125 bhp, 384.8 cu.

in.

L-head inline eight-cylinder engine, four-speed manual overdrive transmission with free-wheeling, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf-spring suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Wheelbase: 145 in.

The 1931 CG Imperial was a bellwether of where Chrysler’s top-of-the-line models would be heading, as they were now entering the Classic Era at full steam.

Earlier Imperials had been well-built, quality cars, but they were somewhat, dare we say it, dull.

This new model was wonderfully different.

It was a grand 145-inch wheelbase beauty that had a bold radiator shell canted back at a rakish angle and a long hood that emphasized the great power lurking below it, which was a 384.8-cubic inch, nine-main-bearing unit that could produce 125 horsepower.

The fenders flowed behind Duesenberg-like bumpers, and the headlights became sleek bowls.

While “production” CG Imperial bodies were supplied by Briggs, there were also four catalog...