My grandfather had one of these in mint condition in 2000 he always kept in the garage as did the original owner. He loved it and had always had lincolns and caddilacs before. I think the uniqueness and smooth ride is why he liked it so well. Im not sure if he had a carb or fuel injection but never had a problem with it.
Gabe that's awesome! I really hope you enjoy it, the fellow I sold it to did live in PA but I lost his info over the years. If you ever decide to sell it, let me know, but until then enjoy the heck out of it!
Beautiful car, definitely one of the best looking cars from the '80s. I remember seeing one as a kid (black) and remember thinking how futuristic it looked - reminded me of Darth Vader's helmet. I've heard some older luxury car owners mention that these gave a particularly smooth ride, though I have never ridden in one.
I am looking at buying myself a 1982 Chrysler Imperial frank Sinatra Edition. Once I get my learning permit, it seems like a very nice sedan and I'd like to buy one.
I test drove an IMPERIAL brand new, BUT, changed my mind due to many people informing about the problematic of the FUEL INJECTION. Back then, I traveled alot, man was I disappointed. It's a BEAUTIFUL car. Then, Chrysler gave up repairing & decided to replace it with a 2bbl carb. It should have been @least 4bbl. Plus a 318cid, a 360 should have been the standard engine for a Classy, personal luxury coupe. 318cid were for commercial purpose vehicles. . The luxury car manufacturers were still installing bigger engines than on the regular cars, it was part of the luxury.
They really should have allowed a 360ci to be had in these cars, but at the time those were reserved for police cars. I have seen 1 or 2 Imperials retrofitted with a 360ci so it's definitely possible to do.
Great stuff , that Lee Iacocca did as part of the WW ll generation. Those guys had a special bond with each other that shows 40 years after WW ll when this car was made as a tribute to Frank Sinatra for his entertainment music he and the big bands did to boost the moral for G.I.'s fighting the battles from 1941 to 1945.
Sinatra demanded Chrysler pay him up front, in cash, for this promotional deal. His accountants knew Chrysler was hemorrhaging money at the time they signed the deal for his name to be on the car, so the only way he’d agree is if they paid him up front in cash. It was in no way a tribute for Frank. The company was almost bankrupt when Iacocca secured the govt loans. He was not interested in special bonds with entertainers. Iacocca was too busy figuring out how to turn the company around to hob nob with Frankie much when this deal was signed.
@@joe6096 Interesting , that it is usually about the money and not as much about friendship. Ford made a Jack Nickolus Edition Lincoln., do you if that too was a cash deal for Nickolus ?
@@UfoDan100 I don't know about that, but I can assure you Ford was in much better financial shape when Nicklaus signed his deal than when Sinatra did his. Chrysler was literally about to go bankrupt from 1979-82. Things only started turning around when Iacocca got all the layoffs and cuts done and they started moving forward with the K-Car.
The 1981- 1983 Imperial did not have vacuum hidden head Light doors. In fact the head light doors worked with an electrical motor I know because I had a 1883 imperial and had to replace the head light door motor
those are VFDs, not LCDs. Vacuum Fluorescent Display, as opposed to Liquid Crystal Display, Corvette and Allante were the only two cars that had LCDs, and you can tell right away.
"Tires are new but 10 years old". My Mustang GT with 23k original miles still wears its original tires with good tread remaining. My '06 Ranger 4WD still wears its original tires with good tread at 35k miles on the odo.
I recall this Imperial was not favored as much as the other bustle backs from Cadillac & Lincoln. Because of its Cordoba underpinnings. But Chrysler was strapped for cash and I think the objective for Lee and old blue eyes was to try save a car company and jobs.
Hi Stuart this was about 4-5 years ago so I don't recall the amount exactly but I think it was around $3500 (I got less for it than I paid for the paint job I remember that much!).
Exactly! Which do you prefer? I always liked the Seville (never had one but they seemed to be a lot more plentiful than the Imperial). I personally like them both!
Nice car. I have a tip & a question. Tip: I have developed a remedy for the warped dash pad syndrome. Question: I had an 81 FS Imperial and thinking of getting another Imperial in the future, what is the average price for having the headliner & pillars recovered... and how easy is it for upholsterers to find material that matches these unique interiors? Thnx, Terry
+Terrence Gold The color match is a nightmare. I tried to match it myself, unsuccessfully, probably 10-12 times. Finally took it to my upholstery guy and he did a decent match. Runs around $500 including doing the sail panels
I think they came w/the electronic fuel injected 318 small block, which they had major pronlems with, so much so that the factory actually offered carb conversion kits but only to the original owners. Other than that theyre great cars & considered a rare collecters itwm.
