The Imperial Custom stands for the first generation of the Imperial make, the 1955 and 1956 cars that Chrysler sold separately from its own brand. They introduced Virgil Exner’s styling for the make, the free-standing gunsight taillights and a range that ran from a two-door hardtop to a formal limousine.
Imperial Custom at a glance
| Maker | Imperial Division, Chrysler Corporation |
|---|---|
| Production | 1955–1956 |
| Bodies | two-door hardtop, four-door sedan, four-door hardtop from 1956, limousine |
| Engine 1955 | 331 cu in (5.4 L) Hemi V8, 250 bhp |
| Engine 1956 | 354 cu in (5.8 L) Hemi V8, 280 bhp |
| Gearbox | PowerFlite automatic, push-button from mid-1956 |
| Wheelbase 1955 | 4.0 in (102 mm) longer than the Chrysler |
| Wheelbase 1956 | 133.0 in (3,378 mm) |
| Length 1956 | 229.6 in (5,832 mm) |
| Built | 11,430 (1955), 10,268 (1956) |
| Air conditioning | $535 option |
| List price 1955 | $4,720 hardtop, $7,737 Crown limousine |
based on one source (English Wikipedia); the article covers the 1955–1956 range, where the Custom name was used, and the source has no separate section on it.
History of the Imperial Custom
In 1954 Chrysler Corporation began advertising that separated the Imperial from the Chrysler Division range, and for the 1955 model year the car was launched and registered as a separate marque under the Imperial Division. Notices went to all state motor vehicle licensing agencies in the then 48 states that the Imperial would no longer be registered as a Chrysler. The marketing aim was to place the luxury cars apart from the Chrysler brand and to compete with Lincoln and Cadillac.
The look of the first-generation car came from Virgil Exner, whose “100 Million Look” styling defined the Imperial from 1955 until 1963. The 1955 models are said to be inspired by Exner’s own 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton show cars. Platform and bodyshell were shared with that year’s big Chryslers, but the wheelbase was 4.0 inches (102 mm) longer for rear-seat legroom. The front carried a wide-spaced split egg-crate grille like the Chrysler 300, and the free-standing gunsight taillights above the rear quarters were nicknamed sparrow-strainers.
Two C-69 models made up the 1955 range: the two-door Newport hardtop coupé with 3,418 cars and a pillared four-door sedan with 7,840. Above them sat the C-70 Crown limousine, of which 172 were built. The name Newport was used only for 1955 and the hardtop became the Southampton for 1956, when a four-door Southampton hardtop sedan was added as well. Production was 11,430 in 1955, more than twice the 1954 total, and 10,268 in 1956.
The 1955 engine was the FirePower V8, Chrysler’s first-generation Hemi of 331 cu in (5.4 L) with 250 bhp (186 kW); for 1956 it grew to 354 cu in (5.8 L) and 280 bhp (209 kW), while small tailfins appeared at the rear. The wheelbase of the 1956 car reached 133.0 inches (3,378 mm), the longest ever used by an Imperial, and overall length 229.6 inches (5,832 mm), which made it the longest non-limousine post-war American car until the Fuselage Imperials of the 1970s. Power brakes, power steering and the PowerFlite automatic were standard, push-button control arrived in mid-1956, and air conditioning cost $535.
Design and features
- Separate registration: from 1955 the car was an Imperial, not a Chrysler.
- Exner body: the 100 Million Look that defined the make until 1963.
- Gunsight taillights: free-standing lamps in 1955–56 and 1961–62.
- Hemi power: 331 cu in and 250 bhp, then 354 cu in and 280 bhp.
- Push-button automatic: available from the middle of 1956.
Imperial Custom versions
- Newport two-door hardtop (1955): 3,418 built, renamed Southampton for 1956.
- Pillared four-door sedan (1955): 7,840 built.
- Crown limousine, C-70 (1955): 172 built at $7,737.
- Southampton four-door hardtop (1956): added to the range.
The body styles have their own pages: Newport, Southampton and Imperial Sedan. The make as a whole is described in Imperial LeBaron, and more cars are in the Imperial collection.
Video: Imperial Custom Chrysler 300
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Imperial (automobile), English Wikipedia: 1955-1956 first generation, production, engines, prices
