2013 Audi A3

Guilty Pleasure: 1981-83 Imperial

 
5 1,206 views Apr 13, 2011

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After I watched last week's Guilty Pleasure car nearly take the win on laps at the Real Hoopties of New Jersey 24 Hours of LeMons (coming in second to a BMW E30 only because of black flags, not any weakness in the Milano), I thought about going with another underestimated and undervalued sporty car this week. But then I saw this junked Etienne Aigner Volkswagen Golf, which got me thinking about automobile marketers' forays into co-branded special-edition cars... which led straight to the Frank Sinatra Edition 1981 Imperial.
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1981 Imperial


Chrysler kept the Imperial marque with the version of their top luxury car that debuted in 1981, but used the venerable midsized B Body platform instead of the aircraft-carrier-sized chassis of previous Imperials. Head over to Allpar if you want the usual excellent writeup, but the summary of the 1981-83 Imperial goes: Malaise Era "personal luxury" two-door hardtop with smog-gear-strangled small V8, pleather-and-velour Barcalounger-plush interior, and— if you got the Frank Sinatra edition— a suitcase full of Sinatra 8-tracks. Why in the hell would anyone want such a car, except as some sort of ironic statement?

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1981 Imperial

Somehow, the Imperial manages to rise above the painfully dated Late Malaise Era horror that we saw in its Cordoba/Mirada cousins, at least when looking backward through a lens made up of three decades of Caravelles and Sebrings, and I wouldn't feel ashamed driving one. Replace the not-so-reliable EFI system with something more modern, add some slightly bigger wheels and tires... and keep the 8-tracks!

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1981 Imperial

Or perhaps lower the hell out of it, remove the trim, and add some door numbers for an homage to the NASCAR Imperials?
Thanks, once again, to The Old Car Manual Project for brochure images!





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Comments (5)

  1. By Gibby Posted: 4/13/2011 6:28pm PDT

    Nothing says sexy like an 81 Imperial
     
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  2. Bozo avatar M. M. Posted: 4/14/2011 5:57am PDT

    Didn't Huggie Bear roll in one of those?
    I think he did.
    Long live pimpin'.
     
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  3. By WP Posted: 4/14/2011 6:28am PDT

    I love that car! My brother and I used to look out for them all the time on road trips.
     
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  4. By ColtsChiefsTitans Posted: 4/14/2011 8:53am PDT

    Check out that 'bustle-butt' trunk... like the Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Continental of the same era. Now, does anybody still want to complain about BMW's "Bangle-butt" after looking at these?
    LOVE the squre dashboard gauges, the thin steering wheel and the velour Barcolounger seats (so soft & comfy like by '76 Buick!)... THANKS for the trip down early 1980's memory lane! :-)
     
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  5. 3Deuce27 avatar 3Deuce27 Posted: 4/15/2011 12:10am PDT

    The design starts dated, but daring, and then ends in ludicrous retro flourishes. Still there is something about it that appeals, especially to someone who enjoys something different, and why not?
    For some time now, I have appreciated the 65'-66 Chrysler Coupes... And I am in the hunt for one.
     
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