One of 474 built. Loaded with options and features, nice restoration about 10 years ago. Runs and drives well, recently serviced including brakes with new master cylinder. Extra parts and manuals included. Lots of luxury convertible at a great price!

Chrysler positioned the Imperial and Imperial Crown at the top of the lineup, akin to Cadillac and Lincoln—in fact, you won’t find the name “Chrysler” anywhere on this car (yes, I know we listed it as a Chrysler Imperial in the ad, but that’s the only way the various advertising venues’ databases would accept it). In 1969, the Imperial would be folded back into the Chrysler lineup and was little more than a trim package on the New Yorker, making this final year ragtop something special. We acquired it from an estate, so its history is not known, but it’s obviously the recipient of a fairly comprehensive and expensive restoration not too long ago. The Polar White paint shines atop some very straight bodywork and those impossibly long quarters are in excellent condition with no signs of accidents or wholesale panel replacement. We do not believe this was a rusty car. Doors fit well and close with a solid THUNK and not the rattle that you’d expect and panel fit is quite good throughout. Details like the taillights, intricate gas filler cap, and fine-toothed grille are all in excellent condition, and those are parts that just can’t be restored or replaced so they must be excellent originals. Factory ‘Imperial’ emblems are the only indication of this car’s identity, adding to its exclusivity.

You can tell there was real money spent inside, where the blue leather interior is completely new, including seats, door panels, and carpets. It’s beautifully done and matches the original patterns quite swell—this couldn’t have been a cheap job. Imperials only came one way: loaded, and this car has all the goodies: A/C, power windows, power seat, and a power antenna. Plush carpets help control noise and heat and there are brilliant details throughout, including the gold anodized dash panels, the little handle on the rear seat center arm rest, and the flip-up door for the radio controls. Of note, the seat motor works but the seat doesn’t move, the clock is inop, and the A/C system appears to have been restored but isn’t charged. On the plus side, the weather seals are new, so the top seals up nicely and features both a glass rear window and correct long-grain vinyl as original. It stows under one of two matching blue boots. The trunk is likewise restored with black carpets and a cover for the spare tire assembly.

Chrysler’s biggest engine powers their biggest car: a 440 cubic inch V8 that doesn’t seem to work very hard keeping all that sheetmetal moving. Topped with a 4-barrel carburetor and equipped with dual exhaust, it’s a bit more muscle car than the offerings from Lincoln and Cadillac, and I think that was intentional. On the other hand, it’s smooth, torquey, and unobtrusive, just the way you’d expect. The dual snorkel air cleaner is a nod to the car’s muscle car roots, although the top of the engine is dominated by the massive A/C compressor. New belts and hoses, fresh fluids, and the aforementioned brake service mean it’s ready to drive. It’s backed by Chrysler’s indestructible TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission which clicks off firm shifts and quick downshifts when you really prod the throttle. 2.94 gears out back make this a tremendous highway cruiser and the ride is luxury car smooth. There’s undercoating to protect the underside and help control noise and heat, as well as a new dual exhaust system with both mufflers and resonators, so the tone is appropriately hushed. It sits on factory 15-inch wheels and recent 235/75/15 whitewall radials.

Extras include a service manual, advertising materials, a spare hubcap, and two large boxes of parts.

Big and flashy, this is the last of Chrysler’s cost-no-object luxury cars. It has a bespoke feeling that later cars can’t match and performance that earlier cars only wish for. The restoration obviously cost far more than the asking price and while it’s not perfect and has a few niggling details to be finished, the basics are excellent and it still represents a whole lot of car for the money. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.