Though the brand dated to the 1920s, the Imperial lost its Chrysler association in 1955 and maintained a separate identity for the rest of its run. Though marketed separately, the 1962 Imperials were built alongside Chrysler products like the luxury New Yorker. Tailfins were gone by then, making the big car less of a cartoon caricature than it had been from the late 1950s. The seller, a dealer, has a rare ’62 Imperial Crown convertible, one of just 554 to be assembled. It looks like a land yacht beauty and is available in Sarasota, Florida, and here on eBay for $57,950.
The 1962 Imperial was a cleaner, more subtle car, much like its counterparts at Lincoln and Cadillac. With the fins gone, the taillights became free-standing “gunsight” fixtures attached to the rear fenders. Production numbers were decent for cars of this nature, though in third place in the luxury car segment at 14,330 total units. The ’62 Imperial was one of the last Chrysler cars designed by Virgil Exner.
Because this car is being sold by a dealer, none of its history is imparted, and most of the verbiage is marketing-speak. The 413 cubic inch V8 (340 hp) is probably original, but we don’t know. We can see that the air conditioning compressor has been replaced with a more modern one. And the car uses a push-button TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The seller lists the mileage at 615, so is that really 61,500 (c’mon, dealer)? The black paint and matching top look great, but are they original?
The leather interior presents well, though the bottom of the front seat looks “tight” in terms of fit, suggesting it’s been redone. Does this Imperial need anything besides a new home? We don’t know, but at the asking price, this should be a turnkey vehicle. The 1962 Imperial still had the feel of the “Forward Look” Chryslers of the 1950s, Space Age and all!
This is fantastic, a work of art.
While I prefer the earlier or later ones, this is still a thing of great beauty.
Given the rarity, it might be worth the ask, of course with a rigorous in-person inspection.
Good luck to whomever buys this, I am very jealous.
Used to have a 68 with the 440 iñ it, it had every bell and whistle you could think of including a switch on the floor for changing the radio station including a telescoping steering wheel. Heck it was so powerful I could outrun the new 80 models z28 Camaros in the quarter
The classic look and better build quality make 1962 my favorite year for the Imperial.