Such a beautiful car, and a sumptuous interior. When you look at "luxury" cars today, all you get is a sea of hard, black plastic inside, and an exterior that is virtually indistinguishable from any other car.
@@strayhound3842 I know that. I’d love to have a ‘56 Chevy Malibu. They’re beautiful. Lots of older classics are beautiful. I’m an old school hot rodder. I grew up in the 60’s in Southern California. Hot rods were the thing then. My brothers friends were always working on or building one. I love them. But in today’s traffic and potholed, rutted up crappy roads and all the a-holes in their Land Rovers clogging up the road I’d rather have a quiet, easy to drive car with all the modern conveniences just to maintain my sanity while driving twenty minutes to take an hour looking for parking, or to be cut off by a crappy box truck and get flipped off for trying to change lanes… yeah, those modern conveniences and a nice boring mid-size SUV are the way to go. I’ll have to leave my dream 1956 Chevy Nomad big block 4-barrel, cammed up and with not street legal lake pipes parked in my garage.
Keep in mind, back in the early 70's era, these looked alot like everything else large luxury car and even their down trimmed brethren. I will say, there is a BIG difference in interior styling detail that has been largely missing for decades now
I've read that indeed it was leftover Mod Top material and problems appeared after Imperials emerged from automatic car washes. The dye wasn't strong enough to withstand the scrubbing action of the top roller brushes. Customers were given a recall replacement vinyl top choice of either Black or White. The '72 two door Imperial with buckets is my favorite of this series.
Gotta give Chrysler credit for their willingness to have fun with their color and trims back in the late '60s to '70s. I don't think I've ever seen a "mod top" vinyl roof in person but it is kind of cool. I'd be curious to know how one would restore something like this today since the original material is long gone.
@@geraldscott4302; As a two door, the lines are sweet. I say black on black, no vinyl top. Too bad the 440 Mopar was no hand selected fits and assembled 460 Lincoln from 68 1/2 into 1970. Truth be told, I like the 1972 Imperial Coupe over the Mark IV, but's that's it. Everyting else has to be Lincoln for that small window of opportunity for Ford to get their foot in the door, concerning their personal luxury vehicles. In two door form, if they made one, I consider the 1961 Continenal to be Lincoln's first personal luxury car because of it's almost mid-size wheel base.
About 15 years back we bought a 68 Dodge Coronet with a white vinyl top from a local junk yard, I later learned it was promotion for all of Dodge cars called a "White Hat Special." All we did was clean the car up, give it a oil change, tune-up and drove the car for YEARS. Nothing like a good vinyl top story.... Thanks to Adam for his time, work and posting.
The "White Hat Special" was offered for several years in that era. About 2008 a good friend of mine bought a partially restored 1970 Dodge Charger. The paint and body were completed when he bought it. It was a real-deal FC7 Plum Crazy car and it had an excellent paint job in the original purple. The car had a black interior and a black vinyl roof when he bought it, but when decoded the car was found to originally be a "White Hat Special" car. My friend completed the restoration and changed the interior and vinyl roof back to their original white. The Charger had the 383 "Magnum" (i.e. 383 4BBL HP engine) engine and a console-shift Torqueflite automatic. When finally finished the Plum Crazy/White top looked absolutely stunning. I reckon that when new back in 1969/70 this Charger did not last long on the showroom floor!
@@gavinmclaren9416 I don't think I could think of a better color combo than purple and white, that thing would have me falling head over heels LOL! Thanks for sharing the story.
Thank you for another well narrated (and illustrated) journey. In my elementary school years, my family owned a 68 Chrysler New Yorker, white with beautiful frost blue interior. The chrome louvered air conditioning vents, starburst center on the steering wheel, and distinctive starter sound are brought to mind. I recall various Imperials of the time and at my age thought the brand to be presidential, or for the well to do Mr. Drysdale of the Beverly Hills bank.
My father, God rest him, had a 1972 2 door Imperial Lebaron (NO paisley top). That car was HUGE! The drivers door closed on his knee as he was getting out of the car and he never fully recovered from that knee injury. He traded the car in on a 1973 Jaguar XJ-6.
As a Jaguar fan and long time owner of various models I realise Jaguar ownership can be difficult on occasions but I heartily applaud your father's good taste. I hope his knee injury didn't hinder him too much, but I imagine the initial injury was extremely painful.
@@davidhunt6463 Unfortunately, the knee injury hurt him the rest of his life. On another note, the Jaguar proved so unreliable (final straw was a crack in the engine block) Dad got one of the very first Cadillac Seville's. After the Seville he bought an Audi 5000 Turbo and then an Acura Legend and his final car was an Acura RL (96 or 97).
Gold baby. So popular a color. Gold made your family Imperial appear even more plusher! I hope there is a pic of you as a kid sitting behind the steering wheel.
I had a 71 Fury Gran Coupe with the paisley top. 360 two barrel, hide away headlights. What a great cruiser. I bought it as a 30k mile survivor and sold it to a collector about 15 years ago. Ive been casually looking for another one for years.
Somewhere in a box of family slides is a picture of me as a little kid at the 1970 NY auto show sitting in a paisley topped Dart Swinger. Had no idea they ever offered a top like that on an Imperial.
I remember back in 1972 my neighbor/friend lived a few houses down from us his Father always owned Imperials. My neighbor (Mike) who was my age and I went to school together in Fenton, Mi. We had a blast as teenagers. Well anyways my friend Mike's family was going to Cedar Point for the day. A hefty drive from Fenton. Plus to ride the rides all day then drive back home. Mike's Father took us all in his 1972 Imperial. What a nice car. Even then I enjoyed it even though I was a GM kid. Mike's two sisters and his Mother rode in the back seats. Mike had his Learners Permit and his Father let him drive a bit on the Freeway. Mike and I rode up front with his Father. I of course got the 'Middle Seat' because I was shorter. LOL It was still very comfortable. Mike's Father smoked a Cigar and had this stainless steel cigar holder attached to the ashtray. Right in front of me. But that was not all that bad either. The A/C sucked out most of the smoke very efficiently. Also Mike's Mom would bark at Mike's Father to roll down a window at times when smoking. haha For my benefit. i was a Guest after all. It was a memorable day that I will never forget. I actually had more fun riding in that Imperial then being at Cedar Point that day. Sadly a year after we graduated from High School (74) my friend and neighbor Mike died in a car accident.
I recall these Mod tops! … almost sadly haha. Seriously, thanks for this refresher Adam, as these had completely vanished from my memory. The big Chryslers and Imperials were nice cars at the time but for whatever reason never possessed the presence that the Lincoln’s and Cadillacs of the time did. Thanks for posting.
The pattern is unique to those cars, blowing the theory that left over mod top material was painted over. If they wanted a plain burgundy top to go with the paint they would have just made one. Chrysler had a problem with some of the patterned tops, such as the gator grain or turtle grain where the accent colors applied over them would wear off quickly, changing the look of the top. In the 1971 Imperial trim book, you can see the pattern in the material sample. Not a big enough sample for people to get the idea of what it was going to look like on the car.
Could it be that some dealers, stuck with cars they couldn't sell, painted over the pattern without telling potential buyers, who would then witness the pattern re-surface when the paint faded?
GMH created a 1968 Torana and Brougham with "Mod Top" for the Melbourne Motor Show...the Torana was especially nutty: it was metallic purple, black paisley top and had fat chrome wheels like a pimpmobile that shrank in the wash!
A shame that the Imperial didn't sell very well, as it was a much better driver than either Lincoln or Cadillac. For such a large car, it handled as though it was much smaller and lighter. I've owned two 69 Imperials and still have one of them.
That interior you shared in the photos looked really nice. Ther Imperial had a hard time it seems. You can clearly see the uniqueness that disappeared. This was informative for the content. Thank you Adam.
Imperial sales figures were indicative of buyers who were individuals, not sheep choosing Cadillac or Lincoln because everyone else had one, although I imagine that whichever car was chosen, the buyer was satisfied.
My grandpa used to have a Plymouth Gran Fury with a paisley top too. It always stood out. Probably for the wrong reasons. But he never drove most of his cars anyway, just keeping them in garages and letting us look at them from time to time.
Plug in the time machine... and some 25 years ago I saw a cream colored early 70s Imperial with white top in a parking lot, pristine condition with hand printed $500 for sale sign. If only could go back in time ...
Fail. Not a chance. I had one and it was very very nice. Comfortable,spacious,fast, & it handled for a big 2 door. Like to have another one. Mine didn't have the paisley top. It was a 2 door H.T. with a 440/375 horse & ran like crazy that could do 140 anytime. Ran the best on 100 octane AVGAS. And the very best A/C on the planet.
An episode on the quirky options offered by manufacturers and the sales numbers would be quite interesting. I remember when I was really young one of the family cars had a Levi's interior, it was either a gremlin or a pacer. My mom, grandpa, and several other family members worked at the AMC plant and we had some strange vehicles and options in the family fleet.
True! Adam, you have a good voice and pronunciation and use of words. Add that to all the great new information you bring to us on these wonderful cars, makes it very enjoyable! As much as I know about these era of cars - and I know a lot- you always bring an additional tidbit I didn't know. Thank you for your most enjoyable videos!
My elementary school classmates in the 1960's loved the Paisley "Mod Top" Plymouth and Dodge models. And the high point had to be the 1969 Barracuda available with a Flower-Power Mod Top featuring a three-tone floral design vinyl top with a matching floral patterned cloth interior. The 1960's was a wonderful time of crazy cars, cool music and awesome television shows. By 1971, I think I'd "lost that lovin' feeling", and the 1971 Imperial was truly late to the party! Honestly, my 60's hangover was truly gone by 1972. Thank you, President Nixon.
I wonder if the same Paisley material was used on the Australian 1971 Chrysler by Chrysler CH model sedan and hardtop. A smaller car., but top of the line Chrysler in Australia. There are a few vids on RU-vid of them, some showing the Paisley.
Heard/read this story a while ago, and love it. One of the greatest ChryCo. tales! My black '71 coupe has that rare Sure Lock anti-lock brake system. Never worked. Has THEE most bizarre set of components ever. And they are scattered around the car as well. No one can ever guess what they are. Also, being black w/the high back leather seats being avocado green w/a matching green top (originally) it's GOT to be a one-of-one! Finally gonna sell it, but at 72,000 mi it's likely not quite up to your standards. Great video!
Wow! Fail, indeed. Our neighbors had a Navy blue 1966 Imperial Crown Coupe'. About the classiest car that ever was. Once you got it off the dime, it just kept going like a freight train. As for paisley, starting in the mid-60s, it was everywhere! By the time Imperial got that vinyl foisted on them, it had run its course.
That is indeed a horrible looking top for an Imperial. I own a lovely 71 Imperial in blue with white leather and white vinyl roof - which I drove across America in (check it out). My car has the anti lock brake option PLUS the optional wipers over the front headlights behind the concealed doors. These are terrific cars and wonderful to drive.
Oh, the memories! In '71, dad bought a new yellow Volkswagon Bug with a matching bright yellow floral patterned top, and there was never any question about whether it was intentional or not! Not sure if it was factory installed, or after-market, but it was brand new, off the lot. We all thought it was cool back then...both my sisters and I learned to drive in that ridiculous affair!
I worked on one (1971 LeBaron) for a customer in the '90s. He had run it hot and scorched a cylinder and piston. He was on a budget, and was really a fan of the 56 Imperial, so he agreed to a '72 440 I had that was cherry, just needed a refresh. It ran great when I finished it, I built it to "TNT" 375hp specs (cam/springs, etc.) and he loved it. The Imp was white with a maroon leather and the paisley top with the flowers in it, very subtle compared to the "daisy" and other styles. I bored the '71 block .055" for a race car, and kept the steel crank and 7 rod/pistons. Later, a local machine shop was closing, and they offered me all of their abandoned Chrysler cores and parts. In that lode, there was a '71 bare block and for some reason, ONE of the (one year only!) 1971 440 piston and rod assemblies! So I now had a complete '71 rotating assembly. Then a '74 cast crank motorhome 440 became available, with low miles, and I swapped that rotating assembly into it. For once, patience paid off!!
I owned a '70 Plymouth Fury Gran Coupe back in the 90's that had the vinyl paisley top- got a lot of attention! Dang I wish I still had that car- the 383 was amazing!!
Thanks for this great video addressing this unique top! Have heard much speculation on this top and remember seeing one in person. Also love the comment on the sure brake set up- owned a 1973 with it and it really worked!!
I had a 71, a gold color one. Someone ran into it and when I took it to the dealer to be repaired, they had to paint it on the shop floor as it was too big to fit into the paint booth. I also remember that (apart from its leather seats) it had tons of cheap tooking plastic everywhere, including very unrealistic "wood" on the dash--a long downhill slide from the finishing of a 1966 model I had earlier. It may be that this gaudy cheapening accounted for much of the sales decline.
I've seen a number of these paisley/mod tops over the years (especially the Gran Coupe) but never knew of the Imperial version, thanks. While I realize that after 69 these were mostly big Chryslers (some would argue the same with 67-68), they did have a distinctive stule and it's too bad they didn't fare better in the marketplace. After all, Buick and Old had no problems moving Electras and 98s. If the New Yorker occupied essentially that place in Chrysler's line-up and the Sedan de Ville was nothing more than a gussied up C body, why the penalty against Imperial as the same thing? Insufficient brand recognition - that, and perhaps those who bought Imperials were used to having something 'different' as certainly most models from 57-66 most definately were. (I also think the LeBaron frenched roofline with poorly disguised inset cap was somewhat cheap looking; they'd have done better to integrate that with the basic design on these fuselage bodies)
I think you're right. They looked like Chryslers with a different front facia. Any Cadillac, Electra, 98, and the Bonneville/Grandville each had completely unique sheetmetal. They shared windows for the most part, but that was about it.
My dad factory ordered a 1971 Imperial Sedan. He took delivery on the car, and walked around it with his brother - who was a professional mechanic - with a pen and legal pad. They wrote down all of the manufacturing defects that needed to be addressed, and then went back to the dealer with the list. The dealer took the car back and refunded his money. As a result, he ended up factory ordering a 1971 Sedan DeVille, which they ordered in the same Brown colorway as the Imperial. Guess who inherited THAT car, and ended up driving it until it had 200,000 miles on it at 20 years old? Came THAT close to being an Imperial owner. 😁
That one kinda sneaked past me in the day. Thanks for the update. We had many Chrysler products in those days. They were basically good cars, but it seems there was always some "Achilles heel" for each car.
The mod tip I think was introduced on the 67 or 68 Barracudas.I think they built round 900 with the mod tops.Adam I believe you to be correct when you say it was probably left over material and Chrysler didn't want to scrap it and utilized it on the Imperial.In my eyes Imperials are beautiful cars even with the paisley top.Right now the Cudas are going up in value even more than usual as people find them with the mod tops and restore them.Love your channel.I learn something new everytime I watch your videos.
The Mod Tops come out in 1969 and 1970, there were no paisley versions like this released then, they were flower patterns. And in 1970 the Mod Top was only available on the Plymouth Barracuda, but for 1971 there was a milder pattern paisley vinyl top available for the full-sized Plymouth Fury and maybe Chrysler was intending to continue some unique tops for their other offerings but due to the very low sales of the original 69-70 Mod Tops they just did not go through with the option.
I was living in Fairbanks Alaska in the 1980’s and I swear there was an old guy that owned a 70’s Plymouth Gran Fury triple black and I swear it had a paisley vinyl roof. Hidden headlights too. Am I getting senile or what? Love your channel 😻
My dad and his partner were offered Imperial sedans on 6 month leases, then turn it in and pick up another new Imperial. All three of them drove about 12,000 highway miles in 6 months. They almost took the deal, but they passed on it. Just show how desperate Chrysler was to get them in the road and then take their chances selling it as a used car.
I would not consider the pattern on those Imperials as a paisley pattern but more of a flower almost tapestry type of pattern. It was not simply re-dyed Mod Top material.
I am a HUGE fan of the "fuselage" body style, which was used by Chrysler, GM and Ford. I just love the wrap around look, compared to the slab sided look. My 1972 Ford Pinto Squire wagon has that look. The lower sides wrap way back under the car, while the side windows have a very pronounced inward curve to them. It doesn't look like a box on wheels. I think a white vinyl top would have looked great on the Imperial. It would match the whitewall tires. The "fuselage" "coke bottle" body styles, V8 engines, rear wheel drive, vinyl tops, "woodgrain wagons" and opera windows are all things I absolutely love about '70s cars, along with the fact that you could get so many two door cars. I think two door cars (and trucks) should be the norm, unless you actually NEED a four door car. Most of the late model four door vehicles I see on the road these days only have the driver in them. You almost never see anybody in the back seat. I have 2 two door cars, a 2 door truck, and a 4 door car. And I rarely ever use the back seat in the 4 door. It's a Mercury Grand Marquis, and I've been driving them for decades as transportation and long distance travel vehicles because they are so big, comfortable, easy to get in and out of, have body on frame construction, a solid rear axle, and most important, a V8 engine. Because they have an overdrive transmission and a 2.73 rear axle, they can get 30-32 mpg on the highway. The front seats recline so far back that you can sleep comfortably in them. And properly maintained, they will last over 400,000 miles. I never understood why Chrysler went with unibody construction on its big cars. It just doesn't make sense. GM and Ford kept their body on frame construction till the end of their big cars, and even used it on their smaller cars like the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Ford Torino and Elite. I'm also puzzled by Chryslers use of torsion bar front suspension. The basic idea was good, but the actual design was flawed. Anybody who has rebuilt one of these torsion bar suspensions and had to replace the front bushings knows about that. Seems that they really weren't designed to last, or to be rebuilt. I give GM credit for their shim type camber/caster system used on the X and F body cars as being the best overall design. It was easy to adjust, and held its adjustment better than any other design. Designs that used elongated holes or cam type adjusters didn't hold up nearly as well.
Noticed the 1971 image at 1:21 minutes with the dual stripe white wall tires that seemed to be on most 1970 and 1971 production cars. Often wondered why the tire companies reverted to the single white wall?
You have to remember that paisley was a popular fashion and artistic accent from the late sixties to my 1980's tie collection. And its not like the rest of the car didn't shy away from other components of excess.
I like the sytling a lot for the 69-71 Imperials. Why they sold so poorly I don't know. Cool dash too. The paisley top is cool today but maybe not on a formal car like Imperial. It looks best with no vinyl top but I don't think any where made without one. A beautiful car then and now.
Very interesting post - thanks. There were also two radical paint patterns available for 1968 Chryslers, hard for me to describe except to say it was modern art, radial rays of contrast. I'll try to find the marketing name unless someone already knows....?
I know what you are referring to, there was a Chicago Chrysler-Plymouth dealer that commissioned a couple of paint jobs on some 1967 Chryslers. He also did some Plymouth Satellites as well. The owner of the dealership that did them was named Mel Wolff. I could not find the name of the artist that designed them. There was no record of how much the paint jobs cost or how many were exactly sold, but there are pictures of four cars that were done, two with a Pop Art scheme and another two with a floral design.
@packard5682 Thanks for the history and detail. Also, as I'm sure you know, Chrysler offered simulated wood paneling on 1968 Newports, marketed as, 'Sportsgrain'. Mercury did the exact same thing on 1968 Marquis as well. A spring of 1968 competition. A rare option, but definitely an artistic expression that looks more beautiful today.
Yes, I really love those wood sided cars and have only seen one in person (Mercury) and they certainly make a statement. I thought there was also a similar option on the 69 Chrysler as well. Those would have to be really rare.@@67marlins
I remember these! I was a kid on Grosse Ile in the mid 1970's and saw these cars with this top. I thought it looked strange, but I knew these were Chrysler's and agreed with my dad that Chryslers were kind of cheesy. Still....I looked at one of these and wondered what the hell they were thinking. These days I'm more mature; I suspect weed was involved in the design of this top. Hmm. You know, now that I think about it, I kinda wonder if the people at Tesla today have something in common with the people at Chrysler back then....
I think it looks kind of neat, but I can see where the people Chrysler wanted to sell this car to at the time wouldn't have been OK with it. It would've been far too _interesting_ for most folks looking to buy a new Imperial in 1971. :)
Actually kinda dig that emergent floral pattern...but yea probably few LeBaron owners would have wanted it. Imperial, and Chrysler in general, took a huge nosedive in quality with the fuselage body cars. A, B, and C bodies...once they went fuselage it was terrible plastic dashboards and door panels, poor body fitment, and rust. Prior they were sturdy, albeit a bit squared off. Not surprising the sales numbers dropped so much. OTOH, the style and performance were first class, and some of the seating was quite nice too
I always thought the 4-door Imperial was classy looking. I thought but could be wrong since it was the 70’s when I first saw that type vinyl roof on a Baracuda.
I thought the 69 to 73 imperials were nice. They were really good cars but they just weren't popular. Most luxury car buyers wanted something flashy like a Cadillac and if they didn't want too much flash they went to a Lincoln. In places like Grosse Pointe, Michigan they were rarely seen but you still saw a lot of Lincoln's and Cadillacs in driveways. A little off topic Mrs. Horace Dodge who lived in Grosse Pointe, Farms ordered a new Imperial limousine by Ghia in 1964, a few months after the death of her son. It cost her $17,000, had a pink interior and she rarely rode in it. It was sold in 1971 at the estate auction and the funeral director Charles Verheyden who handled her final arrangements bought the limousine for $9000 or $11,000. The last time I saw a picture of it was in a book of local interest and the picture was taken in 1979 at a car show and the mileage on it was still low. I never found anything else about its current whereabouts. It would be interesting to find that car and to see who has it now and if it's still in original condition. The funeral director who bought it, Charles Verheyden died in 1985, he was almost 100 and I'm not sure if he still owned it at that time.
Back then it would've been an eyesore, but today, it would be an awesome collector's item! If it had actually been paisley, it might've not been as odd a look, seeing as paisley ties were becoming more popular around this time, and it would've fit in with many of the brocade and similar cloth interiors featured in American luxury cars during this period. That said, the floral top itself is quite a pretty pattern. Maybe I'm just biased as a lover of bold fabrics like brocade and paisley.
During this time period there were places where they'd spray this goo on your roof, for a fee, to look like a vinyl top. Remember how upstanding those establishments were?
I was aghast when my parents drove home a 440 Gran Fury with this Paisley vinyl top two door coupe. It was copper color. I think it was 1972. I told them to bring back the '70 xl Ford Convertible! That '70 xl was rare , I find out now. But they went ahead and traded it for a 1973 Ltd 2 dr Coupe. After i told them i would buy the XL. I was so mad!!!! But life goes on
