This 1983 Chrysler Imperial is one of just under 1,000 cars built for that model year, and the seller has held onto it for many years after a deer strike on the highway. The nose shows some damage and the engine is missing some of its typically buggy injection equipment, but these high-end Imperials don’t pop up for sale all that often. The seller clearly has a love for these interesting B-bodies, and even with the damage, this looks like a decent project with an opening bid of $875 and no reserve. Find it here on eBay and located in Minneapolis.
The Imperial featured the then-stylish bustle-back rear end, but also incorporated a number of details to put it on par with other high-end luxury cars from domestic competitors. Lots of sound deadening materials, a digital dashboard display and a fuel-injected 318 V8 were all intended to give Mopar shoppers an easy decision when cross-shopping against Ford and Lincoln. Heck, it even had a built-in garage door opener and all sorts of Mark Cross goodies as part of a new owner gift set. Chrysler was clearly swinging for the fences.
As you can see in the photo above, the only thing the seller was swinging for was likely an alternate path other than through a ten point buck. The sale of the Imperial will include the replacement front clip and hood. The interior is largely complete, and the seats still look as comfortable as ever – it even has the optional moonroof, one of the only boxes you could check for extra features. Unfortunately for Chrysler, despite the impressive ambition behind the project, the fuel injection system was far from reliable and the company lost money on every car it sold – and that was before the lawsuits for the troublesome EFI.
The 318 V8 is lacking a throttle body, as the seller owned another Imperial years ago that developed the aforementioned injection system issues. In an effort to troubleshoot, he removed the system from the damaged car to identify potential issues on the driver, which has since left his stable. While values are still low, these Imperials are an interesting footnote in Chrysler’s history and certainly worthy of a closer look today as a comfortable project car you can enjoy while you restore. It may never be worth as much as it cost new, but the liberal use of bells and whistles will always be entertaining at car shows.
“It’s time for Imperial” Frank Sinatra.
… said the wrecking yard owner to the tow truck driver.
Not to get into a bunch more posts on this thing, but just saying… it reminds me of the WC Fields movie where he falls out of an airplane and when he hits the ground he breaks his whiskey bottle.. and says:
“What a catastrophe….”
If I didn’t have an overseas assignment in the 80s, that would have been my first choice–used, low mileage and good price/condition.
Of course it will be used, and it might be low mileage because the fuel injection was terrible so it didn’t get driven much, and if converted to a 2 bbl carb it was no fun to drive anyhow. (120 blistering hp?). Given all the things on these cars that warped, cracked, peeled, broke, or failed, one in ‘good condition’ will be very, very hard to find – and even if, well then it’s gonna be ugly anyhow. At the same time as I owned a Dodge version of this thing (a Mirada, worst car I ever owned) I took a trip with my cousin in his Olds Delta 88 Royale and it was 100, no 1000 times more comfortable because the seating position in the B body was so low to the floor. I would have traded my car for an Olds at that time if I wasn’t upside down on trade-in value vs. what I owed.
Ahhhh, I own a pristine 1983 Mirada, not even a close copy, two different cars. Built on the same platform, yes, but thats about it. If it were me, I would drop a suitable small block in it that would run well (or even a 2bb slant six) and drive away happy after a good paint job. These were comfortable cruisers, but the fuel injection ruined (along with the fact that most people thought Chrysler would go bankrupt and leave a new car without a warranty or parts) the sales, otherwise would have been a hit. Same could said about my dandy Mirada that I have owned for 32 years, If Chrysler would have been better off financially and had put a little more thought into the small blocks, would have been an instant classic. Time was not on their side. Look at Ford and GM, by the mid to late 80s, they were able to make the old small blocks emission compliant and powerful again, poor Chrysler couldn’t, and by this time they had already staked the future of the company on front wheel drive four cylinders.
Well here is my ’80 which I owned for 17 years. I even had it repainted in an effort to like it. I tried forever to like it but in the end I never did. No power, uncomfortable seating position, and that long laundry list of defects. But after the repaint it was pretty… for a while…
I really wanted a midnight blue Magnum with a black buckets & console, a 400, and T tops. I know I’d have been infinitely happier with that.
My first car was the 1969 Imperial two door coupe. The car and the brand were no longer worth purchasing or even considering at the end of the land yacht era. The Heyday of the Imperial was the entire decade of the 60s. Beautiful design…tons of horsepower… and an occasional convertible top. This poor thing looks to have been designed with first generation CAD software…and by the junior designer at that. It would appear that Chrysler wasn’t content with keeping the ugly at the surface.It appears they went right down to the bone…and obviously under the hood as well.
This steaming pile is light years from anything else earlier Chrysler called an ‘Imperial’. This is a total piece of junk. Remember how Cadillac got busted trying to pass off a Cavalier as a Cadillac Cimarron? Same thing here only with a bigger car (Mirada / Cordoba), and possibly a worse one.
If you could do the work yourself then it might be good.
It will need conversion to carb. Forget trying to get FI working. Waste of time.
One would also need to be close to save transport costs. Nice cars but cramped. More like a fancy Volare thanan Imperial.
Does not appear to be any interest. May have to part out.
Not even comfortable to sit in. The seats are so low to the floor that with your legs straight out in front of you, it feels like you’re driving a go-kart, only of course a painfully slow one that doesn’t handle at all. (That was my Dodge MIrada pile of junk.) The odd part is that I had a couple of cars based on this platform – a Le Baron and a Diplomat – which were both massively more comfortable, and proved to be much more reliable, even though I bought the Le Baron from a junkyard and the Mirada was bought almost new.
Nice memorial for the deer!
Keep the deer 🦌 in the trunk and parked another couple decades 😃
RIP Deer
As a lil kid in the back seat used to say “deer”!
Then
Oh Dear😜
Did he also back over the deer?
Maybe he pushed it forward with
his “John Deer “ to move around 😜🤔🙄👀
Them stupid deers ( like they say on Longuyland) They do a lot of damage. This doesn’t seem too bad, but very limited interest, even when new. These were nice cars, but I think everybody that had a Chrysler product around this time, swore they’d never get another. If it wasn’t for the mini-van, cars like this spelled doom for Chrysler. I mean, just look at that engine compartment, believe it or not, there is a motor in there. All car makers were struggling around this time, Chrysler, I think was the worst. Again, might have a chance if it was nice, but I don’t see many wanting to repair this.
I personally prefer my 15K miles ALL original R body ’80 New Yorker Fifth Avenue over this
I bought this 79 or 80 Le Baron from a junkyard. It was only a six but it moved almost as well as my Mirada, and was infinitely more comfortable and better made. This is the only picture I have of the Le B as it was my winter beater.
My Dad bought an ’80 Fifth Avenue, brand new. Black with gold metallic, black landau top, and ivory leather. He loved that car. Fully loaded. Wonderful car to drive/ride in.
Oh my. What an ugly car, new or old. Under the hood looks like a junk bin from an old mechanic’s shop – what a mess of hoses and wires and tubes. Basically this is a Dodge Mirada / Chrysler Cordoba with ugly body mods and all of the cheaper cars’ issues – bad paint, warping dash, plastic interior trim that cracked up like Turkish Taffy, and on and on. The exterior door handles were so unreliable – they just flat broke – they were sold on the ‘HELP!’ odd parts rack at the auto parts store along with drain plugs and battery hold downs, no kidding. I had a Dodge Mirada version of this steaming pile and it was THE worst car by far I have owned of very many. I wouldn’t touch this with anything but a tow truck.
After 4 posts about how much you hate this car, and the Dodge Mirada, one can safely assume that if nothing else, these cars left an impression on you!
LOL! Yes, that Mirada left an impression on me. That was the kind of car that nearly put Chrysler Corp out of business. Since then however (other than the elsewhere-mentioned Le Baron and a Diplomat, not as nice) I have owned two Intrepids and two Dodge Dakota pickups and all of those have been very good overall.
I was on my way home from the dealer with the Mirada when I stopped to put gas in it… across the pump island was another Mirada with a chunk of chrome missing from the rear bumper, about the size of a postcard. Mine already had a bunch of weird cracks in the chrome, with raised edges, and I thought ‘oh no’… when I found the trunk wells full of water the next day, things only went downhill from there. I should have taken the car back and un-done the deal but I was young and not smart enough to know I probably could have done that.
Dude, we get it. You don’t like it. Enough already.
Sorry to vent so much. Usually I don’t get the chance.
no confirmed report on the health of the deer? Everyone assumes he passed.
Would a new Hellcat engine fit?
Why hide that beautiful well-engineered engine in such a disaster of a car? If you can get the 318 running on its own, that alone will make it an amazing sight.
… or a 340?
Convert it to a carburetor and you’ll have a blistering 120 horsepower on tap. The whole car is an embarrassment to own, to drive, or to be seen in.
So I’m guessing that you don’t like this car, right? I was a fan of the 1977, 78 Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge Diplomat 2 door. Supposedly Chrysler went to great lengths to insure a quality car, like dedicated assembly line. Slightly thicker gauge metal for the car. One of the first American cars to use base coat, clear coat paint. Lincoln Versailles was first. Unfortunately they retrieved parts from the other lessor cars like the Dodge Mirada, Chrysler Cordoba that it was based on to put this this car togather. At the time Chrysler had a budget that was thread like so not much money to really go all out, and unfortunately for Chrysler the Imperial was a complete failure. Even Frank Sinatra couldn’t turn things around.
My 79 (?) Le Baron was a very nicely made, comfortable car. When the Vermont salt rotted out the frame I replaced it with a Dodge Diplomat which neither my wife nor I liked near as much. It leaked oil so I referred to it as the Driplomat, or occasionally as the Mad Pilot. But it was still better overall than that Mirada. Oddly enough, the factory silver paint on the Driplomat was nice and shiny, totally unlike the paint on the Mirada which didn’t even stay on the car. Both cars 1980’s.
Wow, so much hate! Given the era, these were fine cars. The Caddy was junk, the Lincoln was junk, this is right on par, but not a horrible car. Chrysler pulled off the best bustle rear, by far, and the styling was the best overall of any, with a pure line, and overall good features. They were all gutless, all American cars were by then. Take them or leave them, the car certainly does not deserve the hate it is getting here. It’s a damn good solid project, very rare, and actually interesting, so give him a break. I’m not a huge Mopar fan, but if I were closer, this would be in my driveway, if only just to save it.
How do you define junk?
Is it by the engine or the overall quality of the car?
Well said, but I was one of the few out there that actually like the 1977, 78 Lincoln Versailles.
Hey Rick, I’ve actually had an 82 Imperial AND a 77 Versailles ;)
…and the Versailles. I also had a Granada, in case you’re interested
I’ll bet the Versailles was a better car, though back then all the luxury makes were scrambling to bring out a premium but smaller model. The original Versailles was so obviously a Granada / or whatever Mercury had called it but at least if it was dull, it wasn’t objectionable.
You are correct the Versailles was a much better car! Even though it takes a lot of flack from car people this one was unusual in that it had a factory 351 (most had the 302) with bucket seats and a floor shifter. It’s honestly one of the cars I’ve gotten rid of that I miss.
The buckets and console make that a really interesting car, and of course the bigger engine. Nothing tells me a car is done up all the way like buckets and console in a car that didn’t usually get ordered that way. I’ll bet the 351 was a gas hog but at least moved the car very nicely.
My Versailles was a weird car. In fact, Ford said that they had the buckets and floor shifter option available for the Versailles for that year only, but had no record of anyone ever ordering that option. They were quite surprised to see mine LOL. And the front bucket seats reclined all the way back until they were flat ;)
Not having owned the ’83 era Lincoln, can’t comment. But owning many of the ’83 era Cadillacs, I can definitely comment, and testify that the fuel injection system on the Cadillac pretty much works flawlessly, but I know that Chrysler never could get their FI to work right. I’ve owned 5 or 6 Cadillacs, still drive two almost daily, and they start right up, perform great, they can sit for months, and still, instantly start. The only problem with Cadillac, the engine, 4100, small for the weight of the car, and if not maintained, can have head gasket leaks. But none of mine have blown a gasket yet.
The ‘bustle back’ is something I never understood nor cared for. I’d much prefer the look of a ’71 boattail Riv rear end.
I think there is a motor in there under all those hoses and wires.
With all that plumbing, you couldn’t see the engine – so I think they sneaked in a 100 cubic inch V8 with a rubber crankshaft. That’s what it felt like at least.
LS swap it and take it to the track!
Style, not quality was priority #1 for the big 3 in those days… anyone thinking otherwise is suffering from brand loyalty. These were nicely styled luxury coupes… they served their purpose.
Chrysler’s quality low point was the late 1970’s. Iacocca arrived in late ‘79 and he mandated that quality be improved. With a few stumbles along the way, Chrysler quality did improve, at least until the Germans took over.
A friend of mine bought (new) a 78 Cordoba. It was nowhere near the frustrating failed pig of an automobile that My ’80 Mirada was.
I do have to say, I bought a brand new 79 Trail Duster and the ammeter never worked from new – the dealer insisted it had worked, but I found where they never made the hole in the firewall to feed the wiring through to the back of the dash. They just connected the two leads under the hood to complete the circuit, and the matching leads hung down behind the dash doing nothing til I made the hole and connected the wiring.
The Trail Duster’s paint also had numerous flaws. But it was still far far better than that cursed Mirada.
Poor car and deer, I have a pristine 1993 chrysler Imperial it’s beautiful, comfortable,luxurious and low milage. The people that say bad things about the chrysler probably don’t own one.
Betty You know how to describe the 81-83 Imperial! I also own an 81 Frank Sinatra addition that I feel the same about. Their Time Will Come!
My old boss at the antique shop kept two of these along with two Rover 3500’s, two Jaguar XJ6 Mk2’s and two Simca’s and…. See a pattern? And I didn’t learn anything from it, sheesh!!
Upon seeing this car, I suddenly started hearing Death Star music.
Love the car and it’s styling, very sharp! I wonder if a hemi motor will fit in there? HMMMMMM
Wonder where the production number came from? If only 1000 were made its a pretty low number. Then again, who cares how many are left? I like the Mirada better, with the Cord-inspired front grille and, I believe, some sort of Mopar R/T package left over from the Charger era. Still, a really huge car with a anemic powerplant.
They had some ‘package’ for the Mirada, like ‘CMX’ or something, but it pretty much amounted to a few extra gaudy trim pieces. There was no pretense that this car had anything to do with performance.
Not so grasshopper. In 1980, the 360ci Mirada had more power then a Corvette of that year. If Chrysler could have had the 318s that they put in Dodge trucks 10 years later, imagine how great it would have been. Even the poor slant six was doomed. 85 or 90HP, vs 110 before that. A SS say, circa 1973, was a very nice little power plant, but later it was starved for air and fuel. The 1959 designed engine, just couldn’t cut it in the early emission control days. In 1983, a Mirada was still a beautiful car, it just didn’t have enough power to satisfy, but it was still beautiful to look at. No one can deny that point. Beyond that, get her out on the road, and it will be wonderful, it was never intended to be a street light racer anyway. Young people today do not understand those times. We had just had two gas scares, the price of it rapidly doubled, there was a long period of adjustment. People had less expectations from their cars. Many people traded in muscle for vans that could double as entertainment areas in the back, if ya know what I mean. It was a weird time to be a car lover.
I thought that at least one year they offered the 360 in the Mirada but they didn’t really give it any sort of performance image. I’m sure it had to be better than that slug of a 318 was whether carbureted or FI’d. I know there were a few years where the base Corvette V8 was absolutely appallingly limp – a new Camry today would blow its doors off.
I was 24 when I bought my Mirada and kept it til I was 41 years old so it’s not a case of ‘young peoples’ expectations. I’m 61 years old (and have a six year old son) so I’ve seen, driven and owned a lot of cars over the years. Cars, trucks and motorcycles combined come to over 50 and possibly near 60. I know that my Mirada had more, and more annoying problems by far than any other car I’ve ever owned. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable it was until after a road trip in my cousin’s Olds 88 Royale; I got back into the Mirada with its legs-out-the-front seating position and went ‘ugh’ and started contemplating trading it for an Olds. It really was not that comfortable.
No one has commented on that open intake. Wonder how long its been sitting open and what all has dropped/crawled in those two holes. With all that surface rust on the plate it has to have been quite some time. So best figure into your “rejuvenation” costs at a minimum a top end rebuild.Money saved with the front clip/hood being the same color so an immediate repaint might not be needed.
Interesting find, haven’t seen one in years! Probably a reason for that 🤔
You only found this one because your luck ran out. :)
I’d love to see a link to some pics of all the wonderful vintage/collectible cars owned by r spreeman.
If any.
I don’t really have to provide any such info since I’m commenting on what was basically a glorified steaming pile of Mirada, one of which I had the misfortune to own and have posted a photo of. But if you insist, I owned one of 375 1971 Plymouth Sport Fury GT 440’s which were built, and being young and foolish, converted it to a 4 speed. The car, by the way, still exists somewhere in the Chicago area. In this photo it was only three years old (I bought it used) and all original. The white walls were not my idea. And it too was a million times the car that the Mirada ever dreamed to be. Yes, the production on that model was 375. I’ve owned many neat cars in my life, I know good ones from bad.
This SFGT had the 370hp engine and would usually chirp the tires on a full throttle shift to second. After much egging on by my buddy I agreed to race it against his sister’s 71 Cougar with a 351 Cleveland 4bbl, and to my amazement, the Fury beat it.
By the way, here is the same car (in the background, obviously) after the conversion to a 4 speed and a complete buildup on the engine, parked at the Dog N Suds drive in at Addison IL as it appeared in their Cruisin’ USA series in about 1980. My friends and I sitting on the front end, back when cars’ sheet metal could support the weight of people.
By the way, when I say that ‘the whitewalls were not my idea’, I mean that I had just bought the car at a dealer who overlooked my request to put the new tires on it with the whitewalls facing in. I was 17 and just wanted the car so I took it as it was. But look at the roofline of this car – it’s SO much nicer than that box-cutter design of the Mirada and its overblown clone.
I owned this, only a 400 2bbl but it was infinitely better than my Mirada.
As long as you asked, here is my 1979 Trail Duster I bought new. It’s not a ‘classic car’ but these are bringing decent money today in good shape. Sadly before it was two years old I traded it in on that steaming pile of Mirada. This was a very nice truck for sure, though the full time 4wd /awd burned lots of gas.
Wish I had photos of my 69 Mustang fastback, but I don’t.
Wish I had photos of my 66 Impala convertible, but I dont.
As long as you asked, this was my 1971 Continental Mark III. I liked it a lot but let it go some years ago. I wouldn’t mind having another one some day, as it was not a steaming pile like some cars I’ve owned.
Love that Mark lll.
Thanks Rick, I did too. I love the proportions of the body; the whole car just looks so ‘right’. When I moved 900 miles in 1997 I was going to trailer it but it wouldn’t FIT on the trailer so I had friends of mine drive it, and trailered the Mirada steaming pile instead. Here’s a pic en route at a stop for food, and you can see the Mirada on the trailer behind my U Haul truck.
As long as you asked, this is the only shot of my last project car, a 1970 Sport Fury that I had to bail out on for time and money reasons. The body was nearly rust free except for the very bottom of the rear window. I had done a ton of work on it and let it go at quite a loss but didn’t have much choice at the time. The color on the firewall is a bit ‘off’ in this photo but is Glacier Blue and the whole car was going to be that color.
My aunt and uncle had a 69 Sport Fury in either that color. They paid $200.00 for it in 1976. The interior had been trashed by the owners dog. Had a low At the time 38,000 miles. They had the interior redone which made it one nice car. I do prefer the 70 and 71. Nicer looking front and rear.
I agree – the 69 was really bland looking. When they incorporated the bumpers into the sheet metal in 70 and 71, it did a lot for the car. And I always preferred that body style (the 2 dr hardtop) without a vinyl roof as there was no ‘natural’ break in the body to delineate the bottom of the vinyl. I was going to de-vinyl the project car and located with great trouble a set of chromes for the back seat side windows that did not have the little tail for the vinyl. I forgot to mention I had another actual Sport Fury GT, a ’70, but I sold it off to get this instead which was not a GT but was in much better shape.
Oh my, that’s one of my favorite cars. They are rarely seen anymore, too.
Built when Chrysler was going down hill. Mid ’70’s on, most gear heads wouldn’t touch any of their grocery-getter cars.
These were nicely styled cars, especially in the context of the early ‘80s. And it’s a large two-door, which automatically makes it worthy of saving. Needs a bigger engine to get it moving, though. I wonder if a built-up 360 would work in there?
The 360 is built on the same la block as the 273/318/340 so it should fit.
Needs to be shown on YouTube being up with dynamite then sent to the crusher. It would give me great joy to witness such things. 😃
I wonder if it is actually a 1983? The Sunroof was only available in 1981. At least from the Factory. I hope it gets saved.
The only thing worth saving is the 318, they were great little motors. The rest is typical 80s junk. Let the recycler’s have the car, I would certainly hate to see the country run short on soup cans.
The 318 was a great engine and served well for many years. But – my brother who was a service writer at a Dodge dealer advised me when I was looking for a used truck to get a Dakota with the 4.7 overhead cam V8. I’ve had the truck a long time now and I love this engine. At least when they replaced the 318 they did a darned good job of it. My Dakota pickup is one of the BEST vehicles I’ve ever owned.
Only Medusa could appreciate that tangled mess of vacuum lines, wires, and hoses under the hood.
I hope someone saves this unique and rair car. Grab a motor home engine, Edelbroc or Fast fuel injection system and then it’s got a good Working FI system.
It’s unique because not many people wanted them when they were new.
It’s rare because they didn’t hold up well, and people weren’t very interested in keeping them fixed.
Really – it’s a Dodge Aspen disguised as a luxury car.
One other point, people used to always tell me that I should put an RV cam in my Sport Fury. But when you got down to it, the curb weight was only a few hundred more pounds than a GTX. No need of a massive bottom end grunt cam in a big C body and certainly not in this smaller Un-perial.
Even though this is an “r spreeman” thread I guess I’ll go ahead and comment as someone who has actually owned the car featured, not one similar to it. I had an 82 Imperial Frank Sinatra edition. The styling is not for everyone. I think they look cool with a lot of razor edge lines….at least you know one when you see one.
The dash was pretty cool at night, I believe the first car to use electro-luminescence. The 318 was about as good as anything else in 1982…..Vettes made what 160hp or something? Granted they weighed much less but you get the point.
The EFI system was a disaster. Factory retro-fit to carb cost Chrysler about $2k per vehicle. In 1982 the Imperial was the most expensive domestic car on the market.
I had mine for a couple years. Factory carb retro-fit done. Got the paint done, it had about 50k on it or something around there. Interior was Kimberly Cloth which held up pretty well all things considered. Carpet was deep enough to lose a small child in. Trunk could easily transport a family across the border, along with your golf clubs. Mine, being a FS Edition, came with a snazzy set of Old Blue Eye’s favorite songs, on 8-tracks. Pretty fancy huh?
Overall the ride was pretty mushy but what do you expect from a 2 ton car in the early 80’s…..I give Chrysler credit for at least trying….they sunk a ton of money into these cars and lost $$ on each one.
As to their monetary value: I sold mine for about $2600 a couple years ago so I, like Chrysler, lost money on Imperial, too. It was not an easy car to sell, even in nice shape. Do I miss it? Ehhhh, not really. It’s kinda like a girl you date in college: nice memories, but you’ve now got better things to do.
LOL about the r spreeman thread – I’ve posted quite a few comments on barn finds and have gotten almost no responses til this thread, even on another thread that I think was actually about a Mirada. I guess all my anti- posts here are about the only way I have of venting my frustration over that Mirada I owned for many years and TRIED to love but never could even after I spent $2500 having the paint completely stripped off and the car repainted. I’m glad your Imperial was better, at least somewhat.
I hear ya man, we’ve all had a car (or 3 or 4) like that. My most hated car was a 1967 Mustang I restored a couple years back. But, because those are popular cars, I rarely bother to vent about it.
Actually, if you’re listening Barn Finds, a great post would be something along the lines of “what was your worst car?” I would love to hear some of people’s experiences.
My Dad bought an ’80 Fifth Avenue, brand new. Black with gold metallic, black landau top, and ivory leather. He loved that car. Fully loaded. Wonderful car to drive/ride in.
I believe that the ’62 Chrysler was the first car to have electroluminescence. panel lighting. It had a 24V convertor to operate. One of the most beautiful, innovative instrument panels ever made.
Actually 1960 was the first year. My parents had a 62 Newport which of course had the electro luminescent instrument panel. Even at a young age I knew it was something very special.
Grrrr my apologies. I meant a full digital dash. And this from a guy who had a 61 300G….I shoulda known better.
I worked at a CP dealership in Lexington, KY when the Imperial came out. We only had 1, and we were the largest CP dealership in KY. It was the owner’s demo. Absolutely beautiful, with an MSRP of just over $25K. No, they are not for everyone, but I find them to be a beautiful car. Too bad, the FI was a piece.
However, we couldn’t give that car away. Not when you could buy a brand new Colt, out the door, for about $4500. We offered it at a tent sale for about &17K, and had a lot of tire kickers, but no buyer. I’d love to have one, change it over to a regular fuel delivery system, and enjoy it’s boulevard style of cruising.
Yes , I had the same problem but opposite. I had a 1972 Mercury Montego MX passed down to me as my first car. It was green with a white vinyl top. Looks a lot better than it sounds. It seems like most 72 Montegos were that color back in 72. Anyway years later I bought it’s sister car a 1972 Ford Gran Torino. This car was white with the exact same green interior as my Montego. This car was missing something. No vinyl top. The car just looked off without it to me. Where your car definitely looks better with out, mine was one of those cars that looked better with the vinyl top. So I ordered a vinyl top in green from Dearborn Classics, with all of the factory seams correct which is good for someone like me who is pretty anal about looking factory. I had to go to Turners wrecking yard in Fresno and get the correct mouldings for a Torino that was factory equipped. Most mouldings are unique for vinyl vs non vinyl topped cars on this car. Took the car to the upholstery shop and had the top fitted. Looks nice, but they didn’t quite get it all the way right on the specific way the factory fit it. Its just a little off, but I just went with it. That and the 15 inch Magnum 500s made this car look super sharp. Car came from the factory with 14’s. Kind of off subject. While at the Ford Forever Show at Knotts Berry Farm one year I was looking at a 1974 Continental Mark lV. Beautiful car. Anyway, my friend and I were the only ones looking at the car. Didn’t notice anyone else around. I said you know what Joe; the grain on this vinyl top is wrong. That is not the grain used on the Mark series. You having a Mark lll know that it is unique to Lincolns and Continentals of the day. No sooner did I say that, we hear this guys say in almost an apologetic way. Hey, that is the only kind that I could find. They didn’t have the right kind. Didn’t even know anyone was listening. My friend stills makes jokes about that to this day. It was funny, and I did tell the guy that he had a nice car. Ford really nailed it with the grain used on the Mark series.
Wow….and the beating just continues….must be the most beat downs from one poster I’ve every seen ! Nothing like getting it all out there and off your chest !
This car has its followers! I for one think the 81-83 Imperial has a beautiful timeless design!! I own a 81 Frank Sinatra edition with one year only sun roof, still fuel injected! Making it the rarest of all three years, One of maybe 50!
Don’t worry Glenn there are a few of us out there who like them. Yes the FS Edition with the moon roof is uber rare. My FS Edition was a Canadian export, 1982, also uber rare. I ended up selling mine to the guy who designed the interior of these cars….he seemed to be one of the few people actually interested in laying down money for one.
Any enthusiasts able to help value an Imperial Mark Cross Leather Key Chain? Would have been part of the gift set. Also have NIB Mopar Crystal Hood Ornament and the Cartier Crystal Blank Key. Or can anyone direct me to who could help? Thanks!
I’d see if any have been sold on Ebay to get an idea what people might be willing to pay for one.
The keys are VERY hard to find. When I had my Imperial, there was a set of them (2) blanks, I believe they were $150 Buy It Now on Ebay. That would have been about 2-3 years ago.
The crystal hood ornament is very hard to find. That was only available for 81-82 (they were plastic on the 83’s). I have never seen one for sale, but I would guess again about $150-$200 on Ebay and be patient as you are selling to a very small pool of buyers.
I found solds on eBay for the key blank and the ornament but nothing on the leather key chain.
I have a couple crystal key blanks but sure would like to have the gift box with the umbrella , key fob and extra key blank! thanks! Yes there are a few of us out there that appreciate these great cars!
I don’t have the entire gift set. Just three separate items. The leather Mark cross key chain, the Cartier blank key and the New in Box Mopar crystal hood ornament. I’m looking to sell them but I haven’t come up with a value for the key chain yet. I can’t find one that has been sold.
shoot me an email LRose I’ll get you in contact with a guy who would be interested in those parts: carsofchaos@gmail.com
I know a guy who has a couple of the 81-83 Imperials, I’ll reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in the key chain, key blank, and hood ornament.
This car is not a “B” body. Chrysler referred to it as a “Y” body. It’s a derivative of the 1980-1983 Chrysler Cordoba/Dodge Mirada, which were known as “J” body cars. Both the “Y” and “J” body cars were in turn derivatives of the Chrysler “M” body LeBaron/Diplomat/Caravelle/Gran Fury/Fifth Avenue cars and had their start as the 1976-1980 “F” body Dodge Aspen & Plymouth Volare.
Just to let you guys know, I bought this car this past July.
I am not afraid of a good challenge. I have read the negative comments and all I can say is, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and once she is up and running, the next stop is a good body shop.
There is a replacement shock for the rear bumper in the trunk and there is a hole in the wheel well under the spare tire that will be repaired. They will buff her out to get some of the shine back and then it goes to it detailed.
For what it cost to buy it, the repair cost is still a ways under what it is worth.
I feel that anyone of you with negative comments are somewhat out of jealousy or envy. Maybe some of you hate the bustle butt, and I have to agree with you. I am not a real fan of them either. But, she is mine and I will do all I can to be proud of her.
I also want to say that according to the information found so far, she was built on the last day of production. When I get the build sheet from under the rear seat, I will see just where in line it was at the factory.
I’ll let you know.
Congrats Dave on saving this Imp. I just spent well over an hour reading all the negative comment as well as my and GasHoles positive from over two years ago!! Thank you for up dating us on its current condition and please keep posting as you continue its journey to being roadworthy! You will find a loyal following of these cars on Face Book under, Its time for you The 81 to 83 Imperial group
Glenn, I am a member of that group now. I have gotten some very good comments as well as some great tips. Wonderful guys there. The latest news is, the engine is worthy to continue with the repairs. The motor turns over and will have the manifold removed to make sure nothing dropped into it. I bought new tires all around and had them put on, replacing the bald black wall tires. These wide white walls sure make a difference. My mechanic is looking into the part that is missing by the former owner now. Once he can figure out what it is, the throttle body in the trunk will be attached. It will be some time yet till it finally hits the road, but as they say, good things come to he who waits. Will keep you up dated.
Glad to hear your making good progress Dave. Yes the guys on Its time for you 81-83 Imp are a great wealth of support and information!