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One Of 577! 1967 Imperial Convertible

Now, this is a car! It’s big, powerful, and formal – definitely Whammer-jammer material. The seller claims, and Automotive Mileposts agrees, that this 1967 Imperial Crown convertible is one of only 577 produced that year – rare, beautiful, and worth a closer look. Jaclyn found the listing for this big drop-top which is cooling its heels in W. Bloomfield, Michigan. It’s available, here on craigslist for $9,800.

Imperial’s total production output for ’67 was just north of 17K units, typical for the ChryCo marque back in that era as its volumes would move up and down from year to year. Coupled up with Chrysler’s 218K units, the combined brands bested both competitor Cadillac’s 200K copies and Lincoln’s 45K output. Imperial’s available body styles included two and four-door hardtops, a four-door sedan, and of course, this convertible.

Size is not an illusion as this convertible sits on a 127″ wheelbase, is 225″  (18.75 feet) in length, spans almost 80″ (6’8″) in width (a single-door garage could be a tight fit!), and tips the scales at 5,000 lbs. The finish appears to be Plum Red Metallic, one of twenty-two available for Imperial in ’67. This car shows pretty well but the seller makes mention of some amateur bodywork that will need attention. And a closer look does reveal rust-through, bubbling, cracked paint, surface rust, and either extreme fade of clear-coat delamination. The exterior is alright but it will need attention. There is only one image showing the folding top in the up position and it looks OK but nothing further is revealed – it is claimed to “work“.

I always find silver interiors to be a draw, probably because it’s not a commonly found hue. Leather upholstery covering bucket seats was standard equipment and in this case, it all looks to have held up well – convertible top downtime can often be the bain of interior materials. There does appear to be a patch of some kind on the upper backrest of the driver’s seat and the walnut paneling adorning the dash shows as possibly warped and peeling but the wear seems minor.

Said to “Runs/drives/stops” – which isn’t exactly an enthusiastic proclamation, this Imperial is powered by a 350 gross HP, 440 CI V8 engine working together with a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. Underhood appears as complete and original. With 89K miles recorded, though not claimed as authentic, the big RB engine should still have some promising life left assuming that it has been properly maintained.

You don’t know what you got till it’s gone as the old song goes and that’s certainly the case with this Imperial Crown convertible. It’s sort of like real estate, there’s no more being made and you have to trade on what’s available. This convertible seems like a good start to me, sure it needs some body work but that can occur over time as the new owner enjoys some wind through the hair motoring experience, right?

Comments

  1. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    Great interior, but this is one that would definitely warrant an in-person inspection. I love the C-bodies.

    Like 9
  2. Avatar ThunderRob

    Probably a lot rarer than just 1 of 577,The headrests were a very rare option,because in 1967 nobody was really thinking about whiplash..LOL.

    Like 5
  3. Avatar PaulG

    This could be a great buy, especially if you’re a terrific body man. The seller seems forthright in the Craigslist ad, and Michigan is tough on cars…
    The last 23 years away from AZ weren’t kind to the sheet metal, unless it was brought to AZ from the east.
    Might be the buy of the day!

    Like 5
  4. Avatar Jonathan A Green

    Lord help me. I’m within a few miles of this car. The downside to this car is that Imperials are the ultimate bad guy car, and you can’t be a bad guy in a convertible…

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Mark White

    WOW! Love it! I drove a 67 four door in college in the 70’s. Ran it at 90 miles an hour every weekend from Dallas to Oklahoma City to go home. Sold it when the rear end started to howl! Mine had two AC units 1 front 1 rear. Every door had a storage compartment under the arm rest. Reverb on the radio, with a foot switch to change channels! Found the electric seats had tilt when the new owner demonstrated it! A really well engineered automobile, a lucky owner will be getting all the girls! I just don’t have the room for it.

    Like 5
  6. Avatar hierogk

    The car can be enjoyed now “as the new owner enjoys some wind through the hair motoring experience”. My guess is the buyer of this land yacht will not have a bushload of hair.

    Like 5
  7. Avatar jetfire88

    What the heck am I seeing in pic #22? I have never been able to see the inside edge of the brake drum from the outside!

    What happened to the backing plate?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

      That’s a disc brake backing plate, you can see the edge of the disc just behind the backing plate.

      Like 1
  8. Avatar Chris

    All that car is missing is me driving it

    Like 2
  9. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    The more I look at this car, the sadder it seems to me.

    First of all, 9800 is pretty strong money for this car. Secondly, having re-commissioned two C-body Chryslers (’65 and ’67), I can tell you that the mechanicals on this car will need some work: brakes, brake lines probably, soft hoses, suspension parts, possible transmission rebuild. Not to mention some underhood items too, like radiator, water pump, carb re-build, thermostat, and AC. If the new owner does most of this work him/herself, the parts alone could cost several thousand dollars. Add in a trans rebuild at 2K, and now the car has cost, say, about 15K. And remember the car will need to be shipped, so there’s another 1500.

    Then, finally, the rust problem. Rust repair on this car would probably run 10K easily, and another 10K for a paint job. Now the car is at 35K. It is sad because A) Nobody likes these Imps enough to donate that kind of scratch to bring this car back to glory, and B) $20,000 will probably buy a really nice ’67 Imperial, without all the effort required to fix this car. I don’t think I’d touch it for 5K. It’s a shame.
    https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/82982552#photoModal

    Like 0
    • Avatar MikeH

      But your $21K example isn’t a convertible. Add 15-20K if the top goes down.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

        Mike, there are several ’67 Imperial convertibles for sale right now, similar condition but much nicer body & paint, and they are for less money. A light blue version in Kansas is probably a much better deal for less $. These cars simply don’t bring the kind of money Cadillac and Lincolns do.

        In looking underneath the car, there is far more corrosion on literally everything, even the frame cross member for the torsion bar mounts, that frame surface looks more like 50 years of Michigan weather. I’ve owned several ’67 & ’68 Imperials, and worked on quite a few in my restoration shop, and NONE had this much corrosion. I’ve never seen the bottoms of the front fenders rust thru over the front bumper like this one.

        Like 3
      • Avatar MikeH

        Bill–I wasn’t referring to this car which, with this much rust, is probably a parts car. Rex said that 20K would buy you a very nice ’67 Imperial, and it will. But if that very nice ’67 Imperial went topless, you could add another 15K.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

        Mike, here’s another example of what appears to be a better car for $100 more.

        https://leavenworth-ks.americanlisted.com/ad/gallery/408292089/

        Like 1
  10. Avatar Phil D

    The engine has either been out of the car for work and a repaint or, more likely, been replaced with a later model engine. All 1967 B and RB engines were turquoise, and wouldn’t be Corporate Blue for another three model years.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar George Birth

    Compared to $12K for the 51 tin woody rust bucket this one would be a much better buy. Depending on how severe the rust on this one is it would be easier to fix it and restore it. When done restoring this one you would have a really unique auto.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    ;As Bill has so ably demonstrated, as little as 10K will buy a nice ’67 Crown Convertible without excessive rust.

    Like 0
    • Avatar MikeH

      I stand corrected! It’s hard to believe that an Imperial convertible in as good a shape as that one seems to be, can be bought for 10K, These cars have practically no value. If I liked big cars, I would be tempted.

      Like 0
  13. Avatar Emel

    Now that is a YUGE 2 door car. Although the doors don’t look as large as some 2 doors, maybe cause the car’s is so YUGE behind them.

    Some of the real heavy 2 doors were known to have door saggage.
    Almost as bad as b o o b saggage. Old models ya know !

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    Bigger is better. Size matters. I like big boats and I cannot lie.

    Like 0

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