I recently introduced a young male Imperial owner to our club. He has a 90 that was inherited from his grandfather. As members living in other parts of the USA -- you may not be aware that in Montana,young males prefer wild pickup trucks to staid old luxury cars. Imagine my surprise when he said that he really enjoys his Imperial,as well as, our club. I am writing this to inform others that his initial observation about us was indeed strange. After one week of club interaction he noted that " I have never seen such fanatical devotion to any car. I'[ve interacted with Chevy sites and many truck sites -- but none as fanatical as the Imperial site" Fanatical? I realize that since my youth was spent in an "Imperial family" I tend to be overly nostalgic about my Imperial. But fanatical!!!! I have given this some thought - and several reasons came to mind. To begin with, Imperials never gained the cultural acceptance that surrounds
Cadillac or Lincoln. Mention Coupe De Ville or Continental to the average person and they can tell you the marque. Mention Le Baron and most think of the abberations built in the 70's and 80's. Also, Imperials are generally linked to old money. In the 1975 Motor Trend road test of the last true Imperial the author said "the Imperial drips old money and understated wealth". This linkage gives an air of exclusivity that while a good sales tool -- doesn't play well in Peoria. Lastly in my Imperials time frame(64 --66) most people think that I own a rather bizzare Lincoln. Maybe the very thing that makes us fanatical is the unusal nature of the car itself.
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