When Dodge revived the iconic Charger nameplate as a four-door sedan in 2006, hardcore Mopar enthusiasts weren't happy. Some 15 years later and the four-door Charger is a popular muscle sedan with Hemi power. But I bet you didn't know Dodge built something similar in the 1960s, albeit in very limited numbers.
Our series on Imperial continues today, after a strong start in the coachbuilt Twenties turned into a big aerodynamic flop in the Thirties with the Airflow Imperial. The error in judgment was immediately apparent; the Imperial with groundbreaking styling lasted only three model years.Chrysler was determined to start Imperial over, and in its third generation returned to a much more conservative large luxury car template.
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Imperial cars from the early fifties are mostly forgotten, their presence overshadowed by the stunning 1955 model and the Imperials built until 1966 or 1967.
And so itâs interesting to spot a 1954 Chrysler Imperial, as was observed at the 2016 edition of the Old Autos car show in Bothwell. The four-door Custom sedan is owned by Dan Douglas of Strathroy and at the time had 49,180 original miles on its odometer.
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Equipped with Chryslerâs 331-cubic-inch Hemi V8, Douglasâ Imperial offered an impressive 235 horsepower. It featured a fully modern automatic transmission, as well as power steering, brakes, windows and power seats. Most of these power features were completely foreign on most American automobiles built in that era, and so their presence â heck, even their availability â spoke to