This is a 1954 Coupe that has been restored to its glory days by Art Chrisman.

–This coupe is powered by a 331 cubic inch Chrysler V8 engine with hemispherical cylinder heads connected to a modified 1940s Ford manual transmission. It was a hub motor that was improved later. The front suspension was taken from a 1938 Ford and featured a forward leaf spring configuration with drum brakes only in the rear.

The coupe called the Model A was scrapped, and in fact Art and Lloyd Chrisman, pioneers in hot driving, learned much of what they needed from their father and worked with him at the House to Chrisman & Sons car. The Coupe was first campaigned during the 1953 Bonneʋille Speed Week.

They were very successful in drag racing and famously achieved speeds of 140 and 180 mph over the quarter mile and set records with the car you see here. This made the car one of the most recognizable to all enthusiasts of the time and was featured on the front page of Hot Rod magazine, who called it “The ultimate coupe.” ”.

After appearing on the cover of the February 1954 issue of “Hot Rod” magazine with the headline “The Coolest Coupe,” the car made a comeback that year setting new B and C class records of 180, respectively. .87 MPH and 180.08 MPH. A 243 cubic inch Dodge engine was reserved for Class B competition, while a 276 cubic inch DeSoto engine was reserved for Class C.

Returning in 1955 with a larger 331 cubic inch Chrysler engine for a new attempt at the Class D record, they set a new Class D record at over 196 MPH, with a dosage of 5% nitro. Hoping to reach the 200 mph mark, the brothers contemplated increasing the nitro by 20%, but they decided to retire from land speed racing when their friend John Donaldson, drove Elly’s tank Reed brothers, had an accident and died on the ship. next run.

From the outside, the car resembles a modified 1930 Model A Coupe, but the brothers did a lot of work to get the car ready for its racing life. The most significant changes are the 3 1/2-inch space frame, and they also created a single unit in the rear for the engine and transmission components so they can be easily replaced.

The front suspension had leaf springs taken from a 1938 Ford with a pair of hydraulic shock absorbers. However, the rear axle is mounted directly to the tubular chassis and features a Halibrand hub that allows for quick gear ratio changes when needed.