Quality of the 1957 Imperial

[Christopher Hoffman <imperial67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ah, the 70s... As the owner of Mopars from 1963, 1967, 1972, 1978 and 2001,
the shifts in quality are indicative of the times, though the 1957s
certainly had their share of major issues.

I remember seeing a "Volaspen" myself back in 1977, a wagon badged
differently on either side but otherwise trimmed as a Dodge. I also remember
touring the Mahwah, NJ, Ford factory as a kid and asking why there was a row
of MOACHes sitting off to one side, only to be told they were awaiting parts
to finish them (presumably nothing more than the missing Ns and Rs on the
rear trim needed to make them complete Monarchs). And I remember Car and
Driver magazine having a test-car Buick Skylark 4-door badged Sport Sedan on
one rear fender and Sport Coupe on the other. Dark days for them all...

The differences between my '67 Crown and '78 NYB Salon are striking, not
only in materials (plastic and simulated Brazilian rosewood versus chrome
and genuine walnut) but in panel fit and even delivery quality: The dealer
repaired a fender skirt damaged in transit from Jefferson Ave to Pittsburgh
by masking over the tape stripes and repainting the skirt, leaving the paint
actually higher in "elevation" than the stripe... I've left it as-delivered
to preserve its "period originality," because I figure it's historically
accurate. Then again, I don't remember any metallic silver paint from the
70s lasting more than two years before literally falling off the car, and
yet my Salon's "Silver Crystal Coat" paint (Chrysler's first clearcoat, at
that) shines like new after 25 years, even though I applied its first-ever
coat of wax in 1999. Some things they got right!

Then again (again), my mother has a PT Cruiser that has been as flawless in
two years as any of her 25 years of Honda products... Who'd ever think
"Mexican-built Chrysler" would be an icon of quality? Who'd ever think I'd
talk my mother out of the industry icons of reliability back into the
forsaken brand her father drove all his life?

For me, the 1957s are dreamy just for the thought of what it must have been
like one late summer day when all the GM and Ford execs got their first
glimpse of what truly modern styling -- and style -- was. I have heard
stories of them climbing the chain-link fence around Highland Park to get a
better view. That thought, legend or real, is enough to make the 1957s
milestone cars of the jet age, even if their fins fell off weeks later. And
beyond styling that literally changed the shape of cars, so many aspects of
those cars, from Torqueflite to TorsionAire, were the backbone of Chrysler
quality for decades to come...

As for the Crossfire, well, a coachbuilt car is pretty hard to come by
today, and the folks at Karmann know how to screw a car together! But I
gotta look at my own 1st-month-of-production PT Cruiser and my Grand
Cherokee and say there's some pretty nice build quality on this side of the
pond, too...

OK, 'nuf for now. Amusing thread!

Chris in LA


Currell Pattie (currellpattie@xxxxxxxxxxx) wrote:

> Bill: Good, but here's a better one, from the MOPAR '70s...
> 
> Script "Volare" on one side, "Aspen" on the other. Also, "Dodge" steering
> wheels in Plymouths.
> 
> By the way, take a look at the Crossfire. Beautiful build quality!