ONE of only two known vintage cars of its type left in the world has been put up for sale in Cyprus.
The 1929 Chrysler 75 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton was shipped to the island five years ago when its owner, Pete Woodward, moved to a Kyrenia-district village from the UK.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for Chryslers and this is my third,” the 60-year-old told the Mail yesterday.
According to Woodward, their models were a lot more advanced than those of other marques of the day. “They were first with hydraulic brakes all around and Rolls Royce copied them when Chrysler introduced temperature controlled radiator slats,” he explained.
Although the model is rare to the point of being on the brink of extinction, this example of the Chrysler 75 has an interesting pedigree as it approaches its 80th birthday. From 1929, it was owned by the Mayor of New York – and is only one of 238 ever produced.
“I bought the car 20 years ago for around $15,000 and had it shipped to the UK from New York. The interior was shot, the convertible hood non-existent and surface rust was evident.”
Woodward, a mechanical engineer, then embarked on a 14-year full nut and bolt restoration project.
Today, the 4.3 litre Chrysler has cream leather interior, a beige mohair hood, burgundy/black paintwork, a stainless exhaust system, twin side mounted spare wheels and a rear luggage rack. The current asking price is €49,000.
What happened after the New York Mayor decided to sell is unknown, but when stripping the car down to its chassis, a theatre ticket to see Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour was discovered under the seats.
“I have laminated the ticket and kept it as a souvenir,” Woodward said.
He has also previously built rally cars and taken part in the London to Sydney Marathon (twice) and London to Mexico Rally and has restored a vintage 1929 Chrysler 75 Royal Sedan and 1931 Chrysler CD8 Sedan, both used in TV and film work – including ‘Poirot’.
“I’ve always loved classic cars as they have timeless styling, something we can’t say about the modern motor vehicle.”
Woodward said that the other remaining1929 Chrysler 75 was, up until a few years ago, on display at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, which boasts the world’s largest classic car showroom with $100 million worth of inventory on display and for sale.
However, it has since been sold to a private collector.
When asked for the reason behind his decision to sell such a classic vehicle, Woodward said that he was not using it enough due to poor road conditions. “Many of the roads here are not asphalted and are full of pot-holes. Ideally, it should be driven on smooth surfaces.”
However, he did admit that he has previously used it at weddings on the island.
“The car has always been garaged and I would like to find a good home for it – that’s the most important thing,” he said. “In addition, I promise the new owner that it runs like new and will get a lot of attention from anybody that sees it.”
n Photographs and full technical details can be found at: www.buysellcarscyprus.com
