In midyear 1926, Chrysler introduced the all-new in-line, L-head, six-cylinder Model 60 to replace the four-cylinder Model 58.
The new car was offered in nine body styles and 82,412 automobiles were manufactured during the extended model year that concluded with the 1928 model.
One of the early 2,575-pound Model 60 touring cars left the factory wearing a coat of blue with an inch-wide band of black highlighted by a thin gold pinstripe following the waistline. The curvaceous fenders were black and the running boards were covered with tan linoleum.
This four-door windowless rig was covered by a black vinyl top stretched over wooden bows. The side curtains and supporting irons were tucked away inside a compartment in the back of the front seat. A leather flap with four snaps kept them out of sight.
The Chrysler reportedly was sold new in Oklahoma City with a 90-day warranty. The base price was $1,075. After the owner’s death in the 1970s, the estate loaned it to an auto museum in Kansas City. Two decades later, when the museum closed, the car was sold to a collector in Sioux Fall, S.D.
In December 2003 Mike Zerega found the car for sale on the Internet. After confirming that the car was as advertised, he decided to buy the 13-foot-long Chrysler.
The demands of Christmas and wintry weather delayed the sale. When Mr. Zerega learned that his godson was to be married in March in Rockford, Ill., the deal was as good as done.
He drove a truck towing a trailer to Illinois and after the wedding continued west across Wisconsin and Minnesota to Sioux Falls.
Seeing the Chrysler, he quickly came to the conclusion that the car had been garaged since 1926.
Each wheel has 12 white oak spokes supporting quick demountable wheels. The seller had refinished all the wheels and also had replaced a cracked cylinder head with a healthy one. The 180-cubic-inch engine has seven main bearing and develops 54 horsepower. Twenty vertical louvers on each side of the engine hood help keep the Chrysler Moto-Meter thermometer/radiator cap from getting too hot.
The 11-gallon gasoline tank is situated exposed at the rear of the car and is filled from the left. On the right end of the tank is the fuel gauge. Mr. Zerega restored it to working condition with a new gasket. Other fluid capacities are 2.75 gallons of coolant and 1.5 gallons of oil.
Leaf springs at all four corners provide a modicum of comfort. A spring-loaded strap apparatus called a “Levelizer” is mounted behind each wheel. “That’s what passed for shock absorbers,” Mr. Zerega says.
Riding in the 6-foot high Chrysler is a comfortable experience on the 109-inch wheelbase. Rear-seat passengers have a width-of-the-car footrest.
At the hub of the original, unrestored four-spoke wooden steering wheel are a pair of levers; the left one is for adjusting spark advance and the right one is the throttle.
Simply flipping a lever on the dashboard and stepping on the starter button on the floor near the accelerator will get the engine running. Because there is no ignition key, the Chrysler is secured by a lock on the floor-mounted gear-shift lever. Who would try to steal a car locked in the reverse gear?
The emergency hand brake lever sprouts from the floor near the gear-shift lever. The emergency brake operates not on the wheels, but rather on the drive shaft. Each wheel has a 14-inch-diameter brake drum.
The previous owner reupholstered the seats in a distressed black leather to match the original. Each door has a compartment covered by a black leather flap.
Mr. Zerega has rebuilt the vacuum tank and brake fluid reservoir and beyond that has enjoyed his car with the authentic wooden floor boards.
“Chrysler had real style back then,” Mr. Zerega says.
Reminders that this car comes from the early days of motoring include the hand-operated wiper and the cut glass in the oval exterior mirror. An item that usually does not survive is the painted serial number “YY056Y,” which is on the left end of the dashboard.
There are no cup holders because, as Mr. Zerega explains, “You’ve got to drive this thing. It tracks beautifully. Chrysler made a beautiful car.”
The odometer has registered 44,000 miles, which Mr. Zerega believes to be a true figure.
“I’m not a trophy hound,” he says. If it gets to smoking too much, he will give it a ring job and then enjoy it.
“It’s easy to drive,” he reports.
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