413ci OHV V-8
4-Barrel Carburetor
340bhp at 4,600rpm
3-Speed TorqueFlight Automatic Transmission
Coil Spring Independent Front Suspension, Semi-Elliptical Leaf Spring Live Rear Axle
Four wheel power drum brakes

*One of only 554 built
*Exclusive luxury in a convertible
*Refined elegance
*Tasteful distinction

THE IMPERIAL CROWN

First let's make it clear that this car is an Imperial. It is not a Chrysler Imperial.

Imperial had been a separate marque within Chrysler Corporation since 1956 and had its own unique serial number sequence. Production was never high and drivetrain and suspension elements were shared with Chryslers, but styling, design and features were exclusively Imperial. So, too, was the chassis, which in 1962 was on an Imperial exclusive 129 inch wheelbase, only half an inch less than Cadillac and six inches more than a Continental.

Imperials proudly emulated the "Forward Look" fins of Virgil Exner's Chrysler Corporation theme, sometimes topping them (literally) with separate gunsight taillights but in the late 50's stepping back to integrated taillights high in the fins with Imperial chrome haloes surrounding them. 1961 saw the introduction of quad headlights in individual nacelles nestled into a recess under the front fender tops and flanking the grille, an element carried forward to 1962. That bit of design detail flair was balanced by more restrained rear fender peaks, but capped with a return to the separate fender top gunsight taillights.

The 1962 Crown Imperial featured luxurious interior trim and an array of standard comfort and convenience features that included 6-way power seats and power windows. The price difference between an Imperial Custom and the Crown Imperial was $480, no small increment in 1962 dollars.

Just 14,337 Imperials were built in 1962 and of them the most exclusive was the Crown Imperial convertible with only 554 built.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This 1962 Imperial Crown Imperial convertible is no shrinking violet. Finished in Oyster White with white upholstery and interior trim and a vividly contrasting black vinyl top it makes its presence known with subtlety and style. Like all Crown Imperials it is generously equipped including Chrysler's powerful 340 horsepower 413 cubic inch V-8, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power windows, 6-way power seat, full wheel covers and wide whitewall tires. Never fully restored, but thoughtfully maintained over the years, it has benefited from cosmetic and mechanical attention in its nine years of current ownership and is an attractive and highly usable example ready for the summer's top-down driving season.

It is an automobile of refined elegance and restrained taste for an owner who would rather be cosseted than displayed – unlike the flamboyance of its counterpart from Cadillac – just as Chrysler intended when it made Imperial its own distinctive marque.