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Yes, In fact the 69 was the 3rd highest production year ever
for Imperial. If you've ever read the review of the big 3 for 69, you'll know
that the 69 was rated the best driver of the 3, but in those days, people didn't
buy a luxury car because it drove well. The car that turned the most heads was
what people wanted then. How times have changed.
Many cars had already changed from body on frame long before
Imperial did & that made for a much quieter car.
John
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 6:49
PM
Subject: Re: IML: Leaky Trunks?
Sorry, Chuck, if leaky trunks had killed the Imperial they
wouldn't have built anymore cars after 1957.
I would also have to
disagree with you about the overall quality of the '67 and '68 models. While
they may not have been the same as the separate body and frame models, they
really were very well put together and essentially equal in quality to
anything else offered as flagship models from GM or Ford at the time.
I
vividly remember Tom McCahill complaining about the differences between the
1967 Imperial and its predecessors, and even agreeing with him at the time.
Over the years I have been convinced that those cars really were good cars and
have a style and elegance all of their own. When in top shape, I actually
think they are as nice or in some ways nicer to drive than the cars that came
before them.
I can speak from experience since my parents bought a new
'68 LeBaron when I was learning to drive. Since then I have driven and
inspected many of these cars. In high school, I spent every weekend polishing
both our venerable 1960 model, and the new '68. I can remember my mother
saying that she liked her '68, but that it wasn't the car that the '60 was. I
later wondered why she said that because as it turned out, they drove that '68
Imperial for 100,000 trouble free miles. The '60 only had 32,000 miles on it
when they decided that they needed a new car. It had required many expensive
repairs including a front end rebuild, a/c overhaul, and several incidents
with the power windows mostly caused by wire problems in the door hinge
area.
Even though the '67 and '68 models were not really considered a
big success, they really weren't any less so than so many other years of
Imperials that came before. Imperial went on and actually sold a lot of cars
in the early '70s. As I recall production numbers in those years were some of
the best ever.
There may be some that don't like Imperials built after
1966, but I don't believe that those cars did any damage to the name Imperial.
To the contrary, I believe that they were great cars for their
time.
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