The Imperial convertible belongs to the luxury make Chrysler sold separately from 1955 to 1975 and again from 1981 to 1983. The car in the video below is a 1965 Imperial convertible, an open example from the middle of that period.
Imperial Convertible at a glance
| Maker | Imperial Division, Chrysler Corporation |
|---|---|
| Make years | 1955–1975, again 1981–1983 |
| Body | two-door convertible |
| Engines | V8 |
| Gearbox | automatic |
| Styling | Virgil Exner, 1955–1963 |
| Signature detail | gunsight taillights, free-standing 1955–56 and 1961–62 |
| Rivals | Lincoln and Cadillac |
| 1955 production | 11,430 |
| 1956 production | 10,268 |
based on one source (English Wikipedia); the source covers the Imperial make as a whole and has no section on the convertible, so only marque-level facts are used here.
History of the Imperial Convertible
Chrysler’s luxury car had been called the Chrysler Imperial since 1926, when it was launched at the New York National Automobile Show as the flagship of the range. For 1955 the Chrysler name was dropped and the Imperial was registered as a make of its own under the Imperial Division, with notices sent to the licensing agencies of the then 48 states that the car would no longer be registered as a Chrysler. The change was made to compete with Lincoln and Cadillac, and the styling was the work of Virgil Exner, whose “100 Million Look” defined the Imperial from 1955 until 1963.
After 1955 the Imperial used new or modified body styles every two to three years, all with V8 engines and automatic transmissions, and it carried technologies that Chrysler later introduced in its other divisions. The cars were based on extended platforms of the company’s full-size models, and the engineering was strong enough to be sold on: Chrysler supplied Imperial engines and transmissions to the French maker Facel Vega for the Excellence, and Hongqi in China used an Imperial found locally to build the CA72. Cadillac also stopped using the Imperial name for its top limousines from 1955, once Imperial had become a make in its own right.
The first season’s range recorded here consists of the Newport two-door hardtop with 3,418 cars, a pillared four-door sedan with 7,840 and the C-70 Crown limousine with 172, a total of 11,430. For 1956 the hardtop became the Southampton, a four-door Southampton hardtop was added, the Hemi grew from 331 to 354 cu in and production reached 10,268. The make continued until 1975 and returned briefly for 1981–1983, so an open Imperial of 1965 like the one in the video sits squarely in the middle of its first life.
Design and features
- Separate make: registered as an Imperial, not a Chrysler, from 1955.
- V8 and automatic: every Imperial of the period used them.
- Exner styling: the 100 Million Look of 1955–1963.
- Gunsight lamps: free-standing taillights in 1955–56 and 1961–62.
Imperial Convertible versions
- Newport hardtop coupé (1955): 3,418 built.
- Pillared four-door sedan (1955): 7,840 built.
- Crown limousine, C-70 (1955): 172 built.
- Southampton (1956): the hardtop under its new name.
The 1955 range is described in Imperial Newport and Imperial Southampton, and the make itself in Imperial LeBaron. More cars are in the Imperial collection.
Video: 1965 Chrysler Imperial Convertible
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Imperial (automobile), English Wikipedia: make history, engines, engineering, 1955-1956 production
