Imperial LeBaron (1974–1975)
| Imperial | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| LeBaron | |
| Production period: | 1974-1975 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Limousine , coupe |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 7.2 liters (158 kW) |
| Length: | 5867 mm |
| Width: | 2024 mm |
| Height: | 1384 mm |
| Wheelbase : | |
| Empty weight : | 2550 kg |
| Previous model | Imperial LeBaron (1972–1973) |
| successor | Chrysler New York Brougham |
This article deals with the models of the Imperial brand from model years 1974 and 1975. As early as 1957, a "LeBaron" equipment variant was offered for Imperial.
The Imperial LeBaron was a luxury vehicle that was offered in the 1974 and 1975 model years under the Imperial brand belonging to the Chrysler concern . The expensive and large sedans and coupes competed with the vehicles from Cadillac and Lincoln , but could not prevail against them. In 1975 production numbers fell to the lowest level in the brand's twenty-year history. The failure of the LeBaron led Chrysler to discontinue the Imperial brand in the summer of 1975. Apart from a luxury coupé introduced in 1981, the 1974 and 1975 vehicles were the last automobiles to be sold as Imperial. From 1976 to 1978 the cars were sold under the name Chrysler New Yorker Brougham , technically and externally unchanged .
background
Chrysler had sold its largest and most expensive vehicles under the name Chrysler Imperial since the 1920s . The term Imperial was initially just a model name. In 1955, Imperial was upgraded to an independent brand. The Imperials, which have since represented the Group's top models, each used the technology of Chrysler's full-size vehicles, but mostly had a separate body. Since 1967 the Imperials like the Chrysler Newport , the Chrysler New Yorker and the top models from Dodge and Plymouth were based on the C-platform , but had a longer wheelbase than the other models. In 1969 the sixth Imperial generation appeared, the body design of which followed the so-called Fuselage design; the technically identical, but externally revised seventh generation (1972 to 1973) was based on it.
Alignment with Chrysler
For the 1974 model year, Chrysler redesigned the bodies of the full-size models of all brands belonging to the group. As in the previous generation, the eighth generation of the Imperials no longer had an independent body, but for 1974 the wheelbase was identical to that of the Chrysler models. The bodies of the Imperials were identical to that of the Chrysler models; they only differed from one another externally in terms of their individual front and rear sections: the Imperial had an elegant radiator grille with fine, vertical struts at the front and the Imperial headlights were behind when switched off Flaps in body color are hidden. Imperial also had a much more extensive standard equipment than the Chrysler models.
The alignment with the Chrysler models was primarily due to economic considerations. Chrysler had been economically struggling since the early 1970s and could not afford to develop an independent body for a model that was produced in small numbers. This was viewed critically in public. In the eyes of some observers, Imperial had lost its independence as a result; some enthusiasts were even of the opinion that Imperial did not just die in the summer of 1975, but in fact "died in the fall of 1973".
Chrysler tried to compensate for the lack of independence of the Imperial models with some complex technical solutions. Accordingly, the cars had high-quality, partly innovative equipment that stood out from those of the large Chrysler models. Still, Imperial failed to make up for Cadillac and Lincoln.
details
One-size-fits-all
In the 1950s and 1960s, Imperial usually offered three series that differed in terms of equipment levels and styling details; the differentiation was documented by different model names such as Imperial Custom (base), Imperial Crown (medium level of equipment) and Imperial LeBaron (top model). Imperial had already given up this differentiation with the sixth series (since 1971); since then, only one series called Imperial LeBaron has been offered. In 1974 and 1975, Imperial continued to restrict it to a single series: all of the Imperials from the 1974 and 1975 model years were named LeBaron. The name referred to an American body manufacturer founded by Raymond Dietrich in 1920 , which was taken over by Chrysler in 1935. The established name Crown was also revived in the spring of 1974 for a particularly high-quality coupé.
body
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The 1974 and 1975 Imperials were available as two-door coupes and four-door sedans. They were hardtop vehicles in the traditional sense, with frameless side windows and no B-pillar . The roofline of the coupé and the sedan were identical in profile from 1974; in the earlier model generations, the coupé had a tighter roof than the sedan.
The body shell of the Imperial was identical to that of the Chrysler New Yorker. The Imperial shared the roof, doors, fenders and glazing with him.
The front section, however, was independent. It consisted of a one-piece, plastic mask that was attached to the front of the car. The central design element was a narrow, upright radiator grille made of zinc, the size of which sometimes reminded American observers of a Rolls-Royce radiator. The grill had chrome-plated vertical struts that ran a short distance horizontally at the top. Because of this peculiarity, the design was given the name Waterfall Grill . The design of the grill was adopted in 1977 from the Chrysler LeBaron , a mid-range luxury vehicle based on the M platform , but was also found in some products from the GM brand Oldsmobile such as the Cutlass from 1973.
Unlike the large Chrysler models, the headlights were behind covers that were painted in body color. A separate mask was also installed at the rear end; While the light units of the large Chrysler models were arranged horizontally, Imperial continued to pursue its brand tradition and, as in previous years, used a vertical layout (so-called teadrop design ).
technology
The eighth generation Imperials used technology from Chrysler's C platform. Unlike in previous years, the wheelbase was no longer than that of the large Chrysler models. Only Chrysler's largest engine was used as the drive: an eight-cylinder V-engine with a displacement of 7.2 liters and an output of 215 SAE - PS . Compared to the previous year's engines, the compression ratio has been reduced to enable operation with regular gasoline . Power was transmitted via a TorqueFlite automatic with three forward gears.
The 1974 and 1975 Imperials were - apart from the Chevrolet Corvette - the first American-made vehicles to be fitted with four disc brakes as standard. Chrysler kept this feature until 1975, but then moved away from it across the Group. From 1976, when the car was marketed under the name Chrysler New Yorker, only drum brakes were available on the rear axle , and the J-Body-based Imperial luxury coupés from model years 1981 to 1983 also had drum brakes at the rear.
The Imperial LeBaron Crown Coupé
A special feature was the Crown Coupé, which was introduced in spring 1974, shortly before the end of the first model year.
Externally, it could be recognized by an unusual roof paneling: the roof of the Crown Coupé was covered with vinyl in the front area up to the rear side windows , while the roof end in the area of the C-pillar was made of bare metal and was painted in the vehicle color. This reversed the conventional concept of the Landau roof, in which the vinyl cover was only located above the rear roof section. The 1974 Crown Coupé was painted in gold metallic; the vinyl cover was also held in a gold tone. The interior was optionally available in gold fabric or gold-colored leather. In 1975 eight color combinations were possible.
The production of the Crown Coupé was outsourced. The base vehicles were built at Chrysler, but the roof was converted by the American Sunroof Corporation. The Crown Coupe was $ 527 more expensive than the base model. In 1974 only 57 copies of the Crown Coupé were made.
A comparable roof design was available for the Chrysler New York Brougham Coupé from 1974 to 1978. There it was called the St. Regis Option .
Scope of production and failure
production
Chrysler began production of the Imperial on September 25, 1973; the last vehicle was manufactured on June 12, 1975.
Chrysler had initially planned to sell twice as many Imperials in 1974 as in 1973. After that, around 32,000 vehicles should have been built. In fact, only 14,426 vehicles could be produced in 1974, which was below the 1973 level. In 1975 production finally fell to the lowest level in the brand's history: Chrysler only produced 8,830 vehicles in the entire model year.
The production of the Imperial models 1974 and 1975:
| vintage | Hardtop Sedan | Hardtop Coupé |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 10,576 | 3,850 |
| 1975 | 6.102 | 2,728 |
fail
The reason for the failure of the models is seen primarily in the first oil crisis . The eighth generation of the Imperials was sold from September 1973. One month later, the first oil crisis broke out, which fundamentally changed the buying behavior of American customers. Smaller, more economical cars were now in demand. In 1974 and 1975, large, heavy cars like the Imperial were difficult to sell. This affected all manufacturers of luxury vehicles. In the case of the Imperial, there was also the fact that American customers associated the brand with a less exclusive image than with Cadillac or Lincoln, despite its twenty years of existence. The imperials were still disparagingly referred to as Chrysler Imperials in the press . This disdain was supported by the external relationship of the Imperial to the cheaper Chrysler models. After all, Chrysler invested little in 1974 and no more money in 1975 in advertising for the Imperial; the company's advertising budget was largely used for the newly launched Cordoba .
Imperials in the press
The size of the Imperial was criticized across all criteria. The 1975 coupé was described as a “car for a large ego” that was an “extreme of poor space utilization, waste of materials and lack of economy”.
In technical terms, Imperial was seen as superior to its competitors, the Cadillac DeVille and the Lincoln Continental . In particular, the steering and suspension were praised, and the dashboard was perceived to be clearly understandable. The testers saw the interior as high quality and tasteful; In particular, the soft, genuine leather covers on the seats were praised. The imitation wood is arranged in places where a meaningful use of wood is actually possible.
Continuation as Chrysler
After the Imperial brand was discontinued, production of the large sedans and coupes continued for three years. From 1976 to 1978 the cars were sold under the name Chrysler New Yorker Brougham without any fundamental technical or visual changes. However, technical features such as the rear disc brakes and the ABS system were omitted . The retail price of the New Yorker was about $ 2,000 lower than previous Imperial models. This had a positive effect on sales: in 1976 with almost 40,000 cars, four times as many cars were sold as in 1975; In 1977 there were even 75,000 and in 1978 again a little over 40,000 copies. In the years 1976 to 1978, the Chrysler New York Brougham found more buyers than the separately marketed New York and Imperial models in 1974 and 1975.
Technical specifications
| Imperial LeBaron | |
|---|---|
| Engine: | Eight-cylinder V-engine (four-stroke) |
| Displacement: | 7,212 cc |
| Bore × stroke: | 109.7 x 95.2 mm |
| Power: | 215 SAE-PS |
| Compression: | 8.2: 1 |
| Mixture preparation: | 1 × quadruple carburetor |
| Valve control: | underlying camshaft; |
| Cooling: | Water cooling |
| Transmission: | Automatic three-speed transmission ( TorqueFlite ) |
| Front suspension: | Independent, torsion bar |
| Rear suspension: | Rigid axle, leaf springs |
| Brakes: | front and rear disc brakes |
| Body: | Steel, self-supporting with subframe |
| Wheelbase: | 3,149 mm |
| Dimensions (length × width × height): |
5,867 × 2,024 × 1,384 mm |
| Empty weight: | 2,550 kg |
| Top speed: | 176 km / h |
literature
- Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
- Sandy Block: 1974-75 Imperial . In: WPC News, Vol. 10 No. 11.
- Jim Brokaw: The Luxury Cars. Imperial Palace, Fortress Fleetwood, Castle Continental . Comparative test in: Motor Trend, issue 6/1974, p. 39 ff.
- Tony Gray: Detroit's best kept secret . Presentation of the 1974 Imperial in: Road Test, issue 11/1973, p. 65 ff.
- NN: Battle of the silken giants: Cadillac De Ville vs. Imperial LeBaron vs. Lincoln Continental . Comparative test in: Road Test, Heft 5/1975, p. 24 ff.
Web links
- Private website for the 1974 Imperial with various images and backgrounds
- Sales brochure Imperial 1974
- Sales brochure Imperial 1975
Individual evidence
- ↑ The information refers to the model year 1974, which according to American calculations began in September 1973. The Imperial LeBaron was manufactured in the 1973, 1974 and 1975 calendar years .
- ↑ Associated Press, news item June 7, 1975.
- ↑ Road Test 11/1973, p. 66.
- ↑ In the late 1970s, the traditional hardtop construction was increasingly abandoned, citing safety aspects. Later sedans had a B-pillar to increase the strength of the structure. These vehicles were sometimes referred to as pillared hardtops .
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ Road Test 11/1973, p. 66.
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ Information in the sales prospectus from 1976 (accessed on June 26, 2012).
- ^ About the Crown Coupé in general: WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ^ Illustration of a Chrysler New York Brougham St. Regis Coupé in the 1975 sales brochure .
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ Road Test 11/1973, p. 66.
- ↑ WPC News, Vol. 10, No. 11.
- ↑ Motor Trend, Issue 6/1974, p. 40.
- ↑ Road Test, Issue 5/1975, p. 24.
- ↑ Motor Trend, Issue 6/1974, p. 40.
- ↑ Road Test, Issue 5/1975, p. 24. The comment is explained with a view to the Cadillac De Ville, which was also tested, in which the testers found wood imitations in places where real wood could not have been used.
- ^ Production figures according to Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, p. 210 f.
- ↑ The technical data was taken from the sales prospectus from 1974.
