Please don't call it a Chrysler! As of 1956, Imperial became the fifth division of the Chrysler Corp. For more photos, videos and your regional calendar of events, visit www.NortheastWheelsEvents.com
Lovely car, great color. List price for this car was $5225 plus $535 for AC plus shipping. $200 more than Cad 60s it was only a sedan with door pillars. Not hardtop like this. Had 3 of these two with ac one with special sheared mouton carpeting. Most people think Imperial just a Chrysler with different badges. Starting in 50 In fact it had its own wheel base, a larger box frame, larger rear end axels and wheel bolt pattern. The Timken roller bearings were the size of one ton doge truck and limos where five inches wider. It became it's own make in 55. First car to have torqueflyte part way thru 56 and first car with optional transistor radio. Early 50's limos had Bendix Aircraft internal expanding disc brakes. Imperials were several hundred pounds heavier.
These cars are both of their time and timeless. My favorite livery for the 1956 Imperial is Desert Rose with the Cloud White roof. An interesting point about the Chrysler 300 of this era is that even though there were only three standard colors, black, white, and red, the red changed every year. 1956 was my favorite red!
I would take this beautiful piece of engineering excellence over anything produced today. I have a 2018 Chrysler 300 Platinum and it is beautiful, but it doesn't take your breath away like this.
I understand and, obviously, appreciate what was ... but, these cars needed a tune up every year, plugs points condenser and, sometimes cap rotor and wires. Oil change every 1,000 miles ( due to the oil ), had drum brakes which faded under heavy use and rain, handled well ... for the era, but not like today and had a thurst based on a 25 cent gallon. PS: I drive a 32 year old car as an everyday ride.
The Imperial was always priced in the higher, luxury, range. Chrysler was known for it's engineering prowess . You may enjoy a look at this '58 Imerial limosine by Ghia: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-06kKk9p0CuA.html Thanks for watching and commenting, alanstrong55.
Thank you for your correction. I do everything on the fly, mostly from memory, and the information from the owners. As you see, my videos run from pre-war to post war, import, domestic, performance..... Your input helps us all!!
Lovely car, and very well presented. On the other side, Valiant never objected to being called a Chrysler Valiant - and then later Plymouth Valiant. So the scurrilous objections to calling this a Chrysler Imperial is a case of protesting too much.
Ah, yes, Alan, but please note, relating the Valiant to a Chrysler was a big step up, while the Imperial was above the middle class to near luxury Chrysler. This separatist thinking was also applied the the 1955-1956 Continental . Thanks for subscribing and commenting!! Pamela ( not to be confused by just Pam!! Just kidding! )
What she said is historically correct. IMPERIAL was separated into it's own make in 1955, from that point on, it was no longer a Chrysler, leaving the New Yorker as the top of the line Chrysler. The reason this was done , was because Chrysler , by the 1950's ,was no longer viewed as a ultra luxury make. The top-line Imperial was the only Chrysler that was in that class, and it lost it's cachet , by sharing the "Chrysler" nameplate with lower-priced cars. (Windsor, Saratoga, New Yorker, etc) Chrysler was viewed more as a direct competitor to BUICK and MERCURY, rather than CADILLAC and LINCOLN . So, in 1955, the top-of-the-line IMPERIAL was REMOVED from the Chrysler Division , and the new IMPERIAL DIVISION was created...so the car could properly compete in the luxury price class for which it was created to compete in the FIRST PLACE. The 'Chrysler" name was removed from the car, and the car itself was upgraded to a true luxury make. Proof ? (1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_(automobile)#First_generation_(1955%E2%80%931956):_A_separate_make (2) www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Lit/Marque/index.htm (3) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DtyG9jQ1Ydc.html (4) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wOy6_uk3k3k.html (5) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GA51okFc33U.html (6) EDSEL VIDEO- Explains the LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH-PRICED FIELDS of American Cars ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Tfhp556G4nk.html
Pamela Hirschhorn When Chrysler decided to spin Imperial into its own division they made only a half hearted attempt. While it’s true the car was its own division, unlike say Cadillac, Chrysler continued to sell the car in Chrysler showrooms. Imperial was on display right along side Windsor cars, their low priced loss leader. Windsor had rubber mat floors cloth seats and little else unless you checked off a lot on the options sheet. With that said it was perfectly reasonable that the buying public never made the disconnect and continue to refer the car as Chrysler Imperial.
@@TheItsmegp46 Also the fact the valve covers are stamped " Chrysler FirePower " ( at least for the 1956 year ) don't help for the brand separation. I believe in 57-58 they come through with plain covers ( or simple stamped " Imperial " ) but I'm not positive.
