Tag Archives: Imperial

Simulated Walnut Grain – Chrysler Town & Country

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Twenty five years after the original Chrysler Town & Country Barrel Back Estate / Wagon was first seen the forth post war generation Town & Country Estate / Wagon was launched in 1965.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Elwood Engel was responsible for the design which featured a unitary body with a 121 inch wheelbase.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The 220 inch body of the fourth generation Town & Country used a combination of torsion bar front suspension and leaf sprung rear suspension and was initially available with either a 270 hp or high compression 305 hp motor, the latter requiring premium fuel.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Push button activated automatic transmission was deleted in favour of a near ubiquitous PRNDL selector that could be either floor or steering column mounted for the standard Torqueflite automatic transmission.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Despite the Chrysler Imperial Crown having standard disc brakes since 1950, they were still optional on the fourth generation Town & Country.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

By 1968 the lower powered Town Country produced 290 hp from it’s two barrel carburetor 383 cui V8.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

’68 model Town & Country models, the last of the fourth generation, are also distinguished by their mandatory side running lights and the introduction of simulated wood panels, reprising the genuine wood panels last seen on the Town & Country models in 1950.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Today’s featured ’68 Town & Country was first registered in the UK on 17th September 2012.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The car seen at an Avenue Drivers Club meeting in Bristol earlier this year is shown as running a 7.2 litre / 440 cui motor of a type not seen until 1971 on the fifth generation post war Town & Country.

Thanks for joining me on this “Simulated Walnut Grain” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for a Festive Ferrari Friday. Wishing all GALPOT readers a Merry Christmas, don’t forget to come back now !

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Hemispherical FirePower – Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport

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The advantages of a hemispherical cylinder head are that it makes an efficient combustion chamber with minimal heat loss to the cylinder head, however there are numerous difficulties to be overcome to make such a head reliable and commercially viable due to the complexity of the cross flow valve gear, the need for domed piston crowns to attain the necessary compression ratio and the need for high octane fuel to prevent inefficient and destructive detonation in the combustion chamber.

Chrysler engineers began developing hemispherical combustion chambers in 1940 for an inverted V16 that powered a prototype for the P.47H Tunderbolt and was considered for the XP.60C, but the motor was so delayed it never went into production.

Later Chrysler also worked on a hemi head design with Continental for the 810hp Continental AV-1790-5B V12, air-cooled twin-turbo gasoline engine that powered the M47 Patton Tank which was manufactured from 1951 to 1953.

Chrysler New Yorker, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

In 1951 Chrysler introduced it’s first FirePower V8’s with hemispherical heads on the New Yorker and Imperial models and as an option for the Saratoga.

Bill Sterling and Robert H. Sandidge drove a Hemi powered Saratoga to a third place finish in the 1951 Carrera Panamericana finishing behind two Ferrari 212 Inters, less than 16 mins behind the winning car driven by Piero Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti.

Similarly Belgian Paul Frére drove Hemi powered Saratogas’s to class wins at the Mille Miglia and Spa 24 Hour races, Lee Petty won the first of his three NASCAR titles in 1954 scoring seven victories in Hemi powered Chryslers and Dodges.

Chrysler New Yorker, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

The grill on today’s featured car suggests that it is a Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport built for the 1954 model year which was fitted with a 235 hp version of the Hemi that was good for a theoretical top speed of 97 mph.

New Yorkers appeared on the Carrera Panamericana in 1951,’52 and ’53 but were not as successful as the Saratoga, Reginald McFee scored the models best result a 12th place finish in 1952.

Today’s featured New Yorker was driven on the 2011 Carrera Panamericana by David Buchanan and New York auto engineer Raffi Najjarian dropping out on day 2, I believe they finished third in class with the same car in the 2015 edition of the event.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs taken at Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hemispherical FirePower” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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FliteSweep Deck Lid – Imperial Crown

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In 1955 Chrysler turned the hitherto top of the Chrysler range Imperial model into an exclusive standing alone premium brand a division of Chrysler Corporation in much the same way as Continental became a premium division of Lincoln in 1956 and Cadillac has always been the premium division of General Motors.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

For 1957 the second generation Imperials were launched with wider platforms that were unique to the Imperial brand and wider than any of it’s rivals. Three motor options were available ranging from 6.4 litre / 392 cui Hemi’s to 7.2 litre / 440 cui Wedgeheads. So far as I have been able to determine from the DVLA records today’s featured ’57 Imperial Crown is fitted with a non standard MOPAR 6.2 litre 383 cui engine which did not go into production until 1959.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

A highly rated smooth ride was facilitated by Torsion-Aire suspension with torsion bars on the front and multi-leaf springs on the rear axle the benefits of which one critic elucidated thus “cornered at speed flatter than a tournament billiard table”.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Virgil Exner evolved his ‘Forward Look’ and 1955 “The New 100-Million Dollar Look” design themes on the 1957 Imperial which featured the FliteSweep Deck Lid complete with optional faux continental tyre bulge in the boot / trunk lid.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The gunsight tail lights were way ahead of the game and along with several other details would be a much copied feature on General Motors products from Buicks Buick, to Cadillacs over the following years.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

While power seats and dual exhausts were standard on all Imperials, Custom, Crown, LaBaron or custom built Crown Imperial trim levels were available according to the customers requirements.

Imperial Crown, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Despite being so far ahead of the curve in handling, styling and size the ’57 Imperials were outsold 1 to 3 by the ’57 Cadillacs.

Thanks for joining me on this “FliteSweep Deck Lid” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a highly collectible FIAT. Don’t forget to come back now !

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145 Inch Prototype – Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster Prototype

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In July 1930 Chrysler launched the second generation CG Imperial referred to in the sales literature as the Imperial 8.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The 8 referred to the new L head 6.3 litre 384.8 cubic-inch, nine-main bearing straight 8 motor which developed 125 horsepower in it’s original incarnation.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The CG’s chassis has an imposing 145″ wheel base, the same as a contemporary Duesenberg.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

Imperial 8’s could be ordered with either roadster, coupé, saloon / sedan or limousine bodies, the latter could be ordered with a way ahead of the curve dictaphone.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

This particular car photographed by Geoffrey Horton at the 2013 Desert Classic meet in Palm Springs is a 1931 CG with a prototype body by LeBaron.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

Unusually this roadster, which is believed to have been taken to the Chicago Auto Show, has no running boards.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

When the current owner bought this car he it restored in burgundy and silver in the absence of any knowledge as to the cars original colour scheme.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The 145″ CG Imperial 8’s were only manufactured for one year the succeeding CL only had a 133″ wheel base.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “145 Inch Prototype” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Guaranteed 80mph – Chrysler Imperial 80

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A year after founding Chrysler in 1925 and launching the first Chrysler cars Walter P Chrysler moved into the prestige segment of the automobile market occupied by Cadillac and Lincoln.

02 Chrysler Imperial 80_0192sc

The Chrysler Imperial 80 was first shown at the 1926 New York Show, the 80 signifying that the car was guaranteed to reach 80 mph.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

To meet the guaranteed top speed the Imperial was fitted with a 4.7 litre / 288 cui straight 6 which produced 92 horsepower, enough to propel the car from rest to 60 mph in less than 20 seconds with a gearbox that featured only 3 forward speeds.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The first generation Imperial was offered with a variety of bodies that included; roadster with rumble seat, four-seat coupé, five-passenger sedan or phaeton, and a seven-passenger limousine.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Motor cycle racer and later publisher Floyd Clymer drove a Chrysler Imperial 80 in 1926 from Denver to Kansas in just under 14 hours to average just over 51 mph over 700 miles, astonishing given that only 200 miles of the route was on paved roads.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The first generation Chrysler Imperial remained in production until 1930 by which time a four speed transmission was available.

Chrysler Imperial 80, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The Imperial 80 Roadster seen in these photo’s taken at last years Classic Run in Chipping Sodbury was first registered in the UK on the 23rd of October 1926.

Thanks for joining me on this “Guaranteed 80mph” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Luxury Elegant Loss Leader – Continental Mark II

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Continental was designed to be a stand alone luxury and elegance brand from Lincoln to compete with GM’s Cadillac and Chrysler’s Imperial Brands that would build on the success of the 1940’s Lincoln Continental.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Having considered and rejected the idea of employing an outside team to design such an important vehicle Ford designated a team from it’s own special products division comprising chief stylist John Reinhart, chief body engineer Gordon Buehrig assisted by Robert McGuffery Thomas and chief engineer Harley Copp to design the Continental Mark II in late 1952.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Ford had hoped to build the car using unibody / monocoque construction but Copp is credited with rejecting the idea on grounds of tooling costs for what was always intended to be a low volume hand built vehicle, and so the car was built with separate chassis and body.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

For a car that was launched in 1956 there is a remarkable absence of chrome work giving it, size not withstanding, a refined European look. Power came from a factory blueprinted (hand made from closest to specification hand picked parts), 6 litre / 368 cui Lincoln V8 that was tuned to give 300 hp.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

The likes of Continental owners Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Shah of Iran had only one option choice to make, wether or not to have the US$595 factory fitted air conditioning or not. Elizabeth Taylor was given a Continental Mark II by Warner Brothers that was specially painted to match the colour of her eyes.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Priced at US$ 10,000 in 1956 the Continental cost the same as a contemporary Rolls Royce or two Cadillacs, until the arrival of the US$ 13,074 Cadillac Eldordo Brougham in 1957. Surprisingly Ford reckoned they were loosing US$ 1,000 on each Continental Mark II built.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Between late 1955 and 1957 around 3000 Continental Mark IIs were built at the end of the production run the Continental brand was reabsorbed into the Lincoln brand and the name hence forth continued as a Lincoln model name.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for the photographs of today’s featured 1956 model seen earlier this years at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance at Palm Springs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Luxury Elegant Loss Leader” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Imperial Green – Lotus T104 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton

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In 1990 Britain and Germany’s GM divisions launched a new Q car that could blow the contemporary Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4 performance model into the weeds. The new vehicle was known as the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton in the UK and Lotus Omega in the rest of Europe.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Lotus project Type 104 was responsible for turning the 3 litre / 183 cui executive saloon, into a barnstormer which included a body kit that fed more air into the engine and two small louvered out lets on the bonnet hood.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The six cylinder motor was comprehensively revised; the swept volume was increased to 3.6 litres / 219 cui and twin Garret T25 turbochargers with a Behr water to air inter cooler were fitted to take the power up to 377 hp at 5200 rpm. Transmission came courtesy of the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the limited slip differential from the Australian Holden Commodore.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The performance figures included rest to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds with 100 mph being reached in 11.1 seconds and a controversial top speed of 176 mph, which made the car the worlds fastest four door saloon. There had been, unheeded, calls for GM to follow the lead of BMW and others to restrict the top speed to 155 mph.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The suspension was also suitably modified for improved stability and handling to match the straight line performance of the car, standard Carlton / Omega Servotronic power assistance for the worm and roller steering was used as space and budgets precluded the development of rack and pinion steering.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

You could have your £48,000 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton or Lotus Omega any colour you liked so long as it was imperial green, which as can be seen looks black in any light other than direct sun light. Just 320 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton’s were built and 630 Lotus Omega’s.

Thanks for joining me on this “Imperial Green” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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