I finally bought an Imperial

[chrysler_fan]

Your car:
Sequential Production Number (SPN): 201437
Scheduled Production Date (SPD): 530
Month-Date-Hour: 060711

Comparing this to my modest data base of 1974 East Jefferson-produced cars, I get the following.
East Jefferson also produced Chryslers (New Yorker and Newport) and Plymouth/Dodge/Chrysler station wagons. Those all contribute to the SPN value.
The highest SPN at East Jefferson is 222311, a Newport, SPD 722, MDH 071008. A still higher SPD, for another Newport, is 724. So they kept planning and producing C-bodies well into July, 1974.

Restricting this to Imperials, the picture is somewhat different. The highest SPN I have is 198301, SPD 513. This one also came with the Crown Coupe package.
So your 201437 stands out in this data base as the highest SPN known for a 1974 Imperial.

Your go-to page is <1974 - 1975 (Chrysler) Imperial WPC News Article> where it reads: "The 1974 Imperial was introduced on September 25, 1973, and the last 1974 Imperial was assembled on July 3, 1974". No idea whether "assembled" refers to the SPD or the MDH, as these things tend to get mixed up in the mind of some enthusiasts.

Summing up:

1974 Imperials w/Crown Coupe Package (V4Y)
YM23T4C180859, SPD 429
YM23T4C190858 (redone in black)
YM23T4C198301, SPD 513
YM23T4C201437, SPD 530

54 53 fender tags to go!

based on the VIN sequence and SPD for crown coupe package you listed, are those the only ones we know of that have surfaced with an owner who cared about the limited production to join in our discussions? I am glad to now be the highest VIN of the crown coupe packages until and unless someone else chimes in with their data.

 

[Imperialnut]

I know the 74 Imperial is not exactly a C body but they evolved into C body until the 78 model year phased out the big cars. I finally bought an Imperial yesterday on BAT. It is one of only 57 1974 Imperial LeBaron 2 door hardtops with the Crown Coupe package. Am hoping I can keep it as good as possible and fix a couple things with help from my friend who is a retired MOPAR technician He also owns 1 1978 NYB St Regis (all white). Likely will be back with lots of questions over the months ahead. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this board.

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Cool car well done on a quality and very nice looking purchase

 

[PeugFra]

based on the VIN sequence and SPD for crown coupe package you listed, are those the only ones we know of that have surfaced with an owner who cared about the limited production to join in our discussions?

I just harvested these data from the internet over the course of the last five years. For the black one I didn't see the fender tag myself, but the owner posted his VIN. The link to his story is in the post on the black car.

I wish there would be more data published on the 1974 Crown Coupe. Owners of such a rare car could easily share some more with us.

The Crown Coupe VINs are naturally at the high end of the scale, because ordering only started mid-year.

 

[marko]

i always thought they cheapened the allure of the crown coupe roof option by also having the st regis roof option on newports and nybs.
they should have kept it as an imperial exclusive for at least a year

 

[marko]

and here's what not to do to a formal, let alone a crown coupe imp

 

[Scoopy G]

Very well bought!! I'm nearly as jealous as the '67 Imp Crown for $6969 on BAT a short time back.

BTW, I took the '67 Newport across the state to visit with the in-laws over in Cocoa Beach this week. She ran great at 70-75 over and back, and the 383 2bbl got 15mpg. It's funny, when I drive the car around, people just love it...honks, thumbs up, people snapping photos with their phones constantly. If I bring it to a cruise in or car show, nobody looks at it.

Happy C-body New year from Tampa!

 

[PeugFra]

and here's what not to do to a formal, let alone a crown coupe imp

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I've hardly ever seen a car on which the Continental look actually looked good.

The Continental look was meant to evoke the "wide open road", "no-limits" feeling. A combination of the limo with an off-road look, not unlike our present-day "Stadtgeländewagen", "Geländelimousinen" aka SUVs. It probably originated from the spare wheel mounted vertically on the rear of WW2 Jeeps.

Exner went after that with his spare-wheel bulge in the deck. Although clearly an optical illusion, it didn't alter the overall dimensions of the car that much. But the Continental look cannot do without dimensional and structural changes and just screams "Look at me, I am an add-on". Makes me think of the way fake boobs or rather buttocks stick out.

 

[relbmar16]

Thank you. I was afraid since many Imperial VIN start with "Y" (instead of the Chrysler "C") that they were not the C class of Chrysler. Do any of you now how the VIN serial number part from those years work. My car was built 530 (cowl tag) and June 74 on the door sticker. The last digits of the VIN are over 200000 We know they did not build that many Imperials in a year. Could that have included Chrysler too? I am assuming my car is late in model year but not sure how close the end of the 74 run it was Crown coupe was a spring special feature so none of them would have bene built early in the model year.

The C Body reference isn't referring to the VIN number but the actual name of the Platform. Imperial's from 1958 thru 1966 were the D Platform, body on frame designation. When Imperial was switched to the C platform, in 1967 it became correct to say it's a C body car. So C body is any Mopar vehicle using the C Platform. Only 1967 thru 1975 do Imperials become C body cars. I hope that helps you.

 

[chipieal]

The one thing i never understood about this era of Imperial was why the wheel was black? This was common on the 74's. I know from personal experience that the 73's were color coordinated and that the NYB's were also.