Chrysler Imperial? Looks like some chinese manufacturer decided to clone (once again!) a Rolls-Royce Phantom’s body (not a good start!) and build it over a Hummer chassis. They borrow a grille from some old, scrapped heavy-duty truck… and voilá!
C’mon, Chrysler. We know you can do much better.
CarGuyFromBrazil
So very well said! My thought exactly.
yes, this imperial is ugly. however, everybody thought 300c was the ugliest thing when it first came out as a concept. in fact, one writer from car&driver thought the 300c looked like an old russian sedan. lots of people trashed the 300c, but who knew it would became d/c #1 seller and the darling of gangsta’ rappers…
THAT CAR IS UGLY AND FAT, FAT LIKE MY BIG FATTY.
The design is really not that bad, it’s got that rear door/fender bulge that Vince loves so much from the Chronos. It’s just a 300 with more chrome and smoother skin. You suckas be cry’in when Fiddy Cent be drives’en one of dem! Da Rolls at Wal-Mart prices fools!
Who signed off on this one?
Firstly, are we sure anyone actually ‘signed off’ on this one?
Secondly, is there really a need for yet another retro gas-hog for middle-aged men with small, ahem, egos?
I mean, isn’t that what NASCAR Monte Carlos and pick-up trucks are for?
That car is friggin’ awesome. You all are crazy.
The current market tastes seem to reward designs that are bold, not bland. Witness the poor response to the sleek, plain Ford 500. This car is in-your-face ugly, but it would sell well.
Simply put: this car offends me.
It’s a great idea for Chrysler to build a big, brash, comfortable, roomy and smooth-riding American luxury car like the Imperial, and not another copy of the typical eurasian luxury car everyone else builds. My only problem with the design is that it’s too damn high. It looks like the offspring of a 4 dr sedan and an SUV. Better yet, it looks more like Chrysler’s version of a Macys Thanksgiving Day parade balloon. Lower it a few inches (feet?) and Chrysler has themselves another winner.
First off, the car is offensively ugly. I’ll admit it took a while for the 300 to grow on me, but I suspect this will remain permanantly in my ugly file along with the Maybach, current 7-Series, ans so many other luxury models that choose arrogance over grace.
The concept seems to have taken as inspiration, the Virgil Exner designed models of late 50s – early 60s that were largely the butt of jokes even in their own day.
The mid-60s models would have been a much better place to start. Those models even some design cues with the 300.
As much as I’m appalled by the design however, I’m even more confused by the idea of resurrecting Imperial in the first place? The brand struggled enough for significance when it was an independant Chrysler’s topmost luxury offering. But when your brand portolio includes Mercedes-Benz, what is the point? Its the VW Phaeton all over again.
At first glance I thought this was a cruel joke, but I do see some wisdom to Daimler-Chrysler wanting to resurect the Imperial name. The 300 is a good choice for the platform. However, the design is NOT sleek; it is way too bloated. Also, what the heck are they thinking with that unsightly frontend? The sheer ugliness of those lights, the overly large grill and the massive blank space below those horrible lights. Chrysler I think it is time to head back to the drawing board!
i think that chrysler’s new motto should be: design as many big ass gass hogging tree killing offensive cheaply made cars as we can or die tryin’. it would score big time with the hip hop crowd.
first off, these are big-ass, gas-hogging cars that PERFORM as opposed to big-ass gas-hogging SUVs, and shitty FWD sedans.
My only problems:
-Bustle-backs: GOOD, This execution: BAD -The huge blank space on the front valance in between the headlights and the fogs/LEDs/turn signals -Kinda high
Does anybody else think this is the perfect car Vince Burlapp should be driving? It’s a match made in heaven or hell if u prefer! Forget the friggin pacer…
I WANT ONE NOW!!! Such a refreshing break from all the melted-soap bars from Mercedes (E & S), Ford(Tarus), Toyota(Avalon),Buick(LaCross), and Honda(Civic’s 3/4scale LH knockoff). I absolutely LOVE this thing. Keep it under $100k and I’ll take 2.
Keep it under $100K? With the aggressive way Chrysler is marketing its successful 300 (base under $25K?!?!) I wouldn’t be surprised if an Imperial is around $35K to start.
Whether it will be worth it is another question. I do see the mid-1950s Exner influence the concept, particularly in the shape of the grille opening and freestanding headlamps in the recesses. However, beneath where the bottom of the Exner bumper would have ended sits about a FOOT of blank space! Everything behind the front end reveals a very cheap Phantom imitation, including suicide doors on a Chrysler?!? The only part of this car that I remotely enjoy are the taillamp/trunklid relationship, which reminds me of the Crossfire. Otherwise, this concept is truly a disaster and needs to be reevaluated for production.
And as for “Lots of people trashed the 300c, but who knew it would became d/c #1 seller and the darling of gangsta’ rappers…”, there is no question that these people are the epitome of good taste. I say leave the 300 for them, and give the rest of us a nice-looking Imperial instead.
first they copied bentley from 300c, and now they tried to make a rolce royce with cheap material…
I’ve made an about face on this one. Earlier I didn’t think much of the design. However, now that I just saw the unveiling I must say that I was in awe! It truely is one stunner – I would be proud to drive it. With everyone else going retro why not have a ‘Rolls’ style? The interior is equally stunning.
Looks much nicer than the new big sludge machine from Lexus
Chrysler Imperial? Looks like some chinese manufacturer decided to clone (once again!) a Rolls-Royce Phantom’s body (not a good start!) and build it over a Hummer chassis. They borrow a grille from some old, scrapped heavy-duty truck… and voilá!
C’mon, Chrysler. We know you can do much better.
CarGuyFromBrazil
So very well said!
My thought exactly.
yes, this imperial is ugly. however, everybody thought 300c was the ugliest thing when it first came out as a concept. in fact, one writer from car&driver thought the 300c looked like an old russian sedan. lots of people trashed the 300c, but who knew it would became d/c #1 seller and the darling of gangsta’ rappers…
THAT CAR IS UGLY AND FAT, FAT LIKE MY BIG FATTY.
The design is really not that bad, it’s got that rear door/fender bulge that Vince loves so much from the Chronos. It’s just a 300 with more chrome and smoother skin. You suckas be cry’in when Fiddy Cent be drives’en one of dem! Da Rolls at Wal-Mart prices fools!
Who signed off on this one?
Firstly, are we sure anyone actually ‘signed off’ on this one?
Secondly, is there really a need for yet another retro gas-hog for middle-aged men with small, ahem, egos?
I mean, isn’t that what NASCAR Monte Carlos and pick-up trucks are for?
That car is friggin’ awesome. You all are crazy.
The current market tastes seem to reward designs that are bold, not bland. Witness the poor response to the sleek, plain Ford 500. This car is in-your-face ugly, but it would sell well.
Simply put: this car offends me.
It’s a great idea for Chrysler to build a big, brash, comfortable, roomy and smooth-riding American luxury car like the Imperial, and not another copy of the typical eurasian luxury car everyone else builds. My only problem with the design is that it’s too damn high. It looks like the offspring of a 4 dr sedan and an SUV. Better yet, it looks more like Chrysler’s version of a Macys Thanksgiving Day parade balloon. Lower it a few inches (feet?) and Chrysler has themselves another winner.
First off, the car is offensively ugly. I’ll admit it took a while for the 300 to grow on me, but I suspect this will remain permanantly in my ugly file along with the Maybach, current 7-Series, ans so many other luxury models that choose arrogance over grace.
The concept seems to have taken as inspiration, the Virgil Exner designed models of late 50s – early 60s that were largely the butt of jokes even in their own day.
The mid-60s models would have been a much better place to start. Those models even some design cues with the 300.
As much as I’m appalled by the design however, I’m even more confused by the idea of resurrecting Imperial in the first place? The brand struggled enough for significance when it was an independant Chrysler’s topmost luxury offering. But when your brand portolio includes Mercedes-Benz, what is the point? Its the VW Phaeton all over again.
At first glance I thought this was a cruel joke, but I do see some wisdom to Daimler-Chrysler wanting to resurect the Imperial name. The 300 is a good choice for the platform. However, the design is NOT sleek; it is way too bloated. Also, what the heck are they thinking with that unsightly frontend? The sheer ugliness of those lights, the overly large grill and the massive blank space below those horrible lights. Chrysler I think it is time to head back to the drawing board!
i think that chrysler’s new motto should be: design as many big ass gass hogging tree killing offensive cheaply made cars as we can or die tryin’. it would score big time with the hip hop crowd.
first off, these are big-ass, gas-hogging cars that PERFORM as opposed to big-ass gas-hogging SUVs, and shitty FWD sedans.
My only problems:
-Bustle-backs: GOOD, This execution: BAD
-The huge blank space on the front valance in between the headlights and the fogs/LEDs/turn signals
-Kinda high
Does anybody else think this is the perfect car Vince Burlapp should be driving? It’s a match made in heaven or hell if u prefer! Forget the friggin pacer…
I WANT ONE NOW!!! Such a refreshing break from all the melted-soap bars from Mercedes (E & S), Ford(Tarus), Toyota(Avalon),Buick(LaCross), and Honda(Civic’s 3/4scale LH knockoff). I absolutely LOVE this thing. Keep it under $100k and I’ll take 2.
Keep it under $100K? With the aggressive way Chrysler is marketing its successful 300 (base under $25K?!?!) I wouldn’t be surprised if an Imperial is around $35K to start.
Whether it will be worth it is another question. I do see the mid-1950s Exner influence the concept, particularly in the shape of the grille opening and freestanding headlamps in the recesses. However, beneath where the bottom of the Exner bumper would have ended sits about a FOOT of blank space! Everything behind the front end reveals a very cheap Phantom imitation, including suicide doors on a Chrysler?!? The only part of this car that I remotely enjoy are the taillamp/trunklid relationship, which reminds me of the Crossfire. Otherwise, this concept is truly a disaster and needs to be reevaluated for production.
And as for “Lots of people trashed the 300c, but who knew it would became d/c #1 seller and the darling of gangsta’ rappers…”, there is no question that these people are the epitome of good taste. I say leave the 300 for them, and give the rest of us a nice-looking Imperial instead.
first they copied bentley from 300c, and now they tried to make a rolce royce with cheap material…
I’ve made an about face on this one. Earlier I didn’t think much of the design. However, now that I just saw the unveiling I must say that I was in awe! It truely is one stunner – I would be proud to drive it. With everyone else going retro why not have a ‘Rolls’ style? The interior is equally stunning.
Looks much nicer than the new big sludge machine from Lexus