At $23,500, Could This 1960 Imperial Crown Make You Feel Like Royalty?

Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Imperial is loaded pinch features arsenic good arsenic audacious '60s style. Let's spot what this Chrysler-eclipsing classical mightiness reasonably beryllium worth.

Do you ever wonderment what each nan information and emissions instrumentality connected a modern car aliases motortruck adds to its cost? It conscionable truthful happens that we tin do a nonstop comparison. A 2025 Jeep Wrangler Sport—the guidelines model, which meets each Federal standards for information and smog, starts retired astatine $32,095. In contrast, a caller Mahindra Roxor, nan modern type of a 4WD athletics inferior based connected nan original Willys Jeep, has an MSRP of conscionable $22,244. That's an almost $10,000 difference. If property isn't an issue, you could prevention moreover much pinch an older model, specified arsenic nan 2019 Mahindra Roxor we considered yesterday. That 1 came pinch a $17,900 asking value and nan added use of a windshield (another point that makes nan Jeep much expensive) and nan declare that it is street-legal. Unfortunately for its seller, nan mostly of you for illustration nan thought of cleanable aerial and not dying, which led to nan wide dismissal of nan Roxor arsenic a roadworthy conveyance and an 88% 'No Dice' nonaccomplishment astatine that price.

When I opportunity Imperial, galore of you mightiness deliberation "oh, nan margarine, right?" Or, if you're an anglophile, you mightiness beryllium imagining weights and measures, aliases possibly a boozy shape of stout. It mightiness return a small jog of nan representation muscle, but we should besides retrieve that Imperial was erstwhile some a exemplary and a make retired of nan Chrysler stable.

First introduced by Walter P. Chrysler successful 1926, nan Imperial was intended to compete pinch upscale brands specified arsenic Lincoln, Pierce-Arrow, and Duesenberg. Chrysler carried nan Imperial nameplate arsenic its top-level exemplary statement each nan measurement until 1955, erstwhile it spun it disconnected arsenic a abstracted marque to amended compete pinch Ford's Lincoln section and GM's Cadillac.

Initially, nan Imperial marque showed mean success, but nan deficiency of dedicated dealers and genitor Chrysler's ongoing financial difficulties yet doomed it arsenic a abstracted marque. Save for an attempted revival successful nan early 1980s, it was done by nan mediate of nan disco era.

This 1960 Imperial Crown Southampton hails from nan marque's heyday and features immoderate of nan astir audacious Virgil Exner styling of its era. Based connected a sturdy body-on-frame design, nan pillar-less coupe rides connected an royal 129-inch wheelbase. That's longer than a modern Austin Mini's wide length.

This 1 appears to beryllium successful astonishing information and, according to its ad, has been brought backmost to life aft almost 4 decades of sitting astir waiting for thing to happen. That must person been successful a depository aliases postulation somewhere, arsenic nan car shows nary signs of having been squirreled distant successful a rodent retreat barn aliases dusty garage.

The activity to rejuvenate nan Imperial includes all-new brake cylinders, refreshed U-joints connected nan driveshaft, a substance pump, and more. Aside from nan grunginess of nan period-correct extra-wide achromatic walls, it each looks to beryllium cleanable and successful request of thing major. The trim each appears to beryllium intact, a awesome positive since that's not thing you tin popular complete to your section Fiat Chrysler dealer's parts section and prime up.

Another nosy facet of this car is its galore gee-gaws and gadgets. Topping that database has to beryllium nan "High Tower" swivel driver's seat. Both driver and beforehand rider seats swivel to easiness egress by measurement of springs and cables connected to nan doorway hinges. The seats, however, are asymmetrical, pinch nan driver's broadside being noticeably taller. Chrysler designers intended nan taller spot to springiness nan driver a much comfortable seating position, designating it nan "High Tower" seat. I conjecture they thought each nan car's different occupants could conscionable spell worldly it.

Powering nan Imperial is Chrysler's 413 "Wedge" V8, which was advertised astatine nan clip to connection 350 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. It should beryllium noted that some of those numbers are gross output. Backing that up is simply a three-speed Torqueflite automatic, cleverly operated by a push-button stack connected nan near of nan speedo. The Imperial's suspension is modular for Chrysler astatine nan time: torsion barroom springs astatine nan beforehand and a leaf-sprung unrecorded axle successful nan back. The advertisement makes nary mention of really each of this useful connected nan car, but nan caller mechanical parts mentioned do connote that immoderate effort has been made to make it drivable. It has a claimed 5,000 miles connected nan clock, truthful possibly it didn't return each that much.

Perhaps nan biggest conundrum surrounding this car is wherever to parkland thing this big. The advertisement shows astatine slightest 1 image wherever nan car appears to beryllium successful a garage, truthful it would look that it is imaginable to support it wrong your modular two-car hanger. More germane to our interests is this Imperial's $23,500 asking price. When considered connected a per-pound aliases per-foot basis, that initially feels for illustration a beautiful bully deal. However, we still request to find if it's really worthy that arsenic a classical car investment. No one, aft all, is buying a car for illustration this arsenic a regular to activity aliases for an Uber Eats gig.

What do you think? Is this Crown a expansive bargain astatine that $23,500 asking? Or is that retired of nan Imperial league?

You decide!

Nice Price aliases No Dice:

Facebook Marketplace retired of Fort Dodge, Iowa, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T to Glemon for nan hookup!

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