In the snowy suburban land of Chesterfield, Missouri, currently resides this 1964 Imperial. It’s for sale here on craigslist in St. Louis, and the asking price is $2,000. The body looks pretty good, and the seller says the car runs and drives, but the gas tank is currently not installed. The seller didn’t say this, but that gas tank appears to be parked on the front seat at the time of these photos.
Those of us with no aspersions may cast the first stone regarding the seller’s judgement on that one. The engine is a 413, which similar to other big-block engines, makes up in torque what it lacks in horsepower. And you’ll need it, to haul around a car as heavy as this. The seller says it has rust in the floors, but he’s “seen worse”, whatever that means. But the exterior visible in the photos looks pretty good, except for this easy dent in the driver side rear door. It appears to have hubcaps with body-color inserts, which are quite attractive. Over the years I’ve noticed that body-color hubcap inserts, or wheels, seem to be a galvanizing styling element, with most either loving them or hating them. I love them.
What I don’t love as much, is the interior. If this car runs and drives as well as the seller says, and the body is as easy at it looks, I have to wonder, ‘what’s the catch’. The catch apparently can be found inside the car. The interior is green, and it looks like it might be rough. Maybe the front seat (under the gas tank) is OK, but the carpet is destroyed and the dash is filthy and somehow seems to have aged differently than the outside of the car.
So I guess that would be my negotiating point if I intended to go in. I’ve always like the looks of these, and previous ownership of 1960s-vintage, non-Imperial full size Chrysler products have left me with the knowledge of what awesome, stout cars they are. The Imperial can only be better, and it’s nice to see one that has so far avoided the demolition derby. But it’s not quite out of the woods yet. I’ve heard many times of guys paying a thousand bucks for one of these to run in a derby. This one doesn’t cost that much more. Many of us would still like to see it heroically saved from a fate like that. Could you be that hero?
In the early 70’s, my Dad had one of these tanks. While he and my Mom were in Europe, I snagged the keys and took his pride and joy for a ride. While entering an intersection, I was t-boned by a Porshe – right on the drivers fender. Nothing left of his ride. I sustained a sizeable dent – and upon further inspection – a cracked motor mount. My local guy fixed the dent and replaced the mount but it was never the same. Wiped out my bank account. Worked that whole summer to pay back that indiscretion. Those were the days!
These cars were banned from many demolition derby’s because of there indestructibility.
They were banned in AZ 30 years ago for the same reason
Brush off the snow, then take pictures. The rusty floor bothers me mostly because of a lack of other interior pictures. The 413 and 727 tranny make a great combo.
If it’s intact, it’s pretty rare, as cars like this, like 408 sez, were used in demo derby’s or their big motors were used in something else. As with any luxury car of this period, restoring a car like this is pretty labor intensive, just because there is so much to do. It’s not simple like a Model A. Still, if and when finished, it would be a solid, classy cruiser. If it were mine, I’d pull the engine, and put some economical motor, and I don’t have to go 120 mph.( which I’m sure this baby would do) It’s heavy enough, it would still float down the boulevard at 65, and get 30 mpg. Did anybody else catch the vanity plate? 6T4-IMP.
OOOOH! I would like to get that A-100 pick up in the background!! It would match my Sportsman van!!
I’m with you on the pickup truck!
From the outside, it looks REALLY solid! I’d rather see it without carpet, this way you know what your buying.
@HowardA- Why would you go through all that trouble and expense. The car is solid, complete and stated to run fine. These are really nice cruisers and it would be a shamde to destroy value, performance, originality and integrity by swapping to a more economical engine. Plus fuel is under $1.75 a gallon these days. There is no reason not to own something like this, and the expense you will incur in the swap wil far outweigh the fuel savings that a collector car will accumulate.
I have a connection to these imps. 1976-80 I lived with my g- parents and grama drove a 68 imp. I got my first drivers licence In that thing and the few times I got to take it out on my own I stayed out of town since I did not want to be seen in a big 4 door boat. But that car drove like a dream and it had a 440-4brl. It was actually pretty fast. Now days if I ever come across on,even this 64 I would have to hold myself back from buying one.They pop up often, I even saw one just like our old 68(not for sale). but thought it was our old one, but same 4-door gold with gold int. but it had black int. OK NOW I REALLY WANT ONE!!!
Put a more economical engine…thats no fun. Plus small cubes doesnt necessarily mean more economy if you have to keep the pedal down to keep it moving. Id put a new hell cat power and drive train under it.
Imperials are by far the favorite choice of most Demolition Derby competitors.
And at only $2000. that is likely where this one will end up.
I drive a 1962 Imperial coupe and the 413 and 727 torqueflite is quite economical if you keep your foot out of it, they weigh just under 2 1/2 tons but drive and corner like a smaller car. A journo wrote in a 1962 magazine article that it was “like driving a tournament billiard table on the highway and in the hills”. The torsion bar suspension has a everything to do with it. Hopefully this one won’t end up in the derby, good ones are getting scarce.
Tony Oz.
oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
What is it with posting just 5 pics in a CL ad? This and the Mustang Horde ad leave a lot to be desired.
They allow you something like 20 pics, and each one takes a few seconds to upload. Heck, I upload more pics when selling stuff that costs less than 200 bucks!
PRA4, you are correct. This car may be the buy of a lifetime, or not. From the few pictures we cannot tell the true condition of this car.