1982 Imperial Crown Coupe—restoration needed! One of my tongue-in-cheek chops, this was a perfectly acceptable 1982 Imperial coupe when I started with it. I gave it a more "private" greenhouse with a stainless steel "crown" roof section, much wider C pillars, a 1960s Imperial nameplate on the trunk, and larger wheels on blackwall tires. Then I gave it rusty patches bubbling up in several places, chalky paint and a For Sale sign, placing the car in a typical stretch of car dealerships in Anytown, USA. I think this design could have worked, Chrysler certainly wasn't against retro styling, the Imperial often flaunted Classic-era touches. (I did this chop a while ago, but couldn't find it posted. Maybe I just didn't label it properly, but if that's the case, please enjoy it a second time!)
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Wasn't this the bodystyle ( before you modified it ) that had the 'special' Frank Sinatra model in powder blue? All that 'bling' rusting away.
ReplyDeleteSorry. I forgot to sign that.
ReplyDeleteBobF
Hi Bob! Yup, this was the series of Imperial that featured the FS edition, Frank Sinatra. Besides the pretty blue color, it came with a full complement of Sinatra cassettes! All of these Imperials came with a crystal hood ornament. They were fancy Cordobas, which by 1980 was actually based on the Aspen/Volare, which itself was based on the previous Dart/Valiant platform.
ReplyDeleteThe rust makes it look like it stood the test of time :)
ReplyDeleteI love these Imperials. Fewer than 15,000 (perhaps many fewer -- I don't have my standard catalog handy!) were built. I don't think it's entirely accurate to say they are based on the Valiant/Dart platform. The Aspen/Volare had transverse torsion bars versus the longitudianl torsion bars of the earlier platform. Clearly no American cars of the 70s featured anything very new or different in chassis design but I believe the Aspen/Volare was a clean-sheet design. It sold well -- at first! But when have you seen one lately?
ReplyDeleteActually, I was in Atlanta over hte weekend and saw an Aspen station wagon, licensed and in use, parked next to a 66 Monaco! A true two-Dodge family!
Paul, NYC
thanks, Paul! I should have known better than to go by information from Hemmings Classic Car. They had an article a while back on long-lived platforms, and I'm pretty sure they lumped the Volare in with the Valiant et al. I should have gone with my gut and researched the info first!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of HCC, they REALLY need to get new column writers. They have had their day and then some. It's like reading "Get Off My Lawn" every month. They bring all the interest of dust to the hobby. And not even interesting classic dust!
The last couple of issues of HCC have been silly. Collectibles from 1987? Really. And how about the 10 most powerful collector cars? That was particularly ridiculous. I just got the May issue yesterday and most of the issue is about contests of the 50s and 60s where the prizes were new cars! Have they run dry already?
ReplyDeleteMakes me crazy!!!!!!
Paul, NYC
You're not the only one, Paul!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful rendition of an old Crown Coupe ta a dealership. Completely flattered my 1981 was used as a template.
ReplyDeleteLarry Anderson - mauretania07@yahoo.com
thank you, Larry! I try to use publicity photos only, but it gets difficult to find them for older cars that are suitable. Plus I wanted to make this one a "used" car. Glad you're not upset I added rust to it! From what I remember of the original it was in good condition!
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