The guy in our town with a Chrysler was Harry DeWire- He had an impeccable snow-white 1966 Imperial with a red leather interior. He owned a bar on railroad street where you can get a small fluted glass of tap beer for ten cents. Great guy. R I P
We had a 1967 Chrysler New Yorker when I was little. From around the age of five, we took it on several long vacations. I used to crawl up into the back window area and sleep. Seeing the interior of this car was a walk down memory lane. :)
I was looking to see if Jay had a New Yorker, my dad got stuck with one when the car he was driving blew a motor. I did my first donut in it and ran it up to 100; I was not twelve...
People brought their cars to my dad to work on, one time it was a 1967 Imperial like this. The owner had a business trip and left it for a week. Dad tuned it and we took some test drives. Man, what a car! We had a '64 Belair, manual everything including 3-on-the-tree and I6 engine, so the gadgets on the Imperial were incredible to me, as was the power from the 440. Jay's not kidding about the A/C, you really could hang meat in there. Thanks for bringing back some memories.
I'm so glad you are doing these. I've never been a fan of comedy, and I never watched late night TV, but I'm becoming a fan of Jay Leno: car guy, patriot, and teacher of the young.
In the past, you could have labeled me a Jay Leno detracter. Always a letterman fan, bitter that Letterman didn't get the Tonight Show. These negative feelings were exascerbated by the Conan/Late Night fiasco. This series has all but erased those bad memories for me, and the bad feelings I had for Mr. Leno.
userunavailable3095 I've never liked his tonight Show stuff, but since I've found out about his car knowledge/collection/passion he's become an idol of mine.
My grandfather owned a 1967 Imperial. When we rode around in that car we were so far away from the front seat that it was like sitting in the Grand Canyon. One time, My grandparents took me and my brothers on a road trip and we got lost. We were so lost my grandfather had to drive mountain fire roads to get back to the freeway. That car was so freaking big we could barely get around the corners without the tires kissing the edge of the cliff road. My grandmother in the front seat shouting at my grandpa, and us boys in the back frozen with fear. But we made it. Fun times.
Reminds me of my 1966 300.. It had all the options too. The center of the steering wheel had a knob that would let the slide in and out to accommodate larger or thinner drivers. All you had to do to make it move in or out, was turn the knob counter clockwise and clockwise to lock and unlock. My interior was black and chrome. The ride going down the road was like floating on a cloud. They don't make them like that anymore.
I grew up in LA in the 50's and 60's and the only "seatbelt" was your Dads right arm holding you back from smashing your head into a metal dashboard in an emergency stop. It was always a good idea to be on good terms with your Dad on those occasions..
I got my license in 79. Back then wearing a seat belt was considered an activity for pussies, some drivers would even take offense if you wore one as to them you were communicating that you did not trust them. However, I was brought up to use them and felt uncomfortable without it, so I would nonchalantly put one on if the car had one. Many of my friends actually removed the seat belts as one of the first things on the list when they bought their car. Even if the car had seat belt buzzers, they were easy to unplug. To this day, it amazes me how people could have been so stupid and how far the other way we have come.
I remember when some people removed seat belts, but that was back in the middle to late 1960s. By the late 1970s most of the people I knew used their seat belts, although there were exceptions. I insisted that passengers wear their seat belts when I got my first car which had them, i.e., a new 1964 Volkswagen. At that time I had to be very insistent. Some of the excuses for not wearing them were bizarre. Income seemed to be a factor. In observing employees leaving work, I noticed that those leaving professional business were much more likely to fasten their seat belts than employees leaving factories. @@kennethsouthard6042
@@frankeggers4024 I remember the "thrown clear" excuse. It was always a friend of a friend was in a car wreck and was thrown clear. Had he been wearing the seat belt and lived, he would have been knocked out and died in the car fire that always seemed to occur. I even remember one of the guys from MASH, I think it was Wayne Rogers telling his own "thrown clear" story on a talk show.
@@joecebu2791 Good one; that clown actually took Randy's great joke literally, must be a "furriner geek" or just your basic "snowflake"! I bet he has one (a "Pious"); and his other car is a Subaru! LOL.
I would have hired 100 of both and had the engineers working with the lawyers to design a car that exploited every single possible loophole in emissions laws
@@P7777-u7r All in the name of better performance.... My ex wife had a 96 Mercury Sable with a 3.0 DOHC. First year of OBDII. Thing had at least 20, 1/8" vacuum lines running to electric/vacuum sensors. What a terror to keep running good, when you could replace the boots and still spray cleaner on the fittings and see bubbles and get engine bog... In general it ran ok most of the time, but felt like it was always holding itself back somewhat....
This kind of story is why I Love "Jay Leno's Garage" so much! These backstory driven tales are always fascinating. As always thanks for sharing Jay. Be well......peace. clb
These became the best derby cars ever built......they were eventually outlawed to be used in demo derbies. They always one and could be used again and again.
Man, there is just something magestic about these old motors. I love the idea that these machines are older than I. How special. And a coupé too! YUSS!
Me too on the "cigarette lighter for every passenger" thing. It's probably hard for a young person today to imagine a time when _everyone_ smoked. (well, _almost_ )
I always think the mid '60s was the sweet spot for American car stying. In the '50s they were garish, in the '70s they were just vulgar. But in the '60s they were simple, more tasteful and elegant
+Roger Mouton 40s,50s,60s,70s and even 1980s produced amazing looking American cars. Sweet spot for me was late 1950s and early 60s but to be honest late 60s cars still looked amazing. 1950s Buicks looked amazing and were a large luxury car that was on par with anything coming out of Europe but was a third of the price of the European cars.
Roger Mouton the ‘70’s weren’t that bad as far as I’m concerned. The bad years for me as far as automotive style was the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. Then from there on it just gets vulgar lol.
Mad Hatter Damn government, always trying to do thing to help you live longer. I do agree, if you have to pick one decade, it's the 60s, but for a daily driver, I'll take a new car every time
Grandad had one. Everyone loved to drive it. He passed and my uncle bought it...then it went to pot out in the elements. I'm still a Chrysler Jeep guy to this day.
In 1974, the year I graduated high school, my best friend's mom bought a beautiful, forest green, '67 Lincoln Town Car. I have some fond memories of cruising around in that fantastic land yacht. When you got inside the smell of leather was really delicious. The room in the back seats was cavernous. You could have put a small golf course back there. But the two things I remember most were the silent, effortless power, and the incredibly smooth ride. I've never ridden in a car that had a more comfortable ride. You really had to keep an eye on the tubular speedometer too because you'd be doing 80-90 mph without realizing it. What a cruiser. This car reminds me a lot of that Lincoln.
Josue Trujillo HaHaHaHa! So true. I hope you get another 350k out of her. These cars weren't given the credit they deserved. They were superbly comfortable and relaxing to drive, and ride in, for hours on end.
Josue Trujillo I have a '92 Town Car Signature Series with the 1st generation 4.6 Modular engine. It has over 170,000 miles on it and needs some things fixed on it but it still runs and drives so I can't complain. It still has the factory installed cell phone in it, too.
@@vintageprolink about the island, Santa Catalina, even a song from the late fifties early sixties was written about it: "Twenty-six miles.... across the sea,.... Santa Catalina is waiting for me,.... island of romance, romance,.. romance...…" Dunno about last part but it is a nice island, been twice, little bay and town of Avalon, cruise ships going to Mexico from L.A. often stop there. Waters around the island are popular with scuba divers,... and probably sharks too! :D
When I was 7 (1968) my grandfather bought a loaded Chrysler Newport. Summer of "69 we drove it to North Dakota, for a family reunion, from Upstate New York, mostly Interstate. Talk about a floating land yacht that would do 80 effortlessly all day. Watching this video reminded me so much of that trip, a lot of the fit and finish as well the knobs, switches and buttons were very similar.
I'm from the UK but I have always loved these old Land Yachts. They certainly don't make them like this anymore. I visit American car shows over here and have loads of photo's of cars from the 50's thru to the mid 70's. To me, these cars are Automotive Art. Thanks for posting the clip.
Glad you like our cars, Gary. We're very proud they originated here and the '50's-60's cars are a blast to drive as well. You could actually "feel" the road with these cars.
Hey Jay, The steering wheel is Telescopic and Tilt. Just twist the big chrome nut in the center of the wheel left 1/2 turn then you can move the wheel in or out, 1/2 turn back and it's locked in.
@@kramnull8962 .. I don't believe that such assertion is accurate or true. The '66 Lincoln was the first year of FoMoCo's "C-6" automatic transmission. .. It was only in the early to mid 1950s that L-M used GM transmissions.. briefly. Also, the '66 Lincoln only offered a tilt wheel, not a 'tilt & telescope'... so again, the steering gear may not have been GMs.
@@kramnull8962 And Chrysler built transfer cases for most G.M. 4 wheel drive vehicles. The transfer case was a New Process brand transfer case owned by Chrysler which later became a joint venture between G.M. and Chrysler called New Venture Gear.
Jay, Thanks for the videos, I really appreciate your recognition of all these different vehicles. I bet your shop would be a fun place to hang out, don't worry, I'm not asking.. Just saying. Anyway.. I don't know if you read these comments or not, Jay but if you do, I couldn't help but notice in your review of the 1967 Imperial when you demonstrated the tilt steering wheel, you did not show off the telescopic feature, and I wonder if you're even aware of it? You access it by spinning the center hub of the steering wheel. That unlocks it, and the steering wheel slides in and out. It's kind of a 'hidden' feature, you have to know about it to know it's there.. You know how they did that sort of thing back then and it's one of those things you would only know about if you spent some time with the car., Cool, huh?
Thank you for pointing out the telescoping steering wheel feature! My great-aunt had a 1967 Imperial and as a kid I thought that was one of the coolest features of the car.!
I learned to drive in a 66 Imperial four door and its just as Jay describes. Absolutely no road feel and one finger will steer the car and one toe will apply the brakes. I love that kind of isolation. I wish we still had real cars like this now. It was a true land yacht
My grandfather owned a Chrysler Plymouth dealership and I learned to drive in a 1976 New Yorker Brougham (which was essentially an Imperial, as Chrysler dropped the name Imperial after 1975). That car was absolutely stunning inside and out. When we would take it to the car wash we would always receive compliments and at least twice people asked if we would sell it. They traded it in 1984 and only got $1000 for it; I wish I'd had the $1000 to buy it from them back then because I would love to drive that car today.
Chrysler introduced power steering in 1951; they were the first even though GM invented it in about 1928. I knew someone who had an early 1950s Chrysler Windsor with power steering and fluid drive. He used to drive with one hand on the hub of the steering wheel. It took zero force to turn the steering wheel. Fortunately most cars now have at least some road feel.
Having just discovered these videos what I really like, since I never watched the tonite show is that he seems like a regular guy - rich but normal. And that he likes to share the cool things about how Americans relate to cars.
@@williama.3652 Ya he is so knowledgeable and passionate about cars then right off the cuff without any preplanned script he says something real funny about what he is explaining about the car. I love how applies comedy to his commentary seamlessly and it is always good funny stuff!
Thank you so much for showing this car. I was born in 67. I miss the cars From the 60’s. My parents and grandparents drove their cars and pickups for 25 -30 years before selling them. The cars from the 60’s were my favorite. The 70’s were still ok but then the 80’s were dark years for US cars. I miss the cars but… I miss the WW2 and WW1 generation of human beings even more.
I had a 1973 Imperial that I bought in the 1970s, it was still in great shape in the mid 1980s when I moved a long distance for work and left it parked in my garage at my old place for the next ten years before I finally gave it away, I should have given it to Jay!
I live down in Homestead, Florida just outside of Miami. Down the street there's a guy with one of these (I want to say a 1966). It's lime metalflake green with at least 26-inch spinners, a brown velour and fiberglass speaker box interior and a giant mural of a Cheshire cat down the side. Every time I see that thing I want to scram "What the Hell did that poor car ever do to YOU?!" I swear, this Chrysler's just crying inside, begging for somebody to steal it, restore it and give it it's damned dignity back. Or drive over it with a bulldozer. Honestly, it would be a mercy killing. Poor Chrysler...man, I worry about this generation sometimes.
Rogue Jukebox no, it probably won't. I work at Cadillac. We have these roll in occasionally, and every light is on, it's leaking oil, tranny fluid..if they look like that on the outside, they are almost always junk on the inside. Same goes for lifted trucks. They trade having a safe, reliable car for having a "cool" one.
Richard Rowe I understand. I saw in the comments about how a young guy like myself wanted to hotbox an old like 1924 four door Model J. Or something like that. But it's like, "No, you should have more respect for something as classic and valuable as that. It's just wrong to abuse it like that." And I smoke, but I wouldn't ever do that. I like the car too much.
The ‘imperious’ IMPERIAL. All the bells and whistles a boy dreams of. How ever you acquired it I’m glad you have it Jay. Your dedication to all things’ four-wheeled is fantastic & appreciated.
Once again, Jay has won over my 70-year-old self to another 1960's grand American automotive "handsome" machine that I used to dismiss as "less than" the General Motors best models. Thanks greatly, Jay!
Jay's a great guy, though he frequently makes technical mistakes. In this case he's claiming this car's TorqueFlite transmission was "cast iron," when in reality is used an all aluminum housing.
@@harddrivin1le-970 Lots of cars had the aluminum transmission housings, a big weight savings; my 67 Mercury Cyclone had/has one (I have another one now). Of course all the guts were/are fine American steel and other metals.
I agree with you but my dad's all original 66 Imperial has a dual pump cast iron case and it is the original trans. By all means the car should have a aluniumum case without the rear pump which leaves me to wonder if Imperial did things differently?
To somebody who worked hard and only bought a car when they actually needed to it was not that much money extra. The average salary was about $10,000 at that time and somebody who worked hard could be earning $20,000. If that person was buying a car to last 5 or 10 years that $400 would be money well spent.
@@Ms.Fowlbwahhh Celica was not a luxury car and would have been nowhere near as nice to drive. Let us be honest. Toyota never should have been allowed into the American market. It literally destroyed it.
bighand69 I'm a buy American as much as I can, it pissed me off to see all the foreign cars being bought in the late 70s early 80s, but if you were there, you would remember a lot of American cars at that time were junk, if it wasn't for Toyota and Honda etc. American car makers wouldn't have had any incentive to make their cars better, believe me at the time I didn't want to hear it, but now that I look back, it was for the best. As far as the A/C, you could buy a Falcon or a Nova for about $2000.
Beautiful Car Jay!....unless you grew up in the 60's, you probably wouldn't believe that the Lincoln Continental, Cadillac DeVilles and Imperials were the finest cars in the world, at least as far as Americans were concerned. The only thing above these was a Rolls Royce. Few had even heard the name Mercedes, BMW and certainly not Audi. The quality of the ride and materials - lots of brightwork - and an astonishing selection of color combinations were all very special then. This car features two items that really need to come back: the fender-mounted turn indicators and the electric vent windows. Both were fantastic.
You are right, but they need bring back the damn vent windows which to my knowledge were last installed on the 1995 F250 trucks before everything went cab forward, which looks fugly and makes working on engines a nightmare. The effing front of the engine is almost under the dash. Idiot car and truck designers.
The Rollers were way over-rated. Like other English cars, they had English car disease. However, they had very high quality upholstery. One of the best looking cars was the 1963 Lincoln. After that they began to look heavy and awkward.
My mother bought a used 1968 Imperial from an old couple in Bethesda Maryland and it had like 58,000 miles on it and it was like new. It was gold with a dark green top with the same interior, 4 door with the 440 motor, it was an ocean liner!
asa, those Imperials look like really fine mink coats, to me. I'm sure others thought the same thing: "Wouldn't my wife look wonderful arriving in THIS!" (and she probably DID). Too, I can imagine one Imperial after another, pulling up in front of the Fontainebleau and the Eden Roc (those trunks having enough room for all the fur coats it took to fill the dedicated fur closets in those Miami Beach hotel rooms. I was born too late...
+asa Men wore suits, shirts, jumpers and wore tee shirts at the right time. In that era you could get a good cheap suit that today would cost thousands.
There we no better cars made in the '60's than the Chryslers,and especially the Imperials. The Lincolns were a very close second, and the Caddies third - but I still love all of them equally. My favorite car growing up was our "66 Imperial Lebaron. Absolutely a fantastic car that no on else has ever equaled.
Whats to say......Jay is a pearl....a wonderful person....so down to earth and humble-and on top he really is knowledgeable .....this man is as role model as role model can be...Long live Jay Leno....
What makes you think Jay has 150 shirts? He only has one shirt and one pair of pants. He's just rich enough that when he starts to stink nobody has the balls to tell him.
wow thats a nice car...I have never seen a power triangle window. I think you could fit about 10 people in that trunk...good for the drive inn. Thanks for the video.
Cadillac, Chrysler, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Lincoln all had power triangle Windows avaliable. Standard equipment on some Cadillacs. :) Standard on the Imperial I think.
It's just Imperial, not Chrysler Imperial. Imperial was a separate make at that point, owned by the Chrysler Corporation, much like Cadillac is a division of General Motors.
That was 10 yrs ago and I probably watched this the first time it was uploaded. I just saw an interview with Jay Leno and he was recapping this car and story then the original was recommended to me. So I watched it again.
It was always interesting to compare the difference between Imperial, Cadillac and Lincoln throughout their history. 1967 was clearly a peak for Imperial. Now the lux SUV has taken its place. In many ways this is as significant a vehicle as a 1930s Dusenberg, a type of car never to be seen again. Glad Jay is saving it. Great story.
“If you worked in a factory, this is what the boss drove.” Lmao. I just picked up a ‘67 4 doors from the original owner who drove it up until two years ago. He’s now 101 years old. Car came with a briefcase full of maintenance records since day one! Best part about it: I paid $2K. God is good.
Great story, about a movie producer, CEO, who has been driving the car since brand new. It's nice to have someone to take care of the car. I've always like the 67 Imperial the best. I've always liked original, and un-restored cars. :)
+David Childers my uncle in the day had a new 58 Imperial and he traded it in in 61 and went back to CadillacMy favorite Imperial is the 64-66, that design is beautiful
+itsmegp46 MORE doesn't mean BETTER. Ford's Mustang outsold Pontiac's FIREBIRD and Chevy's CAMARO, but , once GM put the Corvette's LT-1 V-8 in their engine bays, FIREBIRD and CAMARO wailed the TAR out of the Mustang on the TRACK...and on the STREET !!!
+williamg2552 You're speaking to the choir my man. The car buying public then and especially now in this price range are just label whores. Case in point When the brand spanking new 1957 Imperial car came out, this owner of one pulled into a gas station. The gas jockey couldn't get over how beautiful it was, gushing all over it. He then asked the owner how much it cost. When he told him, the jockey responded with, "man, for that price you could have bought yourself a Cadillac!" How can you beat that? The original Camaros and Firebirds were relegated to the history books while the Mustang lived on.
+itsmegp46 That's because the Mustang was a more mainstream vehicle... and was more popular with women.That was how it got a reputation as a "chick car" . They sold a lot of V-6 powered coupes and convertibles to secretaries and waitresses .
My buddy had a 58 Chevy, a tank, and I had a 61 Ford. In the summer when hot, we would put the car in neutral, rev it up while rolling back down a hill with black top patch on the country road , pull it down in gear, and floor board it. Smoke would be rolling off the tire, not tires, no posi-track. We just kept changing that one that tire around. That was fun!
I know that this is an older video, but if you read this Mr.Leno it's kind of special for me. Back in 1978 I was working as a mechanic for a relatively well known shop in Brooklyn NY called "Pontiac Pete's garage" My boss and mentor Pete taught me every thing I know about the GTO and SPEED. I couldn't afford a GTO but I did find a 67' Pontiac Le Mans that was compareable to the GTO if you swapped the GTO parts into it. I was also a big fan of Mickey Thompson, his 4 engine Pontiac land speed car really made me find out about SPEED. To make a long story short Thompson broke up with Pontiac and kind of changed things for me. Richard Petty was very big in NASCAR back then and caught my attention. The street Hemi and the 440 were great engines and Petty ran them into the ground. At the same time my Father was into Chrysler. IMPERIALS. I sold my Le Mans (It had a 455 and the GTO trans axle) And bought a 1972 440 Charger. My dad has a 72 Imperial, he asked me if I could "hop up" the 440..... It struck me like a lighting bolt! The "6 pack" triple two barrel manifolds were plentiful. Most mechanics did not know how to tune a 6 pack, but Pete taught me all about the Pontiac triple two barrel engines. The tuning of both of those engines were not that different. So I made the engine plan. The 440s (2 of them) We're bored out to 472 ci. One was 10:1 compression, the other ( For my Charger) was 11:1 compression with a radical cam. After I installed the 10:1 engine and torque flight tranny into my dad's Imperial he was very happy, for a car that weighs over 4000 lbs to cut high 12s and low 13s was fantastic. My P/o' ed (pissed off) Charger had a different use planed for it. The 11:1 hi rev cam made it a bit of a handful with it's Hemi 4 speed transmission. On one long little used road it hit 182.23 mph. It was lifting a little but I fixed that with a hand made 3/8ths inch aluminum spoiler under it's nose. Truthfully? It kind of scared me a little. It now had a "attitude" of its own. I drove it for 10 years. But at that point we had 3 kids and we needed a 4 door car. My Father passed away and he left me many things... And his 72' Imperial. I have it to this day. Yes, it guzzles gas. Yes, I don't want to park it on the street. But after 84,000 miles on that first 440/472 engine that I built back then is still going strong. It's a little smokey on cold start up, but I can't let it go. The way of the muscle car will never die! Mr.Leno- Thanks for reading this.
I remember going to a demolition derby in 1982 at the San Jose Fairgrounds. At the very end all that was left were like 5 Imperials and they still pretty much looked unscathed going in, as they made easy work of all the other cars. Long story short it sounded like thunder, and took forever for the Imperials to finish each other off. I've been to like two or three derbys since, but that was the only one that I saw with Imperials, and nothing will ever top it. Another side note, is that I always heard that it was strictly a halo car for Chrysler, as they always lost money on them.
Amazing that Chrysler Corp was sill using leaf spring rear suspensions in 1967 when relatively "low end" cars such as the Chevy Chevelle were using coil springs and control arms. Indeed, even the "all new" 1980 Imperial STILL USED rear leaf springs!
One day,I am going to buy this car off you,Jay.I have watched this every week......since December 4,2012.Remember when you first saw the girl that you knew you would marry and spend the rest of your life with?Well,I have the same feeling about this car.She is my one and only.I can wait as long as necessary.One day I hope to make her mine.
I watch alot of imperials run in demolition derbies every year. Loved it as a kid, but hurts my soul now, as my dream car is a 64 4 door. Beautiful car Jay!
Back in the '80s I came across a one owner '67 Imperial Crown Sedan. Turquoise metallic paint with white leather interior. Everything worked, especially the A/C which was great in Florida. The only thing I ever had to do was replace the steering box. Very fast and comfortable. Great memories!
Can you please do more of your own cars! Would love to see a blog on the blue 34 Chrysler beside this one! More cars like this please! I’ve watched this one 20+ times:)
Thank you for all of your Jay Leno's Garage videos, Mr. Leno. This one, in particular, resonates with me for some reason. I think it's the car, but I also think it was the way you describe 1967 in reviewing the car. Thank you very much for sharing this experience with so many of us.
I love it Jay, this was the kind of cars that I started driving with. My first two cars were the '65 Olds Dynamic 88, and a '68 Olds 98. All the '60's era cars we the golden age of autos in my opinion. Especially the luxury models. They were 3 ton cars which one ton was all luxury.
I respect the previous owner of this car. He loved it and drove it. He wasn't looking to lease or trade it in for a new model after a couple of years. He kept it well maintained and when it finally came time that he had to give it up he found a great home for it.
I glad your rich and like owning and showing us these cars. Thank You for preserving and appreciating the fine iron of the 40's ,50's , 60's and later. Being of modest means, it is you and those others involved, whom are giving us a chance to see all that was. Thank You.
The windwing is a feature on cars that I really miss. The windwing can scoop tremendous amounts of air without blowing it through your hair and making a mess. One of my family members traded their 69 Chrysler, Imperial for a 74 Cadillac, Eldorado, biggest mistake they ever made.
@@V8_screw_electric_cars Maybe not. I sold a '70 Mustang coupe, 351 Cleveland 4 speed to a guy in England, about 9 years ago. His neighbors in the little town he lives in say: "There goes Tony, in his damn Yank car!" each time he fires it up in the early morning, going to work! LOL. :D
Just read an article in the LA times that says families are renting garages to live in; you need credit so its a step up from the day rate motels. Large car trunks may not be far behind.
Thanks for sharing. Love the Imperials. They were always so underrated due to their low sales figures compared to the Cadillac and the Lincoln and many luxury car buyers missed out on some incredible technology and engineering buy not considering an Imperial. From what I have read, these cars were almost hand built and Chrysler used only the finest materials to finish off the interiors and trim. Today, with GM producing very boring compact Cadillac's aimed at the youth market and Ford trying to re-establish Lincoln as a competitor to European luxury cars, one has to wonder if Chrysler will think about re-establishing this historic brand .
My Dad had one. It was really cool. Green color & I learned how to drive in it. Took up the whole width of the road & made me REALLY nervous, no room for error! 😲 Even had a footswitch that would cause the radio to scan for stations if you can believe that for 1967! Had a 440 engine & I got good at driving it. Could burn rubber, fish tail around corners at will. Occasionally did my paper route with it when raining hard. Once I got in a race with a Charger going UP a huge bridge. We were neck & neck the whole way, neither one pulling away from the other. I backed off near the top of the bridge where it turns.
@@jamescalifornia2964 Always! Dad always stressed safety & made sure we got in the habit of wearing our seat belts. Would feel naked without it. Of course, he never knew that I sometimes drove it like the teenager I was at the time. I drive like the proverbial old man wearing a hat now! Lol I let everyone else in a hurry, duke it out nowadays.
I had a great uncle who was a wealthy industrialist. Went to visit him in 1972 and he was driving this brand new Lincoln Mark 5. Giant boat, green with green interior. And it drove and felt exactly as Jay describes that imperial. Total luxury sedan
Absolutely. What a sweet ride. It really doesn't get much cooler than this as far as luxury cars go if you're a Mopar guy..... 440 4 barrel, 727 automatic transmission, and just about every option known to man.....big , very comfortable, and fast too for a full size car. I'd love to have a 58 Imperial 2 door hardtop/coupe or convertible like the one Jay has with the 392 Hemi, Torqueflite auto trans, and all the options...but I would rather have a 58 Chrysler 300-D
A buddy of mine had this car. Actually it was his fathers. One night we went to visit a old female friend of ours who had moved to another town. She invited us to a party. By the time we got there it was dark. We had brought a big bag of Columbian Gold to break the ice and maybe meet new friends. It did not work. She did not care anymore for her old friends. After awhile we got the hint and decided to leave. We were both stoned . We got in the car and when he turned on the headlights THEY DID NOT WORK!! Everyone who has gotten high knows the intense feeling, the rush you get when something out of nowhere surprises you like this. We were freaking out ! 20 miles from home , In a field , stoned , With no headlights to leave. Finally after what seemed like centuries , The lights miraculously came on. After we got back to the safety of our home turf and began to tell our friends of our quest , Then the uncontrollable laughing came into play. This story is over 45 years old. I will never forget this night or that car.
Did anyone else notice that, right there at the end, when the car is rolling along, Jay lifts his head up, the chin catches the wind, and the car pauses for a second? J/K, luv ya, Jay!!! I am slowly working my way through your videos, starting from the very first one posted here. I have a long way to go, but I know by what I've seen so far, I will enjoy it. Thanks so much for showing us of your, and other people's, great toys!
The guy in our town with a Chrysler was Harry DeWire- He had an impeccable snow-white 1966 Imperial with a red leather interior. He owned a bar on railroad street where you can get a small fluted glass of tap beer for ten cents. Great guy. R I P
Thank You Thats a Good Fellow.Really enjoyed that.[Good Deal.on the beer there too!😂😊❤
I absolutely love this and Jay’s passion. Bought a car he didn’t want to buy and loves it. Fabulous.
When you see a car that has been pampered and preserved like this one, you must have it !
My favorite Jay Leno’s garage episodes are the original ones when they were original and unrestored
My father was an engineer at Chrysler in the heater/air conditioning lab and helped design the duel zone A/C in this car.
July 2024 seen video.
This car, was truly a class act. I owned 1969, and 1981. Loved them both.
We had a 1967 Chrysler New Yorker when I was little. From around the age of five, we took it on several long vacations. I used to crawl up into the back window area and sleep. Seeing the interior of this car was a walk down memory lane. :)
Chrysler used to make luxury cars.
Love the days when you could lay down in the back window area.
I was looking to see if Jay had a New Yorker, my dad got stuck with one when the car he was driving blew a motor. I did my first donut in it and ran it up to 100; I was not twelve...
@@walterkersting6238 😁
What a beauty!!! How in the hell could you possibly say "no" to this car?, it's just dripping with luxury. I love it!!
Back in the good old days when you could get a car dripping in chrome, or the super-luxury model with even more chrome! I love it.
People brought their cars to my dad to work on, one time it was a 1967 Imperial like this. The owner had a business trip and left it for a week. Dad tuned it and we took some test drives. Man, what a car! We had a '64 Belair, manual everything including 3-on-the-tree and I6 engine, so the gadgets on the Imperial were incredible to me, as was the power from the 440. Jay's not kidding about the A/C, you really could hang meat in there. Thanks for bringing back some memories.
Imperial has always been one of my favorite classic cars. Even into the 70's the understated style is what made it a classic.
I'm so glad you are doing these. I've never been a fan of comedy, and I never watched late night TV, but I'm becoming a fan of Jay Leno: car guy, patriot, and teacher of the young.
In the past, you could have labeled me a Jay Leno detracter. Always a letterman fan, bitter that Letterman didn't get the Tonight Show. These negative feelings were exascerbated by the Conan/Late Night fiasco. This series has all but erased those bad memories for me, and the bad feelings I had for Mr. Leno.
My sentiments exactly.. As far as Cars go, Jay is my Idol and love these shows.
userunavailable3095 never been a fan of comedy? Must be a sad sad life
notmy nameno LOL thats funny comedy gold right there!
userunavailable3095 I've never liked his tonight Show stuff, but since I've found out about his car knowledge/collection/passion he's become an idol of mine.
My grandfather owned a 1967 Imperial. When we rode around in that car we were so far away from the front seat that it was like sitting in the Grand Canyon.
One time, My grandparents took me and my brothers on a road trip and we got lost. We were so lost my grandfather had to drive mountain fire roads to get back to the freeway. That car was so freaking big we could barely get around the corners without the tires kissing the edge of the cliff road. My grandmother in the front seat shouting at my grandpa, and us boys in the back frozen with fear. But we made it. Fun times.
Got my driver's license in a '66 imperial, in a raging snow storm - the tank would go through ANYTHING! Wonderful car.
Reminds me of my 1966 300.. It had all the options too. The center of the steering wheel had a knob that would let the slide in and out to accommodate larger or thinner drivers. All you had to do to make it move in or out, was turn the knob counter clockwise and clockwise to lock and unlock. My interior was black and chrome. The ride going down the road was like floating on a cloud. They don't make them like that anymore.
40 years and 140,000 miles still looks, runs and drives like new. Shows what a great car + fastidious maintenance can do.
I grew up in LA in the 50's and 60's and the only "seatbelt" was your Dads right arm holding you back from smashing your head into a metal dashboard in an emergency stop. It was always a good idea to be on good terms with your Dad on those occasions..
@Hoodoo Man: That move's even better with a female passenger-even WITH the seat belt on!
Fast stops could result in crushed craniums without seat belts.
I got my license in 79. Back then wearing a seat belt was considered an activity for pussies, some drivers would even take offense if you wore one as to them you were communicating that you did not trust them. However, I was brought up to use them and felt uncomfortable without it, so I would nonchalantly put one on if the car had one. Many of my friends actually removed the seat belts as one of the first things on the list when they bought their car. Even if the car had seat belt buzzers, they were easy to unplug. To this day, it amazes me how people could have been so stupid and how far the other way we have come.
I remember when some people removed seat belts, but that was back in the middle to late 1960s. By the late 1970s most of the people I knew used their seat belts, although there were exceptions. I insisted that passengers wear their seat belts when I got my first car which had them, i.e., a new 1964 Volkswagen. At that time I had to be very insistent. Some of the excuses for not wearing them were bizarre.
Income seemed to be a factor. In observing employees leaving work, I noticed that those leaving professional business were much more likely to fasten their seat belts than employees leaving factories. @@kennethsouthard6042
@@frankeggers4024 I remember the "thrown clear" excuse. It was always a friend of a friend was in a car wreck and was thrown clear. Had he been wearing the seat belt and lived, he would have been knocked out and died in the car fire that always seemed to occur. I even remember one of the guys from MASH, I think it was Wayne Rogers telling his own "thrown clear" story on a talk show.
The vent window motors are more powerful than a prius.
Fake news. The electric motor in the Prius has 295 lbf·ft.
That’s funny as hell! Good one!
@@ralphinator2 Does the word facetious have meaning to you?
@@joecebu2791 Good one; that clown actually took Randy's great joke literally, must be a "furriner geek" or just your basic "snowflake"! I bet he has one (a "Pious"); and his other car is a Subaru! LOL.
@@ronschlorff7089 lol! Most likely. I wonder what his boyfriend drives.
When emission rules where enacted, the founder of Honda, said he hired a 100 new engineer's, and GM hired a 100 new Lawyers...
I would have hired 100 of both and had the engineers working with the lawyers to design a car that exploited every single possible loophole in emissions laws
Engineer's what?
@@P7777-u7r All in the name of better performance.... My ex wife had a 96 Mercury Sable with a 3.0 DOHC. First year of OBDII. Thing had at least 20, 1/8" vacuum lines running to electric/vacuum sensors. What a terror to keep running good, when you could replace the boots and still spray cleaner on the fittings and see bubbles and get engine bog... In general it ran ok most of the time, but felt like it was always holding itself back somewhat....
This kind of story is why I Love "Jay Leno's Garage" so much!
These backstory driven tales are always fascinating.
As always thanks for sharing Jay.
Be well......peace.
clb
Absolutely a gorgeous car. Any pre 1976 Chrysler is art in my book. Love those huge land barges.
These became the best derby cars ever built......they were eventually outlawed to be used in demo derbies. They always one and could be used again and again.
Man, there is just something magestic about these old motors. I love the idea that these machines are older than I. How special. And a coupé too! YUSS!
Gotta love Jay, he cracks me up with his natural humor. I remember my Dads 66 Oldsmobile had a cigg lighter and ash try for each passenger
Me too on the "cigarette lighter for every passenger" thing.
It's probably hard for a young person today to imagine a time when _everyone_ smoked. (well, _almost_ )
I always think the mid '60s was the sweet spot for American car stying. In the '50s they were garish, in the '70s they were just vulgar. But in the '60s they were simple, more tasteful and elegant
+Roger Mouton
40s,50s,60s,70s and even 1980s produced amazing looking American cars.
Sweet spot for me was late 1950s and early 60s but to be honest late 60s cars still looked amazing.
1950s Buicks looked amazing and were a large luxury car that was on par with anything coming out of Europe but was a third of the price of the European cars.
Roger Mouton the ‘70’s weren’t that bad as far as I’m concerned. The bad years for me as far as automotive style was the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. Then from there on it just gets vulgar lol.
Blame the gov with its epa requirements killing performance .
Mad Hatter Damn government, always trying to do thing to help you live longer.
I do agree, if you have to pick one decade, it's the 60s, but for a daily driver, I'll take a new car every time
For me it was the late 20's to early or mid thirties. I understand where you are coming from though.
Grandad had one. Everyone loved to drive it. He passed and my uncle bought it...then it went to pot out in the elements. I'm still a Chrysler Jeep guy to this day.
It’s like it’s been in a time capsule, absolutely beautiful 👍
And 146000 miles
In 1974, the year I graduated high school, my best friend's mom bought a beautiful, forest green, '67 Lincoln Town Car. I have some fond memories of cruising around in that fantastic land yacht. When you got inside the smell of leather was really delicious. The room in the back seats was cavernous. You could have put a small golf course back there. But the two things I remember most were the silent, effortless power, and the incredibly smooth ride. I've never ridden in a car that had a more comfortable ride. You really had to keep an eye on the tubular speedometer too because you'd be doing 80-90 mph without realizing it. What a cruiser. This car reminds me a lot of that Lincoln.
Josue Trujillo HaHaHaHa! So true. I hope you get another 350k out of her. These cars weren't given the credit they deserved. They were superbly comfortable and relaxing to drive, and ride in, for hours on end.
Josue Trujillo I have a '92 Town Car Signature Series with the 1st generation 4.6 Modular engine. It has over 170,000 miles on it and needs some things fixed on it but it still runs and drives so I can't complain. It still has the factory installed cell phone in it, too.
I wish Chysler would make cars like this again. I love the current 300 but an Imperial would be amazing.
The luxobarge era was the best.
Love this car.
Thanx Jay.
The mid/late 70's were even bigger but crap because of all the smog gizmos
Driving my mother's 1964 Pontiac Catalina was like driving a barge. On narrow roads it seemed that it barely fit into a lane.
@@frankeggers4024 pontiac Carolina is a Bueatiful car! I drove one! Loved it!😀😉
@@vintageprolink about the island, Santa Catalina, even a song from the late fifties early sixties was written about it: "Twenty-six miles.... across the sea,.... Santa Catalina is waiting for me,.... island of romance, romance,.. romance...…" Dunno about last part but it is a nice island, been twice, little bay and town of Avalon, cruise ships going to Mexico from L.A. often stop there. Waters around the island are popular with scuba divers,... and probably sharks too! :D
I grew up in this. No car was ever better. This car is cream. My Mom had this. ❤️
When I was 7 (1968) my grandfather bought a loaded Chrysler Newport. Summer of "69 we drove it to North Dakota, for a family reunion, from Upstate New York, mostly Interstate. Talk about a floating land yacht that would do 80 effortlessly all day. Watching this video reminded me so much of that trip, a lot of the fit and finish as well the knobs, switches and buttons were very similar.
I'm from the UK but I have always loved these old Land Yachts. They certainly don't
make them like this anymore. I visit American car shows over here and have loads
of photo's of cars from the 50's thru to the mid 70's. To me, these cars are Automotive
Art. Thanks for posting the clip.
Glad you like our cars, Gary. We're very proud they originated here and the '50's-60's cars are a blast to drive as well. You could actually "feel" the road with these cars.
Hey Jay, The steering wheel is Telescopic and Tilt. Just twist the big chrome nut in the center of the wheel left 1/2 turn then you can move the wheel in or out, 1/2 turn back and it's locked in.
... and that unit was made by Saginaw Gear of G.M..
@@34Packardphaeton Yes, it was even told in his 66 Lincoln vid that the Lincolns had GM steering columns, which most likely meant the gearbox as well.
@@kramnull8962 .. I don't believe that such assertion is accurate or true. The '66 Lincoln was the first year of FoMoCo's "C-6" automatic transmission. .. It was only in the early to mid 1950s that L-M used GM transmissions.. briefly. Also, the '66 Lincoln only offered a tilt wheel, not a 'tilt & telescope'... so again, the steering gear may not have been GMs.
@@kramnull8962 And Chrysler built transfer cases for most G.M. 4 wheel drive vehicles. The transfer case was a New Process brand transfer case owned by Chrysler which later became a joint venture between G.M. and Chrysler called New Venture Gear.
Jay, Thanks for the videos, I really appreciate your recognition of all these different vehicles. I bet your shop would be a fun place to hang out, don't worry, I'm not asking.. Just saying. Anyway.. I don't know if you read these comments or not, Jay but if you do, I couldn't help but notice in your review of the 1967 Imperial when you demonstrated the tilt steering wheel, you did not show off the telescopic feature, and I wonder if you're even aware of it? You access it by spinning the center hub of the steering wheel. That unlocks it, and the steering wheel slides in and out. It's kind of a 'hidden' feature, you have to know about it to know it's there.. You know how they did that sort of thing back then and it's one of those things you would only know about if you spent some time with the car., Cool, huh?
Stand Bye Me.
Thank you for pointing out the telescoping steering wheel feature! My great-aunt had a 1967 Imperial and as a kid I thought that was one of the coolest features of the car.!
Brings back so many memories. My first car was a 67 New Yorker with a 383. I wish I still had it!
"You can literally drive yourself to the cemetery in this car" This is why I love Jay,keep up the good work pal.
Bo Diddley had a Cadillac,
with Machine Guns and a Bulletproof Back.
Engine taken from a 707;
Sounds like a sure way of gettin' to heaven!
Heeeyy Bo Diddley 🎸
I learned to drive in a 66 Imperial four door and its just as Jay describes. Absolutely no road feel and one finger will steer the car and one toe will apply the brakes. I love that kind of isolation. I wish we still had real cars like this now. It was a true land yacht
My grandfather owned a Chrysler Plymouth dealership and I learned to drive in a 1976 New Yorker Brougham (which was essentially an Imperial, as Chrysler dropped the name Imperial after 1975). That car was absolutely stunning inside and out. When we would take it to the car wash we would always receive compliments and at least twice people asked if we would sell it. They traded it in 1984 and only got $1000 for it; I wish I'd had the $1000 to buy it from them back then because I would love to drive that car today.
Gary Taylor I had a 1972 New Yorker Brougham and your absolutely correct . I still miss that car and I sold it about 30 years ago . Sigh .
Chrysler introduced power steering in 1951; they were the first even though GM invented it in about 1928. I knew someone who had an early 1950s Chrysler Windsor with power steering and fluid drive. He used to drive with one hand on the hub of the steering wheel. It took zero force to turn the steering wheel. Fortunately most cars now have at least some road feel.
My father drove Chrysler land yachts when I was a child in the 60's and early 70's. More often then not he drove with one thumb on the wheel.
Those Chrysler Corporation cars had over-boosted power steering. @@Zoetropeification
I love the sound of this car you can hear gas and air pulling through the carb. great job Jay love the show
Having just discovered these videos what I really like, since I never watched the tonite show is that he seems like a regular guy - rich but normal. And that he likes to share the cool things about how Americans relate to cars.
Great overall summary of Jay. The kind of guy you could "have a beer with!"
Comedian and car knowledge wow Jay is the man 😎
@@williama.3652 Ya he is so knowledgeable and passionate about cars then right off the cuff without any preplanned script he says something real funny about what he is explaining about the car. I love how applies comedy to his commentary seamlessly and it is always good funny stuff!
Thank you so much for showing this car. I was born in 67. I miss the cars From the 60’s. My parents and grandparents drove their cars and pickups for 25 -30 years before selling them. The cars from the 60’s were my favorite. The 70’s were still ok but then the 80’s were dark years for US cars.
I miss the cars but… I miss the WW2 and WW1 generation of human beings even more.
I had a 1973 Imperial that I bought in the 1970s, it was still in great shape in the mid 1980s when I moved a long distance for work and left it parked in my garage at my old place for the next ten years before I finally gave it away, I should have given it to Jay!
Jay, gimme a call when you're 93 and ready to pass along this car :p Thanks for posting this was a fun video, for sure
This car is built for a King. One of the best superior automobile in this time.
I live down in Homestead, Florida just outside of Miami. Down the street there's a guy with one of these (I want to say a 1966). It's lime metalflake green with at least 26-inch spinners, a brown velour and fiberglass speaker box interior and a giant mural of a Cheshire cat down the side. Every time I see that thing I want to scram "What the Hell did that poor car ever do to YOU?!" I swear, this Chrysler's just crying inside, begging for somebody to steal it, restore it and give it it's damned dignity back. Or drive over it with a bulldozer. Honestly, it would be a mercy killing. Poor Chrysler...man, I worry about this generation sometimes.
Seein' that thing comin' at me would make me wanna scram too.
Richard Rowe ya know i love lowriders, hydraulics, and spinners but nothing beats a clean original
Better than letting it rust, man. Least the car's still going to be intact years later.
Rogue Jukebox no, it probably won't. I work at Cadillac. We have these roll in occasionally, and every light is on, it's leaking oil, tranny fluid..if they look like that on the outside, they are almost always junk on the inside. Same goes for lifted trucks. They trade having a safe, reliable car for having a "cool" one.
Richard Rowe I understand. I saw in the comments about how a young guy like myself wanted to hotbox an old like 1924 four door Model J. Or something like that. But it's like, "No, you should have more respect for something as classic and valuable as that. It's just wrong to abuse it like that." And I smoke, but I wouldn't ever do that. I like the car too much.
The ‘imperious’ IMPERIAL. All the bells and whistles a boy dreams of. How ever you acquired it I’m glad you have it Jay. Your dedication to all things’ four-wheeled is fantastic & appreciated.
Once again, Jay has won over my 70-year-old self to another 1960's grand American automotive "handsome" machine that I used to dismiss as "less than" the General Motors best models. Thanks greatly, Jay!
Sorry to correct you, Jay, but the Chrysler TorqueFlite was all aluminum in 67. They went to all aluminum for the big V8s in 1962.
+Lee Crt Yes--I noticed that right away. I have worked on some big block 727 tranys from the mid 60's.
I have a '63 pushbutton a-727 with the parking mechanism outside the Aluminum case. Custom 880
Jay's a great guy, though he frequently makes technical mistakes. In this case he's claiming this car's TorqueFlite transmission was "cast iron," when in reality is used an all aluminum housing.
@@harddrivin1le-970 Lots of cars had the aluminum transmission housings, a big weight savings; my 67 Mercury Cyclone had/has one (I have another one now). Of course all the guts were/are fine American steel and other metals.
I agree with you but my dad's all original 66 Imperial has a dual pump cast iron case and it is the original trans. By all means the car should have a aluniumum case without the rear pump which leaves me to wonder if Imperial did things differently?
Air conditioning option was $406.00. The duel unit air conditioning was $605.00. That was big money in 1967
To somebody who worked hard and only bought a car when they actually needed to it was not that much money extra. The average salary was about $10,000 at that time and somebody who worked hard could be earning $20,000.
If that person was buying a car to last 5 or 10 years that $400 would be money well spent.
And to think a few years later toyota had air conditioning standard in the celica.
@@Ms.Fowlbwahhh
Celica was not a luxury car and would have been nowhere near as nice to drive. Let us be honest.
Toyota never should have been allowed into the American market. It literally destroyed it.
bighand69 I'm a buy American as much as I can, it pissed me off to see all the foreign cars being bought in the late 70s early 80s, but if you were there, you would remember a lot of American cars at that time were junk, if it wasn't for Toyota and Honda etc. American car makers wouldn't have had any incentive to make their cars better, believe me at the time I didn't want to hear it, but now that I look back, it was for the best.
As far as the A/C, you could buy a Falcon or a Nova for about $2000.
@@bighands69 the average salary was not that high. Think about 10x.
Beautiful Car Jay!....unless you grew up in the 60's, you probably wouldn't believe that the Lincoln Continental, Cadillac DeVilles and Imperials were the finest cars in the world, at least as far as Americans were concerned. The only thing above these was a Rolls Royce. Few had even heard the name Mercedes, BMW and certainly not Audi. The quality of the ride and materials - lots of brightwork - and an astonishing selection of color combinations were all very special then.
This car features two items that really need to come back: the fender-mounted turn indicators and the electric vent windows. Both were fantastic.
I wish that REAL bumpers would come back.
You are right, but they need bring back the damn vent windows which to my knowledge were last installed on the 1995 F250 trucks before everything went cab forward, which looks fugly and makes working on engines a nightmare. The effing front of the engine is almost under the dash. Idiot car and truck designers.
The Rollers were way over-rated. Like other English cars, they had English car disease. However, they had very high quality upholstery.
One of the best looking cars was the 1963 Lincoln. After that they began to look heavy and awkward.
Cadillac's statement was "The Standard of the World", and that was serious.
Packard's statement was "Ask the man who own one.".@@caribman10
My mother bought a used 1968 Imperial from an old couple in Bethesda Maryland and it had like 58,000 miles on it and it was like new. It was gold with a dark green top with the same interior, 4 door with the 440 motor, it was an ocean liner!
"I got me a Chrysler, it's as big as a whale....and its about to set saiiiiil!"
I love shack is a little old place where we can get together
Seats about 20....
I got me a Chrysler it seats about 20 so hurry up and bring your juke box money
LOL! B-52s cool.
@@uniquelines ha.
What a fantastic machine! Beautiful! Nice of Jay to comb his hair with a pillow, before filming.
Dad had this identical car ..... I remember the synagogue car park was row after row of these things on Shabbos
asa, those Imperials look like really fine mink coats, to me. I'm sure others thought the same thing: "Wouldn't my wife look wonderful arriving in THIS!" (and she probably DID). Too, I can imagine one Imperial after another, pulling up in front of the Fontainebleau and the Eden Roc (those trunks having enough room for all the fur coats it took to fill the dedicated fur closets in those Miami Beach hotel rooms. I was born too late...
Oy Vey 👍👍👍
But the bowling alley parking lot was empty......CUZ WE DON'T ROLL ON SHABBOS!!!
+asa
Men wore suits, shirts, jumpers and wore tee shirts at the right time. In that era you could get a good cheap suit that today would cost thousands.
@@bossfan49 The bowling alley would have Ford Ranch Wagons, Dodge Ram trucks, AMC Hornets, and Chevy Impalas.
got a board meeting to go to, im going to show up in my "imperial" and make a good impression. man, what a tagline! to show up in your IMPERIAL. :)
That's why Darth Vader always shows up in an IMPERIAL Battle Cruiser! :)
There we no better cars made in the '60's than the Chryslers,and especially the Imperials. The Lincolns were a very close second, and the Caddies third - but I still love all of them equally. My favorite car growing up was our "66 Imperial Lebaron. Absolutely a fantastic car that no on else has ever equaled.
Whats to say......Jay is a pearl....a wonderful person....so down to earth and humble-and on top he really is knowledgeable .....this man is as role model as role model can be...Long live Jay Leno....
Let's see a "Jay Leno's Closet" video with like 150 denim shirts:
"Here we have an original 1976 Levi's classic cut..."
+CrazyDracula Not as cool as you bro, damm bro your so cool, and you have the coolest stories bro...ooooooohhhhhhh yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!
1930s farm boots with cow dung on it. Original, unrestored!
CrazyDracula -This is a 1924 Stream powered wristwatch with the original watchbands.
Anton Chigurh
Why are you being so obtuse?
Lol
What makes you think Jay has 150 shirts? He only has one shirt and one pair of pants. He's just rich enough that when he starts to stink nobody has the balls to tell him.
wow thats a nice car...I have never seen a power triangle window. I think you could fit about 10 people in that trunk...good for the drive inn. Thanks for the video.
Cadillac, Chrysler, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Lincoln all had power triangle Windows avaliable. Standard equipment on some Cadillacs. :) Standard on the Imperial I think.
It's just Imperial, not Chrysler Imperial. Imperial was a separate make at that point, owned by the Chrysler Corporation, much like Cadillac is a division of General Motors.
Imperials were pure class. Thank you for showing the world Jay 💕🇺🇸👍
That was 10 yrs ago and I probably watched this the first time it was uploaded. I just saw an interview with Jay Leno and he was recapping this car and story then the original was recommended to me. So I watched it again.
It was always interesting to compare the difference between Imperial, Cadillac and Lincoln throughout their history. 1967 was clearly a peak for Imperial. Now the lux SUV has taken its place. In many ways this is as significant a vehicle as a 1930s Dusenberg, a type of car never to be seen again. Glad Jay is saving it. Great story.
The 65' is my favorite Imperial.Its beautiful.
3:44 "You could hang meat in this car..." classic
“If you worked in a factory, this is what the boss drove.” Lmao.
I just picked up a ‘67 4 doors from the original owner who drove it up until two years ago. He’s now 101 years old. Car came with a briefcase full of maintenance records since day one! Best part about it: I paid $2K. God is good.
I drove my grandpa's hand me down Imperial during college. It sure was a sweet ride! Jay, I really enjoyed your nostalgic look back!
Great story, about a movie producer, CEO, who has been driving the car since brand new. It's nice to have someone to take care of the car. I've always like the 67 Imperial the best. I've always liked original, and un-restored cars. :)
Me too! I just wish I had the money to afford them.
" an Ash tray in every door, you can drive your family to the cemetery". Love it Jay, Caprese. Capeesh
Loved these big land yachts. Cadillac had nothing on the Imperial back in the day.
David Childers Very true, but sadly Cadillac sold more cars in a week, than Imperial sold in a year.
+David Childers my uncle in the day had a new 58 Imperial and he traded it in in 61 and went back to CadillacMy favorite Imperial is the 64-66, that design is beautiful
+itsmegp46 MORE doesn't mean BETTER. Ford's Mustang outsold Pontiac's FIREBIRD and Chevy's CAMARO, but , once GM put the Corvette's LT-1 V-8 in their engine bays, FIREBIRD and CAMARO wailed the TAR out of the Mustang on the TRACK...and on the STREET !!!
+williamg2552 You're speaking to the choir my man. The car buying public then and especially now in this price range are just label whores.
Case in point When the brand spanking new 1957 Imperial car came out, this owner of one pulled into a gas station. The gas jockey couldn't get over how beautiful it was, gushing all over it. He then asked the owner how much it cost. When he told him, the jockey responded with, "man, for that price you could have bought yourself a Cadillac!" How can you beat that?
The original Camaros and Firebirds were relegated to the history books while the Mustang lived on.
+itsmegp46 That's because the Mustang was a more mainstream vehicle... and was more popular with women.That was how it got a reputation as a "chick car" . They sold a lot of V-6 powered coupes and convertibles to secretaries and waitresses .
My buddy had a 58 Chevy, a tank, and I had a 61 Ford. In the summer when hot, we would put the car in neutral, rev it up while rolling back down a hill with black top patch on the country road , pull it down in gear, and floor board it. Smoke would be rolling off the tire, not tires, no posi-track. We just kept changing that one that tire around. That was fun!
I know that this is an older video, but if you read this Mr.Leno it's kind of special for me.
Back in 1978 I was working as a mechanic for a relatively well known shop in Brooklyn NY called
"Pontiac Pete's garage"
My boss and mentor
Pete taught me every thing I know about the
GTO and SPEED.
I couldn't afford a GTO but I did find a 67' Pontiac
Le Mans that was compareable to the GTO if you swapped the GTO parts into it.
I was also a big fan of
Mickey Thompson, his 4 engine Pontiac land speed car really made me find out about
SPEED.
To make a long story short Thompson broke up with Pontiac and kind of changed things for me.
Richard Petty was very big in NASCAR back then and caught my attention.
The street Hemi and the 440 were great engines and Petty ran them into the ground.
At the same time my Father was into Chrysler.
IMPERIALS.
I sold my Le Mans
(It had a 455 and the GTO trans axle)
And bought a
1972 440 Charger.
My dad has a 72 Imperial, he asked me if I could "hop up" the 440.....
It struck me like a lighting bolt!
The "6 pack" triple two barrel manifolds were plentiful.
Most mechanics did not know how to tune a 6 pack, but Pete taught me all about the Pontiac triple two barrel engines.
The tuning of both of those engines were not that different.
So I made the engine plan.
The 440s (2 of them)
We're bored out to 472 ci. One was 10:1 compression, the other
( For my Charger) was
11:1 compression with a radical cam.
After I installed the 10:1 engine and torque flight tranny into my dad's Imperial he was very happy, for a car that weighs over 4000 lbs to cut high 12s and low 13s was fantastic.
My P/o' ed (pissed off)
Charger had a different use planed for it.
The 11:1 hi rev cam made it a bit of a handful with it's Hemi
4 speed transmission.
On one long little used road it hit 182.23 mph.
It was lifting a little but I fixed that with a hand made 3/8ths inch aluminum spoiler under it's nose.
Truthfully? It kind of scared me a little.
It now had a "attitude" of its own.
I drove it for 10 years.
But at that point we had 3 kids and we needed a 4 door car.
My Father passed away and he left me many things...
And his 72' Imperial.
I have it to this day.
Yes, it guzzles gas.
Yes, I don't want to park it on the street.
But after 84,000 miles on that first 440/472 engine that I built back then is still going strong.
It's a little smokey on cold start up, but I can't let it go.
The way of the muscle car will never die!
Mr.Leno-
Thanks for reading this.
I remember going to a demolition derby in 1982 at the San Jose Fairgrounds. At the very end all that was left were like 5 Imperials and they still pretty much looked unscathed going in, as they made easy work of all the other cars. Long story short it sounded like thunder, and took forever for the Imperials to finish each other off. I've been to like two or three derbys since, but that was the only one that I saw with Imperials, and nothing will ever top it. Another side note, is that I always heard that it was strictly a halo car for Chrysler, as they always lost money on them.
+Kenneth Southard I had a friend in 80s who would buy Imperials at the auto auction $50 apiece and drive the heck out of them.
+Kenneth Southard I had a friend in 80s who would buy Imperials at the auto auction $50 apiece and drive the heck out of them.
Amazing that Chrysler Corp was sill using leaf spring rear suspensions in 1967 when relatively "low end" cars such as the Chevy Chevelle were using coil springs and control arms. Indeed, even the "all new" 1980 Imperial STILL USED rear leaf springs!
One day,I am going to buy this car off you,Jay.I have watched this every week......since December 4,2012.Remember when you first saw the girl that you knew you would marry and spend the rest of your life with?Well,I have the same feeling about this car.She is my one and only.I can wait as long as necessary.One day I hope to make her mine.
I've got one you might be interested in
I watch alot of imperials run in demolition derbies every year. Loved it as a kid, but hurts my soul now, as my dream car is a 64 4 door. Beautiful car Jay!
Back in the '80s I came across a one owner '67 Imperial Crown Sedan. Turquoise metallic paint with white leather interior. Everything worked, especially the A/C which was great in Florida. The only thing I ever had to do was replace the steering box. Very fast and comfortable. Great memories!
Can you please do more of your own cars! Would love to see a blog on the blue 34 Chrysler beside this one! More cars like this please! I’ve watched this one 20+ times:)
You know you're wealthy when you "buy a car because of the story"
You make me laugh describing this Imperial Jay!
That makes me feel what it must have been like to be a business guy in California back in the glory days.
Thank you for all of your Jay Leno's Garage videos, Mr. Leno. This one, in particular, resonates with me for some reason. I think it's the car, but I also think it was the way you describe 1967 in reviewing the car. Thank you very much for sharing this experience with so many of us.
I love it Jay, this was the kind of cars that I started driving with.
My first two cars were the '65 Olds Dynamic 88, and a '68 Olds 98. All the '60's era cars we the golden age of autos in my opinion. Especially the luxury models. They were 3 ton cars which one ton was all luxury.
absolutely gorgeous 60s car, its a shame these aren't as popular as 67 camaros or 57 chevys.
They didnt make 5 million of these in a year like they did with 57 Chevys.
This one makes me smile, thanks Jay
I respect the previous owner of this car. He loved it and drove it. He wasn't looking to lease or trade it in for a new model after a couple of years. He kept it well maintained and when it finally came time that he had to give it up he found a great home for it.
I glad your rich and like owning and showing us these cars. Thank You for preserving and appreciating the fine iron of the 40's ,50's , 60's and later. Being of modest means, it is you and those others involved, whom are giving us a chance to see all that was. Thank You.
The windwing is a feature on cars that I really miss. The windwing can scoop tremendous amounts of air without blowing it through your hair and making a mess.
One of my family members traded their 69 Chrysler, Imperial for a 74 Cadillac, Eldorado, biggest mistake they ever made.
I still miss the vent windows, they were great.
Only a snob cannot like this Imperial.
Someone British, for instance
Cause they are not heads!
@@ANDREWSAMY562 I think they would appreciate the imperial as it would fit all their chums and their golf clubs so they could go to the country club.
@@V8_screw_electric_cars Maybe not. I sold a '70 Mustang coupe, 351 Cleveland 4 speed to a guy in England, about 9 years ago. His neighbors in the little town he lives in say: "There goes Tony, in his damn Yank car!" each time he fires it up in the early morning, going to work! LOL. :D
@@ronschlorff7089 well mustang fastback that's different it was shouty even by american standards lol
Jay's wit is awesome. Omg ! Rent the trunk out. I love it...
Perfect mafia car, just think how many bodies you could hide!
it's a hybrid; arond town it uses gas, then you take it out on the highway and it uses even more gas :D
yea but it is almost 2019 and he still uses the line
Yup.
"You could hang meat in this car."
Just read an article in the LA times that says families are renting garages to live in; you need credit so its a step up from the day rate motels. Large car trunks may not be far behind.
The cars are fantastic, but Jay's descriptions and commentary put it over the moon.
We grew up in Imperials.. Dad loved those land yachts..
Thanks for sharing. Love the Imperials. They were always so underrated due to their low sales figures compared to the Cadillac and the Lincoln and many luxury car buyers missed out on some incredible technology and engineering buy not considering an Imperial. From what I have read, these cars were almost hand built and Chrysler used only the finest materials to finish off the interiors and trim. Today, with GM producing very boring compact Cadillac's aimed at the youth market and Ford trying to re-establish Lincoln as a competitor to European luxury cars, one has to wonder if Chrysler will think about re-establishing this historic brand .
Just Beautiful Jay. Thank You for saving this one and many others.
My Dad had one. It was really cool. Green color & I learned how to drive in it. Took up the whole width of the road & made me REALLY nervous, no room for error! 😲 Even had a footswitch that would cause the radio to scan for stations if you can believe that for 1967!
Had a 440 engine & I got good at driving it. Could burn rubber, fish tail around corners at will. Occasionally did my paper route with it when raining hard.
Once I got in a race with a Charger going UP a huge bridge. We were neck & neck the whole way, neither one pulling away from the other. I backed off near the top of the bridge where it turns.
😮 `‼´ I hope you were wearing your seat belt ...
@@jamescalifornia2964 Always! Dad always stressed safety & made sure we got in the habit of wearing our seat belts. Would feel naked without it. Of course, he never knew that I sometimes drove it like the teenager I was at the time.
I drive like the proverbial old man wearing a hat now! Lol
I let everyone else in a hurry, duke it out nowadays.
@@BoltRM ~ 👍
Did your dad know you abused his pride and joy?
@@dondetmer2406 No, as I already said.
I had a great uncle who was a wealthy industrialist. Went to visit him in 1972 and he was driving this brand new Lincoln Mark 5. Giant boat, green with green interior. And it drove and felt exactly as Jay describes that imperial. Total luxury sedan
those Imperials always make me think of Milburn Drysdale!
"This is what you call a hybrid. It use's gas, and on the highway, it use's MORE gas!"
I’d take one of these over a Lincoln or Cadillac any day
Absolutely. What a sweet ride. It really doesn't get much cooler than this as far as luxury cars go if you're a Mopar guy..... 440 4 barrel, 727 automatic transmission, and just about every option known to man.....big , very comfortable, and fast too for a full size car. I'd love to have a 58 Imperial 2 door hardtop/coupe or convertible like the one Jay has with the 392 Hemi, Torqueflite auto trans, and all the options...but I would rather have a 58 Chrysler 300-D
A buddy of mine had this car. Actually it was his fathers. One night we went to visit a old female friend of ours who had moved to another town. She invited us to a party. By the time we got there it was dark. We had brought a big bag of Columbian Gold to break the ice and maybe meet new friends. It did not work. She did not care anymore for her old friends. After awhile we got the hint and decided to leave. We were both stoned . We got in the car and when he turned on the headlights THEY DID NOT WORK!! Everyone who has gotten high knows the intense feeling, the rush you get when something out of nowhere surprises you like this. We were freaking out ! 20 miles from home , In a field , stoned , With no headlights to leave. Finally after what seemed like centuries , The lights miraculously came on. After we got back to the safety of our home turf and began to tell our friends of our quest , Then the uncontrollable laughing came into play. This story is over 45 years old. I will never forget this night or that car.
How does this nonsense have to do with anything at all?
@@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe He's just reminiscing about a story related to the car, and that's really what a lot of these episodes are about.
I love how there is no B pillar in the car and the back windows of a coupe roll down. I miss that feature in modern cars
Did anyone else notice that, right there at the end, when the car is rolling along, Jay lifts his head up, the chin catches the wind, and the car pauses for a second?
J/K, luv ya, Jay!!! I am slowly working my way through your videos, starting from the very first one posted here. I have a long way to go, but I know by what I've seen so far, I will enjoy it. Thanks so much for showing us of your, and other people's, great toys!