Among the regular faces over the years at Chryslers on the Murray is Peter Lambert from Craigieburn, with one of the oldest Chryslers often on display, built in 1927.
Although it wasn’t on his ‘wish list’ for classic cars to buy, when he unexpectedly came across it, he felt compelled to ‘rescue’ it.
“I went to Sydney to buy a ’57 Continental and a mate rang me and said ‘come and have a look at this’.
“I went to a factory in Randwick and once I pulled the tarps off it, it looked so sad up on stumps stuck there on its own. It hadn’t seen the sunlight since 1961. It was so sad, so on the following day it was on a truck home to Melbourne.”
Not only is the 1927 Chrysler old, but it’s also rare.
“It was made in Sydney by an Australian company called Smith and Waddington, who up until 1928 mainly made what we call buses out of Rolls and Bentleys for the NSW Government.
“They got a license from Chrysler to put out two models of the series ’65 and the series ’70. This is one of the 25 they produced in the Series ’65.”
While she might be pretty to look at, Peter admits the car wasn’t designed for heavy mileage.
“The dealership that was licensed to sell the car used to also give you the picnic set that you could take your wife or fiancé on a Saturday afternoon cruise.
“This is actually a town car, with a big 5.1 diff ratio, so wasn’t designed to go beyond work and home. It was a show-off car, that’s all it was.
“The wife says it fits with my personality, it’s all show and no go,” he laughed.
The family friendly Chryslers on the Murray event is on this weekend 17 & 18 March at Gateway Lakes Wodonga.
Produced by Border Cafe in partnership with Chryslers On The Murray.
