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Robert wrote:
Anyway, the car (1992 Chreler Lebaron Convertible)
is loaded with every option under the sun, and it is called Lebaron, so I can at
least pretend it's an imperial :-) . I consider it to be the
spiritual successor of the old Imperial convertibles, (or at least their second
cousins) considering the option list.
I reply:
Keeping this reply strictly related to Imperials, I
know the above statement might rattle the cages or more than few on this list
and I'm not even sure that as an owner of a 1992 Lebaron convertible I agree
with it myself. As much as I like the car, and mine is loaded with options
too, I don't really see it as an Imperial. You look at the regular coupe
and sedan versions from the same era and I think the comparison becomes
impossible.
I have a 1958 Imperial. In Texas, the land of
Suburbans and duallie 3500 trucks, the cars still seems big and imposing.
In this its design still rings true. Dating from the era of big cars, it
was and still is one of the biggest. The Imperial was intended to be the
epitome of luxury, a prestige car that told the world everything they needed to
know about the owner, from the corporate parking lot, to the golf club and even
church on Sunday. I don't think you can say the same thing about the
Lebaron of the 1990s.
I have read comments on this list that the 90s
Lebaron is almost an insult to their Imperial. My 58 is the base model so
maybe that's why I don't care. The odd thing is my so called base model
has more features on it than most of the 58 Crowns and Lebarons that come up on
e-bay. Its original owner could well have afforded those name plates but I
don't think he wanted leather and to delete that option you had to get a base
model, as far as I know.
I believe, technically speaking, these cars are
specified as "J" cars, not "K" cars. I admit I don't really know if this
is significant. I enjoy mine a great deal and I hope you enjoy yours but I
don't think I would go so far as to call it an Imperial. Chrysler has an
odd way of dealing with its name plates. Not long ago, there was a
spirited discussion about whether the new 300 would be Imperialized. Well,
now we know the answer. As far as the marketing folks at Daimler are
concerned, it is, of all things, a Dodge Charger! It blows my mind but
let's see if they sell as well as the 300 before we decide who the fool
is.
Hugh
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