No Reserve Elegance: 1962 Imperial Crown
The 1962 Imperial Crown is one of those sedans that seems to have something unusual yet aesthetically pleasing from just about every vantage point, with a feel of opulence inside and out. However, it’s also a design that flows well when all of the parts are combined, from the taillight placement on top of the quarter panels to the independent headlights up front. This one’s been sitting for a couple of years, and though it’s not specified whether it was inside or out, the sheet metal appears to remain solid and nicely preserved.
During the mid-fifties, a decision was made that the Imperial might be more competitive in the luxury market if it became a separate make instead of just another model in the Chrysler lineup, so in 1955 Imperial officially became its own division. This was also an era when tail fins were popular, with the Crown not disappointing in this area. Looking at the back view, it’s hard to believe that the previous year’s model featured an even more pronounced finned section, but by 1963 the quarters lost even more of their trajectory plus the top-mounted taillights were history. We don’t get much background on this one, and while it’s not quite perfect outside, the panel fit seems good and I’m not spotting any obvious sections with excessive corrosion.
Things are also looking fairly decent inside, with the seat and door material appearing to be in satisfactory condition for a driver. A couple of fun interior features include the push-button automatic transmission selector, located on the dash just to the left of the steering wheel, which itself is oddly shaped but looks like a comfortable helm. The factory radio appears to still be intact, and it’s also nice to find power windows, a common feature nowadays but not as much back in the early sixties.
Before its two-year storage, the car is said to have been running and driving, and the seller provides a couple of videos with the engine on. He suggests a tuning and fluids change as a prerequisite to driving this one on the road again, which sounds like time well spent and probably not very expensive. Whether you stop there or decide to take this one up a notch, this 1962 Imperial Crown seems like a reasonably solid example. It’s located in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and can be spotted here on eBay, with the no-reserve auction currently at $2,650. Would you go ahead and begin a restoration immediately, or just enjoy driving this one for a while?
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Comments
Exners last hurrah at Chrysler. By 63 he would be gone. I guess the public couldn’t warm up to his style and no doubt when the top brass saw his future visions for design they ran to pull the plug. I like the Exner funk nothing gathers as much attention as this period of Chrysler!
If you want to see Exner’s original design for the 1962 Imperial, look no further than the 1963 Chrysler. Exner’s proposal for the 1962 “S-Series” Imperial was the basis for the 1963 Chrysler. If you don’t know the story of Chrysler’s original plans for 1962, research it. It’s one of the more fascinating stories in automotive history.
I find it thrilling to see the trunk full of parts—it’s like finding the special prize inside the cereal box.
The free-standing headlights aren’t exactly an aesthetic triumph, but they’re fantastic, nonetheless. The front clips on these Imperials had to be far more expensive than anything else out there at the time, especially considering that all seams were leaded and fully finished.
The free-standing taillights, on the other hand, were pretty cool in my eyes.
Please do not call this a Chrysler.
Lovely car. It’s my favourite Imperial since the 1956 model year, and until the 1967 model year. Assuming everything is solid and no rust holes are anywhere, I’d be willing to pay around $2000 for it and drive it, making sure everything works like they should. Upgrading what needs to be upgraded, and maintain what can be maintained.
Don’t think it would be a good idea to start driving this one around. Looks like it would need some mechanical attention along with some safety issues first. Parts will not be easy either. But on the plus side, it looks complete. The brakes appear to be upgraded. The body and interior are in remarkably good shape. Definitely a worthy project.
Its going to need some work, but I’m sure most of the mechanical and electrical parts would be the same for most Mopars of that era. The seats look to be reupholstered , an Imperial would likely have leather seats, these look to utilitarian to be factory .
These seats have the correct factory fabric pattern, so I think they are original and not reupholstered. Leather upholstery was optional in ’62 on the Crowns; standard was a nylon-reinforced fabric in this pattern with leather trim.
I do remember the square steering wheel and by grandfathers 61 Plymouth Belvedere
(The Blue Bomber)had an oval one. I saw another with a gold rectangle one. I have a book which touts them as an optional safety feature. I don’t see that at all.
Tiger 66, I agree with you on the seats; besides, they match the doors. I did not care for the ’49 Mopars much: PRACTICAL and long-lasting, yes — but not “pretty”. The Chrysler and Dodge of that year evoked 1941 tail-lamps. Those of us who were around for the pre-war Mopars could see that Dodge and Chrysler tended to have a “resemblace”, and that DeSoto looked like a luxurified Plymouth. 1950’s “face-lift” simply made the Mopars dowdy. 1951 brought those badly needed front re-styles; then 1953 brought the rears fully into the 1950s (the ’53 Chrysler was particularly pretty: how come we never see one?). The minor 1954 Mopar face-lifts damaged the clean look of the ’53s. 1955 was a nightmare, in my view, except for Dodge. Then things only got WORSE, as Mopar led the way on ridiculous fins. By the early 1960s, the Chrysler cars were just plain weird and ugly. But the 1962 Imperial was beautiful in every regard (too bad they ruined it for ’63!). I’d love to own and drive this one! But I’m that same guy who always wanted a 1960 Edsel — so, what do I know? Approach my opinions on style with caution!
Had a couple of these ’62’s, never fell in love with the free-standing head & tail lights. Like they designed the car and forgot to incorporate them. Now my ’60 Imperial….THAT was a dream-boat with styling fit for a king!
JimZ: I much prefer the ’62 — but you should own and enjoy what YOU prefer. If we all liked the same thing, life would be dull, and demand for only a few things would be over-crowded!