1953 Chrisman Bonneville Coupe

While this car was created to race, it combines a high level of technical competence in construction with the highest standard of finish

by Jay Fitzhugh

Hot rodders Art and Lloyd Chrisman were early and successful pioneers of drag racing with their famous #25 dragster, which was the first to achieve trap speeds of 140 mph and 180 mph in the quarter-mile.

Early experience gained on the dry lakebeds of Southern California in a 140 mph 1934 Ford coupe led to the 1930 Ford-based car offered here, which set records in three divisions of the Competition Coupe class at Bonneville.

Hailed as “The Most Fantastic Coupe” on the cover of the February 1954 issue of Hot Rod magazine, Art and Lloyd Chrisman’s Model A Competition Coupe featured innovative design and construction. It was purpose-built for top-speed competition on the Bonneville Salt Flats, across several Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) divisions.

While outwardly resembling a radically chopped 1930 Ford Model A Coupe, the Chrisman brothers placed the engine, transmission, and rear end assembly in the mid-rear position as a...