Did you notice I didn't say overindulgent? That's because I personally can never get enough of top-tier über luxury sedans such as
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The lovely Eva Longoria, nouveau riche small-screen star after all, "admitted" (remember that she's an actress) to wanting the Imperial during her cameo appearance onstage with Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)
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Bentley's Arnage R (hides in cream pig skin and complemented with gloss bird's eye maple trim), Maserati's Quattroporte (camel-coloured leather with burred walnut accents), Lexus' new long-wheelbase LS 460 (I'll go with the maple on this one if available), plus the interiors (at least) of Maybach's resplendent 62, Rolls-Royces' opulent Phantom, and to a slightly lesser extent, BMW's technology packed but nevertheless superbly executed 750Li and Volkswagen's fabulously sumptuous but ill-fated Phaeton (love those powered vent covers). But once the Imperial concept's clamshell ports were opened wide its cabin was more "Pimp My Ride" than "sorry son but you don't run in the right circles to even get nominated for membership into this private country club."
No doubt the lovely Eva Longoria, nouveau riche small-screen star after all, "admitted" (remember that she's an actress) to wanting the Imperial during her cameo appearance onstage with Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda - proof that money and good taste don't necessarily go hand in hand.
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| The concept's most awkward design element is its grille, seemingly like a Rolls-Royce waterfall slapped on sideways. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
But Longoria's compelling gesture aside, and despite my secondary concern about personal tastes changing after time and with familiarity, my initial stance that the Imperial Concept is insulting to the senses at best is where I hold firm. Yet, this said, Chrysler shouldn't necessarily abandon the project entirely. Rather, it should still build an up-market Imperial sedan to rival Cadillac's best, even with a few of the concept's styling cues pulled forward intact, something ritzier than the 300C, which, after all, can never be seen as a true premium product due to its low-priced, non-exclusive 300-series base model, but still not so blatantly trying to emulate a Rolls-Royce Phantom either.
The concept's most awkward design element is its grille, seemingly like a Rolls-Royce waterfall slapped on sideways and capped off with a heavy looking chrome-finished "exposed radiator" top featuring a large winged logo across the front. Sure it spells out luxury, but it comes across more like one of those Rolls-Royce hood and grille kits put out for Volkswagen Beetles back in the '70s than anything designed by a top-tier carmaker looking to woo potential luxury buyers. Sure Snoop Dogg will like the car overall, especially if Chrysler pays him to do another TV ad, but I
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| The individual headlight pods, or at least they're mildly designed to look like freestanding head lamps of yore. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
doubt even the outrageous rapper would let himself be seen in the Imperial in stock trim, despite its Bugatti-like turbine-finned 22-inch rims and P245/45R22 performance rubber.
The leading curves of the concept's front fenders appear more Bentley than Rolls, especially similar to the recently updated Arnage in the way they crest over their front edges before melding into the fascia, although they dive much deeper than do those on the British luxury car. This element helps to imply greater frontal force, at least visually, contrasted by the almost delicate application of wire thin fog lamps, in the lower section, and turn signals up above under the unique head lamps.
The individual headlight pods, or at least they're mildly designed to look like freestanding head lamps of yore, invoke those used on the late great 1926 Imperial 80, and others that followed, but are more similar, in context at least, to those applied to the 1961 through '63 Imperial. I like the exposed freestanding headlight idea in general, but the new concept's lamps are hidden away too much to notice much detail, at least compared to the 1961 model's lights. Maybe this is better, as trying to mimic something done when tailfins were popular might be a bit over the top this day and age.
