In the late 1970s, Chrysler Corp. was in a bad way. They were selling cars that nobody wanted to buy, and their bank accounts were running dry. While the K-Cars of the 1980s came in and saved the day, Chrysler also wanted a flagship car to hang their hats on. Enter a revival of the Imperial in 1981, last seen in 1975. This time, it was a mid-size personal luxury coupe that they even drafted Frank Sinatra to help promote. Located south of Denver, Colorado, this beautiful survivor needs to be used and driven, so it’s available here on craigslist on the cheap for $3,900. Jack M. brought this tip out way!
To recreate the Imperial automobile (no Chrysler branding anywhere), the same J-platform was used that supported the Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Mirada. Bustle-back styling was there and not unlike what Cadillac had done with the second-gen Seville. And the car was also reminiscent of late 1930s Imperials. To help woo buyers away from the Caddy Eldorado and Lincoln Continental Mark VI, Chrysler recruited crooner Frank Sinatra to help sell the cars, and he called Chrysler head Lee Iaoccoa “the other chairman of the board.”
All Imperials from 1981 to 1983 used Chrysler’s venerable 318 cubic inch V8, so a barn burner the new car wasn’t. Just about every creature comfort came along as standard, and you could even buy a Frank Sinatra Edition. Production was quasi-limited in that the overall total was 12,385 units, with 3,465 assembled in 1981, along with this one. It has 104,000 miles on the odometer, but it looks almost new and has clearly been well cared for.
The previous owner had the Imperial for 35 years, and the seller bought it for his mother because his father owned one much like this car. But Mom doesn’t want to do any driving, so it’s time for the vehicle to find a home where that will be the case. The selling dealer way-back-when added Chrysler’s Electronic Lean-Burn (ELB) system due to a recall. And more recently, the timing chain, water pump, and steering gearbox have all been replaced. The A/C is in-op, and the headlight doors won’t close all the way without manual assistance. With the support of “Old Blue Eyes”, would you give this Imperial home?
Looks like a car that Todd would be interested in,
or at least comment on.
Hello, angliagt! Yes my ’81 Imperial is doing great with Holley Sniper EFI and I’ve had it on several 500+ mile trips. I recently bought a 1994 5.9 Magnum for it, so that plus an A518 (overdrive version of the 727) should make it a real cross country cruiser. Below I’ll link the original article. This feature car is a rare-ish color combination and has the most advanced audio, the digital tuning unit with a little floor pedal to advance through your presets. Mine must have been ordered with that unit (as I have the floor pedal) then the dealer or someone swapped in the 8-track unit instead. I thought the pedal was for the high-beams for a while until I realized those are stalk-activated. Anyway thanks for the call-out. These were expensive cars in their day, $18k when you could get a base Caddy for $11k. Cheers! https://barnfinds.com/fitchs-folly-todds-1981-imperial-by-chrysler/
A rare sight on the streets, then and now. Always enjoyed seeing an Imperial. 👍
Already gone. Ad has been deleted!
Here’s a “should’ve kept working” story. My 1st trucking job I had late 70s, the “old man” ( every company has one) was a guy named Ed Nevinsky. Nice guy, do anything for you type, had been a driver for the company for like 30 years, and just did part-time work. He loved driving big rigs and refused to retire. Finally, his family convinced him to hang it up, and he bought a brand new Imperial just like this for his retirement. In 6 months he was dead, never drove the car. That’s how these clean older cars show up, old Ed Nevinsky scene.
I never understood why these didn’t sell better, they were well engineered with good build quality, and way better looking than the ugly Cadillac Seville they competed with. Perhaps it was due to Chrysler’s financial problems at the time? This is a gorgeous car, not surprised it sold quickly. Someone got a nice ride.
We had a family friend with one & the fuel injection system was a nightmare. Plus, they were very pricey for a Chrysler product.
My Chrysler story- My mom bought a 1990 Chysler New Yorker ( it was her last car) It served her well for many years because she drove it very little. One day in 2002 she called me and told me she needed a new door panel for 700.00. I thought that sounded odd and asked how her door panel had been damaged. She said the wood part fell off and the dealer said they had to replace the whole panel. I zipped on over only to discover that the plastic wood grain trim had fallen off – I glued it back in place and it was still there after she passed and the car went to my sister’s daughter.
If it’s a lean burn 318 – no thanks…
The 318s in the 1981-1983 Imperials were fuel injected, and the majority had problems. Most were recalled, brought back to the dealer, and the fuel injection system was replaced with a carburetor.
Technically, there was never a recall to replace the throttle body injection system. Chrysler did replace many of the systems with a conversion kit that came in a box that looked like a coffin.
Included in the coffin was a new exhaust system, intake, carb and electric spark advance components.
@MoparJoe-
A coffin look box container for Chrysler products lol Ok how appropriate
MOPAR Joe, are you the same one with the big block Barracuda and the half ton Dodge bracket racer?
No, I’m not that guy
When it came to looks the Imperial was.way better i.m.o. than the Eldorado and Mark VI coupes. Even today the lines are fresh.and clean and would make anybody turn heads. If the E.F.I. setup.would have been reliable.as it’s GM and Ford counterparts it would have given them a run for their money. We all know how history played out but to this day ( i know Chrysler was cash strapped ) i’ll never understand why Chrysler didn’t do the carb conversion with a four barrel, at least in looks ot would have been less pedestrian than the two barrel and given added performance
Why does craigslist delete the ad so soon after posting it?! Has someone bought the car already?! If they did, that’s one thing. Congratulations! Nothing lasts forever. But even so, I would hope they would keep the ad for a short time, to give viewers a chance to have a look at the car before removing it.
Snooze, ya’ lose. I bet many times, the car is sold before the ad even airs.
True. I hope whoever bought the car enjoys it and takes care of it.
The seller deleted the ad, not Craigslist. Most likely because it sold. The best thing to do is run a search on that areas Craigslist just in case the seller rewrote/changed the ad and posted a new one, not likely, but that does happen.
Steve R
Already gone! That was a killer price. 100,000 miles on a 318 still has lots of life. I wish I’;d seen the ad earlier.
318 Lean Burns… In October, 1978 I ordered my first ”new” car.. a new 79 LeBaron coupe… 318 Lean Burn… saw no reason to spend for the 360… so it was fully loaded… No problems with the engine until about 9 years and 100,000 miles… the right rear spark plug began fouling… by then it was time for a new car… rust was destroying it.
Priced right sold fast
Whoever wrote this article made it sound like deer imperial was an unwanted Chrysler product. I was dazzled by this vehicle when it was introduced. I wanted a maroon one with a white leather interior and wide white walls. It was an absolute stunner. It had the best of the bustle back designs. And it was a two-door and not a damn four-door. The front end had a slant to it and the grill with Classic. I love the hidden headlamps. And it had a full length rear tail lamp at the time. This was just a great looking car. I know that its underpinnings were nothing more than a 1977 LeBaron. But I had one of those and it was aI know that its underpinnings were nothing more than a 1977 LeBaron. But I had one of those and it was a great car, if the lean burn was taken off of it. And I know that the 318 V8 was incredibly detuned due to antipollution junk. But nonetheless, this was a great looking vehicle, and it did well in the motor and press reviews. It was the equivalent of a Lincoln or Cadillac at the time.
What? No ” fine Colinthian leathah?” Ok, it’s Montalban’s accent.😁and I know that ad was for Cordobas.
My friend had a 5th Avenue about this vintage.
I always loved these cars, except for one detail: the front clip at the very front of the car, where it meets the front fenders, has a huge and glaring line where the two parts join. I think there’s a technical term for that join line, but it is so obvious, it really looks like someone tacked on the front end…
FI was awful, the electronics were too primitive for what they wanted to achieve. Should have been a 318 4bbl with dual exhausts, good for like 170HP like later cop cars had. I heard the Sinatra editions came with cassettes or 8 tracks of his hits to play in the car.
The stock 1970 318 2v produced 230 hp
I mean later net at the wheels HP. Also, 1970 is a whole lot different then 1981. By then, you got less output, but you didn,t cough so much when you went outside
I was in my early 20’s in 1981 and just fresh out of Chrysler new car sales school. “APB”, Automotive Profit Builders; and working at a big Dallas Chrysler dealer. I hit the showroom floor excited and ready to sell something. After a few months, I sold my first new “Imp”, a copper colored one with Mark Cross saddle brown leather and Cartier crystal hood ornament. Yes, that’s upgrade from Corinthian leather found in the Cordoba. I was so proud when I saw that big boat go over the curb with it’s smiling new owner, plus a $400. commission for me. I only sold one more Imperial, a cream color one like this. I said I would own one someday when I finally made it. I sold cars for 12 more years. I never owned one though. Memories, memories. Beautiful and impressive American iron for those times
I have the window sticker from an 83 Imperial I had years ago, my favorite of the two I owned. About $18,888 and, of course, those cars came fully equipped. The list of standard equipment is pretty impressive. It’s yet another car I wish I’d kept.
A little late for my two cents but here goes. This car’s styling doesn’t look as awkward as I remember back in the eighties. I had to do a web search for more pictures and I came across a Car and Driver review. They were not kind. They mention that the Imperial had Aspen/Volare underpinnings!? Too bad it sold so quickly. If it were any closer I would be tempted except for it having a cloth interior.
It was a Cordoba/Mirada bodied car. I believe they were ‘J’ bodies.
Volare/Aspens were ‘F’ bodies.
I miss the Imperial.
Tony, not me.