For Sale 1981 Imperial for Sale - Mint Low Miles
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70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
I'll say too rich for my cheap ***, plus as Steve said I would ruin it by driving the hell out of it.
a post above noted the "bustle back" look of Cadillac Seville.
In 1980 Cadillac "shocked" everybody with their retro redo of the Seville. They went back to the look of their (and other makes) 1930's design for luxury..the long hood/really short deck look. And to Front Wheel Drive.
The 80 Seville, a polarizing design, improved the vehicles sales. These Imps were in design when Seville came out fall 1979, so its interesting how Chrysler knew what to try, or maybe they rushed their bustle back Imps into production?
I think Lincoln tried it a few years later too .. the bustle back look in '82 or '83?
Anyway, take a peek.
In 1980 Cadillac "shocked" everybody with their retro redo of the Seville. They went back to the look of their (and other makes) 1930's design for luxury..the long hood/really short deck look. And to Front Wheel Drive.
The 80 Seville, a polarizing design, improved the vehicles sales. These Imps were in design when Seville came out fall 1979, so its interesting how Chrysler knew what to try, or maybe they rushed their bustle back Imps into production?
I think Lincoln tried it a few years later too .. the bustle back look in '82 or '83?
Anyway, take a peek.
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commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Plausible and likely.
The '74 Imp was a last minute decision.
The' 74 model year for Chrysler was already locked in with no Imperial.
A designer did a "what if" and the rest is history.
Love! the paint scheme...
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
hey commando1, we MAY owe Chrysler an apology...maybe GM was the copy cat?
In case these are not legible, here is link:
Hemmings - December 2006 - Steven N. Bollinger Chrysler Design Specialist - 1981 Imperial
In case these are not legible, here is link:
Hemmings - December 2006 - Steven N. Bollinger Chrysler Design Specialist - 1981 Imperial
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70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
Two words, corporate spies.
Nice job Stan.
Nice job Stan.
78Brougham
"Chump"
Great looking Imperial Glenn! I've always loved the looks of this vintage. Maybe one day I'll get one.
goldfish65
Active Member
I always thought they're cool-looking. Funny, as a kid I used to sketch my ideas for "cool-looking" cars and I went through a phase of drawing that tapering belt-line and angular c-pillar, this was before that bodystyle came out... One thing that is sad is the plastic around the bumpers doesn't hold up well, I guess you have to know of a technique to restore it.
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
The bad-plastic-around the bumpers is a problem I've seen on Cordobas/Miradi, but never Imperials. Probably a different vendor/material.
In the late 70s/early 80s, everyone was doing "retro" 1930s luxury touches. Giant whitewalls, upright grilles, fender vents, two-tones, padded tops and yes, bustleback trunks. (Lincoln also did them on the '82 Continental Sedan.)
Personally I think the Imperial did the best job on the trunk (which also gave it useful space, unlike brands C & L). I also like the mix of both retro and "futuristic" styling cues (the narrow full width tail lamps, minimal ornamentation, near-flush glass, molded fascias + digital dash and EFI as functional items)
I have a lot of internal memos regarding the planning of this car. I recall customer clinics really thought the Mark VI styling was terrible when compared to Imperial. The decklid fit was given extra labor time to assure it would close with a finger tip touch, vs. the additional cost of an electric pulldown. Imperial body panels were thicker steel, this was done after a cost/benefit study of typical panel damage done in material handling vs. new dunnage to prevent damage. It's interesting stuff, lol.
In the late 70s/early 80s, everyone was doing "retro" 1930s luxury touches. Giant whitewalls, upright grilles, fender vents, two-tones, padded tops and yes, bustleback trunks. (Lincoln also did them on the '82 Continental Sedan.)
Personally I think the Imperial did the best job on the trunk (which also gave it useful space, unlike brands C & L). I also like the mix of both retro and "futuristic" styling cues (the narrow full width tail lamps, minimal ornamentation, near-flush glass, molded fascias + digital dash and EFI as functional items)
I have a lot of internal memos regarding the planning of this car. I recall customer clinics really thought the Mark VI styling was terrible when compared to Imperial. The decklid fit was given extra labor time to assure it would close with a finger tip touch, vs. the additional cost of an electric pulldown. Imperial body panels were thicker steel, this was done after a cost/benefit study of typical panel damage done in material handling vs. new dunnage to prevent damage. It's interesting stuff, lol.
I have always loved the '80s Imps, but equally despised the Sevilles. One reason is I really liked the original Seville and thought they simply killed it!
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