I recall back in the mid sixties that there were not too many
new Imperials
on the dealers lots. Some of the larger dealers may have had 20
or more used
ones to choose from. My dad & I used to spend a few hours about
every other
Sunday going to look at cars. I was pretty well versed in
Chrysler products
in those days.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hugh, 58 Imperial" <imperial58@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2007 10:18 AM
Subject: IML: Were most Imperials bespoke?
>I wonder if most Imperials were not bespoke, at least outside
the major
>cities. While on any dealer's lot you might find whole rows
of Plymouths,
>Dodges, De Sotos and even Chryslers, I cannot recall seeing,
outside of
>factory pictures, a whole row of more or less identical
Imperials available
>for sale. When one was looking for a prestige automobile in
the 1958 in
>the USA, there was a choice of Cadillac, Lincoln and Imperial.
(Foreign
>makes might be available but their numbers were incredibly
small.)
>Cadillac was the most obvious choice. Lincoln was at its
lowest ebb. No
>one has anything good to say about them. The Imperial was,
unfortunately,
>coming off of its highest point. The entire range of Chrysler
Corporation
>vehicles had swept the boards in 1957 with their stunning good
looks, but
>the company was caught flat footed by the sudden high demand
and sacrificed
>build quality in an effort to cash in. The astonishing
variety of adverts
>for the 1958 spoke to this crisis. It was all too much, too
late. The
>damage had been done. Surveys performed at the time indicated
that many
>first time Chrysler product buyers would not ever choose to
buy one again.
>
> It was a buyer's market. But how did people buy their new
Imperials?
> Smaller dealerships would not have one on the lot to even
test drive. All
> they might have was a plastic model and some admittedly
gorgeous brochures
> that gave prospective buyer some idea of the cars overall
look and the
> range of options available. I surmise that it was on this
basis alone the
> cars were acquired. Following this logic, a good review from
Tom McCahill
> in "Mechanix Illustrated" or other popular magazines such as
"Science and
> Mechanics" must have been worth its weight in gold. We like
to think, as
> modern Imperial aficionados, that "common" wealthy people
bought a
> Cadillac but the more discriminating individual would want to
stand out
> from them in the church or golf course parking lot with
something
> demonstrably better and more refined, something that was
less, shall we
> say, vulgar. Showing off wealth more discreetly by
demonstrating taste
> and discernment is a very effective form of snobbery in its
own right. A
> more cultured outlook denotes superiority over parvenus and
their penchant
> for trashy and ostentatious demonstrations of their obviously
newly
> acquired spending power.
>
> Of course a great many were indeed bought on the strength of
the vehicles
> impressive good looks, basically sound engineering, advanced
technological
> innovations, such as cruise control, introduced as an option
in 1958, and
> a certain amount of faith that what you would get would look
as good as
> the model you held in your hand and all the glossy Saturday
Evening Post
> adverts. Another attractive element would the almost forced
obligation to
> tailor your purchase from the lengthy list of trim options
available. On
> the one hand there were three basic levels of trim. In 1958
the so called
> base model did not even have a name. The mid-range, always
the most
> popular, was called Crown, and the highest tier was the Le
Baron. But,
> even so, you could still get just about all the good stuff on
the base
> model. My car lacks a second name, so its "just" Imperial,
but it has
> such fancy stuff as front and rear air conditioning and most
other
> goodies, too, but not the "Auto-Pilot" or the limited slip
differential.
> On the other hand I have seen a picture of one so "stripped"
that it even
> lacked electric windows.
>
> I was told by the original owner's niece that the original
owner of my car
> could not stand leather seats and the only way to avoid them
on an
> Imperial was to get the base model. However he then selected
most other
> options from the catalog. Being able to option your car to
your own taste
> also gives you bragging rights enjoy being one up over your
fellow horse
> breeders. The first owner of my car owned and showed
Tennessee Walking
> horses, a breed known for its smooth gait, gentle temperament
and stamina.
> They were bred to carry owners of southern plantations around
their lands
> in comfort. Such animals are shown for their distinctive
walking style
> but they are never raced or used in any other sports except
trail riding,
> for which they are ideally suited. One might even say the
Imperial is to
> automobiles what the Tennessee Walking Horse is to other
equines.
>
> I wonder if tailoring the Imperial was always the most
frequent method
> when buying them new. I also wonder how long this lasted.
Without a
> doubt ordering a car to your own taste is a lovely thing. I
have only had
> the pleasure of doing it once, for, of all things, a humble
Ford Escort.
> Despite there being dozens on the lot, my wife, who is petite
and liked
> the car for a number of good reasons, wanted certain colors
and features
> and that could not be found without it being special ordered.
I don't
> think I've ever seen a dealership less happy. (The discounts
they offered
> us to take something off the lot that was close to what she
wanted were
> very tempting to me, but which married man out there thinks I
even had a
> choice in the matter.) In the muscle car world, altering the
car is
> almost the whole point of the exercise. People tweak stuff,
add more
> power, change out the interiors and repaint the cars to
create their own
> custom dream car. We Imperialists do not favor this approach
anywhere
> near as much. Maybe its because our cars were pretty much
one offs to
> begin with.
>
> Hugh Hemphill
> 58 Imperial
> San Antonio, Texas.
>
>
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