Although they had the aura of other Chrysler products, the 1961-63 Imperials looked like nothing else on the market. That would change in 1964 when the all-new Imperials borrowed from the Lincoln playbook and went with the boxy, formal Continental appearance. The move worked as Imperial sales went up by two-thirds. This Crown coupe entered dry storage in 1982 and only recently came back out into the daylight. Located in Darby, Pennsylvania, this product from the folks in Auburn Hills is available here on eBay where the dealer’s no reserve auction has reached $4,600.
One of the reasons for the Imperial/Lincoln resemblance is that the 1964-66 models were designed by Elwood Engel who had been wooed away from Ford in 1961. He wasn’t a fan of the Imperial styling at the time, so he went with a look that he was already comfortable with. Gone were the free-standing headlights and pod-mounted taillights. Chrysler ramped up its efforts in the quality control area, so the Imperial may have been better built than either Lincoln or Cadillac. Imperial production for 1964 would total 23,295 units, of which 5,233 copies were 2-door hardtops like the seller’s Crown.
Chrysler’s 413 cubic-inch V8 powered these big cars and it was rated at 340 hp. That’s what’s under the hood of the seller’s auto, paired with the TorqueFlite pushbutton automatic transmission that was making its swan song in 1964. Since the car was dormant for 40 years, the fuel system will need to be flushed from head to toe before this automobile can attempt a return to the roadways. But for now, it starts and runs around the yard. There are no leaks other than the occasional drop here or there. The seller has installed new tires at all four points.
The body and paint aren’t perfect, but rust doesn’t seem to be an issue. There are some minor dings, dents, and scratches, but nothing that would warrant refreshing the Imperial anytime soon. The interior presents quite well although a stitch or two will be needed in the upholstery. There are issues with operating the power windows that will need to be looked into at 81,000 miles. Noteworthy is that a title will not come with the car. The buyer will have to accept a notarized bill of sales to take to the DMV for a new title. These were beautiful vehicles, but at 5,000 lbs. you’ll be stopping for premium gas more often than you’d like.
I had one of these 2 doors in mauve. The thing was a tank!
Tank is the right word; they are so tough most tracks banned them from entering demo derbies !
This seller recently had a Black Imperial on auction around the same year as this one. as I recall it was a very nice looking car but had questions about paperwork, This one is nice I like it. BTW, weren’t they just “Imperials” and not Chrysler Imperials ?
Current price of $4600 is an absolute give-away on one of the very best built, best driving highway cars of the 1960s.
Great demo derby Cars.
Imperial, what a commanding name.
Beautiful vehicle built when cars had their own distinct lines and character. Today’s dime a dozen imports named pathetically and all look the same.
No title a bill of sale only no good for where I live
You can title through Vermont to get a title in your state. Uncle Tony’s Garage has a recent video on how to walk through the process.
My dad purchased a 1964 Imperial Crown 4-door sedan in 1973 and drove it everyday. It was beautiful and powerful yet so quiet; if it was sitting in park and idling you couldn’t hear it–you’d need to look at the exhaust pipe to know it was running! Huge, smooth and powerful–wish I could have it now.
wow i remember a friend had one of these in four doors. he got drunk bad one evening and hit 5 parked cars..he totaled all of them but the chrysler still ran..great car.