Chrysler Imperial is First Produced

The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was the company's top of the range vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, and again from 1990 to 1993. The company positioned the cars as a prestige marque that would rival Cadillac and Lincoln. According to a feature article in AACA's magazine The adjective ‘imperial’ according to Webster’s Dictionary means sovereign, supreme, superior or of unusual size or excellence. The word imperial thus justly befits Chrysler’s highest priced quality model.

In 1926, Walter P. Chrysler decided to attempt to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln in the lesser luxury car field. Chrysler offered a variety of body styles: a two/four-passenger roadster, a four-seat coupé, five-passenger sedan and phaeton, and a seven-passenger top-of-the-line limousine. The Imperial's new engine was slightly larger than the company's standard straight 6. It was a 288.6-cubic inch (4729 cc) six cylinder with seven bearing blocks and pressure lubrication of 92 brake horsepower (69 kW). The car set a transcontinental speed record in the year it was introduced, driving more than 6,500 miles (10,460 km) in the week. The car was chosen as the pace car for the 1926 Indianapolis 500. The model was designated E-80, the 80 being after the guaranteed 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) all day cruising speed. Acceleration was also brisk breaking 20 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

The Chrysler Imperial was redesigned in 1931. The car received a new engine, a 384.84-cubic inch (6308.85 cc) I8. Marketing materials for this generation of Imperial referred to the car as the "Imperial 8", in reference to the new in-line 8-cylinder engine. The engine would be found in many other Chrysler vehicles. The redesign also saw the introduction of new wire wheels that became a standard wheel treatment until the 1940s. Stock car driver Harry Hartz set numerous speed records with an Imperial sedan at Daytona Beach, Florida.

The...

"THE IMPERIAL FAMILY"
Chrysler's Prestige Car Sticks to Tradition in Both Styling and Body-and-Frame Construction.

Tradition, a strong factor in luxury car design, played a great part in shaping the 1960 Imperial. Unlike radically changed Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth, it continues as the same basic car that has been gaining a larger market since 1957.

Though it contains many innovations and improvements, the new Imperial is essentially a face lift of the previous model and does not share the unit body-and-frame construction of its 1960 corporate brothers.

Styling changes are still impressive; interiors favor lush comfort with an attention to detail seldom found in any automobile. Seats have as much as six inches of foam rubber, with a separate seat back for the driver which supports shoulders and spine like few production cars ever have. There's a non-glare instrument panel with electro- luminescent light (metal dials coated with glowing phosphor), an improved auto pilot and swivel seats that chase doors open and closed. Series designations are the same as 1959 (Custom, Crown and LeBaron) as a re engine capacity and major exterior dimensions.

Best of the new features are a double padded instrument panel, improved seat belt design and a wonderful emergency warning flasher system. No matter whether the ignition is on or off, the owner of an Imperial can flip a special switch and start all four turn signals flashing on and off as a warning to oncoming traffic. Borrowed from the truck lines, this is a feature that could well be on all passenger cars.

Some styling changes are obvious, others not. There are satin-finish stainless steel inserts on the roof of LeBaron models, which also have a sharp appearing small rear window for greater rear seat privacy in both sedans and hardtops. Inside there are power operated vent windows and a new elliptical steering wheel. The unique shape of the wheel and spoke placement permits a full view of the instru...