There are several reasons why a car can gain a lot in value as decades pass over it. The most common are the car's importance for the industry, or it being fitted with a rare piece of equipment, or perhaps being raced in some historic fashion by a talented driver. But it's the cars that belonged to or were used by famous people that fascinate many of us the most.
When it comes to cars, the number of famous past owners is most of the time limited to one, and that's more than enough for buyers of such historically valuable vehicles to go nuts over them. What do you think they'll do when learning that this 1964 Imperial Crown was used by not one, but two of America's most important people?
The Imperial nameplate is one of the oldest on the planet, having been introduced by Chrysler in 1926 to designate the company's flagship model. It evolved to become a standalone luxury brand in the mid-1950s, rolling out vehicles for the select few at the top of our world for the following four decades.
It was during the company's presence on the market as a separate brand (between 1955 and 1983) when the car you're looking at now was produced. It rolled off the assembly lines in 1964 in the form of an Imperial LeBaron hardtop, but slapped over the frame of a convertible.
The car didn't get lost in the masses of LeBarons Imperial produced back in the day, but it would go on to become one of just ten examples to be shipped over to Italy to have their bodies transformed into custom limousines with six windows.
The car was then selected to be part of the White House motor pool during the Kennedy administration. It wasn't purchased by the White House but loaned to it by Chrysler in exchange for just $1 per year.
While in the service of the people who steer America, the Imperial got to transport the most important people of the time, including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, with the statesman using it as a presidential limousine.
Photo: Mecum
We're talking about the car now because, somehow, it popped up on the lot of cars going under the hammer later this week in Glendale, Arizona, at the hands of Mecum. It doesn't come straight from the White House motor pool, and not even from Chrysler's own collection, but from private hands, a number of which the Imperial went through after completing its presidential service.
The spec sheet of the vehicle is as impressive as its past. Under the hood there is a 413ci engine capable of pushing 340 horsepower to the ground through a 3-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission and vintage 1960s wheels wrapped in whitewall tires (no DOT date code on the rubber, we're told).
Painted black all over, the Imperial sports gold pinstripes and a black Landau top, but also the proper kind of red parade headlights up front.
On the inside, the luxury vehicle offers everything a car of this caliber should offer: leather all around (even in the driver's area, but the carpeting there is black nylon, as opposed to the gray sheered mouton used in the back), wood accents where they matter the most, and wool broadcloth here and there for effect.
For the privacy of the people traveling in the back on flush-folding jump seats, there is a partition, complete with a window that is electronically controlled through remote radio controls located in the right armrest of the seats.
The car is no longer fully original, as during its existence in the hands of private owners (and there have been three of them since it exited presidential service) the fuel tanks and the fuel lines were replaced.
Photo: Mecum
Back when it was made, the 1964 Imperial Crown Ghia presidential limousine was worth $18,500, which was about twice as much as what the competition from Cadillac had to offer. In today's money, that would be close to $185,000 today.
The seller of the car hopes to get a bit less than that for the vehicle, which now shows on its odometer a total mileage of 15,109 miles (24,316 km). More specifically anywhere between $125,000 and $150,000 would do.
To make sure the bidders in the house go that high, an extensive set of documentation is thrown into the mix. The papers range from less important stuff like a copy of the build sheet or the certified car care booklet to newspaper articles about it.
Most importantly, though, there are photos of the car in the company of the First Lady and President Johnson, images of the limo at Camp David, and videos of it being used at the inauguration of America's 36th president.
We'll keep an eye on this car and report back once we learn what the actual sale price was.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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