Does the CC Commentariat have room for one more Imperial this week? I gave some serious thought to which one of my mini Mopars to use to see off Mopar Week. The Hawaiian Blue ’68 Barracuda with white interior? The ’69 Dart GTS in green with green top, white interior, green dash and carpet and the “recall” wheels? The burnt orange ’70 Challenger R/T with burnt orange interior? No, they’re cool, but I want something really wild. And what could be wilder than my mini 1961 Imperial convertible?
1961 was the year of the Mopars From Outer Space. You had the Dodges with the giant air scoop nose, reverse-slant fins and jet-tube taillights sunk into the quarter panel. Then you had the Plymouth, which looks like a yacht under full throttle from the front–those crazily-curved front fenders are the “waves” breaking over the bow. The ’61 DeSoto? Yikes, a face only a mother could love, and a let down from the attractive, albeit Chrysler-derived ’60. And then there was the Imperial.
The 1961 Imperial makes the ’60 model look almost normal. With wild free-standing headlights attached to the bumper, parking/turn signal lights integrated into the front fender eyebrows, and deep dish, turbine-vaned wheel covers. And then there were the fins.
Keep in mind, by 1961 fins were on the way out. Cadillac still had them, but they were getting lower and lower every year since the unforgettable ’59 model. When you compare this car to the 1961 Buicks and über-classy 1961-65 Lincoln Continentals (CCs here and here), this car stands out–but for the wrong reasons. Of course, today, they look great and I love them. But in 1961 this car was a bit of an anachronism.
But let’s take a closer look at the scale version. This is not your usual $20 discount store model, and has much more attention to detail. The trunk is carpeted, and a 1/18-scale jack and lug wrench are thoughtfully included.
Here’s the miniature 413 CID V8, with Imperial logos on the valve covers. Also note the accurate hood hinges.
One of the neatest features of this Imperial is the windows that actually raise and lower. But that’s not all…
…for the model also comes with a removable top. A miniature convertible top boot is included, allowing a better view of the detailed interior–Torqueflite pushbuttons, rectangular steering wheel and all.
There is simulated carpeting inside, the front seats fold forward, and even the rear armrest folds down. Pretty cool!
And what an instrument panel! These Imperials just shout “Jet Age” extravagance.
image: imcdb.org
It reminds me of the ’63 Crown used in the 1963 film The Wheeler Dealers, starring James Garner. That Imperial was equipped with two phones, so his secretary could screen calls for the boss! A fun film, check it out if you haven’t seen it.
So far this model, made by Road Signature, has been released in red/red, white/red and green/tan color schemes. I think the red on red is the best of the bunch.
However, should they release one in aqua (Teal Blue, officially) with white interior, as shown here in the ’61 brochure, I of course will have to get one to keep the red one company!
A very nice model. I will confess that the 61 is one of my less favorite Imps, but they are certainly rare. I think that the 61 Imp convertible may have been one of the lowest production years ever. If I got one of these, I think I would like the salmon pink one just for maximum impact.
I love the colour,it’s like the black cherry my ex’s 68 Cougar was.I even had my hair dyed that colour and wore matching nail polish.
Yet another comment that makes me hope for Gem to write a CC someday. 🙂
Thanks I’m lacking a camera but will write something soon as I get one.
Thanks to all for a great Chrysler week. Very enjoyable.
+1 there’s been some great cars thank you
What a gorgeous model! Great colour and the detailing is fantastic. As with the full-size car, I love the front and rear lamps. My only criticism of the 2-door Imperial styling (real or model) is that they look a tad too short to my eyes – I always thought they should have a little more length between the doors and the rear wheelarches/axle. But other than that, the model and the real car are wonderful!
Tom, I’m very jealous of your mini-CC collection. Not only do you have a larger budget for them, but it appears you also have some physical locations in your town where you can buy them. Unfortunately, it seems like I don’t have anything like that in the Hudson Valley, but to be fair I’m not looking that hard. Guess I’ll have to start my Christmas list early this year!
Well, had. My two favorite hobby shops both closed their doors in 2011. I found this Imperial at Menards during the Christmas season a few years back. It is a regional home improvement chain, but at Christmastime they get a toy section, which sometimes includes some interesting 1/18 models.
I usually don’t care much for the model cars because they are too etcha-sketchy for me. But this one is fantastic.
I wish my real RB motor was that clean!
I believe that is a YatMing model. If so, John Corey over at the Imperial loaned his full-sized imperial to them to get the model made. It’s a real head turner. He entered his car in the Great American Race. The original is white with a red interior.
Check it out over at the Imperial Club: http://imperialclub.org/Yr/1961/JohnCorey/index.htm
My ’63 has the same bug eyes but has more subtle fins. These are great cars to drive!
You have a great Imperial! Yes, it is a Yat Ming, Road Signature is their upscale line.
Just imagine this car if you could sculpt the top edge of the body and take it straight back to smoothly intersect it with the gracious curve of the back end just before it meets the backward slant of the fin.
I think THAT would result in a beautiful car. Those fins offend me, design-wise – they just don’t work and look stuck on as an afterthought.
That is one nice model, though. I guess I have to write up something and submit my model of a blue 1957 Bel-Air convertible someday.
Tom,
I check out this site most everyday. I love it when you post one of your articles on Mini CC’s. I too collect some small model cars, but not near the expanse that you appear to. Luckily, I have some young sons that I can blame my addiction on. Do you display all your cars?
I display a lot of them, but certainly not all. I’ve been collecting since I was 3 or 4, still have many of my childhood toy cars, and there simply isn’t enough room to show all of them 🙂
I have cut way back on my model purchases for this reason; I primarily only buy 1/64-scale models now–much easier to store.
How do the windows work? Is it a simple push-pull type of thing?
Yep. They just slide up and down. No mini buttons or levers.
I have this model in white/red and dark green/tan. They look great by themselves, but I don’t display them near my other models, because they’re off scale.
They’re supposed to be 1:18, but they’re more like 1:19.5
If they could be magically enlarged 18 times, they would be about a foot shorter than the real thing. Too bad.