Chrysler Imperials Forever

Car Collector Corner
By Greg Zyla

Chrysler Imperials Forever

Chrysler Imperial advertisement featuring two big name “chairmen of the board,” Lee Iococca and Frank Sinatra. (Ad compliments Chrysler Corporation)

Q: Greg, I saw a nice 1981 to 83 Chrysler Imperial for sale in upstate Pennsylvania recently. What is you opinion of the 1981 to 1983 Imperials? What are they worth today? Albert, Owego Pa.

A: Albert, I remember the 1981-1983 Imperials, which made a return to production after being absent from Chrysler's lineup since 1975. The 1981-83 full size Imperials were built when Chrysler was facing major financial trouble, and although a grand total of only 10,981 were ever built, it was a great looking and well-equipped car. Surprisingly, although they looked full size, these Imperials were built on the mid-sized Aspen/Volare platform, and stretched to parallel Chrysler marketing theory, along with shared mechanicals, with its hit sibling Chrysler Cordoba. Cordoba debuted in 1975 and sold a stunning 150,105 units! Personally, as nice as Cordoba was, I feel a large part of its success came from those famous television commercials that featured the late actor Ricardo Montalban touting Cordoba's "Corinthian leather." The Cordoba also lasted until 1983, and finished its career as one of Chrysler's most popular full-size models of the era with over 757,000 sold. The Imperial came with a fuel injected 318 engine, which developed just 140 government restrained horsepower, and lots of luxury items. Cordoba, meanwhile, offered a six-cylinder engine along with a carburetor fed V8. Imperial's 1981-83 styling is beautiful, as a Lincoln type front grille merged nicely with a rear that mimicked the second generation Cadillac Seville of that era. It was called a "bustleback" rear design, similar to the British cars from the Fifties like Rolls and Bentley. Some of the main features Imperial offered included Mark Cross interiors, electronic digital instrumentation, clearcoat paints, and a fully loaded car for $18,311. The only option available in 1981 was a power sunroof.However, unlike Cordoba, dismal sales occurred in the Imperial line. The first year found just 7,225 1981 Imperials built, so Chrysler head Lee Iococca, remembering Montlalban's success with Cordoba, hired friend Frank Sinatra to sing "isn't it time for an Imperial" in commercials. But the economy wasn't good, consumers wanted gas savers and Imperial sales dropped to just 2,329 in 1982 and only 1,427 the final year.Chrysler then set its sights on saving the company, and went to work on the new minivan which was waiting in the wings. Thanks to the 1984 Industry first Dodge-Plymouth "minivan," the company survived.Today, an Imperial from 1981-83 in good condition is probably worth about $5,500 to $8,000, although I feel in the future, these prices will go up. Thanks for your letter. Remember, pricing is always subjective to how much a buyer wants a car, and could be more or less.

(Greg Zyla welcomes reader questions at 116 Main St., Towanda, Pa. 18840 or email him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

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