Introduced in 1926, The Imperial was Walter P. Chrysler’s entry into the luxury car market, designed to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. In its first year, the Imperial set a transcontinental land speed record and was chosen as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500.

By 1955, the Imperial was designed for those upwardly mobile folks for whom a Cadillac or Lincoln seemed too common, and represented a trend towards smart, understated elegance. That’s when Chrysler decided to spin off the Imperial as a separate luxury brand and division within the company. They turned to Virgil Exner to update the Imperial’s frumpy looks, based on his 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton show cars. Exner’s new “Forward Look” styling took the industry by storm, and defined the Imperial’s look until 1963.

Jay’s 1956 two-door Southampton hardtop sports a 354-cubic inch Hemi V8 and 3-speed push button Torqueflight transmission. With 290 hp, the Imperial is a fantastic highway cruiser to this day. This pillarless coupe with wraparound windshield offers a panoramic view of the road, and can seat eight comfortably. Jay jokes that the trunk is large enough to house a family of five! Special touches include the gas cap, located in the right rear fin, and Chrysler’s own Highway Hi-Fi - a slide-out record player mounted under the dash. The only trick - the player only plays 16 2/3 rpm records, a Chrysler exclusive, so you had to get all their records directly from the company. Jay’s only been able to find two, “Pajama Game” and “Davy Crockett.”

Like many of Jay’s cars, this Imperial has a great story behind it. Its original owner was a little old lady from Pasadena, just like the Beach Boys song. When Jay expressed his interest in the car, she refused to sell it, preferring to give it to her grandson. When the grandson put a lawn mower in the trunk and scratched it up, she demanded he give it back so she could sell it to Jay - just the man to take dignified care of her car!

Oddly enough, Jay claims that the car has needed very little maintenance over the years, just routine changing out of fluids and points. With a bulletproof engine like the Hemi V8, this Imperial will run forever, but it may not have to... Over the last few years, Chrysler has presented a few Imperial concept cars, inspired by the Exner-era Imperials, complete with Hemi V8! Fans of the marque hope the new Imperial will be approved for production by 2009.