1972 Chrysler Imperial Limo Reagan Inauguration
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- Опубліковано 19 лют 2016
- This rare video shows a 1972 Imperial limousine from the White House fleet being used by President-Elect and Mrs. Reagan on the morning of January 20, 1981.
This car was one of two 1972 Imperial limos built for the Secret Service by Hess & Eisenhardt. They were fitted with 1973 grills before being delivered.
Both cars were fully armored, but were not intended for Presidential use. They lacked the thin pillars and extra side glass used to make the president more visible in his official cars. They also lacked the retractable roof panels favored at the time by President Nixon.
Instead these cars were workhorses. They transported foreign dignitaries, Cabinet members, staff, and First Families. Because of their mundane role, they were rarely photographed.
This car transported the Reagans to the White House prior to the inauguration. It also transported First Ladies Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan to the Capitol for the swearing in ceremony, and the Reagan family in the Inaugural Parade.
Both Imperial limos were retired from the White House fleet in the 1980s. Unfortunately each of these handsome cars were later destroyed as part of a Secret Service testing program.
Never thought much of Reagan but the Imperial limousine is a beauty.
He was the best President we ever had!
@@jamesmyers9285, yeah Washington and Lincoln were worse than trump.
That 72 IMPERIAL looked better than any other car in that footage!
I agree 100%!
Imperial was Chrysler's top luxury brand created to compete with Lincoln and Cadillac
I owned all! Imperial was BEST!
Converted by Hess & Eisenhardt, this Imperial is one of two and is a 1972 model year updated with 1973 bumpers. The Secret Service had used them to shuffle around foreign dignitaries. Both cars were retired in 1981 and later destroyed for training purposes in the late 1980s.
What a shame to destroy something like that. I guess they didn't know how plasticy later cars would be.
@@stiffneck2090 Bill Clinton's 1993 Cadillac was the last Presidential Limousine to be in a museum/Presidential Library. After that, the Secret Service decided that the construction of those vehicles would remain top secret. Thus, all retired Presidential Limousines will be used for training purposes before being destroyed.
@@SpockvsMcCoy So Trump and Biden's limousine will be destroyed?
@@lacuevadegolum9448 Yes, eventually...Clinton's presidential limo is the last to be saved in a museum.
Sad ending to GREAT cars! TYPICAL American waste, though!
The early 1980s... the age of Ronald Reagan and three piece suits. It was a great era.
Reagan and LOTS of sh&t! LOVED the car!
A great man,a great car,that was a day of joy for America 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
You still waiting on Reagans Trinkle Down Effect
Great car! Reagan was proof how high CRAP could be assembled, though.
Great video and I love the sound of the newsroom typewriter banging away as part of the background noise. Hard to believe as late as 1980 that typewriters were still so widely in use !
My dad's office had a word processor delivered around that time. I went to see it as a kid, he took me in on a weekend. It was built into a large desk and would have taken 4 people to move! You bet most of the small stuff still got done on typewriters - that was probably true for most of the 80s :-)
What Wonderful Memories !
Wow , Rare Car !
I fondly remember the days when, if we heard that there was an Imperial at the curb, we would automatically assume that someone VERY important had arrived. All of we kids at Saint Michael's parochial school knew that the Archbishop rode in a Cadillac, but the Pope used an Imperial!
great footage
Great car.. even greater man.. two of the absolute best in American History! egrand1508 VERY Good job with this video, thank you for posting it!
kerryincolumbus.. .couldn't have said it better myself, well said!
Prune face is the reason the country is where it is at. Fuck reagan
Great car!
it is not a chrysler imperial! it is an imperial lebaron! very rare footage!
By 1972 Chrysler management didn't know how to market the car anymore and some other goof-ups sent Imperial buyers to Cadillac and Lincoln in droves. It was branded as Imperial by Chrysler until the last Imperial Lebaron was produced in 1975 was basically a rebadged Chrysler New Yorker. In 1970 Imperial lost their engine and transmission and went with corporate engines and transmissions. As a kid who grew up in the back of an Imperial, I wished they would have just axed it after 1972 and let it die like the old Desoto.
@@andrewarmstrong7310, Chrysler never really knew how to market the Imperial, they gave it the same grilles as the Chrysler 300 in 1955-'56, and sold it through Plymouth and Chrysler/Plymouth dealers giving the potential buyers a chance to change their minds after seeing the lesser priced Chrysler New Yorker, especially in the later (1969 to 1973) years when they were both based on the same styling design! By 1974-'75, they made them the same smaller size as the New Yorker becoming the New Yorker in 1976! Being a big older Chrysler fan, the Imperial was a beautiful car and yet, the cosmetics went from controversial to conventional conservative details, from 1960, especially '61 to '63 to the '64 on up! The '62 is still one of my favorites! My fourth car was a 1971 Imperial LeBaron four door back in 1981 to '86, then I needed a Dodge Caravan for more practical purposes! To me, the Cadillac was always the pretty car, Lincoln was always the handsome, more formal car and Imperial was always somewhere in the middle, and Cadillac always had the most features and options, Lincoln always had the better ride and Imperial was always somewhere in the middle! Even the 1981-'83 Imperial wasn't marketed right, as a separate entity, being sold through Chrysler/Plymouth dealers and trying to draw in the older generation of buyers, who were starting to die off rather than the midlife buyers like the Eldorado and the Mark 6! I am glad that the Imperial lasted until '75, they were beautiful but, more formal than the the '76 New Yorker! And they always used the biggest corporate engines and trannies from the beginning to the end but the 360 horsepower version of the 440 was only available in 1968 with the dual snorkel air cleaner and dual exhaust but, I have never seen them!
Everybody kept calling these cars Chryslers, that's why the car was ultimately a failure. It just didn't have the charisma or the road presence of a Caddy or a Lincoln. I'm surprised to not see a Caddy or a Lincoln being used here. Very lucky the car didn't break down as these were nothing but lemons. That would have been embarrassing to say the least.
It's not a Chrysler. It's just Imperial. Chrysler separated Imperial from the Chrysler fleet of cars in 1955 to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. You don't call a Cadillac a Chevy Cadillac of a Lincoln a Ford Lincoln. It's just Imperial.
It wasn't a successful marketing ploy because yearly sales averaged much less.
Still it was produced by Chrysler.....
That car is MASSIVE!
This must be an extremely rare automobile. Didn't know IMPERIAL made any limos after 1966(?) Ghia built CROWN IMPERIAL limos! 🤔
I've only seen this one, heard Pres Nixon ordered more for diplomatic service????
This is all terrific footage and that is a beauty of an Imperial. Just wondering why there are blackwall tires on the rear and clearly whitewalls on the front. Any guesses?
Incredible how lax (comparatively) the security is considering Regan would be President in just a few hours...people are allowed to be close enough to touch the car, Things have changed.
and only two months after this in march, some deranged homeless lunatic tried to kill the new president with a hand gun.
I wish I would have been "close enough" to KICK Reagan in his STUPID ASS!
Well wether you wanna call it a Chrysler or an Imperial I think the important thing to notice is that it was still on their fleet nine years later. They must have thought highly enough of it to keep it around that long.
They did indeed. They also kept a 1970 Lincoln limo in the fleet at that time. Both cars, the Imperial and the Lincoln, were (and still are, imo) magnificent cars!
Very rare Imperial LeBaron ! Beautiful and big. I wonder if its still exist!
It says in the description, both cars were destroyed as part of a program. Really sucks, they were beautiful cars. Stupid shit, but our tax dollars mean nothing to illegitimate governments.
If memory is correct, much of the secret service White House fleet when not in use were stored in New York beneath the Trade Center. There was a bomb that detonated years before the 911 tragedy that destroyed that garage and the fleet inside. Presumably this 73 Imperial (did you note how wide it looked compared to even the full sized Fords near it!) Hess and Eisenhart limousine was destroyed. There were 2 constructed.
I guess it was destroyed! Reagan destroyed America, also.
It's a shame the 1972 Imperial got destroyed by the Secret Service
A shame "Uncle Ronnie" didn't have that fate!
When viewed from the side it appears they combined a 4 door from the front bumper to the end of the front doors with a 2 door coupe from the back bumper to the end of its front doors which became the rear doors on this limo. The give away is the third side window is clearly from the coupe body.
Converted by Hess & Eisenhardt.
@ron Brock I noticed the same thing about the style of the limo
@Ron Brock
Hess and Eisenhardt
Probably use sedan and
Coupe parts to build the limo
I think you can see McCarthy there for a second
What's not to like. Classic cars and Carter being defeated by Ronald Reagan.
YAAASSS! 👍🏻
Because he cut a deal with Iran, he should have went straight to jail he was guilty and history has proved it, remember the whole Iran contra affair that Oliver North took the heat for
Bill Jenkins... WELL SAID!!!
What was the length of this Imperial limousine ?.
YUGE!
I'd guess 236 inches, or 20 foot.
Great car Great President! 🇺🇸
GREAT CAR, anyway.
I owned a 1969 Caddy Coupe Deville 71 Lincoln Mark III and 73 Chrysler Imperial all the cars had very low milage. The 73 was the nicest riding handling comfort engine trans from bumper to bumper it was far more superior car than the Caddy or Lincoln. I don't know the reason why imperials did not sell that well but the 69 through 73 were the most beautiful luxury car of its day the lincoln is real nice looking car too. Caddy's were really nice also
Scott Bregman nice. just how good was the Imperial vs the Continental and Cadillac. like how quiet smooth riding and handling was it. also how was the quality of the overall feel such as interior materials and workmanship?
Scott Bregman competition was fierce then. But I agree the Imperial was the superior vehicle by our standards today. At the time, however, lots of luxury car drivers thought the oscillating rides and imprecise steering of the Cadillacs and Lincolns were the polar opposite of sporty and thus more luxurious. Pity.
Gary Noone nice so the imperial LeBaron did better than 1973 Lincoln Continental?? please tell me in what areas it excelled at! 😀😇
The 73 Imperial was better in every catagory reliability comfort looks inside and out. options they were built better from the mechanics right down to simple things like door handles fabric the drive train 440 has 210 HP vs 460 365 HP and the Chrysler out performed it in every way from a dead stop to taking off at 50 miles an hour much better passing gear trans was smoother shifting better then most cars today.Chryslers are great cars I have owned Newports Furys and the Imperial. I have never had any major issues at all. I recently owned a 69 Newport and used as daily driver 3 years never had do anything to it just oil changes drove it long distances.I think the newr Fords are much better I own 2001 Lincoln Continental it is beautiful comfortable 4,6 is great engine it has performance reliability and the gas milage is great for a V8 these cars are worth every penny and could be bought at a great price much better then the Northstar
Scott Bergman: I read a story a while back. This Chrysler/Imperial rep or salesman, not sure pulled into a gas station with a brand spanking new 1957 Imp. The gas jockey was praising it, how beautiful it looked, of course not knowing who he was. He then asked how much it cost. The gas jockey exclaimed, what, are you kidding me? Man, for that much money you could have bought yourself a Cadillac.
With that kind of brand loyalty/ or love for Cadillac, Imperials didn't stand a chance in sales.
williamg2552.. Not all true,, The Imperial was also made in 1981-1983
Anyone know what happened to this limo?
@Rick 0e
The secret service destroy the limo in the 1980's for
Security reasons
i am curious about how the Imperial limos came about. unlike Caddy, Chrysler did not create them, so they were built to order
I've not read all the comments, so someone may have already mentioned this: The limo is a 1973 Imperial. You can tell by the large (ugly) rubber "bumper guards" that were used on all 1973 Chrysler models to comply with the new 5 mph impact standards that went into effect for the 73 model year. The 72 Imperials did not have these.
Underneath the video, underneath my name, click on show more and all will be explained.
Notice the taillights, they are 1972. An updated 73 grille was added later.
Anyone know what became of this beautiful limousine?
Chrysler limousine build by Hess and eisenhardt were destroy by the secret service in 1980's
It’s still sitting on the beltway waiting for a tow.
The US govt hasn't had a Chrysler product at the federal level probably since this footage was taken. Presidential Limos have been nothing but Lincolns and Cadillac since. Now it's just been strictly GM.
Cattle crap. From now on
George H. W Bush had the last Lincoln limo.
They threw the 1973 Bumperettes on this model!
What happened to it?
@MagnusOmegusYesBorisNo AVGCP AUTTP AAFC AAFU FF that's what I thought. I read it was blown up but never knew for sure.
Other than brief Iaccoca resurrection , the last true Imperial model year was 1973--a car that looked almost identical to the 1972 with exception of a finer grill. Both the 72 and 73 Imperials had the same basic body as the 69, 70, and 71 years. After 1973 the Imperial became a glorified Chrysler, sharing the same wheelbase as the big Chrysler and although Chrysler briefly tried to make the Imperial distinct, it failed as almost all knew that in 1974 they really had a New Yorker but with a "waterfall" grill. As a result, Imperial died and Cadillac and Lincoln continued on.
What ever happened to that great car. Is it in an private collection etc?
The secret service blew it up. Most presidential limos are used for training new agents and destroyed.
Wonder why they were put in such an old car?
8 years isn't old for a limousine. When Pope John Paul II came in 1979, they gave him the limo that Kennedy had been assassinated in.
Ever drove a 1980 year model American car? Thats why.
@@andrewarmstrong7310 I laughed aloud at that comment.
Back then things were different, The government commonly used cars much longer than they do now. The Kennedy limo was used for 17 years into the Carter era, just not by the president, used for other government officials in motorcades.
Other than trickle down economics, he aight.
when cars were beautiful...
1973.....
One of our best Presidents & a great car. ..ppl talk about the Imperial's history for better or worse, mainly the usual low sales numbers..but blame Chrysler marketing all you want, the Imperial was through it's entirety so far superior to the Cads & Lincolns it ain't even funny! Especially engineering wise. I drove several C Bodies back in the day, they were all superfine riding and exceptional handling cars and very tough/strong..and looked and sounded great, bc I had the same 440 with a Thermo-Quad in all of them, could not break that cop engine
One of our WORST Presidents and a GREAT CAR!
I can't see any cars in this video
I only see boats!
and what GLORIOUS BOATS THEY ARE, TOO!
Wow gee Jimmy Carter looks presidential too bad its his last day huh..
Wonder what ever happened to this imperial?
Secret Service blew it up at their training compound.
Bet the agents fought over who got to exercise the 440!
I prefer the pinto wagon pilot car
Politiciansanddoctorsarealwayslate
Oops...
It's a 1973 the bumpers give that away
It's actually a 1972 titled car that had a 1973 front end put on before it was delivered.
@@egrand1508 why was the front updated to the 1973 grille and bumpers?
To make it look as new as possible. Planning and construction of those cars took over a year. So they had to start with a '72 model, which wouldn't be delivered until early '73. To make it appear like a new car when it was delivered they added the '73 trim, which for an Imperial wasn't difficult because there weren't any major changes between those years.
It was common for cars used by the White House to be updated to appear newer than they really were. The famous Lincoln convertible that Kennedy used was updated every year with a new front and sometimes rear end to match the current year's models. The Lincoln limo Reagan was getting into when he was shot was a '73; and when it went in for repairs after the attempt on his life, it was given a '78-'79 front end...and that was in 1981!
@@egrand1508 Thank you for your detailed reply. You are extremely knowledgeable and a true asset to all of us that love Presidential limos.
That`s a 73 instead of being a 72!
Read the description below the video.
It’s a 72 with a 73 front grille added.
what ever it is, its beautiful. The cars now are UGLY
It's a 1972 Imperial, manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. At the time, was one of the most well-built and most luxurious cars on the road.
The beginning of this video is the same place where Trump had his photo op a few weeks back.
The IMPERIAL was NOT a "Chrysler" . This is a common mistake that many people , who don't know the car's history, have made for DECADES. The "Chrysler" Imperial was only built from 1926-1954, and from 1990-1993.
Starting in 1955, the IMPERIAL was SPUN OFF of the Chrysler Division, and became it's OWN MAKE and DIVISION.... and did NOT bear the Chrysler name AT ALL. Since the Imperial that was made into the Black Beauty was made in the mid Sixties, It was an IMPERIAL...NOT A "Chrysler" Imperial. The "Chrysler" name was NOWHERE on the car, nor was it used in ANY of it's advertising, on television commercials, newspapers or magazines. It was ALWAYS listed SEPARATELY from Chrysler. It remained a SEPARATE MAKE OF CAR for over 20 years !!!
Want PROOF ? (1) ua-cam.com/video/wOy6_uk3k3k/v-deo.html(2) ua-cam.com/video/DtyG9jQ1Ydc/v-deo.html (3) ua-cam.com/video/2-1zNZupSTY/v-deo.html (4) ua-cam.com/video/GA51okFc33U/v-deo.html (5) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_(automobile)
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I am aware that Imperial was a separate make at the time this car was made. However, in youtube land in order to maximize hits is helps to have as many relevant words as possible in the title. Since these cars were products of the Chrysler Corporation and since they were and still are commonly called "Chrysler Imperials," I felt the video would have interest to people looking for Chrysler products. You will, however, notice I did not call it a "Chrysler Imperial" in the description.
Obviously this car started life as a LeBaron coupe.; The C pillar and rear quarter window cut out give it away. However, as a special product this car did not carry any model designation.
You say that these cars did not have the name "Chrysler" on them. Actually, starting in 1971, Imperial trunk badges said "Imperial by Chrysler." In 1972 Imperial and Chrysler models were combined in the sales brochure and Imperial was listed with the other Chrysler models without distinction as a separate make. Also, the dealer data books referred to them as "Imperial by Chrysler" and also listed them along with the other models. By 1972 Imperial was no longer a separate division.
egrand1508
Copy and paste much!
Toyota=Lexus
Nissan=Infinity
Honda =Acrua
Interestingly, this "!Inperial by Chrysler" designation only lasted a year or two. By 1974, the "Chrysler" name was again removed from the car , and it remained off for the 1974-75 models and it never appeared on the car at all during the 1981-83 models.
williamg2552 actually the tag reads Imperial by Chrysler on the trunk lid. I know what you mean. It infuriats me everytime some one says Chrysler Imperial, but when you have Imperials, Chryslers and Plymouths under one dealer roof, it is hard to justify anything else.
I think that the spoiled ones are those people that stand on a soapbox, stamping their feet over and over again, like angry brats that just had their cookie taken away, shouting again and again :"It's a Chrysler!! It's a Chrysler!!"
The Corporation made a decision back in 1955. They had a good , sound reason for making that decision. The "Spoiled Kids" are the ones who just refused to accept it.
Pity Carter preceeded Reagan... but had he succeeded him or Bush, he would havr functioned better overva smaller government.
President Reagan had class
Notice 2 Holywood Celebrity Presidents in over a 40 year period dealing with similar issues. The year 1972 President Ronald Regan and the year 2016 President Donald Trump Sr.
Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned
from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the
Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025
on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas
station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel
pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in
the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems,
turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and
New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be
done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of
crime here, called "Abgasbespaßung". :-(((
The talking head didn't think Reagan was going to have a second term.
The talking head, maybe in 4 years the next President will walk across the street.
The Chrysler looked pretty ratty. Older Imperial design, which wasn’t the best, and the front and rear tires didn’t even match. The formal Cadillac parked at the curb was much better looking.
Beautiful car but it looks like a bicycle compared to Trump's "beast"
The actual limo is horrible!!! Back the 80s cadillacs and imperials and 70s lincolns
The end of this country and almost every job in it.
What a frigging moron
Mine looked better…