PREVIOUS: Imperial History: the 1950s
1960 Imperial: Special attention was directed toward passenger comfort: seat cushions were padded with nearly six inches of foam rubber; instrument panel gauges were illuminated by the soft glow of electroluminescent lighting; swivel front seats became available. The LeBaron shown here took on a "town car" look with small rear window.
1961 Imperial: A new front end design featured individual head lamps, each standing on its own base. Safety padding was used on the steering wheel crossbar, and the top and bottom portions of the instrument panel. Steering wheels had a new oval shape with flats at the top and bottom of the wheel.
1962 Imperial: At 227.1 inches, Imperial continued to be one of the longest cars built in the United States. A new vacuum suspended-type power brake replaced the air-suspended unit used previously, and a small lightweight reduction gear starting motor was introduced. The LeBaron Southampton is shown here.
1963 Imperial: Imperial joined other industry cars in reporting interior dimensions based on a seating design and measuring system that utilized a two-dimensional manikin in its seated attitude in a car. All Imperials were painted in acrylic enamel paint that was hand buffed before the cars left the assembly line. Shown here is the Crown Four-Door.
1964 Imperial: An indication of how complex things can become in the automotive industry is attested by the fact that Imperial offered an amazing total of 776 color and trim combinations among its four cars. The Crown Coupe with a LeBaron type rear window was a new offering. The Custom series was eliminated. Shown here is the Crown Four-Door.
1965 Imperial: Head lamps were covered over by a pane of flat tempered glass. Inlays of rich walnut veneer decorated the steering wheel, instrument panel and door trim to give only a hint of Imperial luxury. A master gauge flashed a warning light on the instrument panel if fuel level, oil pressure or engine temperature needed attention.
1966 Imperial: Imperial four-door models were highlighted by new 50/50 front bench seats. Each half could be adjusted independently of the other. This included the center armrest which also was divided down the middle. A new grille and deck lid shape were the primary appearance changes. Shown here is the Crown Four-Door.
1967 Imperial: This year Imperial gained both unit-body chassis and optional AM/FM stereos; sales shot up, and nearly all had air conditioning and tinted glass, though most did not have cruise control or bucket seats. The unit body construction allowed Chrysler to drop around two hundred pounds from the vehicle weight while improving cornering.
1968 Imperial: Only minor trim changes were made for the 1968 Imperials. As in 1967, Imperials used unit body construction, an arrangement which allowed component sharing between Chrysler and Imperial to reduce costs. Chrysler sales at this time were strong, and the attractive Chrysler probably drew some buyers from the Imperial. Shown here is the LeBaron.
1969 Imperial: The
Fuselage Look was how Chrysler described its new styling. Instead of the square lines of 1964-68, the new Imperials featured high rounded sides, bulging at the belt line, and tucking in down to the rocker panels. This new styling not only made the cars look longer and wider, it also surrounded the passengers in a hull-like fashion, similar to an aircraft, hence the reference to "fuselage". The curved side glass, which had been pioneered in America by Imperial in 1957, had a much tighter radius, while the increased curvature of the body sides permitted the window frames to be moved outboard at their bases, resulting in an increase in shoulder room without an increase in overall body width compared to the previous C-body. Shown here is the LeBaron 4-door hardtop.
NEXT: Imperial History: the 1970s