Lot 135

Hershey 2015

1929 Chrysler Series 75 Roadster

The Richard Roy Estate

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$33,000 USD | Sold

United States | Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Engine No.
R302359
  • Offered from the Richard Roy Collection
  • The same model and body style entered in the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans
  • Eligible for the Le Mans Classic and Mille Miglia

75 bhp, 248.9 cu. in. L-head inline six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front and live rear axles with semi-elliptical leaf-spring suspension, and Lockheed four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 121 in.

Chrysler automobiles of the late 1920s were not merely well engineered and solidly constructed. They were also remarkably fast. Between 1925 and 1931, Chryslers competed internationally at such events as the Mille Miglia and the 24-hour races at Le Mans and Spa, running against the best and most expensive automobiles that Europe had to offer. In fact, at the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans, a Series 75 Roadster finished 6th Overall and 3rd in the Index of Performance, and at that year’s Mille Miglia, a similar car won the 5-Litre Class.

It was not speed or power that attracted Richard Roy to the Series 75. He had simply owned one as his first car and loved it enough that he could never quite turn away from one again. Accordingly, his collection at his passing included three Series 75s, among them this attractive roadster, which was acquired from Leland Winstian, of Cressona, Pennsylvania, via Mr. Roy’s friend, Dave Helms.

A nice yet older restoration believed to date to the 1970s, the car is finished in rich maroon and black with yellow pinstriping. While the paint shows some age, it is still very presentable, as is the brown leather interior, which has been “worn in” just enough to be comfortable and inviting. The wire wheels are finished in yellow and could benefit from repainting. The car is fitted with an accessory luggage rack and trunk with canvas dust cover, as well as dual side-mounted spares with covers, B-L-C fog lights, and correct Chrysler-badged headlights. WPC Club and AACA badges on the windshield attest well to previous enthusiast ownership.

Ready for re-commissioning and further enjoyment—perhaps in historic racing!—this is an unlikely sports machine from a great era.