distinguished as Most Elegant Open Pre-War Car at the 2016 Elegance at Hershey. Since entering the Academy of Art University Collection in 2017, the significant one-off Chrysler Imperial made a triumphant return to the Pebble Beach show field in 2024 where it once again claimed Best in Class and participated in the demanding Tour d’Elegance, demonstrating its mechanical excellence matches its exquisite cosmetics. As the personal vision of one of America's most influential automotive designers and believed to be the final example of its type, this masterwork of automotive design represents one of the most important American Classics extant.