For all C-body cars, the 2-door models were the same length as the 4-door
models, be they sedan or hardtops. Thus a Fury II 2-door sedan was the same
length as a VIP 4-door hardtop while a LeBaron 2-door hardtop was the same
length as a LeBaron 4-door hardop. Only the wagons were a different
length from their stablemates as the 1969-73 C-body wagons all shared a 122"
wheelbase (non-wagons : Fury - 120", Polara/Monaco - 122", Chrysler - 124"
and Imperial - 127"). In 1972 the Imperials were 229.5" in length, by the
way.
The differences in size came in the interior. The 2-door hardtop rear seat
was farther forward than the 4-door hardtop, thus resulting in less rear
seat legroom. The Fury. Polara, Monaco, Chrysler and Imperial all shared
the same 2-door hardtop roofline from 1969 to 1973, while the 4-door
rooflines were shared Fury-Polara-Monaco and Chrysler-Imperial. That is
also why the greenhouse on a 2-door fuselage Imperial looks too small for
the body to which it is attached, IMHO, while the Fury looks balanced.
The 4-door Imperial models from 1969 to 1973 were annual winners of the
interior space award. Each year they even beat Cadillac for the amount of
useable room in the passenger compartment. I have sat in the rear seat of
both a 2-door hardtop fuselage Imperial and a 4-door, and the difference in
room is amazing. The advertised rear seat leg room of a 2-door Imperial
was 35.2", while the 4-door was 41.2" For comparison the Fury 2-door also
had 35.2" rear leg room while the Fury 4-door had 38.0".
By the way, Dodge C-bodies all shared the same wheelbase, even the wagons,
in the fuselage era. And Chrysler's use of the C-body for all full-size
cars was not uncommon. The Chevrolet Impala used the same B-body as the
Pontiac Catalina, Oldsmobile Delta 88 and Buick LeSabre, while the
Oldsmobile 98, Buick Electra and Cadillac DeVille all used the C-body which
was a derivation of the B-body. And the Mercury Monterey/Marquis and
Meteor were based on the Ford LTD, as was the Lincoln from 1970.
Chrysler's problem was that all their C-body models began looking alike,
even though only only the Chrysler and Imperial actually shared exterior
sheetmetal.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
> The '73 was the last of the "Fuselage Styling" jobs of '69 through '73
(lots
> of tumblehome and tuckunder), although by '71, Chrysler had toned it down
a
> bit for all the lines. Examples: Center defined grilles, added side trim
(to
> divert the eye from that rounded look). In an interesting way, Chrysler
had
> a similar customer acceptance problem with the Airflow, and quickly
> comtemporized the design in the year following its introduction, in '35.
> The '69- 73 Imperials were excellent driver's cars relative to the (US)
> competition, but build quality was falling in this period. I'm thinking
> mainly of body integrity and electrical problems here. The difference
> between, say, a Plymouth Fury 1 and an Imperial simply was not as wide as
it
> should have been. After all, they all shared the "C" body, but with
> increasing wheelbases as you moved from Plymouth-Dodge-Chrysler-Imperial.
In
> fact, the full size Dodge had two wheelbase for at least some of the years
> in this period.
>
> The styling, although innovative in '69, became a little derivative by
'73,
> although this was more true of the lower priced Chrysler Corp models than
> Imperial. For exampe, look at a '66 Chevy Impala, and compare to a '73
> Plymouth Fury Gran Sedan.
>
> Still, I like that sorta rare '69-'73 Imperial Coupe, for the sheer
> extravagance of it all (enormous trunk, volume-wise, that you maybe could
> not stack grocery bags in, limited rear legroom in a 19 foot + design,
etc).
> Lush, plush interiors, too, some with that "loose cushion" look. Not to
> mention the "Cologne Leather" tuck and roll Split Bench interior option in
> the '73.
>
> Does anyone know it the Coupes of this period were shorter than the
sedans?
> Once again, it was 235.3 for the sedan in '73.
>
> Currell
>
>
>
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