Imperial LeBaron

Imperial LeBaron
Production period:	1957-1975
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Limousine , coupe

The Imperial LeBaron was a series of the American automobile brand Imperial, which belongs to the Chrysler group . It was offered in five model generations from 1957 to 1975 and initially represented the top model, then from 1971 the only model of the luxury brand.

background

At the beginning of the 1950s, the Chrysler Group was set up on four tracks. In the upscale market segment, he entered the Chrysler brand, including the Dodge , DeSoto and Plymouth brands. Unlike General Motors and Ford , Chrysler did not have an independent brand in the upper class at that time. Instead, this segment was served with high-quality variants of Chrysler vehicles, which were sold under the Chrysler Imperial model name, which had been used since 1926 . The affiliation of these models to the mass manufacturer Chrysler had an adverse effect on sales because the name Chrysler was given less radiance than Cadillac or Lincoln, for example . Therefore, from 1955, Chrysler made Imperial an independent fifth brand in the group. In the first model generation , Imperial competed with standard models; the vehicles were only called Imperial Coupé and Imperial Sedan in 1955 and 1956 .

With the change to the second generation of models , Imperial nominally expanded the model range. From 1957 the program contained three different series: The Imperial Custom was the basic model, which was offered at the lowest price. The middle model was the Crown , and the top version was called the Imperial LeBaron. The name referred to an American body manufacturer founded by Raymond Dietrich in 1920 , which was taken over by Chrysler in 1935. In the internal factory codes, which changed annually, the number 4 initially identified the LeBaron series; from 1958 it was replaced by the addition "H" (for "high"). All Imperial series were externally and technically largely the same. They differed only in the equipment and in individual years also in styling details, in the case of the LeBaron mainly in the unique shape of the roof in the area of ​​the C-pillar.

At the beginning of the 1964 model year, Imperial initially discontinued the Custom series, and the Crown was discontinued at the end of the 1970 model year. From 1971 to 1975 the LeBaron was the only Imperial brand model. After the Imperial brand was discontinued in late 1975, Chrysler incorporated the car, which was sold as the Imperial LeBaron until 1975, into the Chrysler brand model range without any technical or stylistic changes. There it was named Chrysler New Yorker Brougham and was sold in significantly higher numbers than before at a lower price until 1978.

Model history

Imperial LeBaron Southampton Hardtop Sedan (1961)

Imperial Imperial LeBaron Southampton Hardtop Sedan (1962)

Imperial LeBaron Sedan (1968)

Imperial LeBaron Coupe (1969)

Imperial LeBaron Sedan (1972)

Imperial LeBaron Sedan (1974)

Model generations

Imperial offered the LeBaron model series in five generations:

• 1957 to 1963: The second generation of the brand was the first in which the LeBaron series appeared.
• third Imperial generation (1964 to 1966)
• fourth Imperial generation (1967 to 1968)
• fifth Imperial generation (1969 to 1973)
• sixth and last Imperial generation (1974 to 1975).

landing gear

Technically, like all Imperial models of the second (1957 to 1963) and third generation (1964 to 1966), the LeBaron was based on an "ordinary" box frame to which the body was bolted. Until 1959 it was identical to the design that Chrysler also used for the full-size models of the other group brands. When Chrysler converted its largest models group-wide to a self-supporting body in 1960, Imperial kept the previous frame as the top brand; it was not abandoned with the introduction of the third Imperial generation. It was not until the 1967 model year that Imperial converted all series to a self-supporting body.

drive

In terms of drive, the LeBaron did not differ from the Custom and Crown models. It was powered by the largest eight-cylinder engines of the Chrysler Group with 6,423 cm³ (392 cubic inches) displacement and 325 net horsepower (SAE) (1957 and 1958) and 6,767 cm³ (413 cubic inches) with 340 to 350 net horsepower (SAE) (from 1959) driven. For the 1966 model year, an eight-cylinder engine, enlarged to 7,210 cm³ (440 cubic inches), appeared which was the standard drive for all Imperial models until the brand was discontinued in 1975.

Design and body shapes

The Imperial LeBaron was consistently offered as a four-door hardtop sedan , which from 1957 to 1963 bore the additional designation Southampton . In the first four years, a four-door sedan with a fixed B-pillar and three side windows was also available as an alternative ; however, this version did not sell as well as the hardtop sedans. From 1967 to 1969, Imperial again had four-door sedans with center posts in its range. However, they were reserved for the Crown series; the LeBaron did not adopt this design. There were no two-door LeBaron coupes from 1957 to 1969. It was not until 1970 that a two-door, closed coupé version of the LeBaron was available, although it was only produced in small, mostly three-digit numbers. There was never a convertible in the LeBaron series.

Stylistically, the bodies from 1957 to 1963 were based on the Forward Look designed by Virgil Exner . Initially it had very simple lines, but after two revisions in 1959 it was already considered “overdecorated” and from 1961 - depending on the source - developed classic or outdated shapes. With the third Imperial generation, which appeared in the 1964 model year, there was a new body designed by Elwood Engel . It had "sober lines" and was based on the Lincoln Continental , which was also designed by Engel and won a design award in 1961. In the model generation 1964 to 1966, the Imperials had an independent body for the first time, which had no identical parts with the other models of the Chrysler Group. With the model change in 1967, Imperial returned to bodies that corresponded to the other Chrysler models. This also applied to the fifth generation, introduced in 1969, in which the body design of the Imperial Crown followed the so-called fuselage design . The sixth and last Imperial generation, which was introduced in the 1974 model year and was sold exclusively as LeBaron from the start, also shared the body shell with the large Chrysler models. The main differences concerned the front section, where concealed headlights were still installed, and the vertical rear lights.

Equipment details

The standard equipment of the LeBaron was more extensive than that of the Custom and the Crown. The differences varied from year to year. In model year 1961, the standard equipment of the LeBaron included about furnishing the Crown beyond that already power seats and power windows, a lighted makeup mirror and higher quality carpets in the interior and in the trunk included as standard electrically operated front quarter windows and white wall tires . In the 1967 model year, the differences to the Custom were no longer technical details, but were limited to the decor and upholstery.

Positioning the LeBaron

Internal brand positioning

The LeBaron was regularly the highest quality and most expensive series of the Imperial family. In 1957, a LeBaron Southampton hardtop sedan cost US $ 5,743. In terms of price, the LeBaron was around US $ 900 above the models in the Custom line and US $ 300 above the Crown models. By 1963, the price differential between the Custom and the LeBaron had risen to US $ 1,200. When the Crown became the base model of the Imperial brand as a result of the discontinuation of the Custom model series from 1964, the LeBaron was again around US $ 900 more expensive than the Crown. In the following years, the price difference between the two models fell significantly. In 1970, when the Crown was in its final year of production, it was only $ 300. Following this development, the share of the LeBaron in Imperial's total production also changed. For the first seven years, the LeBaron was the model range with the lowest sales. For the most part, the production numbers of the LeBaron only reached three-digit values. Even after the custom was discontinued, sales of the LeBaron remained far behind the Crown, which then served as the base model. Only in 1969 did the situation change. Now the LeBaron, which was only slightly more expensive than a Crown, was the most successful model in the Imperial family.

External brand positioning

Compared to Cadillac, the LeBaron went through a change over the years. It competed with Cadillac's top model, the Fleetwood Sixty Special, until the late 1960s . The LeBaron was about $ 100 more expensive than the Cadillac at the time. It was not until the 1969 model year that the price of the Imperial fell behind that of the Cadillac. Since that year, Imperial has positioned the LeBaron against Cadillac's mid-range, the DeVille . The LeBaron and DeVille were available for roughly the same price. A Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special, on the other hand, was about US $ 1,600 more expensive.

The models from Ford's luxury brand Lincoln were usually around US $ 1,000 cheaper than the Imperial.

LeBaron Stageway Limousine

Since 1955, Imperial has regularly offered an extended representation limousine alongside the standard models. It was marketed as the Crown Imperial Limousine until 1966 and was partly handcrafted in an elaborate process mainly at Ghia in Italy (1957 to 1964) and at Barreiros in Spain (1965 and 1966). From 1967, the American specialist Stageway Coaches in Fort Smith (Arkansas) , Arkansas , took over the production of the limousines. They were now assigned to the LeBaron series and were given the name LeBaron Stageway Limousine. They had a wheelbase of 4,104 mm and were the longest factory-made passenger cars in the United States. The limousines were usually equipped with two additional seats in the middle of the car and a cabinet-like container that held a television set and a bar. The move from European to domestic coachbuilders resulted in a price cut of more than US $ 2,000. In its final year of production, a LeBaron Stageway cost $ 16,000. Around 27 sedans were built by 1972. At the end of the 1972 model year, Chrysler ended the factory range of elongated sedans. In the following years, various independent body construction companies built extended limousines based on individual customer requests.

production

Production numbers
generation	Model year	Factory code	LeBaron Hardtop Coupé	LeBaron Hardtop Sedan	LeBaron Four Door Sedan	LeBaron Stageway Limousine	total
First generation 1955–1956	1955-1956	no Imperial LeBaron
Second generation 1957–1963	1957	IM1-4	-	911	1729	-	2640
	1958	MY1-H	-	538	501	-	1038
	1959	MY1-H	-	622	510	-	1132
	1960	PY1-H	-	999	692	-	1691
	1961	RY1-H	-	1026	-	-	1026
	1962	SY1-H	-	1449	-	-	1449
	1963	TY1-H	-	1537	-	-	1537
Third generation 1964–1966	1964	VY1-H	-	2949	-	-	2949
	1965	AY1-H	-	2164	-	-	2164
	1966	BY3-H	-	1878	-	-	1878
Fourth generation 1967–1968	1967	CY1-H	-	2194	-	6th	2200
	1968	YH	-	1852	-	6th	1858
Fifth generation 1969–1973	1969	YM	4592	14821	-	6th	19419
	1970	YM	1803	8426	-	6th	10235
	1971	YM	1442	10116	-	1	11559
	1972	YM	2332	13472	-	2	16037
	1973	YM	2563	14166	-	-	16729
Sixth generation 1974–1975	1974	YM	3850	10576	-	-	14426
	1975	YM	2728	6102	-	-	8830

literature

• Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2
• Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models , Part 1: WPC News, May 1982, p. 3 ff.
• Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models . Part 2: WPC News, June 1982, p. 4 ff.

Remarks

1. ↑ The model name Imperial Crown was cause for confusion, as from 1957 the brand offered an extended and very expensive representation sedan under the similar name Crown Imperial .
2. ↑ In the automotive literature, the vehicles built between 1957 and 1963 are mainly grouped into a common model family because - regardless of all stylistic changes over the years - the technology under the sheet metal has remained largely unchanged; see. NN: The Imperial Family . Motor Life, November 1959, and Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 387. Other authors regard the models, which were created from 1961 to 1963, as an independent family; The reason for this is that these vehicles have a comparable front design; Still others let the second generation of models end as early as 1959, because from 1960 onwards Imperial was technically parted with the other Chrysler brands. See Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models . WPC News, May 1982, p. 6.
3. ↑ The hardtop coupés were initially only available in the Custom (1957 to 1963) and Crown (1957 to 1970) series.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 387.
2. ^ John Katz: 1955 Imperial . Special Interest Vehicles No. 129 (May / June 1992), p. 52.
3. ↑ Time Magazine, November 15, 1954, p. 100.
4. ^ Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models , Part 1: WPC News, May 1982, p. 9.
5. ^ Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models , Part 1: WPC News, May 1982, pp. 3 ff, p. 8.
6. ^ Monte McElroy: The 1961-1963 Imperial Models . Part 2: WPC News, June 1982, p. 7.
7. ^ NN: Imperial LeBaron Road Test . Car Life, July 1964.
8. ↑ Equipment details of the Imperial LeBaron from 1961 on the website www.imperialclub.com (accessed on November 29, 2016).
9. ↑ Equipment details of the Imperial LeBaron from 1967 on the website www.imperialclub.com (accessed on November 28, 2016).
10. ^ Monte McElroy: The 1961–1963 Imperial Models , Part 1: WPC News, May 1982, p. 12.
11. ↑ Information from Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p.392 f.