Apr 28

1919 Los Angeles Show Car

I notice in the photo gallery on the main page is a photo of the spectacular 1919 Los Angeles Auto Expo town car. There was a discussion on the AACA forum about this car a while back but I can’t remember where we landed on the coach builder of it. What details are known about this car? What are the chassis specs? It’s just incredible.

Apr 28, 2026

Post your reply…

Replies (29)

· Apr 28

the caption on this photo says its a 1919 Chandler Touring car built on a late 1918 Chandler Sport Model chassis with a body design by Harley Earl (Motor World, 1/23/19). Good eye I was wonder when that photo would be noticed 😎

· Apr 28

@Chandler-Six Thank you. I thought I remembered something about Earl. It’s easy to see why it made a big impression at the show. I love the belly pans and I had never noticed the shape of the step plates, so thank you for pointing that out. I imagine that the low pans and fenders would have been awful on the roads of the day but they sure are pretty. Never would have guessed that it was blue.

· Apr 28

Even the step plates for this car in in the shape of the Chandler logo! I want....😀

· Apr 28

From coach built.com on this car:
"In January of 1919, Harley exhibited two of his creations at the Los Angeles Auto Show; a Marmon Phaeton and a Chandler Town Car. The Los Angeles Times reported:

"Perhaps the most startling local models at the show are those built by the Earl Auto Works, whose sensational Chandler and Marmon are attracting huge crowds. These cars are designed by Harley Earl, a local man who only three years ago, was broad jumping at the University of Southern California, and has sprung into prominence as a maker of motor fashions almost overnight.

"The Chandler town car, in blue, is the classiest thing of its kind ever shown on the Coast or any place else. It is surely distinctive, being a low hung creation; so low that a good-sized man can stand along side and look right over the top, yet there is sufficient room inside to keep one from being cramped."

· Apr 28

@Chandler-Six It certainly would have been unheard of to be able to see over the roof on any car from that era.

· Apr 28

And now the hunt is on for a photo of the Marmon that was mentioned in the article.

· Apr 28

This is a 1917 LA show display. Sure wish we had a better look at that speedster.

· Apr 28

No identification on this photo but by the shape of the back glass, I can guess.😄Does what little you can see of the chassis look like Chandler?

· Apr 28

Looking closer at the previous photo of the 1917 show, it appears that this car is hiding in the background. So this is probably the opposite side of the Chandler display.

· Apr 28

@Hupp31 I may have another picture of this car with the California Top. I am struck by how wide and out of propotion the rear window is, but I guess its a show car and anything goes. I'll try to post the picture later when I am back home.

· Apr 28

So here is the picture I wrote about this morning. While it is from the same year, clearly yet another car with a special top.

· Apr 28

@Chandler-Six Now that is cool. Just a custom top or custom body also?

· Apr 29

@alsancle Custom 'California Top' on a Four Seat Roadster body. Love that beveled glass on the top. I have one of those 'bowtie' rear windows from a standard touring car waiting to be framed and hung in the garage someday.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six Wow. Yeah, what body style even is that? Four passenger roadster?

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six This body, perhaps? This might be off by a year or two.

· Apr 29

@Hupp31 That's the body style I was refering too. I know of one 1915 Chandler 4 person roadster that survives in New Mexico. It was discovered last year. I hope he joins this website soon.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding this car as some of it does not quite match up to what is in the Chandler book. But it seems this car may put some of those facts back in order.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six Great car. I hope he joins, I’d sure like to see more of it.

· Apr 28

Wow. Great stuff guys! That towncar is spectacular.

· Apr 28

Harley Earl was working for Don Lee at that point. So the body would be by "Don Lee Coachworks"? They were active in that era with some crazy designs. Referred to in period literature as "Don Lee Coach".

1 / 4

· Apr 28

OK here is another Chandler show car that is again on a 1918 Chandler chassis and has a body by Harley Earl. Until now I did not realize there were two cars, in my head these were the same car but know seeing them together they are clearly two different bodies. Whether they shared the same chassis I do not know.

· Apr 28

@Chandler-Six Windshield rake is unheard of for that year car. Way ahead of its time.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six Nice! It sure does look like the car that I posted the rear view of. Maybe the caption on the photo I found had the incorrect year. The windows on the top sure look like it. Interesting cowl lamps.

(edited)

· Apr 29

@Hupp31 It sure does look like ethe same car. The information I have about the photo comes from Roger Anderson who has the original photo. Roger has been collecting Chandler cars and memorabilia longer than I have been alive 😎. I don't yet have the chops to question his Chandler knowledge, but I'm working at it.

Pretty cool we now can see the front and the rear view of this car as I agree it must be the same car no matter what year it is reported to be.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six I just rechecked the notes on the photos and it does say Dec. 1917, so that makes sense it would be a 1918 model year chassis.

· Apr 29

It looks as though this 1922 metropolitan sedan could have been somewhat inspired by Earl’s designs.

· Apr 29

@Hupp31 It's possible that Earl did influenece Chandler styling at this time but there is no reference of that in the "The Chandler Automobile" history book.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six It’s interesting how it seems to be a 1922-only design to use the step plates rather than running boards. I find photos of all different body styles with the step plates.

· Apr 29

@Chandler-Six I’ll take this Victoria.

· Apr 29

@Hupp31 You know I love those coupes. And no running boards is a great styling cue.