IML: 1960 Imperial
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IML: 1960 Imperial
- From: "Kristian Oyen" <kandkoyen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:53:08 -0500
After seeing the post from
Steve and Margaret Townsend last week reminding the group of the "Mopars on the
Mississippi" event this past Saturday and Sunday, I decided to polish up the
Royal Chariot as best I could with one arm (and the wrong one, at that) and head
down to Dubuque Iowa from Minneapolis. This was to be my "last hurrah" with the
Imperial for the driving-season, since I am having shoulder-surgery (again) on
Wednesday and won't be able to drive, let alone eat, write, and a host of other
things.
The drive down was great, particularly the 170 or so miles between Rochester and
Dubuque, which was all two-lane and went through the big hills, valleys, and
bluff-country of southeastern Minnesota and eastern/northeastern Iowa, before
descending to the Mississippi River valley where Dubuque is situated. This was
NOT the sort of thing where you sit on the freeway holding the steering-wheel
and trying to stay awake-- THIS was actual DRIVING! I haven't had this much fun
all summer-- and going home was just as good. I was having such a good time just
DRIVING that I didn't even listen to my book! I have always been confident
of the suspension on my Imperials, and also of the brakes, which I keep in top
condition. And it helps to have been a professional driver and to have some
handling skills for this sort of thing.
In Dubuque I connected with Steve and Margaret Townsend, neither of whom I had
met before, and he said, "I'm really glad you came and brought your Imperial- My
1962 LeBaron is usually the only one here, and we even have a separate category
for them". The Townsends' LeBaron really is a beautiful un-restored
original--black with the silvery-grey leather-and-cloth interior. I really like
that-- most of the black LeBarons I've seen have had the medium-blue
interior.
Friday late afternoon and into the evening was the cruise-in at a local
McDonalds, and also a "poker run/tour of Dubuque, something I've never done
before (I wouldn't know a good poker hand from a bad one, anyway), but it was a
fun way to show off the cars to the town, There WAS one gentleman with a silver
1968 Cadillac convertible- I never DID find out if he was some sort of wishful
wannabe, or maybe that he had just gotten lost or something..... Anyway, it was
a nice evening; we got some pictures of the two Imperials holding court in as
dignified a manner as possible while surrounded by more than a hundred neon-hued
smaller muscle-Mopars, pushing and shoving each other like a bunch of kids in a
school-yard.
Sunday was the main
show at a park near the river, and there were even MORE cars-- again, almost all
muscle-cars, mostly in the late 60's and the early 70's. The spot designated as
"O" class (IMPERIALS) was more-or-less in the centre of everything and my Mayan
Gold '63 Crown 4-door stood proudly and elegantly all by itself with no
competition in sight. It got a lot of attention throughout the afternoon and I
answered a lot of questions about mine and about Imperials in general. I'm even
proud to say that I held my tongue and walked away fuming silently when I
heard the two good 'ol boys discussing what a great demo-car this would make if
you ripped off all that chrome and "junk" from the inside and outside of
the car, dropped in a chevy 350, and... ooh.., I'm starting to steam
again...!
Shock of all shocks,
my Imperial won "best in class", (against all comers, no doubt). I must admit
that she WAS looking pretty good-- after all, I got up early at the motel and
spent three-and-a-half hours waxing and buffing, and polishing chrome(now,
THERE"S a project on one of these!)
Thanks to the
Townsends for posting the notice and for being so welcoming-- I hope some other
Imperial folks in the Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa area will show up with their
cars in future and "show up" all the miniature stuff that is usually
there.
I couldn't help but
think again of the thread that ran a couple of weeks ago regarding the relative
handling characteristics of the American luxury cars-- I didn't, and didn't WANT
to, get in on any arguments between those with differing opinions and what-not,
but I know that I would NEVER have done the kind of driving with my '66 Lincoln
(which was new at the time) that I did-- safely-- with my rather
elderly Imperial. And what's furthermore, my tea-cup stayed nice and steady
throughout, without losing a drop!
Kristian
Oyen
1963 Imperial Crown
Southampton 4-door
Etc
Etc
Etc
Etc
Etc
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