It has been well documented in automotive publications that the build quality
of the '57 Imperial was a major factor in the later lack of success associated
with our cars. It was not the only factor, however, since most American cars
suffered the same way at that time. Here are a few of the other reasons that I
think the Imperial name suffered.
The economic depression in 1958 negatively effected all of the auto
manufacturers except Rambler. This lead to the realization that America wanted
smaller cars. Even though the industry was slower to act, the American public
responded immediately to the rising popularity of smaller cars.
I think the final piece was the controversial styling of Chrysler cars in the
early '60s. By then the other manufactuers were settling into what became a
comparitively conservative period. The Imperial was particularly late on this
issue.
Although I would somewhat disagree with it, I believe that the Imperial
suffered from an image of playing "catch up" with the competition in the
styling department. This perception may have been due to the styling of the '61
Imperial as compared to that of the '61 Lincoln, and although the '61 Cadillac
was still somewhat outlandish, they could always sell anything as long as it
said Cadillac.
Imperials were always acclaimed for their handling on the highway as road cars.
They also frequently were commended for engineering innovation and comfort.
Paul
In a message dated 11/11/2003 10:34:46 AM Eastern Standard Time,
DONALDDICKINSOND@xxxxxx writes:
> During my college years at Florida (go Gators) we lived in Miami and my
>father owned a light blue Imperial four door hardtop. My recollections of
>this car are of a very poor quality product, some items from memory:
>
> 1) Door handle mechanism fell apart, we had to take the doors apart and
>reassemble (I also remember we did some redesign as the pull handle mechanism
>was poorly designed).
>
> 2) The seats were very thin, not much padding, and wore out prematurely.
>
> 3) The side windows were curved and never lined up properly front to back
>(hand one on power window switch, hand two guiding the window).
>
> 4) The air conditioning condenser, I believe, was right in front of the
>radiator and over heating was a regular occurrence in South Florida's 90
>degree summers.
>
> I also remember going back to the dealer, with my father for service and
>seeing a very irate customer complaining about the poor quality of his
>Imperial and him saying that he would never buy another one.
>
> These memories have stuck with me over the years and I often wondered if the
>1957 (and probably 58 & 59) quality was the downfall of Imperial as they never
>again came close to the 1957 sales volume. I would be very interested in
>other members comments on this. What has been the experience of current
> owners of 1957 - 59 Imperials?
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