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Mark;
The following K.T Keller has probably stems from
the fact that he was the man that took over Chrysler after Walter P. retired,
which I believe was around 1940, and the man held the job until 1956.
Interesting that they don't have the Dietric era or immediately post
war Imperials listed under K.T Keller either.
Though the box on box hat height design is
attributed to K.T. Keller, the inspiration really came from
Studebaker's first post war designs. The same basic shape was also
copied by Ford and, to a lesser extent, G.M. The only difference being that
Chrysler was a little more conservative in their interpretation but the
roots from Studebaker can be seen in profile. Chrysler was following a
trend in 1949, not setting one.
The early 1950's was an important period for
Chrysler and the Imperial which needs to be examined in greater detail. Most are
seen as having dull or dowdy styling, which they did have compared to the later
50's, but they need to be examined in the context of the day in which they were
produced and what the competition was offering.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport needing a left side tailight bezel
and other trim parts.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 10:28
AM
Subject: Re: IML: Survey Results
Dear Arran,
I had to laugh reading your message! (Not at
you, but with you.) Here you have pointed out something I didn't really know,
about the differences between the late 40's cars and the early 50's. I don't
know if you're being facetious or not, but I think you have a point. I wonder
why K.T. Keller has such a name among Chrysler collectors, but not Mr.
Colbert??? I know Mr. Keller's influence lasted all the way to the 68's, but
Mr. Colbert also spanned a long time at Chrysler.
BTW, I didn't mean to
criticize anyone who didn't e-mail on this subject; I just meant to encourage
those who hang back (for whatever reason) to get more involved. But yes, I
sometimes can't participate either because I have so little time.
Maybe
you could educate us a bit more on the differences between these
years.
Mark M
On Saturday, September
3, 2005, at 11:13 PM, A. Foster wrote:
Mark;
While
I did follow the discussion over the old name I didn't participate because,
quite frankly, I didn't have the time to go around in circles with those who
liked the old name. When the survey came up I simply had a look at what the
other by year sections called their cars and noted that most of the good
names were taken from company ad campaigns. I had a look at the ad copy for
the 67' as well as the 68's and figured that the pitch for the 67's was a
little more catchy. The name "Newest prestige car in a decade" has a nice
ring to it and, most unusual for advertising, is neither a exaggeration nor
a white lie.
Not
that I want to start a flame war or a long thread but I really think that
there needs to be some delineation between the cars of the late 40's and
early 50's. For example the 1949 an 50 cars had an inline eight engine while
the 1951 to 54 cars had a hemi V8. The 1949 to 52 Imperials had little
distinction cosmetically from the lesser Chryslers, aside from more jewlery,
while the 1953's and 54's had entirely different grilles and trim.
Regardless they are all lumped into the K.T. keller while the 1957 to 60's
aren't all called the Tex Colbert era.
While true
that K.T Keller was the company president at the time, and that he
approved the "box on box" design, I don't think that it says very much about
the Imperials themselves. By the time 1953 came around the box look was all
but gone but these cars don't seem to get a fair shake because the styling
of the later cars was so outstanding.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left Side
Tailight Bezel and other trim parts.
-----
Original Message -----
From: Mark McDonald
To:
mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent:
Saturday, September 03, 2005 6:01 AM
Subject: IML: Survey
Results
Hooray for the survey!
The majority has spoken. 1967
and '68 owners now have a name for their cars they can be proud of. And
while I would have been just as happy with "Elegant Engels," I think "Newest
Prestige Car in a Decade" says it very well indeed. I want to thank all of
those who participated in the survey and Mark Elliott, Kenyon, and Jeff for
making it happen.
I noticed a curious thing when looking at the
results of this survey. 73 people voted, and out of that 73 there were a
total of 13 votes for keeping Haze Green as the name. That means there were
60 votes for a name other than Haze Green. That's over 4 to 1 for a new
name, and yet, when we were having this discussion a few weeks ago, we only
heard from half a dozen people, most of them on the side of keeping the old
name.
What this says to me is that there are an awful lot of people
on the IML who feel fairly strongly about certain things, and yet WE NEVER
HEAR FROM THEM. For whatever reason they do not speak up.
I have been
told by friends of mine that they no longer participate in the IML in part
because they are afraid of being attacked if they speak their mind. I hope
we can all work together to change that feeling and make the IML a place
where everyone feels welcome and everyone is made to feel that their
contribution, no matter how small, is a valuable one.
So I want to
encourage everyone on this list to participate-- as long as it's polite,
positive, and constructive (and I can't say I've always been all 3 of
those!). If you're an Imperial lover, this is YOUR CLUB. So don't be afraid
to join in!
Mark McDonald
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