In order to compete head-on with Lincoln and Cadillac, Chrysler created its own luxury brand in 1955. Known as Imperial, it soldiered on for two decades before disappearing from the market. Chrysler revived the brand in 1981, but this revival proved brief. Our feature car is a 1967 Imperial Crown Coupe that recently emerged from hiding. It is an original and unrestored classic with 81,000 genuine miles on the clock. If that isn’t enough to attract your attention, the seller’s decision to offer it with No Reserve could seal the deal. Located in Darby, Pennsylvania, you will find the Imperial listed for sale here on eBay. Healthy bidding has pushed the price to $7,600, and with No Reserve in play, a new home would seem mere days away for this classic.
While its styling wasn’t considered radical when released in 1967, the Third Generation Imperial marked a significant engineering shift for Chrysler and the Imperial brand. Earlier generations had followed the traditional body-on-frame construction path, but the latest offering represented the first unibody Imperial. This transition could not be understated because not only did it result in a car that was lighter and structurally stiffer than its predecessors, but it was also a vehicle where rust could pose more of a problem if it managed to get its teeth into the steel. That isn’t an issue with our feature car because while its original Formal Black paint isn’t perfect, the vehicle has little more than the occasional dusting of surface corrosion. The buyer will undoubtedly choose to treat this before it deteriorates, but at least they will avoid the effort and expense of cutting and welding. The paint itself has accumulated a few nicks and marks, but the lack of significant problems and the healthy shine mean that the buyer could retain the vehicle proudly as an original survivor. The panels appear straight as an arrow, with the flawless chrome and glass adding to the positive impression made by this classic.
The seller has worked through cleaning and detailing this classic’s interior, and it presents well for its age. The carpet may be slightly faded, but the lack of significant wear would make it challenging to justify replacement if the buyer intends to retain the car as an original survivor. Otherwise, there are no issues to report. The Black leather seats have developed wrinkles that add character to material of this type and age. It still looks soft and inviting, while the remaining upholstered surfaces, dash, and headliner appear perfect. The plated components shine beautifully, and while it may not seem particularly luxurious by today’s standards, this Crown would have felt pretty special in 1967. It features factory air conditioning, power windows, a power driver’s seat, a tilt/telescopic wheel, a rear defogger, and an AM/FM radio with a power antenna and rear speaker fader.
This photo reveals one of the aces this Imperial may have up its sleeve. Buyer in 1967 could order their Crown Coupe equipped with the Mobile Director Package. This option introduced a folding and pivoting rear table and allowed the front passenger seat to rotate 180°. The intent was for executives to effectively have an office on the road to complete paperwork and other tasks. While the table is visible in this shot, the package and rotating seat don’t rate a mention in the listing. If the original owner ordered the Crown with this option, it is 1-of-81 from that model year so equipped. That would make this a rarer and more desirable beast.
It seems that most cars that rolled off a Mopar production line in the 1960s made their mark when it came to engine power and performance. The Imperial Crown is no exception. Lifting its hood reveals a 440ci V8 that could produce 350hp. The rest of the drivetrain includes a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, power steering, and power brakes. This car would have been capable of covering the ¼ mile in 16.7 seconds in its prime. While the Cadillac Eldorado and the Lincoln Continental could both come close to matching those figures, the Imperial remained the king of performance in its market sector. The owner indicates that this Crown has 81,000 miles on the clock, although he doesn’t mention evidence documenting the originality. He says that it has been parked since 2017, and while the V8 has come to life hooked to an external fuel source, it will need a thorough inspection, servicing, and a fuel system flush before considered roadworthy.
Imperial sales for 1967 weren’t all that Chrysler had hoped. A total of 17,614 cars rolled off the line in that model year, and a mere 3,235 of these were the Crown Coupe. Finding one today can be a battle, but really nice examples can sell for figures upward of $25,000. This one is an original and unrestored survivor, and with the work required to return it to its best, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bidding stalls before hitting $20,000. However, if someone can confirm the existence of the Mobile Director Package, that changes the equation. The rarity of that option will have a significant positive impact on the car’s value to the tune of 20%. At that price, someone will still receive a lot of metal for their money. Is that enough to tempt you to pursue this classic further?
Mobile Director Package? Big leather bucket seats?
A very cool and potentially, reasonably priced Imperial.
Dear Silverado EV,
Your time is coming – just not now. Why? Because whenever I hear the opening theme from The Sopranos, I think now think of this Imperial with the Mobile ‘Boss’ Package.
See you (not too) soon
The Sopranos.
One of those rare times when TV got it right.
What a rare and stylish car. I’d take this over all the usual cruisers.
Poking around with the VIN, this one has an interesting past. May be a 1968? And this guy is flipping it…
https://www.capitalautoauction.com/inventory/print/f1020d1e-204f-4b07-bf59-bbe4b88cd760
How difficult is it to find a windshield for one of these?
It’s a ’67. The ’68s had tiny, square side marker lights at all four corners.
great machine 440 power.. Black seems the only sensible color for a coupe this cool. The “director” pkg be useful for counting stacks of cash, a place to put the long barrel .22 pistola, and lining up the colombian marching powder.
Both are 1967s, grill, no side marker lights in the rear fender are telltale features
I love this car and the “Mobile Director” option. However, I question the title situation since PA is a title state and the seller only offers a bill of sale.
I agree. If it is indeed being flipped, it could be because the flipper could not get a title in his state, and is trying to pass the problem along.
Not knowing/mentioning or advertising that it is a Mobile Director optioned car speaks volumes.
I’ll bet they don’t even know the passenger seat flips around.
I saw this car on an auction website a few months ago. I can’t remember the site…was non-descript sitting in a yard..very dirty but solid. No mention of the “director” option but was very clear in the pictures. I wanted to bid but already have an AMC Eagle wagon project.
The imperial cleaned up very nicely. The seller probably got an “under the radar” deal.
Beautiful looking car. It’s my favourite year for the Imperial since the 1962 model year. I’d prefer the 4 door version, but this is nice as well. Given its condition, I’d pay around $7,000 for it.
Appears to have had a mold problem that wasn’t fully cleaned up and probably won’t clean up. I love this car. Been a very long time since I’ve seen one.
Hey John,where do you see a mold problem.
Ernie
I had a 4 door Crown hard top version of this car. Loved the car, hated the fuel economy. 10 MPG all the time regardless of speed or load. I owned the car back in the day where some filling stations gave away glass ware with fill ups.I was at the station so many times, the owner would hand over cases of glasses at a time. I would just stick them in the 4 body trunk.(In the Chicago area, that is how you described the size of a trunk, how many dead bodies could you carry in the trunk) Finally one day I actually ran out of room in the trunk and had to give the glassware away for actual luggage.
When cars had distinctive designs you could get a mafia-looking car like this Imperial.
If you want really want to see rides like that watch Memorable entertainment Television that’s “MeTV”. Need i have to say more. Oh by the way a few of my dad’s friends owned and drove Cadillac’s, Chrysler Imperial’s and New Yorker’s. I had an uncle who owned 2 Luxury Land Cruiser and a Land Liner his 1st 1 was a Beautiful Emerald Green 1975 or 76 Mercury Grand Marquis Brougham Coupe and a 1977 or 78 Lincoln Continental MKV fully Loaded to the max top of the line series had 1 Cuzn that owned a Chrysler 1973 New Yorker & a 89/90 Cadillac Brougham De Elegance and have another Cuzn owned a 1975 or 76 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe Loaded to the max Top of the line series you couldn’t get no better than that back in the day what better than awesome rides they were talk about childhood Memories. Oh if i had the money 💰 💵 & my own place 2 put and store & restore it back to the way it was brought i’d buy in a quickness.😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
This was a fantastic luxury car; definitely a step-up from Cadillac and in another league from Lincoln. Jay Leno has this same car but in a gold color with a black roof; check out his walk-around. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMtsCfYZlog
That is a classic Jay video John. “This is a hybrid. In town it uses gas. On the highway, it uses even more gas.” “Now that’s a trunk. It can hold 4 people. On the weekend I rent it out as a studio.” “It has two air conditioners… blowing from the front and back.. you are cold in a minute in a minute and a half. You can hang meat in it.” What a story on his car too. Thanks for sharing.
The seller doesn’t seem to realize the significance of that pivoting armrest. If the auction title included the words “Mobile Director,” I’d guess the bidding would already be significantly higher.
I’m pretty sure I saw this car sitting in a fenced lot around an old gas station in south central PA about 25 years ago. Another Crown Coupe with mobile director option, but with gold paint outside, sat nearby. Tried to find out more, but locals said that all the older [mostly Mopar] cars & trucks were not for sale.
I’ve had a couple of these with mobile director option [MDO], and YES, they are very hard to find. And FYI, on both the cars I owned, the fender tag does list a code P26, but in the fender tag decoding lists I’ve seen, there is no P26, only going up to P25 in the seating section. So I would love to see a photo of this fender tag.
Bidding is at $8100. Still reasonable.
SOLD for 10.7k! There was spirited bidding at the end.
I was watching the auction countdown, staring at the ‘Place Bid’ button and telling myself this car is 2867 miles away from me!