The 1975 Imperial LeBaron Coupe. Chrysler sold cars with the Imperial nameplate after this huge sedan and coupe, but I feel this series is the last true Imperial. The others were smaller and not true luxury cars in the old-school sense of the term.
Six foot wide button-tufted crushed velour —can only be the 1970s!
The LeBaron sedan. Impressive, almost arrogant styling. I only wish the rear window was a bit smaller like the '69-73 LeBaron's were. Their limousine-like rear window was SO elegant, imho!
Not Corinthian leather, that was reserved for the Cordoba, but this glove-soft leather was a step-up. Reclining seats were just making their way into domestic cars in a big way, although they were optional on American cars going back a couple of decades. Nash, in fact, pioneered reclining front seats all the way back to the 1930s.
BTW:
This 1975 Imperial catalog was photographed a couple of years ago on one of my half-finished pieces of art, the background paint striping for "My Country 'tis of Thee." You can see the detailing and work that goes into the background for one of my pieces. I estimated there were between 3,000-4,000 individual stripes in every paint color I had at the time.
My Country 'tis of Thee—Fifty squares symbolizing the United States. They are red, white and blue, in the place where those colors feature on the flag, the blue background of the stars and the red and white stripes of the real flag. Several squares are blackened out, symbolizing the rot in America, the haters and those that try to vote the rights of minorities away, such as NOM, Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and many others. The black squares also symbolize the government's inaction and seeming inability to rectify the situation. The multi-hued, intricately painted background symbolizes the most interesting part of the country, those colorful individuals living under this oppressive grid that make it all worthwhile. 27 x 16 inches on three joined pine panels.
I first wrote about this piece back in April, before many people had found my blog, lol. Sometimes I don't mind repeating myself!
Wow, really two completely different topics to talk about here.
ReplyDeleteMy Country 'tis of Thee easily wins as this fans favorite.
I really loved your explanation behind the black squares - I'm glad to see someone other than myself realize that our country is headed in the wrong direction. Sadly, regardless of who we elect into office, nothing seems to change. Will the U.S. ever recover ?
As far as Imperials go, my favorite years without question are the 64-66 models. Elwood Engel also had design imput on the 1961 Continental. Love them both.
The 1975 Imperial looks better to me today then it did when it was introduced. I must be getting nostalgic in my old age. It certainly had style - no cookie cutter design here - and epitomized the luxury concepts of the 70's. Those heavily pillowed bench seats are so foreign to anything offered today ! Imho I think the limo rear windows added greatly to the luxury image - still do today. Even though they weren't offered from the factory on this Imperial, no doubt there were customizers offering pimped out versions with them.
thanks! many American artists have done 'their' versions of the flag, and I have too. I'd consider this one of my core paintings, even though it doesn't use any of my 'trademark' photographic images.
ReplyDeleteI think stylewise, I love the '69 Imperials the most, although they were Chrysler Imperials by then, not Imperials by Chrysler, having lost their individual marque status in '67 I believe when they went back to sharing bodies with the normal Chrysler lineup. I love the '64-66 also, but then there is the '56 which is beautiful, the '57-59s, the '62-63.... I love Imperials. The '60 and '61 are garishly finned, but I wouldn't kick one out of my garage!
Although not a 1969 Imperial, one of my best friends had a 1970 Sport Fury with the same "fuselage" design. (The exterior design is actually very similar) Not only were they big cars, they FELT like big cars. They also had small greenhouses in relation to their bodyside sheetmetal - which is in vogue again today.
ReplyDeleteI LOST EVERYTHING I WROTE SO I'LL JUST SAY DITTO TO ALL PX HAD TO SAY.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
Casey or PhantomX,
ReplyDeleteDid the Imperial name ever end up on a K-Car platform? I'm thinking it may have, just not sure.
Also, I was just over at Autoblog and noticed this amazing 1954 DeSoto Adventurer II Ghia Coupe. The rear window slides down...how great.
Photobucket links:
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/markin208/019pbtour2010.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/markin208/089pbtour2010.jpg
Hi Casey and Phoenix...
ReplyDeleteI really love the flag painting, Casey! Its symbolism is perfection. Thank you for sharing pictures of it.
I'm not so into the cars. I hope you can forgive me. Though those plush front seats did make me drool just a little. As you said, nothing like that NOW!
I still have great hope for America. Times are just bad right now and everything seems bleak but I know in my heart we will recover and prosper. It will just take time. It reminds me of some things I've been through in my personal life and those have all come around and turned out well. I guess I just have faith. (And I'm not religious.) Hang in there guys!
GRANNY LOU, WHERE ARE YOU?
Katie
Yes, there was a K-car based Imperial. I've never seen one in person, am pretty sure they must have had miniscule production figures, and would probably qualify as a perfect Collectible Automobile magazine Cheap Wheels:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.carlustblog.com/2008/02/incp--dodge-dyn.html
http://www.automotivetraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=996:what-were-they-thinking-the-1990-93-chrysler-imperial&catid=163:ramblings&Itemid=336
Katie: Thank you! This painting is one of my favorites, and one that I consider one of my 'core' works, even though it doesn't include an vintage imagery, which I'm best known for.
IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
Hi Casey - I hate to be such a cynic but when you delve into contributions made to candidates, regardless of political persuasion you see who (what) is really running this country. I have to muster up all that I can to believe "we the people" really have a voice. In my heart that is what I believe and want to believe, but some days it is so hard. The war is a big issue and has to stop, the growing hatred in this country against races and homosexuals has to stop as well. It is so sad how unkind man is against his fellow man, and the new growing hate-trend is unbelievable. I refuse to believe this is the majority thinking, and I am over-whelmed that such a minority can capture the headlines.
ReplyDelete...breathe in, breathe out....relax Annie - back to the comfort and peace of Casey's garden where all is right with the world.
xxxooo
Don't post this unless you feel it would serve a positive purpose, I just had to vent.
I think it serves a positive purpose here! thank you.
ReplyDeleteTODAY WE BREATH AND SMELL THE ROSES.ANNIE WAS RIGHT ON POINT.ALSO I FEEL THERE'S SOME PEOPLE BIGGER THAN THE PRESIDENT RUNNING OUR COUNTRY. I HAVE MY OWN THOUGHTS BUT I DIDN'T COME HERE TO CASEYS' BLOG TO TALK POLITICS. I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU FOLKS. I'D RATHER SEE CASEYS' FLOWERS, CARS AND SEE HIS QUILTS. IT JUST TAKE MY MIND OFF ALL THE HURTS IN THE WORLD. WE ALL HAVE OUR CROSS TO BEAR. SO BREATH, BREATH, BREATH.THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG I FOUND THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD. ROSS' BLOG WAY BACK MADE ME FEEL GOOD ALSO. IT WAS FUN, THEN POLITICS ENTER IN. CASEY, I'LL TAKE 12 ROSES IN A VASE. A ROSE STORY. OK, HERE GOES. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO DELIVER MY FIRST BABY GRAMPS HAD SCHOOL. HE COULDN'T MISS THE CLASS SO OFF HE WENT. BACK THEN YOUR HUBBY WASN'T ALLOW IN THE DELIVERY ROOM. I HAD MY BABY AND GRAMPS CAME TO MY ROOM. NO FLOWERS OR BOX OF CANDY. NO NOTHING. SO THEN NUMBER TWO COME ALONGS AND AGAIN GRAMPS HAD SCHOOL THAT DAY. WHEN HE LEFT ME AT THE HOSPITAL TO GO TO SCHOOL I TOLD HIM HE'D BETTER BRING ME A DOZEN ROSES. HE DID PLASTIC FROM TGY FIVE AND DIME. I HAD THOSE ROSES UP UNTIL ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, I GAVE THEM AWAY. LOL, I WISH I STILL HAD THOSE ROSES I'D HAVE THE KIDS PUT THEM ON MY GRAVE. ONLY I CAN SEE THE HUMOR IN THIS STORY. I'VE SHARED ENOUGH.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
I think Gramps has a wonderful sense of humor! thanks for telling us this story!
ReplyDeleteknow what I'm gonna do today? CLEAN! I finally gathered enough money yesterday to buy a new vacuum. I just threw out THREE broken ones I've been trying make do with. I'm going to pick up the place and vacuum like there's no tomorrow. I could make a sand box out of the grit on my floors and carpets! I think I might need a third cup of coffee first!
Casey, I new vacuum cleaner? - well that just sucks!! lol Hey maybe you could make some art from the grit, call 'bag art'.
ReplyDeleteANNIE IS ON TARGET BAGDIRT ART. IF YOU NEED ANY DUST OR DIRT CALL ME I HAVE PLENTY.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
Believe it or not, I did some pastel drawings of old cars in a junkyard once, and I used some dirt from the ground for the brown, and I took some rusted metal and ground it with the heel of my shoe on a rock and used it for a rust color. I've also added beach sand to polyurethane for added texture, so the finish would be a bit rough . You're not that far off with your offerings!
ReplyDeleteHi Casey (and PX, TG, AA, et al,
ReplyDeleteWe're back from Maine and had a grand time. Maine is extremely beautiful everywhere you turn. We rented a Jeep Compass (not my first choice!) and it served us well. I don't know what all the fuss is about it being the worst car in the world (according to all the motoring press). Maybe I'm not all that discriminating!!
Now, as to the Imperials -- those last big Imperials were lovely. They were able to incorporate the big bumpers very nicely. Of course, they were really just fancier New Yorkers and became New Yorkers (New Yorker Brougham?) for 76-78, where they sold about 10 times better than the Imperial verisons -- a big price cut helped I'm sure, but there were really no differences between them. I'm kind of partial to the 81-83 coupes -- they were certainly distinctive but Chrysler was in dire straits at that time, just recovering from the so-called bailout which is always reported erroneously as having been money from the government when all the goverment did was guarantee some loans that were paid back WAY before they were due)and really couldn't promote the cars as they should have. The president of kenyon and Eckhart (sp?), Chrysler's ad agency of the period, lived around the corner in the San Remo on Central Park West and had dark blue Imperial that was stretched into a very traditional limousine -- they cut the coupe right at the back of the front door and put in a section with a wide rear door, leaving the coupe's rear windows and back seat just as in the coupe. They added jump seats and a divider. It looked very very cool and should have been built and sold! There were probably more than one but that's the only one I've ever seen -- someone told me they used one in a Cannonball movie.
The 55 and 56 Imperials were fabulous cars -- I think I prefer the 55 -- it had the dash mounted transmission lever which I love. My 55 DeSoto had it too. CA, I think it was, had a photo feature on a black 55 sedan with KH wire wheels. It was striking. The 57 was pretty spectacular. Chrysler made a real effort with these but the quality problems and the 58 recession really cost them the momentum they could have built up. The 60s are lovely -- particularly the Ghia limousines -- I remember the one used in the JFK funeral procession. I think it belonged to the Kennedy family.
The 64-66 were wonderful too. I even have a soft spot for the 67-68 -- the mother of a girl I went all through school with had a 67 LeBaron -- all gray with red leather. She drove it well into the 90s -- the last time I saw it was in 1994. Before that she had a black 64 LeBaron with red leather, a 57 Pontiac Custom Safari (the one with the reclining front passenger seat) and a 54 Pontiac station wagon -- a woman of rare taste and distinction!!
Sorry to run on so long but I've missed everyone and wanted to catch up.
As to the state of the union, it is very depressing and I hope that all of you who hold out hope are correct! I'm trying, but it seems to get weirder every day.
Paul, New York City
Paul! So good to have you back, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed Maine. That extended Imperial coupe into limousine sounds awesome. I can totally imagine it. I might even have to make a chop of it. I remember when they came out. There were three 'bustleback' luxury cars out at the same time, the Seville, the Continental and that Imperial. I loved the front end of the Imp, with the hidden headlights, and remember the FS edition, named for Frank Sinatra. It came with his entire library believe in cassette form, and was a beautiful blue.
ReplyDeletePaul! I was just googling to see if i could find a decent high-resolution shot of that series of Imp coupe to chop, and looky what I found, the exact car you mentioned:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1981/Limo/wpe6.jpg
I wish it was a better scan. I'd like to chop this photo with better proportions, ie less front overhang! I'm going to keep looking.
Casey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for that picture! It always made my morning when I'd see that going by on CPW. I thought the Imperial came off the best of that bustle-back trio -- the Lincoln just looked odd and the steering wheel was not centered in front of the driver's seat and the front of the Seville never seemed to go with the back -- I think the front of the the front-drive Riviera would have looked better with the Seville's bustle-back.
Paul, New York City
The LIncoln's steering wasn't centered, really? I've never heard that. I liked the exterior styling quite a bit. It was so much better than the Versailles! The Seville was one of those rare cars that got better with a facelift. The original grille was so garish, almost like a fake RR cap, but the '83-'85 version was much cleaner. I would still love to own one of those, but I had an '83 Riviera for a while, a mint condition V8 version, but those early '80s emission controls made for horrible driveability. It would stall out so often I ended up hating to drive it even though it was so good looking.
ReplyDeleteThe steering wheel on those Continentals was about an inch or two to the right from being cnetered on the driver. It was odd. And I agree with you about the facelifted Seville -- in fact there was a dark blue 85 that lived near my Mom that I thought was very elegant. I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the 83 Riviera. Issues with driveability were still being worked out in those days and that's too bad, because those 79-85 Rivieras were certainly among the best looking cars of that era.
ReplyDeletePaul, New York City