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In the ongoing thread about 58 carpets, there have
been a couple of references to the so called base model as customs. This
is a nit picky point, but there is no such thing as a 58 Custom. There was
a LeBaron - the top of the line car, the Crown Imperial - the stretch limousine,
the Imperial Crown - the mid-range version which was by far the most
popular, and, simply, the Imperial. You can scour
the sales literature and magazines but you won't find the word custom as a
descriptor of the so-called base model in any of them. I believe the term
was introduced in 1959. To add to the confusion, some people think that
Southampton also refers to a trim level but it is actually a name for the hard
top body style, both two and four door.
The complexities multiply because you might be
tempted to think the "Imperial" was some sort of
stripper car. However, as just about all Imperials were bespoke, which is
to say ordered to specifications available in the catalog, there were no limits
on how you might order your car. My "Imperial, just Imperial"
has just about all the goodies to be had except cruise control,
including front and rear A/C. The big exception deliberately avoided by
Mr. A. Kroesche, the first owner, was leather seats which, apparently, he did
not care for. I may be wrong but I don't think you could have an Imperial
Crown, or indeed, LeBaron, without leather. As all the other "extras" were
available on the so called base model, it was a logical decision to follow that
route, if you wanted cloth seats.
I remain vague on the differences between a Crown
and the LeBaron. Except for just a wee bit extra you got different hub caps
and a different script on side of the front fender, which said LeBaron and not
Imperial. There are some interior differences between the Imperial and
crown, such as map pockets built into the door armrests, a metal vee similar to
the one on the exterior roof which necessitated a different interior
light. All engines were identical. I have heard of fuel injection on
the 58 Chrysler 300 but not the Imperial. So many subtle varieties for
such a small output of cars. Three different hub cap styles, for
example. You finally find a car in a scrap yard only to find it doesn't
match yours. I guess these details come with the territory, which
gets me back to my original point. I know that using the word custom has
descriptive value but it is not, technically, correct.
In passing, while researching another project, I
came across another picture of the dealership that sold my car new on July 3,
1958. It is of the interior, and includes Pete Smith, the owner, and
several members of his staff. I put some effort into trying to find a
picture of the first owner with the 1958 or any of the other Imperials he
owned. I was told by his niece, the family historian, he rarely kept any
car longer than one year and owned a string of Imperials in succession. He
was a bit of a snob and enjoyed owning the only Imperial in town, Seguin, Texas,
where he owned a propane gas supply company. Up till now, no such picture
has emerged but, I suppose, you never know what may turn up down the pike.
I'd dearly like to find out who acquired it second, and third, as it slipped
down the food chain, from brand new car for the wealthy to just an old
beater. It's great to know about who purchased it first but I find myself
more interested in who saved it. I do know who donated it to the museum in
the early 1980s along with a 57 and a 62 that were sold around 1990. He
was an Imperial aficionado. I have tried to pursue its history through
official channels but as the changes of ownership occurred before computers,
accessing the records has proven to be next to impossible.
Hugh
58 Imperial (just Imperial)
San Antonio, Texas
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