Imperial (automobile)

It was based on extended-length platforms of the company's full-size cars and competed with the likes of rival Cadillac, Continental, Lincoln, Duesenberg, Pierce Arrow, Cord, and Packard.This also contributed to an increase in their overall length to 229.6 inches (5,832 mm), making them the longest non-limousine post-WWII American cars until the advent of the Imperials of the "Fuselage Look" era in the 1970s.Sales were helped by Exner's "ahead of the competition" styling, with 1957 becoming the best-selling Imperial model year ever: 37,593 were produced; the more commonly available Cadillac sold over 120,000 cars in 1957.The 1960 Imperial adopted wildly exaggerated styling, featuring front fascia with a swooping bumper, gaping mesh grille, giant chrome eagle, and hooded quad headlights, and tall rear fins.The grille and bumper on the front of the 1960 used large pieces of heavy chrome, and the 'furrowed brows' of the fenders over the double sets of headlights gave the car a ponderous look.The cable triggered stronger helper springs to automatically swivel the seat outward or latch it back in as the corresponding door was opened or closed.A split grille returned after one year's absence, inspired by the 1955 model's appearance, and the faux spare tire bulge atop the trunk lid became squared-off and stylized.[28] Tom McCahill, an automobile critic with a reputation for colorful metaphors, quipped that Imperial "cornered at speed flatter than a tournament billiard table", unusual for a car of its prodigious weight and extreme dimensions.[29] Changes for 1965 were largely confined to the front fascia and to trim, and replacement of the push-button automatic transmission gear selection system with a more conventional steering column-mounted shift lever.Also this year, Imperial was the basis for "The Black Beauty," a rolling arsenal on the ABC-TV series The Green Hornet, starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee.A black Imperial of this year would also be restored as a wedding anniversary gift for Richard "The Old Man" Harrison who used to be on the History Channel show, Pawn Stars.The concept originated with the 1966 Mobile Executive Show Car that was an Imperial Coupe fitted with a telephone, Dictaphone, writing table, typewriter, television, reading lamp, and stereo.At the rear, the horizontal bars over the taillights remained, but the gas filler door pull was changed to a cast metal eagle instead of a round knob containing a plastic emblem.Instead of the square lines of the 1964 through 1968 models, the new Imperials featured tumblehome sides, bulging at the beltline like an airliner's fuselage and tucking in down to the rocker panels.The new styling made the cars look longer and wider, and strongly curved side glass increased shoulder room without expanding overall body width compared to the previous C-body.To reduce development and tooling costs, and bring overall expenditures more in line with actual sales, Imperial began to share some of its bodyshell with the Chrysler New Yorker for the first time since 1956.A wide chrome strip was added at the rocker panels, vinyl side trim was made optional, and (for this year only) the fender skirts were gone.The front fascia was all new and imposing-looking, and the rear featured vertical teardrop taillights for the first time, with side marker lights in the form of shields with eagles on them.[1] A front-end design envisioned for the next Imperial penned by Chrysler/Imperial exterior studio senior stylist Chet Limbaugh came to the attention of Elwood Engel.It featured a "waterfall" grille with thin vertical chrome bars separated by a body-colored band running through the center, which started on top of the nose and flowed down.He had proven successful in upscaling the 1967 Thunderbird into the 1969 Continental Mark III positioned on the highest end of the personal luxury car market, and sought to repeat a variant of the formula with the Imperial.Competing models such as the Cadillac Eldorado and the Continental Mark VI had been downsized by 1981, so the Imperial was of comparable size to its competitors with a listed retail price of $18,311.[44] In addition, Sinatra agreed to work for Chrysler for $1 a year because he believed that more performers should get involved in helping to save jobs in the United States (though his union later forced him to accept scale pay instead).First was an underbody fluid-leak inspection utilizing a high-pressure water spray, the car was checked for front-end alignment, and finally a 5.5-mile (9 km) road test over a track that included various types of terrain."It is designed to appeal to the personal luxury car buyer seeking the highest level of prestige, advanced styling, engineering and special features, extended warranty, and VIP recognition in both the showroom and service areas.The cars did not distinguish themselves to any great degree, however a Buddy Arrington owned and driven Imperial finished in sixth place in the summer 1982 race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.[21] The earlier models used two-door hardtop bodies mounted on the more rigid convertible chassis; these would be shipped across the Atlantic, cut apart, lengthened by 20.5 inches (521 mm) and reworked.At about 6,200–6,300 lb (2,800–2,900 kg) curb weight the 1957-65 Ghia built Imperial Crowns are the heaviest standard production cars sold by an American firm since the 1930s.In the 1974 movie The Godfather Part II, a black Ghia built 1958 Imperial Crown was used by Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) while at the family compound near Reno, Nevada.For the model years 1967 through 1971, a total of 27 Imperial limousines were produced by Stageway Coachbuilders (ASC[citation needed]) of Fort Smith, Arkansas, on a 163.0 in (4,140 mm) wheelbase, and were justifiably advertised as the largest luxury automobiles in the world.