Walter P. Chrysler created the Chrysler Imperial to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. The name then ran, on and off, from 1926 to 1983. Yet many of its best cars sold in tiny numbers. So these ten, from a 1926 pace car to a 1980s coupe sold with Frank Sinatra tapes, deserved a better run.
1. 1926 Chrysler Imperial E-80
Chrysler had used “Imperial” as a body-style name in 1924 and 1925. Then, for 1926, it split the name off as a luxury model of its own. The E-80 took its name from its 80-mph top speed. It also sold for about twice the price of Chrysler’s G-70, according to the Imperial Club’s 1926 history.
At first, power came from a 288-cubic-inch L-head six rated at 92 horsepower at 3,000 rpm, on a 127-inch wheelbase. Buyers could also order a 133-inch chassis. Better still, an E-80 roadster paced the 1926 Indianapolis 500 with Louis Chevrolet at the wheel, the club records.
2. 1931 Chrysler Imperial CG
By 1931 the Imperial had grown much bigger. Its L-head straight-eight displaced 384.84 cubic inches, turned on nine main bearings and made 125 horsepower at 3,200 rpm. Also, a 145-inch wheelbase and a four-speed manual completed the CG series, the club’s specifications show.
The club estimates production at 3,228 cars for the year. However, the custom-bodied versions were far scarcer. The LeBaron coupe accounted for 135 and the LeBaron roadster for 100. Only 85 dual-cowl phaetons followed, according to the club’s figures.
3. 1934 Chrysler Custom Imperial Airflow CW
Chrysler stretched its streamlined Airflow onto a 146-inch wheelbase for the CW. It also carried over the nine-bearing straight-eight from the CG, listed at 6,318cc. Like other Airflows, it also wore a waterfall grille.
Classic & Sports Car calls it “a two-ton study in the elephantine.” The guide also credits the CW with a single-panel curved windshield, which it calls a world’s first. Chrysler built just 65, all in 1934.
4. 1951 Chrysler Imperial Convertible
The 1951 lineup included a two-door convertible priced at $4,427. That made it the most expensive Imperial body short of the eight-passenger Crown Imperial sedan and limousine. Even so, Chrysler built only 650 of them.
By comparison, the four-door sedan sold 21,711 copies across 1951 and 1952, the Imperial Club’s production table shows. The club combines most 1951 figures with 1952, but the convertible appears with its own count.
5. 1955 Imperial Two-Door Hardtop
For 1955 Chrysler made Imperial its own make, giving the corporation five divisions. A 331.1-cubic-inch overhead-valve V8 rated at 250 horsepower sat in a 130-inch wheelbase. Also, a PowerFlite automatic came standard, says the club’s 1955 specifications.
Meanwhile, the C69 two-door hardtop listed at $4,720, and Imperial built 3,418. That was less than half the 7,840 sedans. In fact, the whole 1955 Imperial line totaled 11,430 cars, club records show.
6. 1957 Imperial Crown Convertible
The 1957 Imperial pulled further away from other Chrysler products in its styling. It also introduced curved side glass, which the club calls an industry first, and “Torsion-Aire Ride” front torsion bars. A 392.7-cubic-inch V8 made 325 horsepower, according to the 1957 specifications page.
Imperial had a strong year, with 37,593 cars built. Still, the $5,598 Crown convertible found just 1,167 buyers, as the club’s 1957 production table shows.
7. 1957–1965 Crown Imperial Ghia Limousine
Ghia of Italy hand-built the Crown Imperial limousine, and the cars were shipped across the Atlantic. The first batch numbered 25, and the run lasted from model year 1957 through 1965. Over that time, Ghia made 132 in total, Hagerty reports.
Its owners included movie stars, dictators, governors and company presidents. One car, first ordered by New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, is on display at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The 1957 version listed at $12,000 and only 36 were built, according to the Imperial Club.
8. 1961 Imperial LeBaron
Chrysler gave the 1961 Imperial free-standing headlights and pushed its tailfins to a point. Under the hood sat a 413.2-cubic-inch V8 rated at 350 horsepower. Meanwhile, just over half of 1961 Imperials came with air conditioning, the club notes.
The LeBaron four-door hardtop cost $6,428, and Imperial built 1,026. That same year, Ghia built only nine limousines at $16,000 each, club figures show.
9. 1969 Imperial Crown Two-Door Hardtop
For 1969 Imperial sold two two-door hardtops, and buyers made their preference clear. The LeBaron version found 4,572 buyers at $6,539. By contrast, the cheaper $6,233 Crown two-door hardtop found just 244.
That works out to nearly 19 LeBaron two-doors for every Crown coupe. Imperial built 22,083 cars that year in all, the Imperial Club’s 1969 figures show, including six LeBaron Stageway limousines.
10. 1981–1983 Imperial Frank Sinatra Edition
Chrysler’s 1981 Imperial was a bustle-back coupe with digital instruments. It used an electronically fuel-injected 318-cubic-inch V8 rated at 140 horsepower. The base price was $18,311, Old Cars Weekly reports.
Meanwhile, the Frank Sinatra Edition came in Glacier Blue with its own interior and 16 Sinatra cassette tapes. Old Cars Weekly counts 271 in each of 1981 and 1982. By contrast, the Imperial Club lists 148 Sinatra packages for 1981. Overall, US production fell from 7,225 in 1981 to 2,329 in 1982 and 1,427 in 1983, according to Old Cars Weekly.
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