1968 Chrysler Imperial ~ Crown convertible

Chrysler

Imperial Crown

convertible1968

 

A very nice and clean example!

 

This his is a really handsome, nice condition Chrysler Imperial Crown convertible. The car is a great looking example that is all original in the body and interior and with some added bling under the hood. She has a pretty nice exhaust raw to boot! 

This is a 3-owner car that spent most of its life on the west coast and the last 15 years with a collector in Indiana but never used in inclement weather. The car was purchased from the deceased estate of that collector and is now being offered for sale.Finished in cool white with a black leather interior. This is the 440 V8 in automatic with air conditioning later fitted. It has a “new-ish” dual exhaust with a throaty gurgle. Several parts of the engine and components have been chromed and the car sports a Weber 4-barrel carburettor mated to an Edelbrock intake manifold. The original air cleaner is not fitted but comes with the car. Relatively new American Classic wide whitewall 235/75-15 radial tyres are fitted (2017), sporting original hubcaps on original rims. 

After having sat in climate-controlled storage unused for the last 4 years, this Chrysler has been recently gone over by a local work-shop and everything is in good operating condition. A new battery and fuel pump were fitted along with a light tune and safety inspection with brakes lightly serviced. She now starts, drives and stops confidently and correctly. The engine runs smooth and powerful. Brakes are good and the car stops sure. The car has air-ride shocks to the rear which are not functioning (not adjustable) and yet the car rides smooth. 

The paint on the car is very good, presenting consistently and with a good lustre. I do not think its original and assume the subject of a respray perhaps some 20 years ago. It is the original colour. The body is entirely rust free and without even a light scale underneath. A very sold body and under-belly indeed. The whole car is very straight, accident free and seems to not had any body repair. There are blemishes, nicks and minor chips in the paint but nothing major and certainly nothing that needs repairing in our opinion. It is very shiny, consistent and simply looks great from near and afar. Although not perfect, VERY impressive for a 50 year old car!  

All rubber, glass and trim fixtures are in wonderful condition without any signs of fading, marks or scratches. The hubcaps are without any scuffs or rashes and look excellent. All the bright work and mouldings present extremely well. There are no dents or dings in the side mouldings, the front and rear grills are straight and clean as are the bumpers. The rear bumper shows some discolouration/fade in the top lip part of the chrome but otherwise straight and clean like the remaining chrome-work. All bright work around the windows, waist-rails and rear quarter ends are super clean and quite delightful. 

The interior is nice, finished in black leather seats, vinyl trim and black carpets. She looks incredibly sharp. The driver seat was reupholstered at some point in genuine leather to match the remaining leather seats which are in good condition for being original. They are not perfect with a degree of patina which is very acceptable for the car's age. The dash padding is good without cracks nor any noticeable sun-fading. The vinyl and carpets are good. The dash cluster is clean and straight. The steering wheel is without nasty cracks. Handles, switches, knobs and most items present well but not perfect. It is in our opinion, it is a shame extra gauges were fitted under the dash and if you share this opinion, we believe they would not be at all difficult to remove. The same with the added AC vents; these could have been done better in our opinion. That said, the interior is without doubt an 8 out of 10.The electric top works well and the condition of the vinyl and headliner is very good without any tears or marks. This too must have been changed at some point.Most items are functioning as they should but the rear quarter windows are stuck in the up position. Seats, lights, and various features and functions are operational.

The car all round presents very nicely and is a great example of a “not so modified” Imperial convertible.

 

Overall, this Chrysler Imperial convertible is an excellent example. Although not a "show car" by any definition, it certainly presents very attractively and clean. You could certainly drive her with pride as-is to your next Mopar meet and attract a lot of attention. It ranks a clear 9-out-of-10 driver condition and would make a great low-cost investment for any 60s car collection. 

 

Wikipedia:

Chrysler Imperial - third generation (1967–1968)

Imperial styling was completely new for the 1967 and 1968 models. Using a two-inch shorter wheelbase, Imperial switched from the body-on-frame platform (D-body) to a unibody platform (C-body platform used in other full-size "Mopars".) While Imperial's front K member was 3.0 inches (76 mm) longer than a Chrysler's, dimensions behind the front fenders were similar. One reason for the change was that Chrysler had gained experience with unibody construction and was ready to apply it to the company's flagship line.

The economic component was that the switch to the C-body was less expensive than maintaining a separate platform for Imperial, which was increasingly difficult to justify given Imperial's relatively low sales volume. The new platform resulted in a significant reduction in weight as well as in exterior and interior dimensions. With the partnership gone between Ghia and Chrysler, limousines based on the Imperial were produced by Armbruster-Stageway of Fort Smith Arkansas. The limousines were "sectioned", with 36 inches added, most of that between the front and back doors with a few inches added between the rear door and the rear wheel, allowing room for two rear-facing seats with a small console/bar in between. The limousine conversions were longer than the earlier Ghia cars, and longer than the Cadillac Series 75 limousines.

1967 (Series CY1-M,H):

Imperial shared the unibody platform with other full-sized Chrysler Corporation cars, but retained a unique bodyshell. The styling kept the overall straight-line, sharp-edged Engel theme, but there were many detail changes intended to make Imperial look less like Lincoln and more into its own territory. The spare tire bulge was completely gone from the rear, although the boss remained. The practically full-width taillights spread out from it, straight, but ended before chrome-tipped rear wings. A base Imperial model, simply called Imperial, returned for the first time since 1963, complementing the Crown and LeBaron levels of trim. It was the first four-door pillared Imperial sedan since 1960. New standard features included dual brakes with upfront discs and lane-change blinkers. Dual exhaust was no longer standard on the convertible. The only way to get it was to order the "TNT" version of the 440 engine, an option that promised more power.

1968 (Series DY1-M,H):

The 1968 Imperial was little changed from the previous year. The grille changed to a brightly chromed one with thin horizontal bars, split in the middle by vertical chrome and a round Imperial Eagle badge. The cornering lamp lenses were now covered by matching grilles. At the rear, the horizontal bars over the taillights remained, but the gas filler door pull was changed to a cast metal eagle instead of a round knob containing a plastic emblem. All 1968s came with a Federally mandated energy-absorbing steering column.[21] The base-level model was canceled after only one year and the four-door sedan became part of the Crown level of trim. This was also the last year for the Imperial convertible. A total of 15,367 Imperials were sold in 1968.

Third generation (1967–1968)

Production      1966-1968Model years    1967–1968

Assembly        Jefferson Avenue Assembly Detroit, Michigan Belvidere Assembly Plant, Belvidere, IllinoisDesigner         Elwood EngelBody styles     2-door hardtop, 2-door convertible, 4-door sedan, 4-door hardtopPlatform          C-bodyPowertrainEngine             440 cu in (7.2 L) Wedge V8Transmission  3-speed TorqueFlite A727 automaticDimensionsWheelbase      127 in (3,226 mm)Length             1968: 224.5 in (5,702 mm)Width              79.6 in (2,022 mm)Height             57.0 in (1,448 mm)Curb weight    4,900–5,200 lb (2,200–2,400 kg)

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**PLEASE read auction terms and conditions below BEFORE bidding.**

~~oo00oo~~

This Chrysler is part of a private collection. Although licensed and bonded, I am not a main-stream retail car dealer or broker; I am a professional car collector of some 30 years with considerable experience and knowledge of British cars. I have a long standing reputation being associated with the Rolls-Royce marque which I take seriously. I take pride in my cars and have fun in collecting and restoring them. However, auctions are not a game so when you place a bid or offer, and you are the winning bidder, please understand you have entered a binding contract. You cannot bid and win the auction and expect not to meet the terms and conditions. Bidding and/or winning does not mean you are expecting me to “hold” the car until you have the opportunity to inspect it. Any inspection contemplated should be undertaken BEFORE you bid or make an offer and I openly welcome any potential buyer to come and personally inspect the car. Once you bid or make an offer, you are doing so to buy WITHOUT conditions. Your bid can not be subject to anything. A $2000.00 deposit (non-refundable) is required within 24 hours of the close of the auction and payable by PayPal. The balance of funds are required within 7 days of the close of the auction and must be provided by cashier's check or bank wire. I cannot accept PayPal for the balance unless you are willing to meet the cost of transfer fees. Full payment must be made (and payments cleared) before the title and/or the vehicle is released. All payments are non-refundable. Payments as described above form an important part of this purchase contract and so, if all the funds are not received as outlined above, I reserve the right to terminate the transaction without notice. If there has been any deposit or other part payments received and I elect to terminate the contract, I reserve the right to keep any such deposits or payments and resell the vehicle to another bidder or interested party or re-list the vehicle at any time. To be clear, if you change your mind for ANY reason and do not complete the transaction in the time-frame required, you will forfeit your deposit. I am happy to assist with shipping arrangements on a national and worldwide basis but the winning bidder takes full responsibility for pickup and/or shipping and at his cost.

As a collector and experienced restorer of a range of classic cars, I make every effort to bring my cars to a high standard. By comparison, my cars are generally superior to others available but they are by no means perfect. You must expect some issues. Unless specifically stated, the car is not of show standard but of nice "driver" condition. Please understand, show cars cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to achieve and sell for prices commensurate, so the sale price of this car reflects its relative condition. You are buying "condition" accordingly. Buyers should not expect to receive concours quality or "perfect" cars at these prices. Please also understand it is not always possible to attend to every item, or perhaps I may have inadvertently overlooked items. Further, and very importantly, these cars are not new. So this means a 50 year old car is predominantly comprised of 50 year old parts. And old parts will fail. All buyers must understand and expect that things can or will wear out, break and/or stop functioning without notice. This is even more likely with hand-built English cars of early technology when compared to the typical American car of the same vintage. Suspension and brakes on these cars are complex. We thoroughly check them and replace things that are identified faulty. But please understand, by example; if we change a brake line because it appears aged or faulty, we do NOT at the same time replace all other hoses because they are of similar age. This is considered "preventative maintenance". We do not do this unless specifically requested and is not included in the purchase price. Feel free to ask for this additional service. Further, a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next. After all, it is some 50 years old. This is the nature of any used car and especially British cars. For this reason it is necessary for the following condition:

The vehicle is being sold "as-is/where-is" with no warranty expressed, written or implied. Any descriptions or representations are made with reasonable judgment and all efforts are made to ensure fair assessment and accuracy but they are for descriptive and identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller shall not be responsible for errors in description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein and makes no warranty in connection therewith. If any aspect of the description contradicts what can be seen in the photos, then the photos shall prevail as the reference point. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, unforeseen imperfection, defect or damage. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have satisfied himself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects at the buyer's request prior to the close of the auction. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any written or oral statements about the vehicle. Being a classic car in excess of 10 years of age, in most US states, the mileage may be recorded as “exempt”. In this regard the seller makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the mileage indicated or shown. I can hold the vehicle up to 30 days while you arrange shipping but you must immediately insure it. I will not bear any responsibility for any additional costs including storage, transportation, or repair after the close of the auction. Whereas I am happy to store the car in excess of 30 days from auction end, a cost of $35 per day shall apply beyond 30 days of auction end. Also, you must remember that this is a 50 year old vehicle, and while it is up to you, I do not recommend that you just “hop in and drive it across the country” until you have familiarised yourself with the car. At least, I have never done that. I have always professionally transported the cars in enclosed carriers from where I bought them to my home.

PLEASE; IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS, CONTACT ME BEFORE YOU CONTEMPLATE DOING SO AS, RESPECTFULLY, THERE CAN BE NO EXCEPTIONS.

I am sorry if these terms seem harsh but there seem to be some very unrealistic buyers out there - fortunately, only few of these people exist but those that do can make life difficult, so it appears EVERYTHING needs to spelled out. Very simply put, this is an old car being offered for sale. It is not new and is subject to the perils of age. Further, Jaguars are not without nuances, idiosyncrasies and they are renown for a host of design issues which can make them not inexpensive to maintain. So, please respect the terms and conditions when you bid.

~~oo00oo~~

Also published at eBay.com

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