Its 5.7-litre HEMI V8 is the obvious engine choice, the 6.1 too raucous a mill for something as refined as this luxury sedan is trying to be.
 |
| The Imperial's 5.7-litre HEMI V8 is the obvious engine choice, the 6.1 too raucous a mill for something as refined as this luxury sedan is trying to be. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Chrysler hasn't upped output over the stock LX-configured HEMI, still more than adequate with 340-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. Most likely, a production version would make slightly more. The engine, just like the 300C, is mated to Chrysler's Mercedes-Benz derived five-speed automatic with AutoStick manual mode. The domestic brand estimates that this drivetrain combination should be capable of powering the Imperial Concept to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, which seems a bit implausible given that the current 300C can only manage the feat in a respectable 6.1 seconds, and the Imperial has to be much, much heavier. My guess is that, with its current drivetrain, it would be lucky to break the 7.0 second mark, which would also be adequate for most luxury car buyers' driving styles. Like I said, if built, Chrysler will probably up the powertrain ante.
A production car would also feature conventional rear doors with a rigid B-pillar, which would not only help it to look less like the Phantom but also increase side-impact safety. The concept's wide-open space between A- and
 |
| The Imperial's clamshell doors and resultant wide-open space between A- and C-pillars offers a generous view to the interior. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
C-pillars offered a generous view to the interior, mind you, ideal for its show car aspirations. Like I said, I'm not big on the contrasting cream and chocolate brown colour scheme (dubbed Birch Cream and Bay Brown by Chrysler), but the California burl walnut, satin-finished aluminum, and many handcrafted details are beautifully executed.
In the end the Imperial is precisely the kind of car that I would want to drive to and from the office each day, if Chrysler managed to finish a more subdued interior to premium levels, meaning high quality plastics, real wood trim, soft and supple leathers, and top-tier switchgear. It's already getting close with the 300C. A little bit more attention to detail with higher-end materials would make a future Imperial something worth aspiring to.
This brings us back to whether or not Chrysler will send this one out to the
 |
I'm not big on the contrasting cream and chocolate brown colour scheme, but the California burl walnut, satin-finished aluminum, and many handcrafted details are beautifully executed. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)
|
great concept car museum in the sky to sit next to the Chrysler Imperial D'Elegance of 1958, or build a new Imperial flagship to top off its lineup. If the latter, it's important to ask if a new Imperial would be accepted by current Cadillac STS and DTS buyers, as well as those who currently buy premium import models like BMW's 7-Series. This would come down to offering a great deal more refinement in the way of style, features and quality, for a great deal less money, similarly to how it wooed premium buyers away from foreign brands with the 300C. The 300C, by the way, has been available as a stretched limousine since July of last year, through Chrysler's dealer network, meaning limo companies and consumers could order it this way if desired.
But back to the Imperial, Chrysler has tried to enter the premium market in
 |
| Chrysler has tried to enter the premium market in the past, with little success. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
the past, its strongest effort in modern times (depending on what you consider modern) being the beautiful 1981 through 1983 Imperial, its angled design still looking appealing today, but shoddy interior quality and a really bad time to be entering the market with a full-size, rear-drive luxury car resulted in poor sales that quickly killed it. Previous efforts, especially the 1955 two-door hardtop, are probably the Imperial's glory days, and also a time when the nameplate was actually a brand and not just a model under the Chrysler banner. If I was looking for an Imperial, it would probably be this model, as it typifies American luxury at a time when the domestic brands were kind in North America.
