CILTED: 1990-1993 Chrysler Imperial

"El Rivinado" (joeman856) 12/04/2014 at 16:48 • Filed to: CILTED

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Welcome back to my ongoing series, this time its the first entry in the Cars I like that everyone Doesn't, today we're going to examine one of the strangest examples of badge/platform sharing ever, of course I'm talking about the semi-faux luxury car, the 1990-93 Chrysler Imperial

There is no love for this car, most people view this as a cheap, gaudy, chintzy embarrassment, a k-car in a fancy suit, a pathetic name to one of the most prestigious nameplates in Chrysler's history. All of that is true, yet for some odd reason, I kind of like it.

Last time I criticized the Volkswagen Phaeton for looking like a stretched Passat.

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So some of you will say, "Why do you like this stretched Chintzy K-Car?", well believe it or not, at first I hated this car. I mean just look at this thing.

The headlight covers, the weird opera window, the big old grill, and so. Much. CHROME!! It's like Chrysler traveled back to 1975 and crashed a K-car into a Lincoln showroom. It's tacky and dated, yet for some reason this thing has grown on me. Maybe it's the fact it looks very unique, maybe it's because it's a bit of a throwback to the luxury cruiser of the yore, but I do like how this car looks. (Although I will say, when a car design you don't like grows on you, that's a bad sign.)

So it looks different than the standard depressing Plymouth Reliant your dad would've driven back then, but looks aren't the only reason I like this thing. Now here's the thing, Imperial as a name is a very poor choice, not because is a bad name, but because it will invoke visions of cars like this.

It's so pretty.

Cars like this 69 Imperial here were the cars that proved to the world that Chrysler could easily compete with Lincoln and Cadillac in the luxury department, so to slap a prestigious name like this on a k-car with headlight covers, wasn't going to win the crowds. But it was rather the idea it represented.

Back in the 90s, American luxury was starting to go the way of the dodo, with ze Germans, and Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti redefining what luxury meant, American cars that were big cruisers with marshmallow rides was coming to an end, American luxury cars that were starting to embrace the smaller is better philosophy did so with disastrous results.

Sad looking thing.

Sure there were cars like the Lincoln Town Car that still soldiered on, but there was never going to be a big true American car ever again. And even then cars that tried to market themselves as luxury cars were obvious cynical rebadges that were the luxury car equivalent of paying 20 bucks for a whopper if it came on a fine China plate, like the Mercury cougar.

No

No

Are you even listening?

There it is. In all it's rebadged Thunderbird glory.

So why does the Chrysler Imperial stand out? Because Chrysler committed to an idea, they could've just slapped on a nameplate and a price tag to one of it's vehicles but they created something a bit more different, they made it big, it handled badly, it was covered in leather, and it was driven by geezers. In other words Chrysler did what very few American car makers did, they stuck to the philosophy of what makes American luxury cars so great, they made a big old boat, they didn't try and fight BMW or Acura, they just made a car that embodied everything great about our big old cruisers. Much like the Chrysler 300 of today, it represented just what American luxury was all about, and regardless of how outdated that may seem, the fact that they stuck to their guns and delivered an honest product, well any car that can do that, I can't really despise.

So what do you guys think? Is the Chrysler Imperial an underrated boulevard cruiser of yore, or should I stop drinking whatever Kool-Aid I found in the back of the fridge? Tune in next time on the CIDLTEL, when I go after an embarrassment of one of the best nameplates in the business.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 17:17

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There is a minty fresh Imperial near my house, that is someones daily driver.

Schaefft > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 17:32

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I actually do like the 90-93 Imperial even though it was pretty much the worst vehicle you could buy in its class. Its just the fact that Chrysler actually tried to make the most out of a, by then, outdated compact car platform that is fascinating me. That is also the reason why the last Imperials were kinda oddly proportioned and too narrow for their length. Chrysler managed to slap on more front and rear overhang to make it look more like a proper luxury vehicle but were not able to widen the platform, they had to work with what they got. However I do like the aero frontend with the hidden headlights and full width tail light bar. I'd like to have one in black!

Also the MN12 Cougar was not a simple rebadge of the Thunderbird, it had a completely unique body and interior.

El Rivinado > Schaefft 12/04/2014 at 17:41

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Same here, if Chrysler hadn't tried to extend the K-Car platform beyond its shelf life, it could've been a lot better, that still won't change the fact that I still like it. A bad car with character is better than a good car with no character.

I never really should've called it a rebadge, my fault, but it was more of an example of what the kind of platform sharing the big three were doing to their "Luxury" cars to try and beat ze Germans at their own game.

El Rivinado > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 12/04/2014 at 17:42

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Just out of curiosity, I've looked on a lot of car sites for one on sale, and I can never find one, not even in crappy rusted out 500 bucks or less sort of condition. It's like your neighbor has the last of a dying breed.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 17:49

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Well, he works near my house, he isn't my neighbor. It's dark blue and looks new.

Schaefft > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 17:53

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No worries, didn't wanna sound rude. :) And yeah, platform sharing does have its pros and cons, it really depends on the market you want to aim your product at. The typical Mercury Cougar buyer from back then probably didn't give a sh*t whether his/her car was based on a Thunderbird (which wasn't a bad car at all for its time and price) or a proper newly developed platform. I am glad that Ford actually considered basing their Lincoln flagship on the Thunderbird, otherwise my Mark would have never existed (even though theres barely anything TB/Cougar related left). I don't want to live in a world without my Mark VIII! :p

El Rivinado > Schaefft 12/04/2014 at 18:01

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The MN12 platform was great, but Mercury should've upped the ante a bit.

I will do the Lincoln Mark VIII sometime, my opinion on it is very weird, but it's not going to be negative. Don't worry, your Mark VIII will be safe from my bitterness. :) Plus it always seemed like Lincoln always made sure that their platform shared vehicles always stood out from the crowd didn't they? (The Mark VII and VIII for example).

Schaefft > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 18:12

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Haha, I can understand if others do not share my enthusiasm for the Mark VIII, I swear it looks so much better in person lol. I think they had to stand out from the crowd, they were competing as a serious player in the (american) luxury market after all, the best Ford had to offer. It's a shame that Lincoln somewhat lost its way in the last decade or so, noone will remember a car like the '06 Zephyr or Blackwood. Things are slowing getting better (even though Lincolns are still not made for car enthusiasts) and I hope they will get their crap together at one point and build a truly desirable car again. Something based on the current Mustang for example.

ranwhenparked > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 18:27

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Most of my memories of that Imperial when it was fairly new were seeing it in parking lots outside Old Country Buffet or parked in the volunteer parking spots at the rectory. They were usually burgundy and usually driven very, very slowly. Basically, Chrysler was selling them to people that were old enough to remember what "real" Imperials were like and were therefore still dazzled by the name, while remaining ignorant of more recent developments at competing luxury brands. It was really a sad end. Though, it had to be at least more commercially successful than the 1981-83 Imperials, for no other reason that the incredible economies of scale baked into the K-platform.

The Compromiser > El Rivinado 12/04/2014 at 22:41

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I had a 89 Dynasty. Loaded to the tits. Loved that fucking car. It was champagne for a colour choice. Basically glitter beige. Way too much fun. Never got a second look from a cop and felt like a pimp.

chainwarhead > El Rivinado 12/17/2019 at 05:39

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I know all the hate for this is that its practically a rebadged K car and sure it should’ve been a different, newer body, but I actually love it. I currently own a 91 Imp with 81000 miles on the odo as my daily, I feel a bit bad about it but I know in the back of my head I can get another one (Or refurbish mine) easily.

And thats the thing, I am too young to remember any of the big luxo boats of olden times, I only knew briefly some mid 90s luxry cars like the Buick Park Avenue and the Caddy DeVille both of them having the more contemporary aerodynamic designs rather than the flat 45 degree corners and of course the luxry sports sedans that are now flooding the markets today, when I came across this car I was dazzled by the huge chrome bumper and grille, the vinyl roof was so cool to me and the green electronic dash was great, along with the marshmallow leather seats, computers, hood ornaments and headlight covers and all, I could go all day. Theres just something that ticks for me that other cars of the year don’t. For the most part she has served me well and I get lots of compliments and I hope to own my imp long enough to pass it onto my son, or at least one like it haha. 

Rigid Ray > El Rivinado 05/20/2020 at 19:45

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I have owned 4 ea. 1990-93 Imperials. The reason you can’t find any for sale is due to the ABS brake system (Bendix 10) very costly to fix (parts are almost non-existent and costly if you do find them). Don’t believe any of that lifetime warranty stuff. The parts have been long discontinued. Most of these cars were just junked.

Anyway, this was/is an odd car. Some complain about the steel road wheels (no alloys available) used on the flagship car. Well, this isn’t quite true. Some of the “steel looking” wheels were actually aluminum painted black. They are “dished” slightly different to accomm odate the spoke wheel covers.

The 1990 Imperial’s all- new 3.3 liter V-6 had a major problem. The bolts holding down the rocker arm shafts would just break loose. They fixed the probl em and turned it into a 3.8 (they look identical other that them reading 3.8 liter) making it the standard engine in 1991. They tested the heck-out of the engine and it proved to be a winner.

The 4 speed Ultra-drive ? Yes, they were all bad. But they eventually fixed that too. These cars did come with a fabulous 7 / 70 warranty. I know people hate these cars. But no one that has actually owned one feels the same way. We love them. And you’re right... they start looking better with each passing year.