Fuselage luxury reached its pinnacle in Chrysler Corporation’s elegant fourth-generation Imperial. This 1972 Imperial LeBaron four-door hardtop shines in what looks like Sun Fire Yellow. The claimed 66,000 mile all-original classic shows well inside and out.
Mmm; butterscotch. I can almost feel the supply leather of the recliner-sized power seats. Individual arm rests put an end to accidentally or intentionally elbowing your partner in the roomy cabin. Each door includes its own cigar lighter. Cohibas for everyone; you just won Regional Salesperson of the Month!
Long overhangs front and rear and the low beltline visually extend the length of impressive road coach, echoing airliner and passenger rail car styling. This unibody platform also underpins contemporary Chrysler New Yorkers and other full-sized offerings, but only Imperial boasted the 127 inch wheelbase, five longer than the Town & Country wagon. Add the overhangs and you’re driving 229.5 inches of luxury, according to original brochures at lov2xlr8. Tall taillights echo the front grill’s prominent turn signals. Chrome and crests adorn this regal ride. Owners praise the torsion-bar front suspension and unibody construction for stable highway manners and confident handling for its class.
Though not museum-quality, the engine compartment looks great. The mighty 440 cid (7.2L) V8 powered every 1972 Imperial, sending power rearward through the three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission. Highway gears keep RPMs low for quiet cruising and prodigious torque gets this yellow submarine up to speed without drama.
The La Porte, Indiana classic runs and drives “great,” according to the listing here on eBay. At least five bidders have this super-sized portion of American luxury above $8500 with about two days remaining. Look for that number to double before the title changes hands. The imposing bumper hides rollover headlights just inside the forward-jutting integrated turn signal nacelles. What would you pay for a taste of this lemon and butterscotch beauty?
Wow, this car is amazing. I love it. My only lament is that the dashboard/instruments are just plastic. Metal and chrome on these cars in the ’60s really gave them a feel of quality.
But still, this fuselage body is just super cool.
That is a gorgeous dash Rex. Isn’t it something how just a few short years dash boards changed. Seeing your dash reminds me of my Dads friend Forest who had a Chrysler Newport the same vintage as yours. It was a very very dark green, black interior but had that same beautiful dash and steering wheel as yours.
That’s one gorgeous and huge car, excellent one, Todd!
I find it funny (funny = sad) that when a car like this goes over its original cost when new, nobody mentions it. However, when an “appliance” car like an old Corolla or similar car is for sale over its original decades-old price, people lose their minds.
Good job Todd.
I’m more and more impressed with the luxo-barges of the 1970’s. They did what they were designed to do (move people in a quiet, smooth, luxurious environment) very well. With attractive styling which said “look at me” without shouting it.
This seems to be a very nice Imperial.
Holy Precoles Todd, sign me up for a Cohiba. This thing is magnifico.
All that and unibody!?! I’d have never guessed.
The Imperial was the last car line at Chrysler Corporation to ride on the body on frame D-body platform, Bub. That ended with either the ’67 or ’69 redesign, and Imperials became the largest cars on the unibody C-body platform.
This Chrysler imperial is beautiful. I would love to have this no room to put it anywhere. I have three cars in the driveway… I would have to get rid of two to park this! 😂 I wonder what the reserve is? $15,000 or $20,000? It’s hard to sell these because of it size unless you have lots of room to park it. I’ve been in these cars before and they are great. One time I sat in the back it’s like being at home on your couch. I took a nap didn’t feel a thing on the road. Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
That’s Honeydew, not Sunfire Yellow. Honeydew was more beige than yellow.
LOL, but 😉 Honeydue excuse me, but I Canteloupe with you tonight! 😄 😁 🤣
Hello Phil D. I wondered the same but the trunk pictures in the listing look much more yellow. Sadly the listing had about one word for every foot of the car’s length. Either way I like it! Thanks for your comment. -Todd
If the listing had one word for every pound, this would be a Novel! 😉 😜. Although I never really liked the Fuselage styling, this is a true LAND YACHT! So sad to see what Chrysler Corp has become 😢. Actually the entire industry is focused on SUVS, crossovers, and melted jelly beans 🤮. And PLEASE don’t say Electric!
I’m not trying to nit-pick, Todd, just trying to be accurate. I recognized Honeydew because my dad, a Chrysler-Plymouth (but not Imperial) dealer from 1966 to 1980, really took a liking to Honeydew and he ordered quite a few cars in that color, so I recognize it immediately when I see it.
I took a look at the eBay listing for the car to see the trunk pictures to which you referred to see if it was simply a case of the color not photographing well in the ambient light, which happens at times in online listings. What I found in the photos, though, was confirmation that this car is, indeed, Honeydew. The photo of the fender tag shows the color to be GY4, which is Honeydew. Sunfire Yellow (a lighter, pastel yellow), if I’m not mistaken, was DY2.
Accuracy appreciated Phil D. Honeydew it is!
Fantastic, four door find! And a hardtop for good measure! IMO Chrysler was firing on all cylinders in the early ‘70s (pun intended). Would really enjoy parking this in my garage! Chrysler – Where are they now? Will the brand marque make it out of the 2020’s? Sad – Indeed nothing lasts forever.
Not a fan of four doors, now if it was a coupe I could get interested.
Wow. Big and beautiful. The color looks surprisingly good on that fuselage body. If you can afford the gas, this would be a fantastic highway cruiser
How long is that thing? It needs a couple of those
diplomatic flags on the front fenders.
Not a fan of more doors but you barely notice the cut lines in that fuselage body. That and it’s a hardtop makes it look like it’s moving standing still. If Chrysler is reduced to just making the Pacifica or Town and Country Vans they need to take some cues from this.
Sadly, I believe the TnC is already gone and the Pacifica is on the next chopping block, which would effectively kill Chrysler. Time will tell.
This Imperial is beautiful. It represented everything that Chrysler had aspired to become since its inception. This 1972 Imperial LeBaron was Chrysler ‘s pinnacle. It’s all a historic memory now. Chrysler has become NOTHING! As always, poor management destroys companies. Poor decisions are made on too many levels. And just maybe, the Italians will try to revive Chrysler and Dodge with electric platforms. It won’t work and that is the final bad decision that will put these nameplates into automotive history, just like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Mercury, AMC, Studebaker, DeSoto, Packard and so many others. Where do these stupid management morons come from? Obviously, they can’t see what needs to be done. They just don’t care. They line their own pockets at the expense of the companies. An American needs to buy Chrysler and save it. Maybe Elon Musk?
EXACTLY! As Cole Porter wrote years ago, 🎵 The WORLD has gone MAD today 🎶. There are no CARS today, only SUVS, crossovers and melted jelly beans masquerading as Luxury vehicles. 🤮 And don’t get me started on Electrics!
I would love to blame the Italians but Sergio was trying to get behind the brands before his unexpected passing. Chrysler is now french (how’s that for irony) and they are the ones squandering the rich heritage. I breaks my heart as I see it on a daily basis.
My parents had a 72 New Yorker Brougham coupe, basically the same car. In spite of sz/wt, that 440 made these a muscle/luxury mover with torsion bars for better handling than competitors. It was easy to bury that horizontal speedo past 120! I was in HS then and it would take an entire Saturday afternoon to wax all that sheet metal!
Very nice clean Land Barge!!
Dad put over 70,000 miles on a 72 Imperial in 1972. I think it was a corporate lease (obviously mileage limits weren’t a big deal). Then he got a Mark IV with a 460 for 1973. The gas crisis hit months later and the golden age of big American V8s drew to a close.
I owned a 72 Imperial coupe and a 4 dr ht ( both were ht, I don’t think there was a pillared sedan Imperial in 72.) They were both very sturdy and floaty cars back in the 70s when I had them. Back then, whenever you saw an Imperial, which was rare, it would be one in this color and a 4dr. Right now this car has hit 12k with 3+ hrs to go. Not bad for a huge land yacht with 4 drs! 😀
4 shades of blue available – try getting that & hidden wipers & 2 doors today – another reason why today’s “cars” are such a ripoff.
& i don’t see today’s boring lifeless ugly gray or silver even available for this car!
One of the reasons I used to watch MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE!(and the reruns now)as a kid was to see a big Imperial appear bedecked in banana republic pennants on its black fuselage waft into view!
Did you ever see ( on M I ) the 1967 or 68? 🤔 AMBASSADOR limousine? Black with diplomatic flags flying on front fenders. I have never seen another. Don’t know if it was a customized job just for the show or if there were more. Surely AMC didn’t build them . Anyone else remember?
I’ll answer part of my own question. These Ambassador Limos were commissioned by Bill Estes through Ambruster for 69. Perhaps inspired by ads comparing AMBASSADOR to Limos. A few years later, AMBASSADOR was gone as AMC continued its long slide. A sad end for the storied NASH name. 😔