by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
The Imperial treatment
For much of its history, the Imperial was Chrysler’s top model and was produced from 1926-1954. In 1955, in an attempt to compete with the Cadillac and Lincoln luxury models offered by General Motors and Ford, Chrysler spun off the Imperial as its division.
This week’s ride is a 1962 Imperial owned by Dan Crowley of Tunkhannock. It comes from that era of 1955-75 when, though produced by Chrysler and sold in Chrysler dealerships, the Imperial was its own nameplate. It was made into a separate division in the Chrysler Corporation (the Imperial Division of Chrysler), and every two or three years a new body style would be introduced, all 8-cylinder engines and all automatic transmissions.
The 1960-63 model years for the Imperial is called the car’s “iconic years,” since those are the models most car fans remember. From the beginning, the car was designed to be ’50s inspired with a front end with a swooping front bumper, a mesh grille, a giant chrome eagle on the hood, hooded quad headlights and fin-like tails on the rear, though for 1962, the fin tops were replaced with free-standing taillights.
The 1962 Imperial features a new TorqueFlite automatic transmission that allowed for a smaller “hump” in the floor between the driver and passenger compartments. Crowley’s car maintains its original Oyster White color.
“I plan on restoring the exterior before next summer,” he says, “but it’s going to stay white.”
Some other options on Crowley’s Imperial includes a radio with rear speaker and power antenna, door-edge protectors, a remote control left outside rearview mirror, tinted glass and a six-way power seat and power windows. Crowley’s Imperial is the four-door hardtop (a two door model and convertible were also available). The Imperial features a 129-inch wheelbase and a body length of a whopping 227 inches.
“Some of my friends like to tease me that it’s like riding in a boat,” Crowley says. “The Imperial is big, but that’s why I wanted it, it makes a statement. My daily driver is a Ford Focus, which is much smaller and more compact. People don’t do much staring when I drive around in that.
When people see me coming in my Imperial, they know they better move out of the way, this thing could take on a tank.”
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