It’s bada bing time! Motorapido has discovered a listing for a 1981 Frank Sinatra edition Imperial. This version of Chrysler’s top-drawer Imperial brand is a pretty rare bird and possesses its own uniqueness – it’s certainly a worthwhile discovery. Calling Shohola, Pennsylvania its home territory, this big, luxurious Mopar is available here on craigslist for $2,500.
The ’81 through ’83 Imperials were the last of that storied marque to be independent under the Chrysler umbrella rather than just another Chrysler model. They also all came in one body style, a two-door coupe. The total production volume for ’81 is believed to be about 8,100 copies but our subject car is the exalted Frank Sinatra version which the seller tells us is one of only 168 examples (though Ate Up With Motor puts the FS attendance count at 516 copies). And what features separate the Frank Sinatra-imbued model from lesser versions? Well, a Glacier Blue Crystal finish, Mark Cross-inspired blue velvet upholstery or supple leather, “FS” badging, and sixteen cassette tapes of the Chairman’s biggest hits ensconced in a Mark Cross-designed leather tote (and no, there was no horse’s head in the trunk).
This one’s a twenty-footer, it looks good at a distance but there is evidence of faded paint, surface rust, and rust-through. But still, it presents pretty well, there’s no sign of crash damage, and nothing, trim etc. seems to be missing. The seller suggests that it “needs some TLC“.
“Runs, drives, and stops” claims the listing and that occurs courtesy of a 140 net HP, 318 CI fuel-injected V8 engine which puts power to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic TorqueFlite transmission. The mileage is reported as being 100K miles but it’s not known if that’s accurate or just a reflection of a rolled-over odometer. The engine compartment appears to be complete and original with just an air cleaner swap to a K&N-style filter as the only deviation from stock.
The leather upholstery obviously has problems but the rest of the environment still shows well. The back seat, as is often the case, looks unused while the door panels have withstood the test of time and use. The dash is wearing a topper so the underlying pad has probably experienced some distress.
ChryCo was experiencing quite a bit of financial stress in the era that brought us this chapter of the Imperial so it’s somewhat of a miracle that these three model years ever came to light. This is a model that tried to bridge the large and luxurious past with the reality of mandated air quality standards and enhanced fuel economy emphasis. Was it successful? Chrysler planned a 25K unit annual production run but the three combined years managed to eke out a measly 12,400 copies so the answer is likely no. Still, these are notable cars, Frank Sinatra edition or not, and it would be sad to see this one languish. If nothing else, the price of entry is cheap enough, right?
Waiting for Todd’s comments……
Ha – thanks angliagt! I still have my ’81 and love it. I lucked out with a literal barn find that say 20+ years and cleaned up beautifully. Thankfully I’m not a fan of the Glacier Blue Frank Sinatra color scheme, so I never suffer from FS envy. These cars are essentially all the same. The only option that cost money was the sunroof. Everything else was just a no-cost decision by whoever ordered them. This one shows an Edelbrock carb. I swapped mine to Holley Sniper EFI and have enjoyed it on several 500+ miles road trips and drive it more than any car I own. This one probably becomes either a FS parts car or a driver for someone who just likes how they look. Either way I hope the car or its parts live on. Nice write-up, Jim. Cheers! -Todd
Cleaned up in 2023.
After three rounds of deep cleaning the interior ended up being almost perfect as well.
Todd:
Thx for the clarification about the carburetor.
JO
P.S. Yours is fabulous looking!
Looking at your car it’s no wonder why you don’t feel envy. That darker color is so beautiful on that Imperial. Sure would like to drive one someday, but not the one on offer. I’m not the mechanic type. Too much work for me.
I love these old FS versions-but the tapes need to be included otherwise it’s just a car (however elegant)-not an EXPERIENCE..I also love that it’s located in a town located next to Lackawaxen-which clearly this car has suffered from (insert drums going badabing here)
Nostalgia for sure! That engine has way too many hoses and needs to be redone! It’s gonna take some knowledge how to! Also I hope the frame is not rotted! If not this can be brought back and I would like to see that happen.
The non-stock air cleaner setup could indicate this car has been converted from EFI to a carburetor as many of them were. The EFI was so troublesome Chrysler retrofitted many with a 2-barrel carb. Doubtful the K&N arrangement would work with the EFI as the latter had a much more complicated air filter setup that included a “combustion computer” and an air flow meter both of which the K&N lacks. Chrysler found it was cheaper to replace the EFI with a carburetor rather than continue to repair the system under warranty.
Even though it’s not expensive, with an asking price if $2,500, 42 weeks on the market says nobody wants it, not even as a winter beater. The future does not look bright for this car.
Steve R
Winter beater. My thoughts exactly. I was sitting here looking out the window at the snow coming down and a late seventies Cadillac Sedan de Ville went by rusted to junk, but if it ran well and the interior was comfortable you had something to drive through the slush and road salt. I remember these cars well and I like this one, but my Buick is still rolling so I’ll pass
Chrysler stuck with a carburetor style throttle body until the hemi came along as I had a 1999 Dakota that looked like a carb but was just a throttle body and even with the hemi the throttle body was facing up & down until I put a fabricated holley intake on it which it runs way better on
I really think these are quite attractive and hope someone adopts her. How hard would it be to change the fuel system if necessary or even the motor itself!?
Don’t look in the trunk…
Mopar LSC
Too cool 😎 Fitch. The fact you drive it so much must speak to the comfortable nature of these cars.
Fuggetaboutit. Plastic, plastic, plastic.
I saw one of these in a NASCAR support race in the early ’80’s in Atlanta. It came into the pits on the first pace lap and again on the second. Then, coming out of turn 4 to take the green flag it pulled in for the last time, never making a lap under green. Only Chrysler product in the field.
Many of these Imperials with the stock fuel injection are low mile cars because the fuel injection system was so undependable. l’ve owned two Imperials, one converted to a carb, the second with the original system. Guess which one I drove most. The cars are very comfortable and actually gets pretty decent MPG thanks to the great 318 engines.
And people wonder why they went out of business. Yes when a holding company is the owner, they went out of business!
These were beautiful cars when new. I still like them. However, at the time, Iacocca bet the farm on K-cars and it paid off handsomely. Too bad someone can’t save Chrysler like Iacocca did. They desperately need saved.
I was in my early 20’s when this car was new and I remember vividly liking it’s styling. Always felt it needed more power. I think it’s worth saving for the right price.
I already knew of this car has it sits just minutes from my house. I was in my mid-20s when this car was new and just loved the design. Sorta like a Seville and later Lincoln LSC. Gonna cost plenty to recover those leather seats. I might go $1,500 on it. Have owned numerous Chrysler products since 1973, and this ear had some really cheap plastic. I hope it gets saved.
It came standard with rear load leveling and whoa to the owner if it went out, which most did. If I remember right, the parts where made in eastern Europe, Romania I believe, and if you could get parts, it was about a $2500 fix 30 years ago.