The 1981 Imperial by Chrysler was a Beautiful Malaise Era Luxury Coupe That Failed Spectacularly

The Chrysler Imperial has a long and storied history, dating back to 1926. It was created by Walter P. Chrysler himself, in an effort to compete with other luxurious cars of the times, and put the Chrysler name in more than just a pedestrian setting. He succeeded very well - the Imperial would go on to be a car of choice for celebrities, dignitaries, and other glamorous types. Even Richard Nixon liked to drive in an Imperial.

The Imperials would be made in one form or another through 1975, up until Chrysler was running in to hard times, and having an expensive car selling in low quantities was an easy program to put on the chopping block. Chrysler's woes continued until the fabled Lee Iacocca took over the company, and began a restructuring that would pull Chrysler back from the brink and in to profitability.

While it was the inexpensive and economical K-Car that would ultimately save Chrysler, and especially the minivan built on that platform. But Iacocca wanted something to take it to Cadillac and Lincoln, and possibly to relive the success he had at Ford with the Mark III. The Imperial program was already up and running, to be based on the new Cordoba's J Platform. Iacocca embraced the project, and pushed it hard with his friend Frank Sinatra and even a few team memebers from the original Mark III project.

The result was an attractive, tech-laden car with an amazing variety of standard equipment, V8 power, and a shocking price tag - more than most of the Cadillacs and Lincolns in would compete with.

While the timing for the car was right, and the car itself had the goods, there was one thing it failed to do - run. Unfortunately, this was the one thing it had to do to succeed.

As a result of these problems, the Imperial failed spectaculalry, being made for only three model years and less than 13k cars. When it was gone, nobody - and particularly not Lee Iacocca, missed it very much. It's now fodder for collectors, and an interesting footnote in Chrysler - and Imperial - history.

In-depth review and test drive by Bill. Vehicle is for sale at Autohaus of Naples, on the web at www.AutohausNaples.com, or by phone at (239) 263-8500.