Roger, Your rebuttal has merit. Regardless, I stand behind my original hypothesis: Chrysler Corp did not adequately support the Imperial. Interesting, my car was sold in a small town; Seguin, Texas. And, gosh darn it if you ain't right. Pete Smith was a Chrysler & Plymouth dealership. Both new and used. Hugh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rog & Jan van Hoy" <vanhilla@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 10:53 PM Subject: IML: distribution chain > Revisionist history. Hugh, go to most any SMALL TOWN [for > example, The Dalles, Oregon] and you will buy your new > Cadillac from a dealer selling Chev's and other GM's, and > Subaru and Jeep. Down the road you'll find Chrysler sold > with Dodge, Jeep and Mitsubishi, and at another dealer > Lincoln sold with Mercury, Toyota, Mazda and Honda. > > What the Japanese did in 1936 was to develop a war machine. > Didn't you kinda wonder why Masujiro Hashimoto died in 1944? > Check it out. What Toyota does today for marketing has > nothing to do with what they did in 1936 or even 1966. > > Turning to Imperials, Hugh, your car was not likely > originally sold at a Plymouth dealership, but at a > Chrysler/Plymouth dealership, or more likely a > Chrysler/Plymouth dealership selected to sell Imperials. > Not all were allowed to do so. For most of its history > Imperial was a Chrysler model, except for 1955-75 and maybe > 1981-83. > > Since Imperials haven't been sold new for a decade, it isn't > clear what if any present-day repercussions have to do with > old time marketing. It's a good tale to spin, but not > verifiable. > > You might just as accurately look to the Webster's > dictionary definitions of Imperial, most of which are > ADJECTIVES, such as "of a commanding quality, manner or > respect; regal; of special or superior size or quality." > > --Roger van Hoy, '55 DeSoto, '58 DeSoto, '42 DeSoto, '66 > Plymouth, '81 Imperial, Washougal, WA > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx> > To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 8:28 PM > Subject: IML: Toyota / chrysler airflow > > > Here's a picture of the 1936 Toyoda Model AA next to a 1934 > DeSoto: > | > http://www.1000islandstoyota.com/pages/linkpage.html > | > | Its heresy to say it in this town, now that a Toyota plant > is coming, but > | imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. One of the > things that the > | Japanese did that Chrysler refused to do, was stand behind > their high end > | products - in our case, the Imperial - by creating a > separate distribution > | chain. You cannot buy a Lexus at a Toyota dealership, or > a Lincoln at a > | Ford dealership, or a Cadillac where Chevies are sold. > The high end > | dealerships are totally separate from the run of the mill > dealerships. > | Chrysler Corp. never did that for the Imperial which has > repercussions to > | this day in that most folks, even MOPAR fans, call them > Chrysler Imperials. > | My own car was originally sold at a Plymouth dealership. > I don't think > | Chrysler management ever really had enough faith in the > Imperial and if they > | didn't why should the public? As WE know, the cars had > what it took to be > | the best, but in the high end sector, you have to have a > high "prestige" > | factor. People will pay extra for a product that sets > them apart in terms > | of social standing. They won't if the product does not > have that > | connotation. > | > | Hugh > > >