Photo: eBay seller keatleyautosales
Born as a separate marque, the 1981 Imperial (most people still call it the Chrysler Imperial for obvious reasons) was a pretty big release for the American company.
After being ditched in 1975, the car, therefore, made a return 6 years later, only to be dropped once again after two more.
In other words, the resurrected Imperial was produced only until 1983, with Chrysler then deciding to ditch this nameplate once again (before another revival took place in 1990).
Based on the Chrysler Cordoba, the new Imperial came standard with fuel injection, being fitted with a 318 (5.2-liter) developing 140 horsepower. Its performance figures weren’t exactly impressive, as it allowed for a 0-100 kph (62 mph) in 13.4 seconds and a top speed of 172 kph (107 mph).
In some ways, all of these impacted the market success of the car, with Chrysler building approximately 11,000 units between 1981 and 1983. This pretty much made sense, given the parent company was having a hard time from a financial perspective, so the short-lived Imperial ended up becoming quite a rare luxury car.
Someone on eBay has listed what could be one of the last remaining examples of the model year 1981, but at first glance, it doesn’t seem to tell the full story. Some body parts are missing, which is kind of surprising given the metal looks pretty solid overall.
Most likely, they didn’t fall victim to the invasion of rust, but this Imperial served as a donor for another model. But of course, this is rather hard to guess, so any potential buyer should just reach out to seller keatleyautosales for more information on this front.
The engine is still there, but on the other hand, it’s not clear if it’s running or not. What we do know, however, is that this Imperial spent 35 years in a barn, so don’t be too surprised if the V8 is already locked up from sitting.
The bidding for this Imperial starts at $1, and best of all, it comes without a reserve.
In other words, the resurrected Imperial was produced only until 1983, with Chrysler then deciding to ditch this nameplate once again (before another revival took place in 1990).
Based on the Chrysler Cordoba, the new Imperial came standard with fuel injection, being fitted with a 318 (5.2-liter) developing 140 horsepower. Its performance figures weren’t exactly impressive, as it allowed for a 0-100 kph (62 mph) in 13.4 seconds and a top speed of 172 kph (107 mph).
In some ways, all of these impacted the market success of the car, with Chrysler building approximately 11,000 units between 1981 and 1983. This pretty much made sense, given the parent company was having a hard time from a financial perspective, so the short-lived Imperial ended up becoming quite a rare luxury car.
Someone on eBay has listed what could be one of the last remaining examples of the model year 1981, but at first glance, it doesn’t seem to tell the full story. Some body parts are missing, which is kind of surprising given the metal looks pretty solid overall.
Most likely, they didn’t fall victim to the invasion of rust, but this Imperial served as a donor for another model. But of course, this is rather hard to guess, so any potential buyer should just reach out to seller keatleyautosales for more information on this front.
The engine is still there, but on the other hand, it’s not clear if it’s running or not. What we do know, however, is that this Imperial spent 35 years in a barn, so don’t be too surprised if the V8 is already locked up from sitting.
The bidding for this Imperial starts at $1, and best of all, it comes without a reserve.
Google News