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The Imperial marque
confuses even the most knowing car people. Was it a
stand alone brand, like De Soto, or simply the top of the line version of
Chrysler? The answer is - both. The name was in use on
Chryslers from
1924. For twenty years, 1955 - 75, it was a stand alone division of
Chrysler corporation. It reappeared two more times, most notably
from
1981 - 83, as an upscaled version of the Cordoba, with a unique body.
Quite recently, Automobile Magazine was speculating that the new LHS large
sedan could be called Imperial, now that Chrysler Corp. is fully into
retro
styling.
1958 should have been a great year for Chrysler Corp. In 1957, sales
were up by 46% from the previous year. Imperial sales tripled.
Led by
president L.L. (Tex) Colbert, the company had invested millions upon
millions in
new models across the entire range. With styling by Virgil Exner,
innovations
such as the 3 speed 'Torqueflite' automatic transmission and the
epitome of engine design, the Hemi, the company was very much in the lead
on all
fronts. Chevrolet was slipping badly. The now legendary 1957
was a poor
seller, being regarded as a last minute re-style job, the replacement for
the '56 having been abandoned due to a financial crunch and the all new
cutting edge Chrysler designs which rendered the design outmoded even
before it was built. Imperials outsold Lincolns in 1957, although
both
trailed far behind Cadillac. So, what went wrong?
Two factors. Externally, despite our rosy views of the '50s, there
was
an economic depression in 1958. There were strikes, raw material
shortages and unemployment was rising quickly. Internally, Chrysler
ruined its own
resurgence with lousy build quality. Rust control was non-existent.
The higher than expected demand for the 1957 models led to rushed building
and last minute out sourcing of many components with little time for
quality control. Cars were virtually coming out of the factories
with rust
already showing and shockingly bad workmanship. Some technical
innovations
were introduced with much fanfare before they were ready. The $400
Bendix
fuel injection system was a case in point. They were almost
impossible to
tune and the injectors clogged frequently. All the cars so equipped,
mainly
Chrysler 300Ds, were retrofitted with dual quad carburetors.
In a
customer survey, three out of four people who had switched to Mopars
expressed misgivings. By late 1958 only 10% of those who switched
said
they would buy another Mopar.
The 1958 Imperial is very similar to the 1957 Imperial. A different
front bumper and grille are the main clues. The interior mirror was
re-positioned and a new directional indicator switch was introduced, plus
the upper
chrome line extends a little further. Mechanically, an all new
Carter AFB
carburetor replaced the venerable WCFB unit, and with a slightly higher
compression ratio of 10:1, horse power was increased to 345. A new
optional feature for 1958 was one of the very first cruise control systems
ever
introduced. It was a mechanical system and was called the AutoPilot.
"My" car is the base model version of the range and was donated to the
Texas Transportation Museum in 1984 by Leslie Tabor. He also donated
a 1957
and a 1962 or 63 Imperial, both of which the museum disposed of. (I
wish
they had kept the '57 if only for parts. These cars share almost no
parts with
other Mopars, and these two years are unique.) Because it is
only a bottom
of the line car, the car only has power windows, power brakes, power
locks, power antenna, six way power seats and front and rear air
conditioning.
It also only has a 392 Hemi with push button TorqueFlite transmission.
It
is only 18 feet, ten inches long and only six feet, 9 inches wide.
It is
also only good for 120 MPH. It is a four door hardtop, a body style
called
Southampton by Chrysler back then, if only for a few years. Lacking
'B'
pillars the car gives an impression of openness when the individually
framed windows are down. What a rotten deal, huh. Kind makes
you the reader
wonder why I bother with it all, I suspect. What is odd, is that one
could
buy an Imperial in the other two trim levels, the Crown and the LeBaron,
and
have fewer options, if you, the buyer made that choice. Or rear only
A/C,
which strikes us as odd, since you'd expect the lesser A/C configuration
to
be at the front. Mine has, in fact, every option available, except
the
AutoPilot, but is plainer on the inside than either the Crown or LeBaron
would be, and lacks the external marking they had as well.
Here's a little secret: It's the best ride in the club! It
cruises at its
best at 75 MPH. It loses nothing on long hills and has acceleration
to
spare under any circumstances. It is very much a driver's car.
In
comparison to a 63 Lincoln convertible I also get to drive, which is
floaty and vague and slow to respond to driver inputs, the '58 Imperial
points, shoots and reloads in fine fashion. You have to be careful
with the
throttle when overtaking. From 70 MPH you will be at 90 and climbing
before you know it if you apply the slightest heaviness with your right
foot.
The car is built for long distance, high speed, cruising. It just
goes!
I "acquired the rights" to the vehicle around 1994. I am a member of
the museum and the car has become my responsibility. It took me four
years
of hard labour to get it into road worthy condition. It was not
prepared
at all for its ten year rest stop. Rust permeated the engine block.
The
brake system, never a strong point on this vintage of car, was inoperable.
The brake fluid had the consistency of wet sugar and had leaked out of the
wheel cylinders all over the shoes and drums where it then congealed.
Lovely!
The car is virtually all original. Anything we took off has been
fixed and
replaced into service. We'd take parts, such as window motors, deem
them totally unusable and put them into boxes marked, "For Future
Reference." Then, when all other options had failed, we'd take them back
out and,
with a heavy, sinking, feeling of wasting our time, begin tinkering.
And, lo!
Everything, and I mean that, is back on the car. Some missing trim
pieces have been acquired when I found two donor cars after the bulk of
the
mechanical restoration work was completed. So, ironically, I now
have
many reference parts in the same box, unused, should any of our rebuilds
fail, which none have, so far.
With a museum colleague, Tony Planas, much has been achieved. I
debuted the car on the 1998 La Bahia run. This may have been
a
little premature as the brakes were still squirrelly, but I didn't hit
anything! Sure, the car
looked awful, and still does,
but I am taking care of the mechanicals
first.
In another four or five years, maybe, it'll be finished. Did I
mention
we also have a 1973 Imperial? Just bought the Haynes manual.
After
fooling with a "D" body for so long, the "C" body and the big old 440
should be
a breeze!
For more information on this car go to:
www.58imperial.com |
