Test drive a 1981 Imperial Coupe
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ย. 2024
- SOLD! Online for Imperial-loving purposes only.
This car (now located in Suburban Detroit, MI) is originally from Texas, without a speck of rust or serious body damage. It was expertly repainted once in 2010 because of fading, door-dings, etc. The white leather interior shows very minor wear, about what you'd expect of a 2-year old car, not a 32-year old car. The 318 (5.2L) engine was dealer-converted from EFI to a conventional carburetor, and it runs excellent. In January of 2012, the car was displayed for 3 months at the Walter P. Chrysler museum on the Chrysler Tech Center campus. Not technically a #1 condition car, but probably one of the best remaining examples of its kind, in a highly desirable color combination.
Bought mine new in 1981. Still own it and drive it on nice weekends in Pa. The Imperial has never seen snow and is rust free. Sterling silver with red cloth interior.
My father had the same one in 1981. Silver with the red cloth seats. I don't remember it, but Ive seen pics of it.
,, ,, LUCKY, , , "U," !!,
Hold on to it !
This car IS still beautiful,I mean absolutely stunning!
My dad brought one of these home from a dealer , they let him borrow it for the weekend. I really loved the bustle back styling. My parents were looking to trade their Continental Mark V which they had purchased new. They liked the looks of the Cadillac Eldorado but my dad despised general motors. I hadn't had my driver's license very long but I enjoyed running errands in the Imperial while we had it. We ended up getting a 1981 Lincoln Town Coupe.
Worked for Chrysler years ago,80s to 90s.i have a special place in my heart for the imperial of the early 60s.super cars even in the early 90s with the New Yorker I was impressed.
I owned a 1981 Chrysler Imperial new. The problem was the fuel Injection system. What a mess at the time. $ 21k when I bought. We kept to 1985 and traded in on a Import. Today, Chrysler is making very nice automobiles. I drive a 300. Thank you.
+C. Hahn You're absolutely right. At the time there was a 1-800 number direct to the engineering department to try and keep the fuel injected Imperials running. Basically, nobody knew what they were doing, it was really quite incredible.
+C. Hahn We have the Chrysler 300 here in the UK, and it is one of the mostrecognisable US cars at this time. Apart from the Jeep range of Cherokee,and Grand Cherokee. Other than that, we now have a right hand drive Ford Mustang, although I have yet to see any around here at this point.
I remember these - OH YEA. I worked at a Chrysler Dealership during these times as a Tech. I was 1 of the 3 in the state of Alabama that was certified by Chrysler to do repairs. The BIGGEST problem we had with the cars was the EFI, The R & D for the EFI was in Huntsville, AL, and I got to know (I think) a Bob (engineer) by 1st name basis, cause we had so much trouble with them. I converted several over to carburetor, after it came out with that option in 1984 (here I go thinking again). Chrysler's conversion kit was a 4ft x 8ft x 2ft high box, that included everything from the fuel tank forward. In 1981, it only had 1 option - a sunroof - cost was $1,045.00, everything else was standard, down to crystal head keys, umbrella, and something else, but I can't remember. Man, I loved those cars, and they rode like a dream - or at least to me they did.
Most comments get half the details wrong if they're lucky. Your's are spot-on correct.
Paul Carlisle ya I have a 83 with the carb
And the Imperial if I recall wasn't a Chrysler in the sense that not ever Chrysler Dealer sold them, you had to go to one of only 250 Imperial Dealers.....they had Imperial signage out front, Chrysler Plymouth Imperial was how the sign read....only those dealers could sell an Imperial
@@OsbornTramain Yes. The 1981 - 1983 Imperial was a division of Chrysler that the dealerships had to buy, so not all Chrysler dealerships could sell an Imperial. I do not know if the dealership carried over from the 1975 model, when Chrysler first ended Imperial. .
@@EbonyBunny1 There was a limit to only 250 dealers that could sell Imperials too.
I had a 1993 Chrysler New Yorker 5th Ave. until an over-age driver going thru a red light totaled it, these Chrysler cars were TOUGH and it saved my life!!!
I own a 1991 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue, bought a few months back. Glad to know that secure feeling behind the wheel isn't just in my head. Just out of curiousity, how many miles did yours reach? Mine had 152,000, now has just over 155,000.
It's good to see someone restoring cars from this era. While they're not yet appreciated in a lot of collector car circles they eventually will be and this is one you really don't see very often. I still remember the two-page ad spread in the LA Times with Frank Sinatra and Lee Iacocca when this car was introduced.
I know I'm an old fart, but I still like the boxy, sharp edges of the early 80's luxury cars.
Nice ride.
@David Topchiev
Didn't know that. There definitely is a resemblance. And I consider myself a car guy (lol).
This is like cars are supposed to look! These modern small tiny round cars looks like something out from the damn Teletubbies...
I was a valet after I graduated high school and I remember driving these. Exquisite automobile! I remember one of them had powder blue sheepskin carpeting. You couldn’t even see your feet when you got in!
I was a salesman at Blue Grass Chrysler-Plymouth in Lexington, Kentucky in 1981, which was the largest Chrysler dealership in Kentucky. We had a grand total of ONE
Imperial. The owner of the dealership drove it. Medium Brown metallic, with Ivory Leather interior. Fully loaded, minus sun roof. Premium sound with cassette with auto reverse, Dolby noise reduction, and a "rear amp". MSRP was around $23K.
Hand cut Cartier crystal hood ornament, as well as the Chrysler Pentastar emblem in the center of the steering wheel. Drop dead gorgeous car. The 318 "lean burn"
throttle body was a turd, but was adequate. We couldn't GIVE this car away. We had a tent sale, and had the car marked down to $11K. NO lookers. I couldn't understand it. We were selling Dodge Colts & K Cars like crazy. I ended up getting fired for doing too many neutral drops in my K car demo :), and never heard what ended up happening with the Imperial. One of the most beautiful cars that Chrysler ever built.
Cool story. I love stories from people who worked with these cars new. All my working life I have spent at dealerships and you sometimes get these really obscure models that hang around, dealer principal drives, sits in showroom, gets discounted, etc. Very similar to todays hyundai eqqus story. I agree. Ive owned a couple and I am in love with this styling.
The styling of that car for the early 1980s was ahead of its time, which is something Chrysler had a history of doing. Looks like what a 1999 Seville would have been 2 or 3 generations before if it had come as a 2 door. And boy, you sure are talking luxury! Rolls Royce!
@Stormy D. Lol
Yes, I'm pretty sure that is the same car as the previous owner mentioned some history in Maine. I bought it on eBay maybe in 2007-ish. The guy had really bad photos and I guess no one bid for that reason; I saw it in-person and didn't have much competiton for it. I added new valve stem seals, fixed an electrical problem that was killing the brake lights (short-to-ground in the driver-door fiber-optic key cylinder lamp). New paint in 2010, WPC museum display in 2012 and summer driver last year
Well this car was a "personal luxury coupe" of its day like many other brands.
It might be in low demand now. But I am always happy to see people save these older classics cars.
I LOVE the looks of this car. Very sexy. In 1981, I was working at the largest Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Kentucky, Blue Grass Chrysler Plymouth Imperial. No Dodge. We had ONE Imperial that the dealership owner drove. Chocolate Metallic brown, with a Camel Landau top, FULLY loaded. Moon roof, top stereo system, best wheels, everything. I think that the list price was around $23 - 25 K. A LOT of money in 1981 ! We had NO lookers, until one day, a "stately" looking gentleman walked into the showroom, walked up to my desk, and asked if he could check out the Imperial. Every eye was on me, and every jaw dropped ! I said, "certainly sir, please follow me". The car had just been detailed, and looked like a million bucks. This was at the advent of digital instrumentation, which was very impressive on the Imperial. We did a slow walk around. Then, I opened the door, and the ashtray was open, with a butt in it ! The man immediately slammed the door and exclaimed
" I don't smoke. I don't like people who smoke, and this car has been smoked in ! " The owner of the dealership saw the entire transaction. The potential buyer simply walked to his car, and drove away. I walked back into the showroom, and the sales manager and the owner of the dealership asked what went wrong. When I told them, Mr. Loveday, (the owner) was pissed. Not at me, but after himself. When I left the dealership, the car never sold, ever after reducing the price to $17 K.
palt habbaboof
So what happened, did Mr. Loveday himself leave the cigarette in there? (You said he was pissed off at himself)
Great story BTW!
They never came with a landau top. You might be mistaking this car for a Cordoba.
I remember when these cars came out, I loved them , still love them today, very classy , thanks for posting :)
thomas ankner looks like a 2 door 82 to 87 continental or 80 seville
The 1955 to 1975 Imperials were better looking vehicles, sorry.
don't know why but I love these crazy ass machines from the era, bigger the better
Love the front end of this car. Big blocky grill ,hideaway headlamps funky rear end profile and the theme music is vintage disco. Fan t astic time capsule.
Beautiful car especially when equipped with those awesome rims.
I had a 1983 Cordoba. What a beautiful car. Wish I still had it
It’s sad that companies like Chrysler are gone,,,, The car were very well constructed with excellent materials to the detail,,,, With proper maintenance those are a forever cars,,,,,,!!
I hate to tell the owner this, but it is true. That electronic dash has been replaced, and this car has more miles than indicated. The replacement dashes for these cars put a glowing asterisk (*) between odo and miles. The original dashes for these cars had a blank area between the two indications. For reference, check photos in the Imperial sales literature for the three years that used this dash.
Always loved the look over the Seville. All white is the cherry on top.
I remember seeing an episode of "The A*Team" where they had one converted into a limousine. Other than that, I'd LOVE to drive up to a Chrysler dealership now and try to order parts for that, just to see the reaction of the parts department there!
The disco music for the LED and fake wood interior was very appropriate. :-)
A friend of mine bought one of these brand new. The day he took delivery at the dealer, they couldn't even get the car to run right. The fuel injection system was problem-plagued. He had to wait while they had the car in the service bay trying to make it run correctly before he could take it home. Not the best first impression.
....those seats look divine
I remember in the opening theme song for Chips, there is a Cordoba they cruise by on the freeway that was exactly like the one I had, same color and top. I got such a kick out of that then...😁
Was it crashed like many of the fuel guzzlers were on the show?
@@toyoscio no... Mint condition, but it was only in the scene for about 2 seconds🤣
This dash has been replaced, so the car has more than 75,000. The original dash in these cars had no asterisk (*) between ODO and MI. The replacement dash has this asterisk so that the used car dealer would know if the mileage is correct or not and if the mileage has had some tampering. Today, very few dashes in these cars are original, and few collector car owners know of this. Many owners claim that the car is low mileage when in reality a second electronic dash has been installed.
Incorrect! I own one, the asterisk denotes the car had been converted from EFI to carb. When converted, the car got a carbuerator, new fuel tank, lines, and dash. The mileage was set in the new dash to the mileage on the car. If you find one with no asterisk and Carb'ed, then that's a replacement dash and box 3 miles.
These bustle backs must seem odd to those born after the 80's. Those were high times, disco, 3 inch heels on mens shoes, etc. Fun times. These Imperial's always seemed like mobster cars to me. I wanted a gold one that sat on a used car lot literally till they went out of business. They wanted too much, and I was too young. You'd have thought they long ago would have fixed those sagging headliners. It's still going on. I saw a Jag recently with real issues.
Neil Dickson the clothing styles and music you describe is from the 70s not the 80s.
@@andrewcolsen Ah, this is 1980. Excuse the hell out of me, I was living then AH, I think I remember it right.
Glad to hear it's in good hands. I've been looking for another one and haven't had much success. I liked the white seats and blue accents in the car, a very rare combination. You had the small dent in the door fixed. She is a beauty and the original owners really took care of here. Good luck...and if you ever go to sell her, you can contact me for sure. Love to have it back. :O)
I remember when these came out. My cousin's mom bought one. Also remember one on the TV show Hart to Hart that was a stretch limousine.
A really nice car, in excellent condition. Thank you for posting this.
Beautiful car!!! Not the correct steering wheel but it looks way better with it!
Nice example. Loved them and followed when they were first introduced. Want one with the original EFI but would consider any well maintained Imperial from that era. On a car with the 2bbl conversion I would convert it to 4bbl.
The IMPERIAL did NOT officially become a 'Chrysler" again until the 1990 front-drive models. THIS generation of Imperial was still considered a SEPARATE MAKE from Chrysler...with it's OWN separate dealership signs at dealers. In ALL advertising of the time, it was marketed as an "IMPERIAL"...NOT a "Chrysler Imperial".
As long as you spend an equal amount of time commenting on peanut videos that they "aren't really nuts", etc. I'm OK with your comment.
this is important. I world needs to know!!!!! Beautiful car. I love that era
Gotta love the 318 V8 back then making all 140 hp
Be quiet before you get hurt
Every Imperial I see has the warped dash top. I have a way to fix that and I have done it on two Imperials. Looks so much better.
A very pretty Imperial, love it!
still nice to see this classic diamond of a car !!!i like it my sharp suit there i heard Chrysler was working out troubles with engine? but wow in 2021 id drive it around no shame !! 80s slab.
I hope you respond here. I think I use to own this car. When I saw the old steering wheel in the trunk, I was convinced this was my old car. In Summer of 2005, I purchased an Identical Imperial from the Owls Head Museum Auction. It was a donated car by an elderly Texas Couple. Summer in Maine, Wintered in Texas. I sold the car about three or four months later, I needed the money. To a guy from Michigan. He relocated to Africa and put it in storage. Is this the same car? I swear it is
What is frequently lost is a discussion of the styling. The distinctive rear styling was called a "bustle back" harkening to a 19th-century style of women's dress. Cadillac introduced the styling feature on the 1979 Seville but Cadillac was not first with the design, Chrysler was. In 1978 Chrysler was cash strapped and could not afford to produce the new design and meet more government regulations. So General Motors pirated the design for their own luxury flagship. Of course, this was during the time GM was putting Chevrolet engines in Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles and destroying the diesel industry in America by cobbing together a gas engine V8 into service as a diesel engine because Ford was working with International - Harvester to produce a real passenger car diesel engine. And people wonder why I have hated General Motors for over 4 decades. I too was in the retail auto industry then.
Why hate GM? At least they tried with their divisions. Ford, "destroyed" Mercury with "winners" like the LN7 and Lynx to name 2
@@toyoscio I should have qualified my statement about Chrysler having the design first, in the context of this story that is accurate. However, Hooper, an English coachbuilder was famous for the design on Rolls Royce and Daimler limos. As for my disdain for GM it is based upon a very long history with attempts to monopolize the industry, planned obsolescence, coordination with unions to harm their competitors, not to mention a government bailout at taxpayer expense. It was nothing to do with closing divisions or Mercury. You apparently do not know enough auto history to fully appreciate my opinion. You will need to know about Wm. Crapo Durrant, Alfred Sloan, GM and the UAW, steel shortages during the Korean conflict, and so much more.
@@Clarkecars Thank you for the clarification, My point was Ford, though much improved, now, had their issues. Yes, GM had a sordid history. Since you didn't mention Robert Smith, he must have been good for them?
@@toyoscio Roger Smith was a disaster, but he was only a symptom at GM. The company was run for decades by bean counters with little regard for input from engineers and real car guys. GM, in the `60s and `70s would negotiate with the UAW a week or so ahead of their negotiations with American Motors, Chrysler and Ford so they could agree to pay an amount that would cause greater stress on the other 3 auto manufacturers. They made up the shortfall by using cheaper components. They even played dirty in NASCAR because they were getting their ass handed to them by Ford and Chrysler so they used their influence with Bill France (France owned GM dealerships). Ford's faults were at their own expense not the industry's. Though Ford did screw the engineer that invented cruise control and Henry Ford was an antisemite.
What a beauty
I miss the old Chrysler corporation
+Benny Gilardi me too.
Yes. Me Too.
I always liked this model.
Does have a certain cool factor to it.
You Americans sure made some great cars with power everything, at a price that onlypeople with loads of cash could previously afford.
Just FYI - The original 1981-83 Imperials EFI is a CLOSED system, meaning if the
air cleaner is off, the car will not start. If cleaner gasket is worn or air leaks, car will run poorly. And as long as you don't use alcohol added fuels or E85, you should be OK. Try to save the original EFI systems since they are pretty rare and they are reliable once you know how they work.
These were nice and fairly exclusive for the time.
It looks like the Cadillac Seville from that era where someone added some metal onto the trunk to minimize the bustle back so pronounced on the Seville
A nice 1983 Imperial is on Chicago Craigslist. Midnight blue
Coolest damn car styling
Frank and lee would be proud!
Weird thing is, your comment came to my email as the car was being loaded on a trailer for a new owner in Illinois... I had just sold in on eBay a couple weeks earlier. It's probably in the best shape it's been in for some time.
The steering wheel is so wrong. I’m shocked the dash is still working.
I'm a huge fan of Imperials and still upset that they killed it off. It could have easily continued into the 2000s as a luxurious SUV.
Awesome car, enjoyed the vid very much! These are better looking than the Seville & Conti offerings from the other two. Did this car still have it's original functioning EFI?
gorgeous...
A truly beautiful car- but hard to get restoration parts for
Really sharp looking, it is too bad that sports cars took the place of two door personal luxy cars.
Nice car. Looks better with the alloy wheels. Should have peeled out while making that right turn filmed from the chase car. Otherwise great vid.
ENOUGH, now lets get the DougScore!
This was the last of the vestiges of the bad old Chrysler before the K-Car and Iacocca's plans went into place and saved the company. It was a very nice car but out of touch with what the public demanded in 1981. If Chrysler continued to build cars like this they would have no doubt gone out of business. By 1984 almost everything they built was new, had the K-Car chassis, and a front wheel drive 4 cylinder.
Man, you gotta put the right steering wheel back on.
ya I have a 83 white with red seats
Beautiful car! Very fitting music
The switch in tracks _Had Me_ 💪😎 LMAO
nice clean ride ... i LOVE the controversial styling, I bet almost _No One_ knows what it is without reading badges. Its cool to see this one doin its thing.
✅ _LIKED_
✌
✅ _SUBBED_
You can tell this 81 Chrysler imperial was not made with the same quality and care imperial was known for in the 50s and 60s and 70s
It was a time when American cars looked and felt American but sadly todays global economy has made all the car brands designs look the same cookie cutter design.
Nothing wrong with that
Looks clean.
Like the music
What a car they were made from the Volare chassis dodge Mirada m chassis 3 times more expensive though
Bo, what is with the disco? This car should be playing SINATRA!
Elvis.
it was always one of my favorite cars I remember my friend's dad bought a brand new 81 Plymouth Reliant K station wagon and his dad was going to buy an imperial and I said why did you get the Imperial instead because it was the station wagon they needed more room? God could you imagine a Relient K Over a Chrysler Imperial from 1981 bad mistake.
The gas crunch was still a thing and fuel milage was EVERYTHING. Not to mention the sticker price difference. Might be able to afford 3 K wagons for the cost of an Imperial (if you coukd even find one.)
The 1981 Chrysler Imperial Coupe is trying to compete with other 2 door only models, such as Buick Riveria, Cadillac ElDorado, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln Continental Mark VI, Mercury Cougar, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Pontiac Grand Prix.
David Tosh your probably right about the competition, I would say the 1977 Monte Carlo was by far a more luxurious and classy car than this model imperial. However Chevrolet ruined the Monte Carlo in 1978
That's cold ac,I thought my car at 63°was cold!!
Thanks
Surely!? What were they thinking, with that rear end 🤷🏾♂️
Um Cadillac Seville
That Bill Cosby music tho’
Airbag???
quite nice music in fairness
they tried to complete with Seville close but no cigar.
Edgy styling. Loved it. Now. Chrysler is a one car wonder now. The very very dated Chrysler 300.......
yea some kid will buy it put 20 inch rims 30 seris tires and 1000 watt stero so any loose body part rattles
Not the original sterring wheel that wheel came out of a 1984 to 1986 model Chrysler/Dodge / Plymouth product
Still have EFI ?
+Chief 1 It says someone took out the efi and put a carburetor on it. The EFI's were troublesome that year.
does that have a 318?
yes.
The speedometer at the time was only required to go up to 85 MPH.
+Cade Wiggins I know. That's what made it unusual that mine went past 85. The 85 limit was a US law, I assume my cluster may have been intended for export.
+carmine440 I appreciate the reply. Indeed it was unusual for the speedometer to go over 85 MPH. I was able to find that is was probably a replacement cluster with a retrofit kit.
+RetroGuy76 The music is just a generic disco track that came with my video editing program. It sounds a little like "Car Wash" by Rose Royce (to me).
+Cade Wiggins Well, you did have a speed limit of 55mph. Crazy, with suchcars with big engines. Here in Europe, a 1600cc 4 cylinder engine wasconsidered a "Big Engine" back in the 70's thru to the early 80's.
The 85 mph speedometer was mandatory in a stupid, futile attempt at better fuel economy. The thinking was, if my speedo only goes to 85, I won't drive any faster. Thankfully, this nonsense law was repealed and once more auto makers could have their speedos read to whatever they wanted
Nice car
She ain't pretty but I still love her.
Chrysler at this time copy a lot from the Cadillac Seville in 1981-82
More like the Buick Riviera
this is the only k-car edition of the imperial marque/nameplate. lee iococca brought this to us following the bailout. now Chrysler 200s are made by fiat incorporated. oh well.
Dumbass, it's a RWD car. Why do idiots feel such a need to comment?
m smith I'm in the wrong, the very LAST thing bearing the name imperial, was some kind of k-car LeBaron piece of shit. it must have happened later. or maybe not. you gotta admit, this one was one vinyl covered p.o.s. front drive OR rear drive!
The 1991 to 1993 model Imperial was loosely based on the K car but this model was based on the Aspen/Volare chassis. Most related to the 1980 to 1983 Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Mirada.
haha 100o's cops and robber films were made here in the 70's.
Sadly dats of cars like that, with personality and style, are far gone. I really like the car, however the rear bumper just looks really out of place. I suspect it's required for some pussy government law, but rear on, the car looks awkward. I would still own one, though. I've never seen one in Australia.
the trunk looks like a after thought
The styling department probably saw the 1980/81 Cadillac Seville 'bustleback' and thought "Yeah, we'd better put a trunk on it after all!"
I dont understand your comment...Chrysler designed this car in the late 1970's..around 1976/77 for the the 1980 model year..How could the styling department at chrysler,see a 1980/81 Caddy and say they need a trunk..hmm..
@01trsmar, that is easy. It was also designed in '76 - '77, and they all crossbreed.
Lame no horsrpower
Put in a new hemi
not deserving of the Imperial name.
There was no disco in 1981. Do your research!!!
Disco was still alive and kickin in 1981.
Rubbish, there was disco musics and disco bars in the early 1980’s
the imperial was a toilet car. with a 318 lean burn system was junk.
What a horrendous vehicle. One darth vader could call his own
I've never seen a black one, but Lord Vader would love that.
they tri