Built on a strong yet lightweight tubular steel frame, the coupe used a front axle and leaf-spring suspension from a 1938 Ford. A solidly mounted Halibrand quick-change unit afforded the flexibility in gear ratios required by the planned use of a wide variety of engines, and rear-only drum brakes were operated by a hand lever in the cockpit. Behind the firewall, side-mounted 5-gallon jerry cans held the engine coolant, another factor enabling the use of different powerplants. A roof-mounted scoop directed cold fresh air to the engine compartment, from which heat was vented through a multitude of louvers in the rear decklid. In typical Chrisman style, the bodywork, including a full bellypan, was painstakingly hand fitted for maximum streamlining and then painted in bronze metallic with red trim. As “Hot Rod” and other “gearhead” magazines were chronicling the clash between flathead and pushrod engines, the Chrismans arrived at Bonneville in 1953 with their outlandish new creation and three heavily modified Ford engines. The 304 CI Mercury from the No. 25 dragster was the first to run, taking the coupe to a one-way Class C mark of 163.63 MPH; after the Merc died from an overdose of nitro on its return pass, the brothers replaced it with another flathead fitted with Ardun hemi heads, setting a new class B record of 160.187 MPH. They installed another Mercury flathead for a second shot at the class C record, but tuning gremlins put an end to their efforts for that year’s event. After appearing on the cover of the February 1954 issue of “Hot Rod” under the headline “The Most Fantastic Coupe,” the car returned that year with Chrysler Hemi power, setting new class B and C records at 180.87 MPH and 180.08 MPH respectively, and again in 1955, when they set the new D-class record at more than 196 MPH. The coupe was then retired and the Chrisman brothers set their sights back on drag racing, where they continued their innovative and winning ways. The Chrisman Brothers coupe was sold in the early 1960s to George Barris, who modified it for its new role in television’s “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” and on the traveling car- show circuit. The transformation included White Pearl paint, gullwing doors to aid filming, Halibrand beanies with slicks and spoked front cycle wheels with trailing pontoons, making it almost completely unrecognizable as the former Bonneville record holder. After years on the show circuit, the car was returned to Art Chrisman, who restored it to its original form and installed an injected 331-inch Chrysler Hemi. It was then bought by Joe MacPherson and placed on display in his famous Joe’s Garage. In 2001, the Chrisman Brothers Coupe was one of the first crop of historic Rods invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the brand new “Famous Hot Rod Coupes” class, along with the Pierson Brothers’ 2D Coupe, the So-Cal Speed Shop Coupe and the Mooneyham and Sharp 554 Drag Coupe. Prepared and accompanied by Art Chrisman, the coupe was awarded third place in the category, a crowning moment for both the car and its creators. Born at a turning point in the formative years of California’s Hot Rod culture, a multiple-class record holder, a “Hot Rod” magazine feature car, one of the first TV cars and an inaugural Pebble Beach class winner, and in retrospect, the very car that established the parameters for an entire automotive design genre, the Chrisman Brothers Coupe is one of the most important automotive icons in 20th century American popular culture.
