Should Chrysler try and bring a luxury car like the Imperial to the marketplace or continue to ignore the luxury market? Chrysler really hasn't produced a luxury car since the 1970's. Should Chrysler once again market such a car, perhaps under the Imperial name, or continue to produce mediocre mass market cars?

I wouldn't expect Chrysler to invest any money in reviving their luxury marque.

The opposite should play out, with Fiat introducing micro cars with tiny diesel and turbocharged engines,
sold through Mopar dealerships.

Absolutely, but like Ted said, it will never happen.
I am going to tell you something, that I swear to you is gospel!

A top end luxury car is paramount to any companies success.
When I sold cars (30 years) you may not believe this, but people
who could not afford a Cadillac and bought a Buick or an Oldsmobile, felt that they had a piece of the Cadillac.

Why do you think Mercury has ALWAYS been with Lincooln ? Same Reason!!

Think back to the years the Imperial was on the showroom floor...
(1938 - 1993) Chrysler was in much better shape, than post 1990s.

EVERY SINGLE CAR COMPANY KNOWS THIS !!!!!

Look:-

Honda has Acura / Toyota has Lexus / Nissan has Infiniti / Ford has Lincoln / General Motors has Cadillac, Volkswagon has Audi. Are they not all more succesful than Chrysler?

Do you erect your Christmas Tree and then place a star on top? Of course you do. The manufacturer's "Star on top" is their ultimate, costly, premium, luxury car, that not everyone can afford. They must stand alone, at the top tier.
From the time that Morpar gave up on the Imperial, they have had major trouble after major trouble and many investors all pulling in different directions, and then jumpin' ship!

So, YES, they should bring out a drop dead 4-door, ultra luxury car, the size of a Town Car and romance the livery business and advertise the life outta it, and put it in promenant places where the rich gather as they did in the 50's; 60's & 70's.

But.... Alas, Never happen under Fiat. I hear some far away rumblings that there was some off the cuff talk about a rebadged Masserati Quatraporte (Fiat owns Maserati) appearing as an Imperial LeBaron. But, I will not hold my breath.

If you are wondering, yes, I sold Imperilals from 1967 to 1993.
My parents owen several and I got a new one every year.
Up until 1979 they were better than Lincolns and Cadillacs!
We took Lincolns & Caddys in on trade, on Imps and we drove them
The Imp was always faster, cornered better and had mega better brakes.
After 1978, they were junky. The 1978 was the last REAL Imperial !

If it comes back, and I am still alive, I will buy one, All Black, as always.:thumbsup:

Lastly, it should never be called a Chrysler Imperial. The Title, the MSO has always stated, "IMPERIAL" and it's no more a Chrysler Imperial than it's a General Motors Cadillac, a Ford Lincoln or a Honda Acura.

Chrysler can barely get mediocre mass market cars right, hopefully Fiat will fix that first.

Alot of companies would die to ring up the sales that the Three-Hundred has enjoyed during its time out, these past 5 years.
But, while it can be decked out as a high performance sedan, or an Econo car with a base model and a 6 Cyl. it's not a luxury car.
A true luxury car,does not have an econo model in its line-up.

Just give us a 300C and 200C with a passable interior.

Jesda, a 300C would be a coupe, as it always was. Coupes are not selling, even Cadillac's Coupe deVille is no more, likewise Lincoln's Mark series, likewise the Cordoba / Magnum. Coupes are a tough sell. Even the 18-25 year olds are today driving sedans ~ something my generation would not be caught dead in (at least until the 1st baby came along & the wife demanded it.

Did any of you know that for a fleeting moment in history, Mother-Chrysler offered EXCLUSIVE Imperial Dealerships. I believe that there were 7 takers!
One was near me in Northern New Jersey.

In my book, The History of Imperial, I devote a small chapter to it. I'll see if I can find it, tho I doubt it.

FOUND!

http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/ImpDealers/index.htm

First, Chrysler needs to build cars that don't fall apart on the showroom floor and don't look and feel like soup cans with Tupperware interiors. Then it can think about branching out a bit. But like Ted and Sandy, I won't hold my breath. Cadillac will resurrect the Fleetwood before Fiat-Chrysler brings back the Imperial. In the current political environment, neither prospect is likely.

I wish like hell Imperial would return, but it's not gonna happen in today's economy and market, especially with Chrysler's current standing. We should be glad they even exist anymore.

Coupes are not selling

maybe not American coupes....but can anything we have now really compare to the competition?
http://screamauto.blat.co.za/files/audi.jpg
http://www.sourcemotors.com/content_images/140_1.jpg
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/2010_Mercedes_E-Class_Coupe.jpg

First, Chrysler needs to build cars that don't fall apart on the showroom floor and don't look and feel like soup cans with Tupperware interiors. Then it can think about branching out a bit. But like Ted and Sandy, I won't hold my breath. Cadillac will resurrect the Fleetwood before Fiat-Chrysler brings back the Imperial. In the current political environment, neither prospect is likely.

^ Well said

maybe not American coupes....but can anything we have now really compare to the competition?



Exactly!

Being that the Imperial was an American product, I was mentally thinking of American Coupes, especially American Luxury Coupes, of which....................... there are none !:mad:

Exactly why I hang onto my Eldorado. I much prefer two door coupes over four door sport sedans.

YouTube - 1983 Chrysler New Yorker car commercial with Ricardo Montalban (from Fantasy Island)
YouTube - Ricardo Montalban - 1975 Chrysler Cordoba Commercial
YouTube - 1979 Commercials--ABC, GE, Chrysler Cordoba, And Justice for All
YouTube - Chrysler E-Class '84
YouTube - Ricardo Montalban - Chrysler Turbo New Yorker 1985
YouTube - Chrysler LeBARON '84

YouTube - Chrysler Imperial 1991
YouTube - Chrysler Imperial Concept intro and ad idea


Okay i am done lol

Only the last 2 above are relavent to this discusion.

Exactly why I hang onto my Eldorado. I much prefer two door coupes over four door sport sedans.

Its sad to say that even a car as good as the Eldorado hardly stacks up against cars like the 335i and S5.

Its sad to say that even a car as good as the Eldorado hardly stacks up against cars like the 335i and S5.

Not really a good comparison, though. The Eldo is a large, personal luxury coupe. It can move along smartly and even corner reasonably well given it's mission in life, but it was never meant to compete with a 3-Series or Audi of any stripe. The Eldo's true peers were its siblings Toronado and Riviera, the Lincoln Mark series cars, and the Thunderbird. They were more about looks than high performance. Buyers in this class today want both.

Not really a good comparison, though. The Eldo is a large, personal luxury coupe. It can move along smartly and even corner reasonably well given it's mission in life, but it was never meant to compete with a 3-Series or Audi of any stripe. The Eldo's true peers were its siblings Toronado and Riviera, the Lincoln Mark series cars, and the Thunderbird. They were more about looks than high performance. Buyers in this class today want both.

Well said, 77CDV, our young friend keeps mixing apples and oranges in his comparisons. Once again the BMW and Audi coupes are designed to different performance parameters. If I were driving from VA to the west Coast I'd much rather be in the Eldorado (driving or riding) if I were attacking the roads of Appalachia give me the BMW 3 series, or even the Audi (however if I were riding I'd still prefer the Eldo!).

Because of the front wheel drive platform with the front wheels doing the cornering and pulling, as the back wheels came along for the ride, the rear wheel drive Imperials of the same era had a smoother (softer) more complacent ride, more akin to the Cadillac Fleetwood & Sixty Specials of the day, and the Lincolns.

Today, so many people want little Ecno Boxes for cars. What were the last 3 biggest American cars built?


1974-1978 Imperial
1974- 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood
1975- 1979 Lincoln Town Car. All were 231 inches in length, more than 19 feet in length.

Speaking of Imperials, lookie what I saw today....
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/Chadillac8705/IMG_0893.jpg

It's a '63, right Sandy???

I saw a '64 Crown Sedan a few weeks later and man was that different, especially regarding the interior. Modern, clean cut in '64....tacky and space agish in '63. I like the '64 much more.

Yes, it's a 1963 Crown 4-Dr. Hdt.

Here is MY list of Imps i owned, while also selling them

1968 Crown Convertible !! -Lite Silver-Green, Dk. Green LEATHER top
1972 LeBaron 4-Dr. Hdt. Triple black w/leather
1974 LeBaron 2-Dr Hdt. triple black w/Cloth (It was velvet & Velour)
1976 LeBaron Crown Coupe` - Blk on Blk w/Crushed Velour in Cranberry with Sun Roof

1982 Bustle-back Coupe - Bright Gold Metallic / Camel Leather.

Those I owned. Missing years from above were Imperial Demos, company owned, I used.

Sandy, what's your #1 favorite Imperial of all time?

Chrysler doesn't care anymore. That company is dead to me.

That company is dead to me.

More dead than the nerve endings on Joan Rivers' face.

Favorite? The 1976 Crown St. Regis Coupe, with every option, velour Cranberry interior, power sun roof, opera windows, and the statdard 440-V8.

2nd Fav was the 1975, 1974 vintage of the same car.

The 1968 Crown 'Vert was the rarest, 1 of 474 made, and 1 of 26 in color.
MAYBE I can find a picture....

http://www.americandreamcars.com/1968imperialcnvt.jpg

RED ONE:- http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Chrysler/1968_Imperial_Convertible_Red_Frt_Qtr.jpg

Another one// http://www.imperialclub.com/YearByYear/1968/CarlGeffken/Mvc-004s.jpg

Favorite? The 1976 Crown St. Regis Coupe, with every option, velour Cranberry interior, power sun roof, opera windows, and the statdard 440-V8.

2nd Fav was the 1975, 1974 vintage of the same car.

The 1968 Crown 'Vert was the rarest, 1 of 474 made, and 1 of 26 in color.
MAYBE I can find a picture....

That 1968 Imperial convertible must have been something! I have only seen a couple of them in my lifetime (and I lived most of it in Southern California). I would really like to see a picture of yours. Are you at all familiar with the 1955-56 Imperials? My all time favorite Chryslers were the '54-55 vintage Imperial Dual Cowl Phaeton parade cars. Several cities had them, I believe L.A. still uses its Phaeton for parades. The first time I saw one was in the Pasadena (my home town) Rose Parade back in the mid-fifties. Do you have a picture of one of the parade cars?

I dont have any pictures but the 1981-1983 Chrysler Imperial Luxury Coupe was the nicest.:thumbsup:

Most all of ther Parade cars still exist, in private collections (or in private hands) Yes, I recall them!

I owned a 1982 Imperial Bustle-Back Coupe, it the rarest color. I have no pics of it - & the color was so rare, that I can't even find one on the web !!
Interior was mark Cross Leather in Camel & it had a moonroof. You could get a 1981 with a moonroof, it was not a factory option. Dealers went crazy and for 82 & 83 we finally got a moonroof option.

OH YA WE DO !!!!

http://www.azcarsandtrucks.com/chry6455lg1.jpg

i SOLD IT AT THE END OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR, (1983) FOR ORIGINAL; 1982 WINDOW STICKER !!
Bases loaded, outta the park, home run ! Then I opened my own used car lot. (193)

Most all of ther Parade cars still exist, in private collections (or in private hands) Yes, I recall them!

I owned a 1982 Imperial Bustle-Back Coupe, it the rarest color. I have no pics of it - & the color was so rare, that I can't even find one on the web !!
Interior was mark Cross Leather in Camel & it had a moonroof. You could get a 1981 with a moonroof, it was not a factory option. Dealers went crazy and for 82 & 83 we finally got a moonroof option.

OH YA WE DO !!!!

http://www.azcarsandtrucks.com/chry6455lg1.jpg

i SOLD IT AT THE END OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR, (1983) FOR ORIGINAL; 1982 WINDOW STICKER !!
Bases loaded, outta the park, home run ! Then I opened my own used car lot. (193)

I have always heard that the bustleback Imperial coupes were staright off the "lemontree." I looked seriously at buying one in 1982 but decided the build quality wasn't up to the standards of other so-called luxury cars of the day. I remember that Chrysler made a big deal out of Frank Sinatra and his cronies driving them when they first came out (but then why wouldn't they for a fee and the use of a free car from Chrysler product placement). The bustleback Imperial was a nickle rocket that fissled pretty fast after word got out about cowl shake and a lot of other design and manufacturing flaws. Just another lesson for the industry that if you are going to build a luxury car you had better do it right.

They look pretty sweet though. Like a mix between a Mark VI and a Seville.

If I'm gonna have an Imperial, it had better be a '65 or '66, preferably the sedan. They are the very quintessence of elegant styling.

Cowl Shake? Where'd ya ever hear that? Mine had absolutly no cowl shake.
They did have issues with the carburation EFI system. That was the sole problem. Many of them were retro-fitted with Carbs off of the Chrysler Cordoba. Kids yanked off thre crystal penta-star from the hoods faster than were could order new ones. I have an unopened "Gift Kit" which is unreal!! I saw only 1 sell, years ago, on e-bay for $200.00 ! Nothing was ever given to a buyer prior or since that can compare. I will not sell it.

double post

Cowl Shake? Where'd ya ever hear that? Mine had absolutly no cowl shake.
They did have issues with the carburation EFI system. That was the sole problem. Many of them were retro-fitted with Carbs off of the Chrysler Cordoba. Kids yanked off thre crystal penta-star from the hoods faster than were could order new ones. I have an unopened "Gift Kit" which is unreal!! I saw only 1 sell, years ago, on e-bay for $200.00 ! Nothing was ever given to a buyer prior or since that can compare. I will not sell it.


Sandy, did they use the system called Lean Burn? I had that in my 1978 lebaron and I had so many problems in damp weather?

Chrysler's 1957 styling, across the board Plymouth to Imperial, was stupendous. While Ford and GM were very good that year, Chrysler hit had a hit within each of its' divisions. It is a shame that they were so rust prone tha we have so few examples left. As with many design the first year was the best, as was true with Chrysler; the succeeding years got embellished to the point of destroying the of original brilliance of the '57 designs.

As for the cowl shake, it was written up in all the car mags at the time and I remember that a friend of mine's '82 Imperial coupe shook very noticeably going down a rougher section of Wilshire Boulevard! Wasn't the Imperial coupe buit on the Cordoba chassis? In those days Chrysler got a lotof advertising mileage out of the leather used for the seat facings. I have always preferred real leather upholstery in my cars and the "Corinthian" leather I had in my Cordoba and Diplomat wagon was quite nice, although I didn't keep either of the cars long enough to see how it really stood up. I remember the "Mark Cross" leather looked very nice in the Imperial but all the fancy add ons didn't cover up the fact it was really just a gloried Cordoba.

I am not doubting you on the cowl shake, but I never heard of it, before today, and mine never had it.
Yes it was a Cordoba, but all dressed up! It's like saying an Eldorado was a dolled up Toronado. Everything (almost) is a dolled up something.

Yes, they used Lean Burn

Sandy, as I recall, Chrysler mentioned that these bustleback Imps were the highest quality cars manufactured by Mopar.
Something about only veteran assembly line workers with years of experience being allowed to work on the Imp assembly line.
Was this true?

Also, Sandy, did you ever take any orders for the rare Shriner Imperials?

No, they never purchased from a New Jersey dealership.
The dealership I was with, was the closest to a wealthy
area, so we did stock Imperials, but never more than 3
in stock. Usually 2 4-Door Hardtops & 1 2-Door hardtop.
They were slow, very slow, sellers. But, when a person
came IN to look at an Imperial, 90% of the time, it was
a deal.To me, the funny part was that oft times they'd
look at the Chrysler New Yorker (or N.Y. Brougham) &
see how much it was alike, and could not mentally
justify the add'l. cost to move up to the Imperial.

Yet across the street was a Buick / Cadillac dealer
and they'd look at an Electra 225 Limited and a
deVille and have no problem moveing up to the
Cadillac, yet, the Electra 225 Limited had a much
nicer interior, than did the deVille. The Buick's
interior was equal to the Fleetwood's interior.
Meanwhile the Imperial's interior was on a level
with the Fletwoods and the New Yorker's interior
was akin to the deVille. Still they easily hopped
from the Electra 225 Limimted into the deVille,
but our customers took the New Yorker over the
Imperial.
Sometimes there is no understanding buyers !

Like buyers with the cash in the bank able to pay
cash for the car, and that cash is making 5% interest
and they opt to finance it @ 12 percent interest. Hello ?