1964 Imperial Crown

The postwar Imperial was created by Chrysler as an extra luxurious and larger version of their product. For 1964, the Imperial was restyled and the model lineup was reduced to four cars in two series. The Imperial Crown was the base trim level while the Imperial LeBaron Series was the top-of-the-line series. Pricing for the Imperial Crown began at $5580 and rose to $6,000 for the convertible while the Imperial LeBaron sold for $6,455 for the 4-door hardtop. The Limousine version sold for over $18,500. Just 10 examples of the Limo were produced.

The most popular body style on the Imperial Crown series was the 4-door hardtop which saw 14,181 examples produced. Just 922 were convertibles, and 5,233 were 2-door hardtop sedans.

The Imperial Crown had a horizontal bar grille and the free-standing headlights became chrome-ringed. The body sides featured full-length upper body moldings and chrome-trimmed wheel-well openings and rocker panels. In the back, the taillights were integrated into the rear bumper and the trunk lid had a simulated continental kit.

The Imperial Crown came standard with power steering, power windows and power brakes. The overhead valve V8 engine displaced 413.2 cubic-inches and produced 340 horsepower.

If the design seemed inspired from the Lincoln-Continental, it was because it was styled by Elwood Engle who Chrysler had hired from Ford two years earlier.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2013