When I was a kid, I thought the ’66 Imperial, like this LeBaron find, courtesy of Kevin F, was the bomb. It was one of my favorite cars, probably influenced by the linkage between it and the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty. The TV show was short-lived, and would probably be considered hokey by today’s standards, but then again, today’s standards will probably be considered very passe in another 50 years. OK, back to the car, the seller claims that it’s one of 1,878 built so let’s investigate that claim further. Located in Brewerton, New York, this immaculate Imperial is available, here on eBay for a BIN price of $34,995. There is a make-an-offer option too. Thanks to Kevin F for this tip!
When and where I can, I always try to research production numbers of the cars that I feature – especially if it’s special, or a claimed to be, rare model. The numbers that I found for the ’66 Imperial equal 13,742 with 1,878 being LeBaron four-door hardtops, so yes, I would concur with the seller’s claim. The balance were all Crown series Imperials in two and four-door hardtop body styles, as well as a convertible.
This 90K mile example has been treated to a modern two-stage repaint and it is beautious! Besides the lustrous deep Formal Black finish, the chrome and trim are equally as elegant. And that goes for the vinyl top covering too, it’s nice enough to make one wonder if it’s original. This Imperial’s visuals just ooze class.
Up front, a 350-gross HP 440 CI V8 is holding court. The seller notes, “The smoothest classic car I have ever driven and I’ve driven hundreds” – a strong statement. The engine and accessories have undergone some refurbishment such as the radiator being re-cored, a new fan clutch, a new master cylinder, new shocks, the carburetor has undergone a rebuilding, the fuel sending unit has been rebuilt, Renu System applied to the fuel tank, and a double roller and gear timing chain installed. And this Imperial is now equipped with front disc brakes – always a wise investment. As is usually the case, a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission makes the hook-up.
The black leather-clad interior does the exterior justice, it’s just as nice. This is one of the best views of a ’66 Imperial’s instrument panel that I have been able to glean and I’d say that it’s a bit busy but typical for the era. Good to know that the A/C is ice cold thanks to a new compressor.
The seller makes a concluding statement, “The best part about this car is EVERYTHING WORKS……EVERYTHING…… don’t ask ……it works!“. OK, I got it, I won’t ask but I will ask all of you about the price. What do you think, priced right, or not quite?
It works for me! Bucket list car.
For many, these flash us back to that delightful series, “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
The bank president, Milburn Drysdale, drove Imperials. MILBURN!!, was his wifes battle cry. My grandmother used to “kvetch” like that. Early on in the series, they featured his Imperials, but less and less as the show went on and focused on Miss Hathaways red Dodge convertibles. I believe the ’66 or ’67 Imperial, like this, was the last they focused on, although, during the last season(1971) a newer Imperial was shown.
Nice find, again, going agin my resolution NOT to pick on California or prices, but what the heck? Has this country gone on a tens of thousands spree as the norm? Get your gas bill lately? Granted, this car will appeal to someone with a lot of money, Imperials always have, but it trickles back to ANY classic to bring 5 figures. Rusty Scouts, the ’62 Ford Galaxie, and many more coming through here, who is the target audience there? Newsflash, us common folk are having a hard time with reusable Walmart bag costs, bank presidents don’t drive Imperials anymore, cars that weigh 5200 pounds and get 10 mpg have fallen out of favor, for trucks that weigh 5200 pounds and get 10 mpg. Best bet here, is for a 3rd world dictator with the flags on the front fender, that can’t afford a RR. I just don’t see the 5 figure justification on any of these.
I agree,but the people who actually buy these
live in a different world.
A rather presumptuous thing to say, I had a wonderful life, did everything I wanted to do, and it didn’t revolve around money. You couldn’t have lived the life I did.
I owned a 66 crown Imperial 4 door hardtop and, of the 45 or so cars I owned, domestic and imports, it is one of 3 that I wish I still had. 72 years old and still an enthusiast, but just from the sidelines. If I could, would gladly pay 50 grand for the last of the Real Imperials.
The original owner’s name and address is on the “certicard,” pictured. Googled the address and he must have been a man of means, maybe a bank president himself.
It seems at time anybody who works at Ford doesn’t work there for very long they usually end up working for mostly Chrysler or sometimes GM. I can remember as a kid growing up watching quite a few TV series like The Beverly Hillbillies, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea the ones Admiral Nelson was chauffeured in and his own personal Imperial which was a Convertible. Shows like Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip,Mannix,Cannon, Barnaby Jones, The Brady Bunch and other Classic shows and movies of those years between the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s. There is one specific Classic Sci-fi TV movie called Fantastic Voyage 1966 with Raquel Welch man shoot what a beautiful, gorgeous and pretty woman she was back then, she was 1 of the few women I had had a crush on back then and to this very day she is still a beautiful woman for her age. Now back to the Chrysler Imperial Royal Crown Lebanon that car should have no problem being bought and sold for that amount of money. If I had the Proper Funds and my own place and proper space that would an addition to my automobile collection. If I had the a large estate with the proper room and proper funds for my automobile collection with all the Major Detroit Big 3 Ford, Chrysler and GM. Which are all always will be All Cool 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎 in the Gang with Me. Sincerely Yours Truly Ivan I J
Don’t forget the Green Hornet car, AKA the Black Beauty.
This is the highest priced Imperial I’ve ever seen, but wow, it’s nice. A lot of nice work on this one too.
To the left of the speedo is a big ‘sentry signal’ gauge. I had to look that up. Neat. https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/660045/
Nice car, the asking price is probably in the neighborhood of what it will take to make a sale.
Steve R
This Imp was designed by none other than Elwood Engel, who, after designing the 1961 Lincoln and T.Birds (and the Mercurys that wouldn’t come out until ’63) moved from Ford over to Chrysler.
Engel’s slab sided design paradigm was so pervasive over the 1960s and 1970s, and Lincoln even used it well into the 1980s. He and Bill Mitchell at GM certainly defined US automobile design for most of 30 years. Titans in their field.
I took my Engel-designed ’67 Newport Custom out for a drive today, enjoying Tampa’s balmy January weather. Cruising perfection. All hail Elwood Engel! I switched computers, so here’s a Chrysler dealer catalog photo of my Newport.
Love it…great garage mate to the recent silver/white leather Imperial. Tried to Google Mr. Drysdale’s chauffers name…. can’t find it, Ravenswood? Wrong.
Total tangent…early Beverly Hillbillies episodes have some interesting Winston ads woven into opening and ending credits…Pluto TV.
Had a 66 LeBaron. Last 6 of serial was 100050. Fender plate had paint code 999. Special dark blue, no metallic. Blue leather, dual air, power everything.
Plate had= Job No 265. Was an executive walk thru.
Sold to a business that unknowingly used it in destruction derby.
Yes, very sad. Was a gorgeous, clean 66.
Ravenswood was the butler. I believe the chauffeur’s name was Perkins…
Interesting that it has an AM/FM radio.I didn’t think that
there were any FM stations back then.
Also love the glass headlight coverings.
Our neighbor bought a brand new gold colored ‘66 Toronado: on the dash was an extra button on the radio marked “FM”. He told me when he was stationed in Germany in 1958 he had a Blaupunkt radio with a radio receiver marked FM; the sound was much more clear..
He also said some day the some of the stuff we read about in science fiction books and comics would be ordinary, everyday things.
This is a guy who at the time had a phone in his truck-it somehow used his trucks’ ham radio system.
I ordered my 1969 BMW 2500 with a Blaupunkt Frankfort AM/SW/FM radio. Great reception, especially the short wave. I could listen to the world when travelling through the boonies late at night. The BBC and Deutsche Welle came in very clear. I sold the Bimmer to a collector 31 years later but, kept the Blaupunkt.
Around 1960 I remember an FM station in Green Bay. I think they had about three albums they played over and over.
American auto manufacturers began offering FM radios as factory installations beginning in 63. FM radio was around since at least the early 50s, but, unlike Europe, there were very few stations here which broadcasted in FM
66 Chrysler Imperial was high class back then. Normal working class could not afford this. Imperials had ever option Chrysler threw at it. The telescopic steering wheel was cool. Pass the middle horn button was ring. It had metal grips turn it left loosen up and pull the wheel towards you then turn right to tighten up. Movie stars ,big corporate guys and bankers drove these beautiful cars. I remember seeing one in the late 60s in a convertible white outside red leather interior. Never forgotten that Imperial. The price is a wee high. But good luck to the next owner 🐻🇺🇸
I look at things like this if someone is paying 17,000 for a Canadian 1970 Chevy Chevelle with a 6 cylinder and no options then in my world a almost mint fully loaded Chrysler Imperial LeBaron 440 only a 1000 made is so worth it to me ( just step on that 440 a few times)but maybe 24 grand is more realistic but what a nice car!
The only thing I can not figure out is why some had small windows in the back and some had big windows. It’s not that it is a crown imperial or LeBaron or 2 door or 4door anyone know the right answer.
Imperial Lebarons had small back windows, Imperial Crowns had large back windows. Crown Imperials were limos.
That’s a good point, agt. I did some research, and FM came out in 1928, but there was an interesting schpiel, a battle,of sorts, between AM and FM. AM promoters almost blocking FM with force, that and most people only had AM radios. There were some FM stations in the 60s, but really gained steam in the 70s. As a punk in HS( early 70s) AM stations still played the hits, and I remember an AM station, KAAY, out of Little Rock, late at night, “Beeker Street”, with Clyde Clifford, that played this new fangled “acid rock” thing. Whole lotta love was no Buddy Holly. Then the FM rock stations kicked in.( cue no more mr. nice guy) In Milwaukee, WTOS was the 1st, ( ’72ish) then, WZMF, and WQFM, “underground radio” it was called. From that point on, ALL cars were required to have an FM, or a FM converter,( remember those?) at least.
1st FM rock station WBCN Boston
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/11/19/wbcn-american-revolution-boston
I saw a brand new white ’64 Imperial Crown four door, with a white poodle in it, in our Searstown Shopping Center, Fort Pierce, Florida. I’ve had a love for all three years of that style. Other notable ones in this area, a yellow ’65 or ’66 Crown four door, that looked careworn, and had apparently been in high water long enough to rust the back seat bottom cushion, a ’65 two tone metallic green dark green vinyl top Crown Coupe, with a Goldwater bumper sticker on it, and a bright yellow ’66 Crown Coupe in the ritzy section of the county, about two years ago. I love the pre ’64 ones too, but these formal squared ones will never look old.
WBCN FM Boston — 1968 Innovated FM Rock Radio
My college years at BU – new FM stereos and Big speakers !!!
On PBS
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/11/19/wbcn-american-revolution-boston
Being farm kid in the Salinas Valley during the early 70’s we would listen to fm KFAT out of Gilroy CA “the greasy spot on your radio dial” was their schtick current rock at that time….Led, Greatful Dead, Carlos, JJ Cale….on and on
In the early ’70’s,I remember listening to the first FM
station in Humboldt County,CA,while detailing 240 Z’s.I
thought it was really cool,as they’d play whole albums.They
were “underground” back then,with a limited budgets &
audiences.
A very nice Imperial, in my favorite color combination, An ambitious price but probably worth it to the ultimate buyer. About FM radios, in September of 1967 I was lucky enough to buy my first Corvette, a brand new Lyndale Blue , Black interior 327/300 4 speed Coupe, it had an AM-FM Delco Radio, I knew nothing about FM radios only having dealt with AM up to that point, Being 20 years old my main interest in music was rock and roll that I listened to from WABC, WMCA, WINS, in New York City, so one night I was out cruising in the Vette and I flipped the slide to FM and started scrolling thru what I could listen to. I found WNEW FM 102.7 “WHERE ROCK LIVES”, I was hooked listening to Scott Muni, “Scotlands Yard”, Alison Steele, “The Night Bird” also Jonathan Schwartz, Rosko, Carol Miller, to name the most memorable ones. I don’t think that Corvettes radio ever went back to AM. Any subsequent car had to have an FM radio. BTW, I had to work my butt off in order to afford that Corvette and the insurance as my Dad was not a fan of “Plastic” cars, no assistance from him was ever asked nor offered & all dealings with Mom were on a show me the cash basis.
Nice car! My first car was a 1966 Crown in black with red leather interior and only 66k miles. Loved that car. $35k??? That’s a stretch sorry, maybe if it were a convertible. I think the seller is hoping for a Norwegian with deep pockets or the proverbial on born a few minutes ago…
I’d be hard pressed to be the first guy to pony up this sort of money for an Imperial 4 door hard top. Clearly the owner invested a lot (too much?) in it. (Curious, but the carpets look worn. Odd thing to leave undone.) But I agree, this one is going to some far Northern European country to be driven two months a year—and not very far at that considering fuel prices there.
Let’s roll Kato!
Dual air-conditioning too !