How many chrysler imperials were made

The models also came with a double bar front bumper, a spare tire mount, a heater and many other accessories. The new Imperial models were exhibited at the national automobile shows and at special displays in the Commodore Hotel during the New York shows in January during the late s.

Imperials were also displayed at the Congress Hotel in Chicago and other places around the country. On a historical note, all series of the Chrysler Imperial models, except for the 80L models, were introduced in July The 80 L Series was introduced in November Chrysler also made automotive when the company entered four Imperial roadsters in the 24 Hours of LeMans race, placing third and fourth in their class.

In , Water P Chrysler introduced the first vehicle to bear his name on a touring car in Automobile Digest magazine. Hendry, Maurice. The "standard" styling on the lower-end Chryslers outsold the Airflow by 3 to 1.

Innovations for included built-in defroster vents, safety type interior hardware such as flexible door handles and recessed controls on the dash and seat back padding, and fully insulated engine mounts. Brakes where 13" drums, then in they expanded to 14", but shrunk to 12" drums in Front suspension was independent. There were three Imperial models in this generation. The C was the standard eight and looked much like the Chrysler Royal C with a longer hood and cowl.

This model was available by special order. The third model, C, was the designation for the Airflow model. They had a concealed crank for raising the windshield and the hood was hinged at the cowl and opened from the front; side hood panels were released by catches on the inside. A Custom Imperial convertible sedan was used as an official car at the Indy The car pictured is Jim Martin's C 7 passenger limousine, believed to be the only production limo still on the road.

In the Imperial line was simplified. Between and , it was called the Crown Imperial. Two models were produced, an eight passenger four door sedan and an eight passenger four door limousine. Hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers were in the front and rear. Two-speed electric windshield wipers were standard. Three Imperial models were produced in The Imperial C was a four door, six-passenger sedan.

The Imperial Crown models, both with the C47 designation, were a sedan and limousine for eight passengers each. Standard equipment on all Imperials were self-energizing, hydraulic, four-wheel disc brakes consisting of two flat pressure plates on which segments of brake lining were bonded.

Braking action was obtained when the pressure plates were forced outward into contact with rotating brake housings. The C50 models in featured a new hood ornament, grille, front and rear bumpers, as well as taillights. Full-time power steering was standard on the Custom Imperial long-wheelbase 8-passenger sedan and limousine models. The Crown Imperials came with a volt electrical system and Chrysler's first fully automatic transmission , called PowerFlite , became available late in the model year.

Also, was the first year that the Imperial had a one-piece windshield, instead of a two-piece one. Padded dash was standard. In Chrysler spun off the Imperial as its own separate marque in an attempt to compete directly with the Cadillac and Lincoln luxury marques offered by General Motors and Ford , respectively, rather than the traditional Chrysler competitors Buick and Oldsmobile.

Imperial as a marque was always sold in Chrysler dealerships and never in distinct Imperial dealerships which were never set up , so the nameplate failed to separate itself as its own marque as a consequence. See the separate page Imperial automobile for information about Imperial model years Although there were no Imperials produced between and , the cars previously sold as an Imperial were sold as the Chrysler New Yorker Brougham during this time.

Unlike the Imperial, this car was a model of Chrysler, not its own marque. Based on the Y platform , it represented the full-size model in Chrysler's lineup; below it was the nearly identical New Yorker Fifth Avenue , and below that was the entry-level New Yorker.

The mood of the nation had turned away from opulent displays of wealth. Those who still had the money to buy fine cars, sought less extravagant expressions of wealth and power. So the completely redesigned Chrysler Imperial Airflow was made to be imposing without being ostentatious.

It was among the purest expressions ever of the art of engineering. The Airflow was superior to its rivals in ride, roominess, handling, performance and fuel economy. As it often happens with advanced designs, the Airflow was heralded by automotive engineers and journalists, but rejected in the marketplace.

The public did not appear to be ready yet for such and extraordinary leap into the future. While the Airflow was a superbly engineered car, it quickly became clear that it failed to reflect the tastes of the general public.

Barely of the were the long-wheelbase CX Limousine www. Walter P. Chrysler retired in , leaving his company in the hands of his hand-picked successor and fellow engineer, K. With the Airflow experiment deemed a failure, Keller made sure Imperials and all other Chrysler products remained safely in the realm of convention.

By , the Imperial name was reserved exclusively for long wheelbase sedans and limousines. For the next decade these stately cars were designed to be driven by liveried chauffeurs, rather than their owners.

Thus, the Imperial took absolutely no chances. Within a few months of its debut, all civilian automobile production ceased in February It made no financial sense to invest in new models when people would happily pay top dollar for a warmed over design.

And when it did appear, that new Imperial elicited a lustful yawn. Sure, there were a few mechanical advances. This Imperial was the first American car along with the Crosley Hot Shot sports car to offer 4-wheel disc brakes.

Chrysler design had become frozen in time. Chrysler president K. Keller is often faulted for presiding over 12 years of design atrophy.

The criticism is probably deserved. Give him credit, however, for also igniting the metamorphosis that likely saved his firm from ruin. Before stepping aside in , he hired two men who would transform Chrysler into a modern post-war auto company.

New president, Lester L. Tex Colbert set about modernizing the corporate structure, using industry leader General Motors as a template.

Virgil M. Exner, former Pontiac and Studebaker designer, was brought in to run a newly created Advanced Design Studio. Over the next three years Exner created a series of concepts he called Idea Cars, that would show the future path of Chrysler design. They were built on fully drivable chassis and powered by potent new V8 engines.

Journalists could not only ogle them on rotating stands, they could take them on a spin and report their exciting findings. The work of Colbert and Exner came to fruition in the fall of It was the most comprehensive remaking of a car line in automobile history. They had new bodies, chassis and drivetrains. Overnight, Chrysler went from industry laggard to leader of the pack. At the top of that lineup was the glorious Imperial. Two years later he once again set Detroit on its head. With a redesigned suspension and frame, it was now possible to lower the hood and beltline, opening the floodgates on longer, lower, wider.

But the element that had everyone talking in was at the rear. From the near midpoint of the car graceful wings begin to form, gently spreading outward as they rise to the sky. Every line, every surface of the long low body takes the eye on a sensuous journey into flight. In the late 40s, shortly after the first jet airplanes captured the American imagination, the jet age of automobile styling began.

That such bulk could be made to look so graceful, so ready to take flight, was truly a triumph of design. But the trouble with zeniths is that once reached, there is no place to go but down. The General launched a crash program to redesign of its full sized car line. Anticipating both the jet age and its tail fins to continue to soar, GM went all in in the Cadillac.

The Forward Look turned Chrysler Corporation around. The New Look of Motion thrust it into the future. It may have been too much to ask Ex for a hat trick. The Imperial, with its drooping eyelids and flaccid smile, resembled a stuffed and satisfied restaurant patron who has had an extensive sampling from the wine cellar.