"Engle started the demise of the Imperial, and forever sealed it's fate"
How?
Like all stylists, Engel had to work within the parameters laid out for him
by management. The 1964 Imperial had to use the basic body frame carried
over from the1957-63 body. The 1967 Imperial had to use the C body of the
Chrysler with a longer hood and deck. The 1969 Imperial again used the C
body of the Chrysller with a longer hood but had to use the door and basic
rear fender stampings. The 1974 Imperial (although not an Engel work) was a
Chrysler with different trim and fixings.
All these dictates were placed before him by Chrysler management. That he
was able to work around these parameters and still come up with striking
designs just shows how good a designer he was. He had less to work with
than Exner or the people that designed the Lincolns and Cadillacs of that
era.
Exner was forced to use the DeSoto/Chrysler body to create the 1955 and 1956
Imperial. On the other hand, he was given a clean sheet of paper for the
1957 Imperial. The body of the 1957 Imperial shared nothing with any other
Chrysler line and thus Exner could create a unique design. The collapse of
Imperial sales in 1958 meant that Exner was forced to use the same body for
the 1959 through 1962 Imperials. In turn, Engel had to use it for the 1963
Imperial and the major restyle for 1964. (Personally I view the 1961
Imperial as the low point in Imperial styling - a design that was done
during his sick leave.)
So don't blame Engel for what happened to the Imperial. That blame should
be placed squarely on the shoulders of Chrysler's marketing and advertising
people.
We should be be in awe for what Engel was able to do given the materials he
had to work with.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
----- Original Message -----
From: Imperial59crown@xxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 7:19 AM
Subject: Re: IML: Exner Years
Engle started the demise of the Imperial, and forever sealed it's fate.
Exner brought it to its greatest recognition, and it's most distinct
styling. Chrysler has always been a manufacturer for the solid middle class,
a niche above Ford, and a niche below GM. The problem with Chrysler is, it
has not had a flagship automobile since the Imperial was discontinued, and I
am talking about the real Imperials, They are turning out some of the best
designs today, but there is still no flagship. There is the new 300, which
is a very nice car, but comparable to a Pontiac, Bonneville. With the
globalization of the auto industry, it is somewhat doubtful that we will
ever see an automobile like the Imperial resurface, nor would I want to.
When I look at cars today, it is very difficult to define top end from lower
end, except by the logo stamped on the car, and this is not an Imperial
world! If Chrysler had introduced the '61 Imperial in 1959, and continued
upward from there, things may have been different, but they just kind of
laid back on their laurels, and lost it. Our Imperials are what they are,
and they are from an era that we will most likely never experience again.
They are indeed very rare top of the line, and very distinct automobiles,
and we are the keepers of them. Aren't we the lucky ones!
Bill "59 Crown
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