In 1941 Chrysler made only 5 Newport Phaeton duel cowl roadster. These cars pushed the envelope of design of the time. They toured the country showing design features that would be coming in the next five years. The war intervened and many of the design and styling features were not followed up on. The actress Lana Turner bought one and painted it red, the fifth was used as the 1941 the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. Later repainted from the original gold to Walter Chrysler’s favorite color green and was kept by Walter P Chrysler Jr. as his personal car.







Ralph Roberts designed the car an aluminum body on a New Yorker frame at the LeBaron factory. The Newport and the smaller Thunderbolt introduced the envelope theory of design that is a single flowing surface from the front of the car to the rear. Before this fenders were bolted on to the body. The car also incorporated hideaway headlights an aircraft style cockpit, an electrically operated convertible top that folded automatically into a compartment behind the rear seat but in front of the trunk that also was electrically operated. It was powered by a 137 H.P. straight eight and a 3 speed manual transmission.

We made touch up paint for the car that was the lead car in Denver’s St Patrick’s Day parade. I would like to thank Karen Floyd for her photos of the parade.


I had a chance to see the car after the parade and it is one of the very most impressive cars I have ever seen

For more information and pictures see
The Imperial Club
The Walter P. Chrysler Museum
The Detroit News
and my Flickr page




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