Some cars make a huge visual statement, and I’d suggest that anything penned by Chrysler head stylist Virgil Exner dominates in the standout category. Love or hate his designs, such as this 1962 Imperial Crown, you know his work when you see it! This example is in fabulous condition, and though the listing details are light, the images tell a pretty thorough story. This outsized luxury hardtop hails from Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, where it’s listed on Facebook Marketplace for CDN $24,000 (about U.S. $17,300). Dean gets a round of applause for this discovery!
ChryCo’s Imperial brand assembled about 14K copies in ’62, putting it in fourteenth place in the great domestic auto production race. Three trim levels, Custom, Crown, and LeBaron, and three body styles, two-door hardtop, convertible, and four-door hardtop, comprised Imperial’s lineup for the year. Drilling down, this four-door Crown is one of 6,900 examples – not rare, but not common either. What can be said of this car’s condition? Well, we don’t know the mileage – the odometer conveniently doesn’t work- and we don’t know anything of its past, as in restored, original, etc. Needs? Search me fish, it doesn’t look like it needs a thing. Obviously, sound storage is part of the story here; this Imperial seems to have dodged winter weather – it’s originally an Alabama car, but I’d still like to get a gander at the underside. Takeaways? Those floating headlights are a “what’s-old-is-new” styling cue – very clever- and those iconic afterburner taillights would, unfortunately, never pass muster today.
Get a load of that interior! Impeccable red leather upholstery and not a thing out of place or showing any indication of wear from its 64 years of existence and unknown mileage. Of course, again, we don’t know if the environment is original or a redo. Seatbelts?! Who needs seatbelts…Note that oval steering wheel. It was an oddity in ’62, but we see some variations of it today in models such as the Corvette. This is an A/C equipped Imperial, but there’s no mention of its operational capability.
“Starts easy and runs smooth,” claims the seller, thanks to a 340 gross HP, 413 CI V8 engine, and its pushbutton-activated TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. The engine compartment appears to be complete and original, though I don’t know about that red radiator tank.
I want to call this Imperial a survivor, but I don’t know enough about its past to apply that label. One thing that does seem evident, however, is its condition – it’s not to be denied. Let’s talk price; that U.S. $17,300 ask (CDN $24,000) seems very reasonable for a rig like this. Now, importation to the U.S.- there’s a matter that could get tricky. This car’s age exempts it from many requirements, but there’s still the import process (tax/duty/forms) to cover. Can anyone provide some insight on that matter?
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