IML: Imperial Heritage, Hemi's & Modern Luxury

["Sherman D Taffel" <staffel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Imperial Aficianados:

I came of age, and am returning to that era, when the 56 and 57 Imperial
were the finest of the finest. I remember as a boy of 11, riding to the
Dodge Chrysler-Imperial dealership S of downtown ROME NY on my bicycle- to
'feel' the fins, the top curves of the front headlight fenders, admire the
jet age and the Luxury of the Dash and instrumentation.  And when the '60
Lebaron was on the showroom floor with that Gold anodized Smile Grille- WOW!
My father had a '56 Dodge Super Red Ram Coronet- the Magnum R/T of its era,
but the Imperial was - magnificient- it was 'Imperial'.  I used to look at
the Lincolns at the local dealer, but the 57's were 'crude' with that
chopped anti-aero fin. I understand, perhaps better than most having spent
the past 35 years in Urban Educational Leadership, the colonial nature of
the word, but that has nothing to do with exceptional engineering, style of
the era for the era, or 'class'. But the major sellers were not the Leather
LeBarons. In those days Vinyl weaves were the newest 'sheek' fabrics, and
the living room sofa was still the standard seating arrangement front &
rear.

In perspective,  the 81-83 and 90 Imperials were still fine and even more
importantly they were 'refined' offerings  for their times.  Now we have
returned to Power, Luxury and Performance with modern creature comforts- and
electronic gadgets (more to go wrong like 'Click Clack peel me back'. So in
the late 90's and the last decade I began to enjoy 'heritage motoring' with
my British cars, and still bought/drove new modern Dodges, and 'just
off-lease' luxury Jaguars. My '96 supercharged inline 6 XJR is smooth as
silk,  fast , tremendous handling etc. BUT- my HEMI RAM Truck has a 'wollup'
even the 440 Jensen Interceptor (4200#) or the XJR doesn't. The XJR is
faster, but doesn't have the heritage MOPAR Wollup I love.The Ram even
handles like a 61 Dodge 383 Hdtp, the back end 'hops' now and then. Yup
right at home in those big comfortable (yet firm) Leather Seats!

Now, I find myself once again longing for the basic Imperial and narrowed my
serach to the early 60's.  Once again I want more 'interior room' on a long
cross continent trip- like Big Ole Uncle Tom McCahill. For me the getting
there was always as much fun (and as important) as 'being there'-where-ever
'there' is.  I don't have an in dash GPS in any car (carry a handheld on
trips), but I did do GPS & Moving map in my airplane & Boat in the early
90's. Trickle down tech for the common man & woman- tell you what you
already know- stuck in traffic in 3D and color. Kids now have DVD's so
parents don't have to be--'creayive' and engaged with their children- yup
that's really progress.

I don't think it is fair to compare vintage Imperials with modern cars-
directly.  I think we have to clarify 'aspects'- whether engineering,
emissions, power, ride, comfort, styling- and these are all subjective.
There are some Imperials that just don't for anything 'for ME'- if they do
something for you- Wonderful!

For example, when the Chrysler & Imperial dashs began to look like plain GM
or 'the cheap' Plymouth,Chevy Ford Dashes-- where was the elegance in that?
Not Everything, but most things in life involve  a 'tradeoff'. Would I like
a Mirror-matic- for the fun of the 'Click Clack'- sure, but is that the only
essence of 'An Imperial Road Experience'?

When I take the 56 Dodge, to local Community shows, and let the kids 'pile
in'-- what an experience for them- Of course families, active families, buy
SUV's- there are virtually no sedans with big seats or trunk that you can
throw a lawn mower in anymore. SO we are seeing a return for this generation
(as Teresa said) to vehicles with capabilities that families need., not 'the
working commuter only' needs.

One of my earliest mentors had a new '59 Cadillac 2 dr Hdtop. In deep winter
(no Bikes) he would pick me up and take me to certain community events, but
a  classmate's father had a brand new '59 Imperial Convertible with the
Swivel Seats-- now THAT was 'the ultimate'. He was a lawyer, and despite all
the lawyer jokes and truths these days, he was a fine respectable man, and
in my teenage eyes- he was 'even further enhanced' by his choice of
transport.

Skipping back to comments on the new C-300 or Magnum interiors: No they are
not quite up to Jaguar XJ, or BMW750 or MB600 levels- but neither is the
price. The Jaguar S-Type and X-types -each year have consistently 'raised
the standard'- thus to me it is not inconceivable that DChrysler could at
some point 'further raise the bar' - as did Imperial from 55-66 with their
'Interior accomodation qualities'.

 Now I would love to see a 2008 Exner Jr. Imperial Coupe
http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/Exner/Eagle/index.htm that would  be as
elegant if not more so than  the new Jaguar Aluminum XK8, or the baby
Aston-Martin DB.  Would a 2007 Imperial Sedan (if so Badged) be a 55 or a 57
or a 63 or a 66,73, 81 or ?-- NO, those cars were not 29's or 33's.  A new
Imperial would certainly once again bring 'interest' to the Imperial
Heritage http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/index.htm , perhaps inspire
some more caretakers, and what would be so bad about that? I would think
that we here (IML) would have everything to gain and nothing to loose.  We
should welcome every opportunity we have to educate the general public on
our Imperial Passions.

Many people that had these cars (Imperials) in yesteryear, also had small
second cars- like the SImca- with the 55 IMP grille for 'errands'. Not so
different today with an SUV & a PT.  Imperials and as Tom McCahill
eloquently wrote over & over- The Imperial is  "In my opinion, the '62
LeBaron is the best sedan made in the world today.... On long trips I've
never driven a car that was as effortless to handle hour after hour.  So
what do you want for a lousy 7,800 bucks-blood?"

Sherman Taffel
Columbia MD
.






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