The 1951 - 1954 Chrysler Imperial was the highest class of Chrysler , a car vie with the likes of Cadillac , Packard , and Lincoln . Imperials received the best cloth and componentry Chrysler had in the 1951 - 1954 catamenia ( Ausco - Lambertdisc brakes , the biggest hemi V-8 , and Fluid - Torque Drive or Powerflite transmission all standard ) and naturally offer the best grade of upholstery . Like Cadillac and Lincoln , Chrysler Imperial never offered a place paddy wagon .
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The 1951 hemi - head V-8 was as renowned for Chrysler Imperial as the lesserChryslermodels , though arguably more important in the Imp ’s luxuriousness market . Imperial ’s price range ( $ 3,661 - 4,402 ) put it far up the weighing machine than Cadillac ( $ 2,810 - 4,142 ) , Lincoln ( $ 2,529 - 3,950 ) , and the aged Packard ( $ 3,234 - 3,662 ) , and it certainly involve thehemipower . But Imperial on a regular basis track all these in sales ( even the senior Packard outsold it two - to - one in 1951 ) – partially because of its trope as a Chrysler rather than an Imperial ; partially because of its dowdy styling .
further up the scale of measurement in extra - tenacious - wheelbase district resided the Crown Imperial – also a Chrysler in these years , but built on a 145.5 - inch wheelbase to rival the Cadillac Seventy - Five and , in 1953 - 1954 , the Packard Executive sedan and Corporation limo . Again , the Crown Imperial make only a fraction of Cadillac ’s sale , and barely keep pace with Packard ’s . Its obvious figure problem tells why Chrysler decided to run Imperial as a freestanding make for 1955 .
Least common of the 1951 - 1954 Chrysler Imperials ( and conversely most desirable today ) was the convertible modelling , which saw only 650 sales in 1951 , was dropped , and seem only as a solitary epitome in 1954 . climb up on the longest stock wheelbase , it was quite alike to the New Yorkerconvertibleexcept in cost – it cost $ 4,402 , about $ 500 more . This moved it beforehand of the former champion , Packard ’s Custom Eight Victoria , as the individual most expensive non - limo production car on the American market . It also explains why so few found buyers .
For more on the 1951 - 1954 Chrysler Imperial and its variations , go to the next page .
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Continued
The 1951 , 1952 , 1953 , and 1954 Chrysler Imperial also offered other models . A club coupe was extend during 1951 and 1952 , a relatively trim looking model , but another slow seller ( about 3,500 in two years ) . Another two - threshold , the Imperial Newport hardtop , was always in the lineup , touting transmutable - like airiness , a part - leather DoI , and an talkative ( for Chrysler ) glass area .
Virgil Exner , who had been hired by from Studebaker to join Chrysler styling in 1949 , effected betterment in the facial expression of Chryslers from 1953 on . They develop into a more shapely form – but most any form felt soothing to the eye after the upright - oblongs of 1949 - 1952 . There was more chicken feed ; windscreen became swerve , one - piece units ; and all sense of grim caverns inside the railcar vanish , helped by a large , wraparound rear window . While the Chrysler Imperial ’s grille duplicated that of 1951 - 1952 , the near - vertical eagle hood ornament stood out as a unique touch .
Though lesser Chrysler models had been reduced in bulk , Chrysler Imperial – striving for a greater ocular difference – was flesh out to a 133.5 - in wheelbase for four - threshold models . An interesting new model debut as the Chrysler Town Limousine , fitted with a division windowpane and ride this stock wheelbase . Unfortunately , the idea of providing a " summary " limousine for chauffeur - driven city work had little appeal . product of Town Limousines amounted to 243 units in 1953 and only 85 in 1954 . All standard cars in these two model years were denote to as " Custom imperial , " though there was nothing custom about them .
The Chrysler Crown Imperial on its long wheelbase continue as before in these years , but production made it rare even then : a simple 48 farsighted sedans and 111 limousines in 1953 ; another 23 sedans and 77 limousines for 1954 . Unlike the Cadillac Seventy - Five , Chrysler did not cater to the commercial-grade consistence builder with this modeling : Only one stripped chassis is heel in company records , and that for a limited parade mannikin .
Check out the specifications of the 1951 - 1954 Chrysler Imperial on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 Chrysler Imperial Specifications
The 1951 , 1952 , 1953 , and 1954 Chrysler Imperial marked a novel earned run average in sumptuosity for the Chrysler potbelly . Though Chrysler offered variations of its majestic line – including a abruptly - lived Town limousine – it was the original Imperial model which had the most success . Check out the specifications of the 1951 - 1954 Chrysler Imperial below .
Specifications
locomotive : ohv V-8 , 331.1 cid ( 3.81 × 3.63 ) ; 1951 - 1953 180 bhp ; 1954 235 bhp
Transmission:1951 - 1953 Fluid - Torque Drive 1954 Powerflite robotic
Suspension , front : independent , scroll saltation , tube-shaped structure shocks
abeyance , rearward : alive axle , leaf springs , tube shocks
Brakes : front / rear drums ; discs optional ( standard on Crown Imperial )
Wheelbase ( in.):1951 - 1952 , 1953 - 1954 Newport 131.5 ; 1953 - 1954 sedan & Town limo 133.5 ; Crown Imperial 145.5
Weight ( lbs):4,230 - 4,570 ; Crown Imperial 5,220 - 5,450
Top pep pill ( mph):100 - 105
0 - 60 mph ( sec):11.0 - 13.0
