This is quite a load: four new ’57 Imperials, with a mixture of dual and quad headlights. And of course packing the new 392 cubic inch hemi V8, with 325 hp. The ’55 or ’56 Dodge tractor has a big hemi under the hood too, but I can’t find the info to tell me whether it’s the 331 or 354. In any case, plenty of hemi power to keep this load moving. And I bet it sounds fine at full chat.
Looks like a 57 Michigan license plate “Water Wonderland”.
Never seen 1957 Imperials with dual headlights – they look very… odd. I much prefer the quad setup.
I quick Google image search anecdotally shows that the vast majority of Imperials in 1957 came with the quad headlight setup.
Interestingly, only one car pictured in the brochure has quad lights – all the rest are dual. I’m sure buyers must have been confused when were expecting a car with quad headlights and it shows up with dual (or the reverse).
http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/brochures/Imperial/1957/1957ImperialBrochure/index.htm
Some states didn’t allow quad headlights, until ’58.
That’s exactly what’s going on, here! Seems so bizarre that states couldn’t agree on what headlights were allowed, but things were indeed different! The single ones look like misfits on the car.
See here and here.
That Dodge tractor was on the road long after those flimsy, rust prone, leaking, torsion-bar breaking Imperials. They should’ve waited until ’58, but even those still had issues. 1957 signaled the long decline of Chrysler Corp.
Was there a requirement back then that car carrier trucks had to come from the company that manufactured the cars?
When I worked for GMC Truck there wasn’t a “requirement” to have GMC trucks for delivering vehicles or delivering parts to the plant. However if your truck was a GMC you sure got loaded or unloaded a lot quicker. As to my own experience I drove Fords during my career at GMC and I got a lot of guff over the years. At least I didn’t drive one of those “furin” cars. Later when I worked for the state DOT we had a bunch of Toyota pickups. The head equipment engineer decided that for safety we needed a large panel painted with a chevron pattern attached to the face of the tailgate. Just happened to cover up the large TOYOTA stamped into the face of the tailgate. First vehicles to get this was our Toyota pickups…….and……….these were also the last vehicles to get this. Also we never purchased another “furin” pickup again.
Car carriers had to have an ICC license, and it was either as a contract carrier or common carrier. Contract carriers could only haul for the company that they had contracts with, and a significant majority of car carriers back then were contract carriers. And yes, those contracts almost invariably stipulated that the truck was by the same company they were hauling for, of if not possible, then an independent truck brand and not a brand of a competitor.
Based on what my dad told me, I hope there’s a stack of replacement brake drums stashed somewhere – on the hilly streets around Pittsburgh, the ’57 Imperials warped theirs, resulting in a mid-year upgrade, and a stack of ruined drums in our dealership.
I’ve always been partial to the single headlight Imperials from this year. Where does everyone else stand on this?
I’m all for single, round headlights on anything with 4 wheels.
Add to that: whitewalls & full wheelcovers !
I vote for the dual-per-side/quad-in-total setup. Better looking (to my eye) and better seeing (for the driver at night).
It’s too bad Imperials didn’t hold on to the distinctive split grille from 56/57.
Errr, Mr. Car Carrier, seeing as these are Imperials, do you think that you might want to wash your tractor? Nice photo, by the way.
Paul, the only help I could offer with the truck engine is that the ’56 school bus chassis offers the 331–have no idea if our carrier is equipped likewise.
It is weird to see the dual headlights on the Imperials; I wonder if some owners had the dealers upgrade them to quads once all the laws were rewritten?
Extra lights are almost useless on low beam you still only have two,and if they are anything like the American trucks Ive driven two flickering candles would be better
The dual headlights, with the chrome ring around them and the flat brow of the fenders above them give the face of the car an angry glare! Looks kind of cheap and creepy compared to the quad light treatment, if you ask me.
I always thought Exner (and Chrysler) found it worth the effort to out-scowl competitor Cadillac, with those eyebrows. One thinks of a four-star general with a stogie stuck in his face, about to order a full-on assault . . .