The Imperial was a luxury automobile brand from 1955 to 1975 designed to compete with other top-of-the-line marques including Cadillac and Lincoln. It was part of the Chrysler Corporation and its origins date back to 1926 when the 'Imperial' represented a luxury model within the Chrysler marque. It became its own separate marque in 1955, apart from the Chrysler brand and devoid of 'Chrysler' badges, but wearing similar styling and mechanical components. The Imperial would continue through 1974 when sales had slowed due to the economy, oil embargo, and fuel shortages, increased competition, and it became too expensive to market and maintain a separate brand. The name was revived briefly in the early 1980s, and although it was packed with technological innovation, including an electronic instrument cluster and fuel injection, sales were sluggish and the name soon disappeared.
What had long been the most expensive Chrysler model became, for the model year 1955, simply 'Imperial,' and offered three body styles in two series. It was essentially a long-wheelbase Chrysler with a bolder grille for the next two years, before - in 1957 - the Imperial was reinvented with a new personality, with a faux spare tire embellishment on the decklid, gun-sight taillights incorporated into growing tailfins, and curved side glass. The coachbuilder Ghia was contracted to build their ultra-luxurious limousines, making them some of the most expensive limousines of their era. They were endowed with the finest woods and leathers, and production numbers remained exclusive, guaranteed by their steep price. From 1957 to 1965, a total of approximately 132 Ghia-built limousines were completed, with only ten being completed in the last year of 1965.
The Imperial was given its own platform for 1957 and this would last through the 1966 model year. Imperials built during this time were substantially wider than other Mopars, setting a record for front-seat shoulder room that would not be surpassed until the 1971 through 1976 GM full-size models. The exterior width of 81.7 inches for the 1961 through 1963 Imperials set the record for being the widest non-limousine American car of that era.
Chrysler vehicles, including those of DeSoto, Dodge, and Plymouth, received unibody construction for 1960, but the Imperial continued to use separate full perimeter frames through the 1966 model year. The frames had a box cross-section with cross members forming an 'X', with the driveshaft traveling through a hole in the 'X' frame. A 'Torsion-Aire' suspension was introduced in 1957 and complimented the multi-leaf springs at the rear, offering a smooth ride and improved handling for its occupants. A 392 cubic-inch Hemi provided power for the 1957 and 1958 Imperials. For 1959, the Hemi V8 was replaced with the less expensive 413 cubic-inch 'Wedge' head V8 that weighed 101 pounds less and provided more horsepower. (A few Ghia-built 1959 Imperial Crown Limousines were powered by the 392 CID Hemi.)
1965 Imperial
1965 Imperial models included the Crown, LeBaron, and Crown Imperial. This would be the final year for the Crown Imperial series with custom-built Ghia coachwork and continued to be offered with either six windows or a blind rear roof quarter panel. The $16,000 base price was among the highest in the industry, and well above the second most expensive Imperial for 1965, the LeBaron at $6,600. Just ten examples of the Crown Imperial were built in 1965, compared to 2,164 of the four-door hardtop LeBaron. The combined Crown Series production was 16,235 units through its three body styles, with the majority being four-door hardtops (11,628), followed by 3,974 of the two-door hardtops and 633 of the convertibles. The Crown Imperial was the largest of the 1965 Imperials with a wheelbase of 149.5 inches compared to 129 inches of the other two. All three shared the 413.2 cubic-inch V8 engine. It had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, a Carter four-barrel carburetor and produced 340 horsepower at 4,600 RPM.
Styling remained consistent with the previous year's design, with minor modifications to the front, including a new mesh-pattern grille, divided into four sections by chrome bars. The rear deck continued to carry the simulated spare-tire 'bulge,' and the headlights were now recessed behind glass panels. The list of standard equipment was extensive, including an electric clock, power steering, power brakes, power windows, a padded dash, remote-control outside rearview mirror, and carpeting. The Imperial Crown and Imperial LeBaron were similar, with the differences being found in the interior, where the LeBaron received a plusher decor with a six-way bench seat. It rode on whitewall tires and had 'LeBaron' script on the roof quarter panels.
1966 would be the final year for the Imperial platform that had been introduced for the 1957 model year. 1967 would introduce all-new styling, a two-inch shorter wheelbase, and the abandonment of the body-on-frame construction in favor of unibody.
by Dan Vaughan