1963 IMPERIAL CROWN SOUTHAMPTON two-door hardtop. This is a "California black plate car" which never left the State before 2005 when it was brought to New York. (Plates in California are issued to a car when originally registered, and stay with it from owner to owner. Black colored plates were used from 1963 to 1969; if a car still has them it's a good bet to be rust free.) This is an older restoration, which was completed in 1990, when the car was owned by well known California collector Walter Shearer. It made it's post restoration debut in a beautifully photographed profile published in the August, 1990 issue of CAR COLLECTOR MAGAZINE. You can visit the remarkable ONLINE IMPERIAL CLUB site to see the original article showing this actual car:

http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/63CarCollector/index.htm.

As an aside, you will not find a more comprehensive, helpful and fully delineated website anywhere dedicated to a single automotive marque than the Online Imperial Club. You'll be astounded by it's comprehensiveness, and you'll gain an idea of just how quietly fanatic the owners of this fine automobile are about their mounts. Through said site you will enjoy the best support by your peers that any classic car owner could hope for: http://www.imperialclub.com/.

*THE LAST OF THE "EXNER" IMPERIALS: The legendary head of Chrysler Styling, Virgil Exner was a classic car buff of the first order as well as a visionary designer. The muscular proportions of the current 300-C sedan have a direct line back to the fabulous Chrysler show cars of the early 1950s, such as the K-310 and D'Elegance, that were designed under his direction. With the Imperials of 1961-63, Exner sought to pay tribute to the great luxury cars of the 1930s by incorporating an updated vision of their design details. This resulted in the famous free standing headlamps, a stamped, chrome-decorated halo evoking a spare tire on the boot lid, and a grill that emulated that of the famed "coffin nosed" Cord of 1937.

This ultimate revision of the 1961 body by Exner tamed the baroque curves of the '61-'62 models, with a squared, more formal roof line, and the deletion of the "gunsite" tail lamps that had been a signal Imperial feature since 1955. Many aficionados of the nameplate feel the 1963 model is among the handsomest of all Imperials.

*BEST BIG ROAD CARS OF THEIR DAY: With their torsion bar suspensions, Imperials were considered by many to be the best handling big cars of their era. Legendary auto tester of MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED magazine, "Uncle" Tom McCahill drove a '62 model, and called it the best highway car in the world. Indeed, the car remains, even by today's standards, a quiet, controlled powerhouse, and exhibits a kind of luxury-to-sportiness quotient that was rare in a high end tourer of that era.

 *STANDARD FEATURES AND OPTIONS: This Crown Southampton has envied standard features as well as desirable options not found on many competitors, nor even on some Imperials of its day:

*"MAYAN GOLD" metallic paint, a color not available on lesser Chrysler Corp. brands.

*413 cid, 340 hp V-8 with PUSHBUTTON TORQUEFLITE automatic transmission.

* RARE DUAL AIR CONDITIONING: A double unit, with outlets on the dash as well as the rear package shelf, providing a "central air" effect. Just 60% of  '63 Imperials other than LeBarons were equipped with A/C, many fewer with Dual Air.

* CRUISE CONTROL: Chrysler Auto Pilot, considered the best of its day.

 * AUTRONIC EYE and MIRRORMATIC electronic rear view mirror: The former dims the lights when it senses oncoming headlamps; the latter dims lights reflected into the driver's eyes. The MirrorMatic is especially fun, as it has a mechanical action. The electric eye in its face trips a solenoid inside, and the angle of the mirror flips with an audible "clack".

* SIGNAL SEEKING RADIO with power antenna.

* REMOTE POWER TRUNK RELEASE in glove compartment.

* POWER steering, windows, vent windows, brakes, seats.

*ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS. Very rare in 1963; can be hooked up for keyless entry.

*REMOTE CONTROL DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR (cable activated).

*"FLITESWEEP TRUNKLID": Optional "spare tire cover" embossed on the trunk lid. This had been a standard Imperial design feature for years, but was deleted in the 1962 models. Complaints by owners brought it back in 1963, but as an option ($59!) not a standard feature. On '63s, it helps provide a bit of zing to an aft end that looks a bit stark without it.

CONDITION: This Southampton has worn its 20-year old restoration fairly well, but could use freshening up. The PAINT on the sides is still shiny, but years in the California sun dulled the horizontal surfaces to the point where a repaint of tops of the nose and tail might be in order for showing. There are clear demarkation lines for repainting sections; the chrome moulding that runs fully around the body is a useful color break. There are minor scratches on the body sides. This car has no, nor has ever had any body rust, and there is no filler detectable anywhere.

The bumpers are starting to show some rust along the tops; other chrome plating, such as the headlamps and window frames show aging, but as is always the case with Chrysler products, the stainless mouldings on the sides are beautiful.

The WHEEL COVERS exhibit a few dents and scratches.

The ENGINE COMPARTMENT is dull but clean, with just a bit of flaking on one of the valve covers, and the TRUNK is in nice shape.

The INTERIOR is presentable. It's a nice gold/beige combination in fabric, leather and/or vinyl, and rather bright and "60's modern" in design. The square steering wheel is a hoot. There are no rips, but there is some water spotting on the front seats near the doors due to the old weather stripping allowing some rain leakage. The windshield header also has a leak. The whole could use a good detailing, and it would be wise to replace as much weatherstripping as possible. There is minor misshaping of the soft mouldings around the shift quadrant and heater controls.

MECHANICAL ISSUES:

 * STEERING BOX: This has been adjusted to its limit, and should be rebuilt. These are enormous, heavy cars, and a lot of stress goes through the steering box!  It exhibits wander at high speed.

* POWER STEERING PUMP makes a knocking sound;

*RIGHT EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET leaks when cold.

 *DASH ELECTRONICS: Entire dash, including radio, sometimes shuts down, except for Ammeter and, of course, speedometer. When working, the electroluminescent gauges work but are not overbright.

The POWER ANTENNA switch functions at all times.

*CRUISE CONTROL: Unplugged; not known if it functions.

 *AUTRONIC EYE does not work; has an electron tube inside, which could burn out .

*RADIO exhibits a high pitched squeal at times, although signal seeking works.

 *DOME LIGHT Needs a lens.

*PUSHBUTTON TRANS ACTUATOR: Vacuum actuator on dash can be a little slow on startup in cold weather. Automatic shifts up and down gears with no issues.

*POWER WINDOWS can be a bit balky. Driver's works well; passengers windows vary. Right  front motor rebuilt in 2007. Window channels might well be replaced, and the windows adjusted for better movement, as those other than the driver's can hang up.

POWER VENT WINDOWS are functional.

 In general, the electrics inside the car are in need of sharpening up; for example, windows and door locks across the cabin work better using their own switches rather than those at the driver's side.

WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE: * BRAKES completely rebuilt in summer of 2006. Drums turned as needed, all hydraulics freshened or replaced. Should not be an issue. 

*COIL replaced summer 2005

*FUEL PUMP replaced, summer 2007

*AIRTEMP DUAL AIR CONDITIONER rebuilt, summer 2006.  DUAL UNITS, front and rear provide a cabin that feels like central air in a house: Draft free, and quiet!

*NEW TIRES: 4 Cooper whitewall radials in correct size fitted summer of 2007. Left front has a slow leak around the wheel.SPARE is slightly undersized.

 *CRANK PULLEY replaced summer 2007. These pulleys feature a vulcanized cushion, designed to absorb the shock of turning on the air conditioner at speed. When grease sits on this rubber for 40 years, it fails! Got a nice used one from a supplier, replaced all belts. *FRONT SEAT BELTS: New, matching color, period design, installed summer 2005.

*CENTER BADGE, AKA FLITESWEEP EMBLEM in embossed false spare tire on trunk lid: Replaced with reproduction by Emblemagic. This company uses the best original they can find to produce copies that vary in quality from marque to marque. Their IMPERIAL emblem includes a crack that was faithfully reproduced from the original! However, it looks much better than the old one did (see a picture of it in the COLLECTOR CAR pictorial).

DRIVING: This imperial starts easily, and drives well, notwithstanding the steering box issues described above. It's amazingly agile for a 19 foot long, nearly 5,000 lb. car, and much less a barge than a Cadillac, due to the torsion bar front suspension. It's also very quiet, as bespeaks its luxo car heritage. In town, it's a little scary because of the generous width. These cars were, in fact, larger in almost every dimension than a Caddy. But on the highway, or even in the twisties (within reason!) it comes into its own.

There is a slight hesitation at times when starting out, but nothing annoying. May be just a float adjustment necessary.

EXTRAS: Along with the car come a period sales brochure, repair manual... and some mouldings as well as an extra gauge assembly. A California Car cover is included. CONCLUSION:

A "fifteen-footer" (too nice to be called a "twenty-footer"!), this car can be used as is, although the steering box issue must be addressed to make it an easy ride. A feasible investment might make it really nice,  Its many modern options alleviate the "old car shock" that many people feel by comparison to the assumed luxury of their contemporary vehicle, and its minor celebrity as a "Magazine Car" is a neat addition: You can always direct people to the Online Imperial Club website to get a good look at it!

ADDENDUM: In the hilarious 1962 movie, "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", a seven car race towards the possible burial place of a stolen $350,000 shows how highly regarded Imperials were in their day. Riding in the last vehicle, in a snaking caravan slowed to a snail's pace like a closed course bicycle duel, the famous Broadway star and stentorian vocalist Ethel Merman, playing the part of the "Mother-In-Law Back Seat Driver", cries, "We're in the IMPERIAL, and we're running LAST?"