Let’s check these images featuring a few Imperials during its period as a stand-alone marque. Unlike previous galleries, the shots are slightly mixed; some feature Imperials in the open, and some are seen posing next to their owners.
Curiously, most shots feature women with the Imperials. A few kids appear, but hardly any grown men. I’m not jumping to any conclusions from a bunch of random photos from the past (don’t overthink it, it’s just a coincidence), but it makes for a fun and peculiar gallery.
Maybe the men were the ones taking the pictures? (“My trophy car, and my trophy woman”)
This. The man in the house managed the Photo Camera, still a quite expensive item at the time.
Weren’t these the most expensive non-limousine American cars of their day? Someone who could afford an Imperial could afford a high-end camera.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Back then husband/father was the most likely one that would have been taking the pictures.
Yes, I too think of these cars as trophies so the photos make perfect sense .
Too damn big for me but wow, what glorious cars they were =8-) .
-Nate
I agree with the gist of the comments thus far, but I really do wonder about the family that took their Imperial ice fishing. It would seem like there are any number of better vehicles for that (which someone who could afford an Imperial might also have access to).
Me too. I assume the ice was thick enough to support that beast!
That was my second thought that an Imperial is a bold choice for taking out on the ice.
Yet we don’t know if it actually made it off the ice. 🙂
The fins on certain of the Forward Look Imperials gives them a swayback look in profile. Example: the villain’s car in the movie “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.”
On the other hand, the rear 3/4 views of Mr. Drysdale’s Imperial pulling up to the Clampett mansion are pretty fetching. (Until I notice the J. C. Whitney add-on taillights.) 😉
In the first photo, I believe that is Clara Peller and her friends heading out to Wendy’s, for a bite. I just checked at Reddit, and a Wendy’s single combo is going for over $10, here in Canada. The ladies might need to own an Imperial.
Such big glamorous cars, too excessive for even my Brougham loving self! However, If I were to ever own an Imperial, I’d say my favorite year was the 1969.
But alas, I’ll stick with my 1978 Thunderbird!
I have to agree with you in that the 1969 Imperial has always been one of my favorite models. A close friend of mine owned a 69 Imperial, and one of the things that stands out in my mind about it were the sequential turn signals in the rear. If I remember correctly, the Imperial was the only model built by Chrysler that offered the sequential turn signals as an option. It was a beautiful auto for sure.
There was an older woman, a widow, I assume, on our block in Iowa City that drove an Imperial coupe. It was in the carport, and I spent plenty of time gazing at and into it. It was my major early Imperial immersion. I could never get enough of its wild instrument panel.
No Humber imperials? All good they would be a strange thing in the US, It seems strange Chrysler didnt do their toddler act over those like the Daimler Dart, Very few of either type of Imperials showed up over here any that did would have been private used imports , Bringing cars into NZ as luggage has been a national pastime since a 3 wheeled Benz arrived in the 1890s.
When I was a kid, my mother’s cousin somehow ended up with one of these – I think it was a 59 but my memory is too dim. This would have been in the late 1960s when it was an old car. I think the family had gotten it from an aged relative, and she loved it. Her husband had no patience for old cars, so the wife knew that its days were numbered. I remember riding in it once, and was enthralled by the gaudy dash – and the huge transmission tunnel!
In this photo, if it appears, as I have difficulty getting photos onto the site, we see a 1959 Imperial billboard. Ironically, the billboard is over a dive of a place. Comedy is that an early fifties Cadillac is driving by. Hmmm, the wife, “Lester, maybe we should trade in htis old Caddy for an Imperial.”
That first photo of the green ’58 really captures the love affair with the automobile. Filled with three (maybe four?) generations of family, how exciting it must have been to head out in such a stylish and modern car… that hopefully had far few bugs than the year before!
I am into big cars , and loved the Imperials I saw as a boy .
In my area , they were very popular!
One could see the 55s – through the 70s !
I recall an attractive woman executive at a Savings & Loan , who dressed all in white , driving a 74 sparkling white Imperial Coupe with turbine wheels , when I walked the main street at about 12 .
Her glamorous image with car impressed me ….
I have seen pictures of female stars with Imperials.
They did advertise them with single beautiful models , without .men
Perhaps this appealed to woman buyers with $ .
The car always had a high fashion look , one could say .
Grandma in the back seat in the first picture reminded me of this cartoon.
The Imperial was for show-off wanna be rich guys back in 50’s and 60’s. The doctors drove black or blue Buicks, while the really rich guys such as timber barons drove Cadillacs. The rest of the dudes with a higher income like attorneys might drive a Lincoln. Business owners didn’t want to show off much to seem humble to their customers so they typically would drive and Oldsmobile, a Mercury, possibly a Pontiac. That was real life in Grays Harbor Washington during 1950’s through the 1960’s😁🤓😎
Back in the days and the 30s 40s and 50s the lakes were so frozen that up there by Cleveland, Ohio Lorraine, Ohio lake Erie. They used to have drag races I mean race cars out there on the water in Lake Erie, but the water was so thick and frozen Used to put spikes in their tires so they can ride around on the frozen lake. I remember that because I used to go down there all those stuff we can’t walk the waters no more but those days were awesome. I mean fish out there. Race cars drive around. It was fun , I take my 63 Plymouth out there
If any car or truck at a carshow gets good mileage it isn’t a classic. The guys 72 olds 88 gets the same mileage as my 68 F250. Those were the days
The July 1965 edition of Car and Driver did a comparison test of luxury cars of the time. -They couldn’t heap enough praise on the Mercedes 600.
They were very impressed with the Cadillac Fleetwood.
They were disappointed that the Lincoln Continental had lost something compared to the 61-63 cars.
They thought the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud reminded them of a nicely restored 1940 Packard
They had little positive to say about the Imperial.
These are wonderful. Almost expected to see my Great Aunt Cora in front of one of her various Imperials. (The ones I remember are a black 65 LeBaron, a black 69 LeBaron, or her final, Yellow w/white vinyl top 73 LeBaron.