We always welcome input from our readers at Barn Finds, whether it is via your comments or the leads that you provide to some truly wonderful classics. Therefore, I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this 1960 Imperial 4-Door Hardtop. This car is anything but average, having scored an AACA Grand National Senior Award following its meticulous restoration. It needs nothing beyond a new home, with the seller listing the Imperial here on Craigslist in Dexter, Missouri, with an asking price of $35,000 OBO.
A long-term ownership history is always viewed favorably by potential buyers, and this Imperial comfortably ticks that box. The seller has been its custodian for forty years, and the car has only clocked around 5,500 miles since undergoing a total restoration. Therefore, its spotless presentation is unsurprising. The Alaskan White paint possesses a beautiful shine, and while there are no clear close-up shots, it appears to be free from visible defects. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and the consistent gaps hint at an eye for fine detail during the build. Chrysler’s quality control across all marques during this era was sadly lacking, meaning that rust could be a major consideration. However, this car’s recent history and the lack of glaring problems should ensure that this classic is rock-solid. I can’t spot any trim issues, the tinted glass is clean, and the whitewalls provide the perfect finishing touch to the exterior.
If this Imperial’s exterior makes a positive impression, its interior continues that theme. Finished in Moonstone Blue vinyl and cloth, it appears that it received a retrim during the restoration. The photos are lacking, but there is no evidence of wear or other shortcomings. The bright trim sparkles, the wheel shows no evidence of wear, but the gauge cluster could be a highlight. It looks stunning by the standards of the day, but Imperial’s decision to adopt electroluminescence, which it dubbed as “Panelescent” in its Sales Brochure, provided a stunning visual impact when the driver turned on the lights. Interestingly, the first owner didn’t opt for air conditioning, although it appears they did select power windows, power locks, and a push-button radio.
With a curb weight perilously close to 5,000 lbs, the Imperial required something special under the hood to provide respectable performance. The company delivered with its 413ci “Wedge” V8, teamed with the obligatory three-speed TorqueFlite transmission and power assistance for the steering and brakes. The Imperial Sales Brochure quotes a power output of 350hp, allowing this classic to cope with almost any driving environment effortlessly. The seller doesn’t mention whether a mechanical refresh formed part of their restoration, nor is there information provided regarding how it runs or drives. However, I can spot nothing in the photos that causes me concern. Since they use the term “like new” to describe the Hardtop’s overall condition, I suspect that the news will be positive.
It would be easy to classify this 1960 Imperial Hardtop as a gentle giant, but the mechanical specifications confirm that it has the power to match its looks. There is nothing about this classic deserving criticism, and the new owner will slip behind the wheel of a vehicle that can’t help but draw crowds. If your leanings are towards classic luxury, is this Imperial a car that might make your short list?
At last! I’ve found a pattern for an Imperial print that’s fit for a queen 👑! Angel Cadillac Queen Diva that is. She asked me once if I could find a good car to make a print from and here it
is! Looks like one Bing Crosby used in the 1960 film “High Time” where he played a hamburger tycoon who wanted to get a college education. But I wanna say that he had the limousine
model instead of a standard car like this one. Great film though
I haven’t seen it in at least 50 years. Great car too! Time to get back to work on the ’56 Oldsmobile so that I can get started on my next projects whatever they may be. Good Morning 🌄 to all,
Hey Ken! Agreed this is an INCOMPARABLE Imperial, but the 61 LEBARON was and remains the Creme de la Creme especially in black with trunk applique. The ultimate expression of Exners fabulous finned fantasies for Chrysler. As for HIGH TIME, Bing played Harvey Howard ( Think 🤔 Howard Johnson) and his limo was a 58 🤔. Loved the film, recently shown on cable. But I always felt the Imperial should have had star billing.
Not many `60 Imperials go through a full restoration like this one. No stone unturned and it came out fantastic! This would be a fan favorite at most car shows simply because so few have been saved. And even though the car weighs near 5K pounds, I’m sure the 413 could handle the heft. Wish it were mine! Absolutely gorgeous! GLWTA!
I would love that car to drive around Palm Springs. It is fantastic
I have had OCD regarding 1960 Imperials for the last 30 years. Helped build out the 100,000 page website about all Imperials, but one year above all others got special attention from me for completeness at http://www.imperialclub.com
With that being written, this car is gorgeous AND you won’t build one this nice for any less than double the asking price. $10k+ to do chrome, $10k+ for interior, $15k+ for driveline, $10k for suspension and other bits, $10k-$20k+++ for paint, etc. Just pulling the stainless off to polish it is a monumental task.
I have personally been through 8 1960’s before settling on what I’ve got, and it isn’t this nice.
Picky picky says that the color is more common than any other – it was neutral enough (not risky like the pinks and greens) to be a safe sales bet for a dealer to order for stock without a buyer in hand. Nobody wanted to get stuck with a goofy-colored rhiocerous of a car if they only moved three a year in their small town or whatever, so there is a high preponderence of white and blue cars in the surviving population, but that’s no crime at all.
You certainly won’t be at risk of blending in with all of the other white 1960 Imperials down at the mall parking lot.
No comment on mechanical situation – gotta inspect for that, BUT keep in mind that even if it does need something, mechanical is comparatively cheap and easy in comparison to the cosmetics that can really suck your shoe off for expense and time.
If you have not driven a 1960, it has a unique feature – you can see the tail lights in the rear view mirror. I startled myself the first time that I drove at night, did a scan of the RVM and mentally jumped when I saw red lights so close up before realizing and processing that it was ME and not some threatening foreign object behind the car.
Expect this car to project gravitas anywhere you take it. Best line available when you’re pumping gas and there’s someone with a nice modern Mercedes or BMW within earshot? When they start looking at the car while they’re pumping gas, ask them “did they tell you that was a LUXURY CAR when they sold it to you?” Always good for a laugh if delivered right.
Last note: Brakes. Car is heavy. Drum brakes on car. Disc better than drum – humanity knows this. Drive the car like it has drum brakes and not like it has discs, and you’ll be fine. It’s a matter of heat management and giving oneself space in modern traffic to behave differently than modern traffic. The brakes take a special, not-exotic, but not-intuitive adjustment, and if adjusted right will be plenty. If not adjusted properly, false conclusion that they are terrible engineering can be made, which is not accurate – they’re fine and just need to be re-tuned/tightened from time to time, unlike modern stuff.
Best wishes to next owner of this car – it is high value per dollar!
50’s & 60’s; cars were so big; garages were so small! Where did they keep them?
Just looked at one of these setting in the mountains at an old gold mining site. Might be for sale soon.
This would be a 4-door “Southampton,” the Imperial term for its hardtops. It’s the base Custom trim level and though the lack of A/C is unfortunate it wasn’t uncommon in the base trim. Only 44.7 percent of ’60 Imperials had A/C as it was an expensive option ($590.27). Our family car back then was a ’60 Crown 4-door Southampton. Great road cars.
I’ve always liked those ancillary grill badges that called out club membership or better still, high millage and service achievements.
I had a ’63 Imperial. Sort of got stuck with it. My Dad, mechanic/body man. Took my ’66 Mustang into his shop to do a valve job and some body work. He decided to let me have the Imperial instead. Rectangular steering wheel, push button transmission. I can’t say I was thrilled. When driving to Maine, from Newton, MA. I cannot tell you how many times I had to stop to refill the gas tank. I am sure I could see the gas gage go down, when I had to pass semi’s. Dad never did the work he said he would do, body work, I married and moved to Maine, husband was/is a Saab guy. Three cylinders, 96 bodies, still have one, not running. Four or more engines, a couple of transmissions. But Jim was never into big cars. I gave the Imperial to my Brother, plus the parts cars I bought to restore the ’63. A ’60 De Soto and a ’61 Chrysler 300. Shawn sold them before he went into Basic Training. He said the De Soto was worth restoring, it was a convertible. But … These cars are amazing, but you have to really like BIG. The Mustang was the better car for me. It was taken to a junk yard in Newton, MA. in 1979. Probably came back as 1-2 Datsuns.
My father’s first Imperial was identical to this. A 1960, white, 4 door Crown with AC. After that he drove a 63, identical in features and color followed by a 66 which he only enjoyed for a short time before passing in 67. Incredible cars, all of them.
This 1-family owned ’60 Imperial Custom survivor passed through my life a while back. Along with the car, got a big binder with every oil change and service item. I still believe that having the provenance of the car plus relatively low miles (75k) is what made the car worth north of $20k from an auto museum in Orlando (Dezerland).
She was a beauty!
I like the ’54 listed above better.