One of the big automotive mysteries, at least in my mind, is why ChryCo’s Imperial fell so short when compared to the sales numbers that Cadillac and Lincoln managed to put up. Take 1967 for example, all three luxury builders produced stately, handsome automobiles, but the Imperial’s production numbers paled compared to its two major competitors. And a Crown coupe, such as this Redondo Beach, California resident, drives the point home – it’s a magnificent car, and yes, it’s a whammer-jammer – more on that to follow. I encounter Imperial sedans and four-door hardtops with regularity, but the two-door hardtop – not so much. Well, this one certainly caught my attention and it’s available, here on craigslist for $14,967.
Cadillac’s 1967 production total equaled 200K copies while their crosstown rival, Lincoln, was way behind at 45K units. Imperial? 17K – that’s it. Now there could be some overlap when you consider the Chrysler total and which Chrysler models were true Cadillac/Lincoln competition and which weren’t. Of that 17K Imperial total, only 3,200 were Crown coupes. Dimensions? This is a big one with its 127″ wheelbase holding up a total stretch of almost 225″ in length and spread sideways to 80″ in width. Here’s a walk-around video that will give you a close-up of what this Imperial is all about. There are several more videos that you can access via the listing.
One of the first things that I noticed about the Imperial is the length of its quarter panels. We have already addressed this car’s outsized proportions and the length of those body panels really accentuates this coupe’s size. The Cinnamon Gold Metallic finish is this car’s original hue but it is a repaint while the vinyl top “opera roof” is also a redo. No dents, creases, rust, or other mayhem is visible – the chrome and stainless trim measure up to what one would expect for a car of this stature.
If there are any disappointments to be had, it’s with the interior. It’s not in bad shape mind you, but the white leather upholstery has done what leather often does – it’s cracked. Deep cleaning with a preservative may help ameliorate the upholstery’s degraded condition. Beyond that, the remainder of the environment i.e. the door panels, carpet, dash, and instrument panel present well.
Motivation comes about thanks to a 350 gross HP, 440 CI “RB” V8 engine which makes the “go” connection via a TorqueFlite, three-speed automatic transmission. The seller tells us, “Engine fires right up every time, is very quiet, runs super smooth & is quite powerful“. The mileage is recorded as being 88K miles, and assuming a lack of abuse and proper maintenance, this big Mopar engine should still have plenty of remaining cruising capability.
I’ll cut to the chase, I wouldn’t want a Cadillac or Lincoln from this era. This Imperial, however? I’d definitely consider it, how about you?
There is a reason these Chryslers didn’t sell as well as the Caddies and Lincoln’s. The styling.
The 67 440 had closed chamber heads
Agreed. I thought the previous years, right up through 66 were beautiful.
This 67 while nice in many ways has that “Fancy boxlike” look to it.
Why didn’t Imperials sell? No matter how hard Chrysler tried to give the cars their own identity, they never shed the “fancy Chrysler” image. Even back in the day, most people referred to Imperial as “Chrysler Imperial,” when it was a make in its own right. Customers balked at paying Cadillac prices for something they viewed as equivalent to a high-end Buick.
This is very true; Imperial always had a confused identity despite ChryCo’s attempts to make it more than a mere upstart. History has demonstrated time and again that cars with confused identities don’t last for long. That said, it’s still surprising to me how Honda, Toyota, and Nissan were able to imitate, and succeed with, the Chrysler tactic regarding their own respective upstarts.
However, I think the answer to that question lies in the other problem afflicting the Imperials (and all of Highland Park’s products, for that matter). Chrysler suffered a major embarrassment regarding quality control (particularly in corrosion resistance) with their highly-toted ’57 models, an embarrassment they never fully recovered from, and one that almost rendered them extinct by the end of the ’70s.
What’s a whammer-jammer?
A “misheard” lyric from a 70’s soul song, actually “Bad Mama Jamma”. So if it were 1976 and this you were in a dark urban alley looking at the headlights of this car slowly coming at you, you might say, “Man, that is one Bad Mama Jamma”
It was also the name, and not misheard, of a number by the J. Geils Band.
JO
Whammer Jammer was the nickname of The J. Geils Band’s harmonica player, Magic Dick, too!
Gonna do a tune called “whammer jammer” and here on the lickin stick Mr. Magic Dick !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something really big and powerful.
JO
I really like this car, with leather interior, what a classic! The only downfall I see is the color, you would have to repaint the entire car if you had any damage to get it to match. My dad had a gold ’66 Caddy with a small dent in the front fender and the paint looked out of place.
My grandfather had one.white with red interior he got it as a gift in 1967 from the company he worked for.they retailed for about $11,500 new!
$11,500!! Their MSRP was $6000. There is NOT $5000 worth of options (there weren’t that many).
Chryslers always seem to look like knock off lincolns.
Technology and styling always behind that of Cadillac and Lincoln
They still had wind wings (or smoker windows) side vent Windows
In 1973 when Cadillac lost them for 1969 and Lincoln in 1970.
This is what you take on a road trip to Vegas, talk about nostalgia, you won’t many like this one.
I’d take a 67 Caddy over this car any day of the week…. I really liked the styling of the 67 Caddy. Chrysler cars have usually left me “cold” for some reason…. could have been the cheap sound of the starter.
This posting has been deleted by its author.
GONE!
I really don’t understand what you mean when you say you really wouldn’t want a Cadillac or Lincoln from that era. I think they were both superior to Chrysler luxury cars of the same time period.
You wouldn’t want a Cadillac or Lincoln from this era? How about a first year El Dorado or Continental Convertible w/ suicide doors? The Imperial is a grandma’s car by comparison.
That color would have to go..this would make birds drop from the sky..
Maybe Imperial styling put too much emphasis on formality and not enough on “wow.” For example the Exner cars of the late or mid fifties. That was the last time Imperial almost caught up to Lincoln. I know for me that is why later Imperial styling leaves me unimpressed.
That is quite true about Exner’s sense of style. Unfortunately, there was a lot going on that killed any market attraction for his designs. He was looking to start a new design series until his work was interrupted and effectively sabotaged by a corporate political war…one which eventually ended his own career, even though he did nothing to justify that end. His replacement was Elwood Engel, sire of a total design change for Lincoln that actually changed the industry; that’s why the post-Exner Imperials looked less like their own style and more like Lincoln style. Ironically, Engel was an admirer of Exner’s talent.
I truly admire and appreciate Mr. Exner’s vision and talents. He’s someone that should have been kept onboard within the styling dept at least as a consultant in executive capacity or something until he was ready to retire. Chrysler styling did a great 360 because of him. Poor quality steel, shoddy assembly work because management didn’t give the line-workers the time to learn shouldn’t have cost Mr. Exner his job in my opinion.
I love the internet. You can call up hundreds of car pictures in seconds. The Imperial and Chrysler sedans were almost identical, the only real difference being in the rear end. The Imperial coupe had a more formal roofline than the sedan, however big coupes were losing popularity. I think Billyray (how’s Miley doing?) hits it. You could tell the Exner Imperials were IMPERIALS. No confusing a 67 Lincoln for a Mercury or a 67 Caddy for a Buick. Of course, that came later.
This would definitely be a fun head turner for that price
Exner had made Chrysler products look weird for many years. Stand alone headlights and taillights identified Chryster and Imperials are cars that didn’t lead the group, but rather distinguished themselves by looking different. With that gone, there was nothing to attract old or new sales.
I have a different conviction from the author; Lincoln is my marque of choice, particularly those of this era, and it always will be.
That said, I have to say that this year of Imperial has to be my favorite of that marque, mainly for its looks: It emulates the contemporary Lincolns very well, as well as any non-Lincoln could (part of that has to lie in Chrysler’s then-design chief, who sired the Lincoln look for Ford before moving to Chrysler). The frontal treatment is as handsome as Imperial would ever get; I wouldn’t be surprised if Lincoln designers took that as a cue for their ’68 facelift. The rear is equally handsome, and amazingly practical from a safety perspective: Until this year, Lincoln flaunted the largest taillight area in the industry. This Imperial raised the bar, after so many years of having ridiculously-tiny, barely-there lights (ironically, Lincoln would end up emulating the latter in the next year, though only for that next year). If I had the cash and the real estate, I would likely add one of these to my collection.
There are two things I still don’t know about these cars that I’d like to know, though. First, where was the hood release? Was it outside like all other cars of the time except for Lincoln, or did it have an inside release? Second, the two luxury rivals (and siblings, actually), Cadillac and Lincoln, had a control in their window systems that bypassed the switched circuit and fed direct battery power to the windows with the key out; did Imperial ever follow that lead?
The Exner cars certainly had the “wow” factor. Chrysler hired Elwood Engel away from Ford/Lincoln as their new Design Chief in late 1960. Engel was responsible for the ’67 and ’68 Imperials, which looked remarkably like Engel’s parting gift to Lincoln – the ’61-’65 models.
This is a gorgeous car, and FAR better engineered than its rivals from Cadillac and Lincoln. Also, IMO much better looking due to its understated elegance, though I admit that styling is subjective. Jay Leno has the same year Crown Coupe albeit in different colors; check out his “walk-around” here: https://youtu.be/fMtsCfYZlog
Enjoy!
In my opinion the 64 through 66 Imperials are one of the best-looking luxury cars of all time. Yes, they did resemble Lincolns of the same era, and we all know why. That said, the Imperials had a bit more style than the Lincolns, and Cadillacs from the era. It’s just recently that I’ve grown to appreciate the Cadillacs of any time for that matter. I guess it boils down to a matter of taste. And I guess the comments posted here are a good representation of why the Imperials didn’t sell so well. Although I don’t understand why, but they all seem to favor the Cadillacs. I think it had a lot to do with Cadillac holding the status symbol of American affluence. They were the way you showed you made it, and everyone followed that lead. It doesn’t say much for American taste but it is what it is. The Imperials had better engineering, they handled better and Chrysler’s Tourqueflight transmission had an excellent reputation for being one of the best. As the one poster said, “maybe it was the cheap sound of the Chrysler starters” well, I loved that sound, yes they were unique to Chrysler, but they didn’t sound cheap to me. I have always appreciated the Chrysler Corporation for being a leader in the automotive industry by introducing many firsts in mechanical engineering, which have now become industry standards. Take the 1930s Chrysler Airflow. It was ahead of its time in aerodynamics and suspension, yet it was a flop with the public. Chrysler introduced front torsion bar suspension and used leaf springs in the rear. Both provided better control and handling, but resulted in a harsher and noisy ride. Not something luxury car buyers wanted. The 64 – 66 Imperials handled great. I owned a 66, 4 door Crown hardtop. It was powerful, responsive, comfortable and great looking.
Maybe it was following the looks of Lincolns, but in the process it managed to project the Chrysler look that I guess wasn’t for everyone. When you look at the front of a Chrysler Corporation car, it seems to look back at you with a humble yet cute and confident personality, if you drove one it proved what it could do. If you’re a Gearhead, you know what I mean. I wish that the Imperials sold better than they did, maybe there just wasn’t enough room for 3 luxury cars in America at the time. Maybe it was the “follow the leader” luxury car mentality, or maybe as pointed out, it was the sound of the Highland Park Hummingbird starters, or all of the above. I love and respect the Chrysler Corporation and I am glad it’s always been one of the Big Three, because the Imperials were great cars, as were other Chrysler Corporation products. I hope it will remain with us for years to come, who ever owns it.
As the one poster said, “maybe it was the cheap sound of the Chrysler starters” well, I loved that sound, yes they were unique to Chrysler, but they didn’t sound cheap to me.
As you stated, they were known as the “Highland Park Hummingbird”, a unique ChryCo trait.
Thx,
JO
I have that sound as one of my ringtones! 😁
Very well stated and with good information, William; thank you!
I love everything about this car. I want one. This car was a really good deal for someone. For now I’ll just have to settle for my ’67 Newport.
Reposted here:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/redondo-beach-1967-imperial-crown-coupe/7603269759.html
It was a gear reduction starter which Chrysler patented and is still in use today by Denso/Bosch etc. Chrysler Engineering was way ahead of the cross town rivals i.e. Chrysler invented the electronic ignition and alternator just to name a few.