Car & Classic Dealer

Hyman Ltd Classic Cars

2310 Chaffee Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63146

63146

1955 Imperial Limousine For Sale

As Chrysler rolled into the 1950s, they were buoyed by strong sales and a booming economy. In 1949, Virgil Exner had joined Chrysler’s advanced styling department in a move that signaled company bosses were ready to move away from their somewhat stodgy image and into a bright new future as a style leader in the American marketplace. Exner still had to fight to wrest control of the entire design process from the engineering department, which he finally did achieve. Also during his time at Chrysler, Exner pursued his appetite for European design and developed a fruitful relationship with Gigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia of Italy; the two men working closely together on a number of projects including the Chrysler Ghia Specials and a series of truly spectacular show cars that finally put Chrysler’s “styled by engineers” reputation to bed.

Exner’s work with Ghia helped to influence regular production cars as well. Although he was yet to be designing full production cars, Chrysler’s offerings in the early 1950s were already looking leaner and more graceful, with finer details and more cohesive style. Soon, Exner’s work hit the ground with one of his first full designs for Chrysler, the fabulous 1955 Imperial; the pinnacle of “The Forward Look” design theme. The Imperial nameplate had long been associated with the finest vehicles Chrysler had to offer, and from its first appearance in the 1920s, Imperial was synonymous with luxury, performance and exceptional build quality. An evolution of Imperial began in 1949 with Exner’s arrival as they expanded the range in an effort to better align themselves with Cadillac and Lincoln. By 1955, Chrysler would register Imperial as a separate marque. While they didn’t achieve the success they had hoped for (namely due to a lack of stand-alone Imperial showrooms) some rather incredible machines came out of Imperial over the next decade.

In celebration of Imperial becoming a stand-alone brand, the new models featured Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” styling, complete with a unique egg-crate split-grille treatment that set the Imperial apart. Borrowing from the Ghia-designed K-310 and d’Elegance concept cars, distinctive “gun sight” tail lights were fitted to the tops of the quarters. The standard range consisted of a sedan, hardtop and convertible while the most discerning buyers could opt for the costly but beautiful factory built 70-series Limousine and 8-passenger sedan. With these ultra-luxury machines, Imperial had hoped to steal some of the thunder from the dominant Cadillac Series 75 in the home-grown limousine market; achieving just that when Dwight D. Eisenhower selected a Derham-modified Crown Imperial as his presidential limousine in 1955.

This 1955 Crown Imperial C-70 limousine (Chassis C551030) is one of just 172 long-wheelbase Imperials built during the first year of The Forward Look. Of those 172, a mere 45 were equipped as 8-passenger sedans (simply that a divider window was not fitted) of which this car is one. This is a cohesive and sound example of this rare and elegant automobile – the ultimate expression of mid-century American luxury. This car presents in good condition, with many original components and fittings. The Rhapsody blue paintwork appears older yet shows well with a bit of patina showing in places, though remaining generally quite attractive overall. The extensive chrome and stainless brightwork all shows in respectable order, free from any serious dings or dents and importantly, remains complete. The bumpers and trim are all intact and straight, again with some patina to be found in places, but in keeping with the quality of the rest of this Imperial. The car earned an AACA National First Prize Senior award in 2008.

The interior is trimmed in medium blue leather up front, which presents in very good condition. Originally equipment included a power adjustable seat, power steering and power brakes as standard. Rear occupants enjoy the lap of luxury on seats trimmed in light blue upholstery with silver-metallic inserts as original. A pair of broadcloth jumpseats fold from the floor, and the carpets are in good order, though showing some age. The upholstery quality is generally quite good, and most of the chrome fittings and switches appear to be in original condition. In addition to the luxurious trimmings, this car is fitted with optional electric windows, Town & Country signal-seek radio and the rare and expensive option of Chrysler Airtemp air-conditioning; a trunk mounted unit with outlets on the rear parcel shelf.

Chrysler’s 331 cubic inch Hemi V8 is nicely detailed and well exhibited in the engine bay. Numerous factory style decals and labels adorn the engine and surrounding ancillaries, and the engine is finished in correct colors. The Hemi is mated to a PowerFlite automatic, shifted via a fascia-mounted lever. The engine runs well, and delivers a very respectable driving experience.

These factory built limousines were some of the finest American automobiles of their day, but due to the cost and complexity of a full restoration, many 70-series Imperials have been neglected over the years. It is difficult to find such a well-presented and usable example such as this AACA Senior award winner; a rare and desirable limousine that is well-suited for regular enjoyment.



$69, 500
STOCK NUMBER 6043
For immediate assistance please call us at +1-the details below

This advert has now been removed through sale or otherwise.
Please see the list below for similar live adverts.

Similar Adverts

Original 1961 Ferrari 250GTE Series I 2+2 by Pininfarina with Matching Numbers This 1961 Ferrari 250GTE Series I 2+2 by Pininfarna is an extremely original matching numbers example that's been sitting in storage patiently awaiting straightforward restoration. Attractive black over burgundy leather interior. An unrestored ...

27 Mar 2024
United States

KOMBI SAFÁRI KARMANN GHIA - YEAR 1982 - RELIC! VEHICLE DESCRIPTION Volkswagen Kombi BRAND: Karmann Ghia MODEL: Safari ASSEMBLY YEAR: 1982 CHASSIS YEAR: 1982 ACCOMMODATIONS: 4 people Additional Information KOMBI SAFÁRI KARMANN GHIA - YEAR 1982 - RELIC! VEHICLE COLLECTOR'S BLACK PLATE. IMPECCABLE! Only ...

23 Mar 2024
Brazil

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SL Convertible This car just came in.More information and additional pictures will follow as soon as possible.For more information you should contact us.US Import, This car already has been imported in the European Union.All import taxes and fees are already paid for.The car has a US Title and EU ...

102,529
22 Mar 2024
Germany

Simca 9 Sport Red very original car with some periodic options Simca 9 Sport Blue ,with 2 single carburatorset and very clean old restauration Simca Aronde 1951 preserie very unic Very Unic cars Both eglible for Mille Miglia Rally - Tour Auto & more ...

21 Mar 2024
Belgium

Project: Berna was a Swiss manufacturer of busses and lorries and existed form 1965 to 1978. This Berna 5U 550 T2LM-K is in exceptional original condition with only 395,000 km on the clock. The tipper has 3 axles which allows for backward and both left and right sideways tipping. The chassis is completely original and ...

395,323
21 Mar 2024
Netherlands
20
Picture of 1951 Pegaso Z-102 GT Berlinetta Enasa - For Sale

“Spains fabulous flying horse”. The Pegaso automobile was a supercar developed in Spain under the supervision of Enasa (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, SA), a National company that produced buses and trucks. Under the direction of Pegaso was Mr. Wilfredo Ricart, a visionary Spanish engineer from the developing ...

15 Mar 2024
Belgium
Premium Dealer (see stock)
35
Picture of 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190SL - For Sale

Hilton & Moss are pleased to bring this beautiful Mercedes-Benz (W121) 190SL to the market. The 190SL model was produced from May 1955 to 1963 making this a particularly early example first registered in the US in February 02 1956. This means that this vehicle is fitted with the rare (W198) 300SL bucket style seats.   This ...

95,000
19 Mar 2024
Hertfordshire
Premium Verified Dealer (see stock)
14
Picture of 2008 Caparo T1 - For Sale

The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat automobile built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, engineers formerly involved in the development of the McLaren F1 .The T1 was inspired by Formula One design, and intended ...

500
19 Mar 2024
Norfolk
Premium Verified Dealer (see stock)