West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally straight and rust free and great daily driving survivor of this very rare and original Mopar - a 1958 Chrysler Imperial Crown Convertible with its original 392/345HP V8 engine - this 1958 Imperial is a one of the last true 392ci Hemi cars which makes this beauty very desirable and it is the last year for the Hemi to come in an Imperial. This was one of the most expensive cars produced in 1958 and is extremely rare with a total production of only 675 Crown Convertibles ever built and only a handful to ever survive. This is one of the nicest 1958's to become available in the last several years and we are fortunate enough to be able to offer it for sale as they are now very thin on the ground and exceedingly rare to find. This beauty has been mostly completely restored only as required through the years and is rust free and solid as a rock and she is super straight which is wonderful for such a huge car with such large expanses of sheet metal; that is a testament to the restorer. These 1950's Chrysler Hemi cars are now extraordinarily rare and very desirable and very hard to find in this type of outstanding condition.
It's loaded with the following equipment:
392ci 345hp Hemi V8 Engine
Torque-Flite Push Button Automatic transmission
Reupholstered & Correct Specification Full Leather Interior Trim
Power Steering
Power Brakes
Power Windows
Optional Power Door Locks
4-Way Power Front Seat
Power Antenna
Original AM Radio
White Wall Tires
Full Floor Carpeting
Directional Signals
Heater & Defroster
All Chrome redone
One of very few such remaining examples and a top-of-the-line model for the Chrysler Corporation.
This mostly original car was only restored as necessary over the years with recent new paint and leather interior and a convertible top and boot. Gorgeous inside and out with a solid frame. This is a beautiful, very rare and nicely almost fully optioned 1958 Imperial Crown Convertible in excellent condition inside and out. This car is finished with a beautiful 'Garnet Maroon' exterior color paint complimented by an outstanding fully reupholstered tan leather interior. Overall, this car is in exceptional condition and is a very rare find.
Mechanically, the engine and transmission run flawlessly and she drives with no issues at all! The original 392ci 345hp Hemi engine makes moving this great car seem effortless. The motor fires right up and runs as good as new. This 1958 Imperial Crown Convertible is one of the rarest and hardest to find 50's classic cars on the market today and the enthusiast has a very unique opportunity here to own such a rare and original car. We have priced her to sell and you will look long and hard to find a finer example, or indeed even any other example for that matter, available anywhere else!
One advantage of Imperials of this vintage was their strength; their crashworthiness got them banned from most demolition derbies for being too durable and too tough to take down. Unlike the rest of the Chrysler Corporation makes (Chrysler, De Soto, Dodge and Plymouth), that began unibody construction for 1960, the Imperial retained separate full perimeter frames for rigidity through the 1966 model year. These substantial frames had a box cross section with crossmembers forming an 'X'. The drive shaft passed through a hole in the 'X' frame. The parking brake gripped the drive shaft, and was not connected to the rear drum brakes prior to the 1963 model year.
Another advantage was that Imperial, and all Mopars, received "Torsion-Aire" suspension for 1957. Torsion-Aire was an indirect-acting, torsion-bar front suspension system which reduced unsprung weight and shifted the car's center of gravity downward and rearward. Torsion-bar suspension on the front combined with multi-leaf springs on the rear provided a smoother ride and improved handling. Pillarless hardtops, in both two and four door configurations, got the Southampton designation.
Chrysler's best car was spun off as a separate make and division beginning with the 1955 models and what a terrific car it was! Chrysler now had 5 divisions with a line up of cars to match GM in every market level with the Imperial as it's top-of-the-line model directly aimed at Cadillac and Lincoln. Styled by Virgil Exner along the lines of his 1954 Parade Phaeton show cars. A wraparound 'Super Scenic' windshield made it's first appearance and power was supplied by Chrysler's Hemi V8 to ensure the car's heritage as a true and rare milestone car.
The Imperial model of the mid 50's and early 60's sold well and remained a strong contender with Cadillac and Lincoln, the two other luxury marques of its day. The 1963 mild face lift design was reminiscent of Virgil Exner's earlier designs and especially the Lincoln Continental which he had styled for Ford. By 1964 the Imperial was completely 'Continental' in character with its fenderline traced in brightwork like the big Lincolns and about the only left over in the design being the familiar hood ornament. Even the dash panel was completely redesigned.
The 1957 model year was based to an even greater degree on Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" styling (also used on other full-size Chryslers of the period). It featured a "biplane" front bumper a full-width egg crate grille and quad headlights (where legal). Taller tailfins now encompassed the trademark gunsight taillights and framed a downward tapering decklid that met the rear bumper. Curved side glass was employed for the first time on a U.S. production car. The Hemi engine with a displacement enlarged to 392 cu in (6.4 L) was standard for 1957-58. Power seats and dual exhaust were made standard across the line. A convertible was available for the first time on an Imperial and only offered in the mid-range Crown series.
1958 Imperial Crown convertible
Styling changes for 1958 were limited to the front grille and bumper. Quad headlights became standard. The 1958 Imperial is credited with the introduction of cruise control, which was called "Auto-Pilot", and was available on the Imperial, and on Chrysler New Yorker and Windsor models. Power door locks were another new option. Dealers were frustrated with buyers referring to the cars as a "Chrysler Imperial", which inhibited sales as Chrysler was not seen as having Cadillac or Lincoln's prestige. It didn't help that Imperial continued to be sold at Chrysler dealerships, instead of standalone dealers, although it did have a separate "Imperial" dealership sign.
This elegant 1958 Chrysler Imperial was the pinnacle of luxury for the 50s with options most cars of today could only dream of. A very rare and expensive car of the day as there were only 675 produced. Loaded with power equipment like power windows, power convertible top, 6 way power seat, push button Torque Flite automatic transmission, power mirror, quad headlights, and so much more.
Under the skin, the massive, legendry and powerful Chrysler Hemi was both bored and stroked out to 392 cubic inches, and was capable of producing 345 hp. It also had enough torque to hoist the nearly 5,000-pound car to 60 mph in under 9.5 seconds and the quarter mile in just 17 seconds at over 80 mph. The suspension was the most advanced in the industry, with new torsion bars in front and exceptionally well-engineered Hotchkiss drive with semi-eliptic springs at the rear, as well as the famous Torqueflight three-speed automatic transmission that debuted late in 1956. Chryslers own power steering system and Airtemp air conditioning systems were standard and optional, respectively. These Imperials had ultra smooth rides thanks to a 149.5 inch wheel base that was over 20in longer than the Eldorado of the day.
In terms of styling, the car was everything that head Chrysler designer Virgil Exner could have hoped for. The fins soared, the decklid swept gracefully downward towards the massive rear bumper and two-thirds of buyers opted for the Flight-Sweep deck lid, which included a stamped spare tire impression complete with wheel cover. Finally, Chryslers Imperial line was ready to compete head to head against Cadillac. Like many other Chrysler products of 1957, the advanced styling gave the car a massive leg-up in the sales race, with Imperial coming close to out-selling Fords Lincoln line, a feat it repeated in 1958 with Lincoln only selling 99 more units than Imperial.For 1959 cars had the requisite new grille typical of model-year changes in this era, and the five vertical spears intersected with massive horizontal wedge of chrome gave it a unique look. Under the hood, the famous, heavy and expensive to build Hemi was still standard on the middle-line Crown Imperial, with Custom and top-end LeBaron cars having an all-new big-block 413 cubic inch Wedge V-8 of 350 hp. It was the last hurrah for the early Hemi.
Body styles in all years included six-window four-door sedans, two-door convertibles, two-door hardtops and four-door hardtops as well as exceptionally rare and costly ($15,075) Ghia limousines that were hand-built in Italy (just 74 built in three years).
