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Hi friends,
Like the rest of you I have often wondered when/if we would ever see the
Imperial name again. There is a part of me that agrees with Chris, in that
I don't want to see Chrysler try and bring it back in fear that they will
do the Imperial name an injustice. Back when most of our
beloveds rolled off the assembly line the company was being run by car
people, not bean counters. There once was a belief that if you built the
best product success would follow. Car companies were run by car
people. Now it's ALL about profit, that's why Thomas Edison would not
recognize GE if he walked into the office today. I'm afraid with today's
business philosophy we would be disappointed in anything produced under the
Imperial name.
I do appreciate anything retro the auto companies are doing, and think
this new Chrysler 300 is a handsome car.
It would have been interesting had the new 300 been designed with a more
plush interior, having real wood trim instead of plastic designed to look
like tortoise shell, some real chrome on the exterior, and bearing the name
Imperial. They would have needed to put a retro Imperial front and rear on
the car. There would still have been plenty of room for a 300 in their
model line up, perhaps even more of a performance car leaving the luxury part of
their market for Imperial. I'm sure all these changes could have
raised the price $10,000 but Chrysler would then have had a flagship car to
once again compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. They could have brought
back some creature comforts like automatic dimming headlights, which I
understand Jeep will be offering.
It's fun to think about, but no matter what I'm sure a new Imperial would
not meet our standards. These wonderful old cars have a soul that I don't
think we would sense in a new car. For the majority of us I think classic
cars are our connection to a simpler time. A past horizon that is gone,
gone forever. Perhaps attempts to copy this would
be to tamper with something special.
Regards,
David Whitfield
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