Final Full-size
| Model years | 1974-1975 |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Successor | Chrysler New Yorker Brougham |
| Body style | 2-door Crown coupe 2-door hardtop 4-door hardtop |
| Platform | C-body |
| Engine | 440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedgehead V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed TorqueFlite A727 automatic |
| Wheelbase | 124.0 in (3,150 mm) |
| Length | 1974: 231.1 in (5,870 mm) 1975: 232.7 in (5,911 mm) |
| Width | 79.7 in (2,024 mm) |
| Height | 1974: 54.7 in (1,389 mm) 1975: 54.5 in (1,384 mm) |
| Curb weight | 5,000–5,200 lb (2,300–2,400 kg) |
| Related | Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Town and Country Chrysler Newport |
| Designer(s) | Elwood Engel |
On the eve of final plans for the 1974 model year things looked bleak for Imperial. The marque had lost its exclusive assembly plant in 1962. It had lost its unique platform in 1967. Then in 1969 it lost its unique bodyshell. Mention of the Chrysler name returned in 1971 after Imperial having been a separate marque for years. The 1973 model year appeared to be the end of the road for Imperial.
Chrysler had planned on quietly discontinuing the Imperial at the end of the 1973 model year. Without its own unique bodyshell, it would be difficult to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, which had their own unique bodyshells. Sales were likely to remain low, as image and appearance were an important part of luxury car appeal. And, in turn, without sales, it seemed there was no way Chrysler could afford to build an Imperial with a unique appearance.
A front end design, which had been envisioned for the next Imperial by Chrysler/Imperial exterior studio senior stylist Chet Limbaugh, came to the attention of Elwood Engel. Engel showed the design to Chrysler president John Riccardo and convinced him to use it on an Imperial. Except for the front end clip and trunk lid, to save money it would use all the same body panels as the Chrysler New Yorker, and, for the first time in its history as a separate marque, it would have the same wheelbase. But the car would have Limbaugh's unique new "waterfall" grille design which featured thin vertical chrome bars, separated by a body-colored band running through the center, and which started on top of the nose and flowed down.
Read more about this topic: Imperial (automobile)
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