1962 Imperial Crown Shows Chrysler's Luxurious Side

In 1955, Chrysler created its new Imperial division with an increased emphasis on luxury, and this brand survived until 1975. As the automotive industry was on the eve of the muscle car era in the early '60s, the Imperial Crown took Chrysler to new heights in terms of luxury. Believe it or not, this 1962 Imperial Crown convertible is one of the rarest Mopars from the 1960s with only 554 built that year, and this one will be up for grabs at the GAA Classic Cars auction in November.

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Thanks to a pampered life in the Southeast (Georgia and South Carolina), this car retains its factory body such as the floor pan, frame and body panels, but it did require some cosmetic and mechanical restoration along the way. This included new paint, chrome and soft top as well as some attention given to the brakes, suspension, engine and transmission.

Speaking of the drivetrain, the Imperial Crown was only offered with the 413 CID V8 and a Torqueflite push-button automatic transmission making this car a real cruiser. The luxurious interior added to this with power everything (steering, seats, windows, convertible top and brakes) and standard air conditioning.

For a '60s car, the Imperial Crown showed a lot of design influence from the 1950s like the free-standing headlights and the pronounced tail fins. The lights might be the coolest part of this car's design with the headlights actually mounted to the bumper like spotlights, and the "gun sight" taillights mounted on top of the rear fins. Just a couple years later, both of these elements would disappear from Imperial's design language as this car began taking an obvious influence from the Lincoln Continental.

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If you want to get your hands on one of the coolest looking luxury cars from the early '60s, this stunning example of Chrysler's 1962 Imperial Crown will be auctioned off by GAA Classic Cars as part of a 650-vehicle auction that will run from November 7th though the 9th. Be sure to register to bid ahead of time to have your chance at owning this rare Mopar convertible.