Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton
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Three Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaetons were produced in 1952 by
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
as ceremonial vehicles. They were styled by
Virgil Exner Virgil Max "Ex" Exner Sr. (September 24, 1909 – December 22, 1973) was an automobile designer for several American automobile companies, most notably Chrysler and Studebaker. Exner is widely known for the "Forward Look" he created for the ...
and were in many ways a preview of the new "100 Million Dollar" styling that would debut in 1955 on the newly separate Imperial marque and on other full-size Chrysler Corporation Cars.


Details

The cars were based on stretched (to 147.5 in) 1952 Imperial Crown Limousine chassis and carried completely custom bodywork with the exception of the 1951 Imperial grille, bumpers and front and rear trim. Almost uniquely for a postwar car, they were dual-cowl phaetons, with separate front and rear passenger compartments, each with its own
windshield The windshield (American English and Canadian English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from t ...
. There were no side windows, and a lightweight
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convertible top covered only the rear compartment during inclement weather, and was manually retracted beneath the rear-hinged deck lid when not in use. The rear doors were
suicide door A suicide door is an Car door, automobile door hinged at its rear rather than the front. Such doors were originally used on Horse-drawn vehicle, horse-drawn carriages but are rarely found on modern vehicles, primarily because they are less saf ...
s and had no exterior handles. In 1940, Chrysler built six limited production cars with the same approach to uniqueness called the Chrysler Newport Phaeton also using an Imperial chassis. Under the custom bodywork, the mechanicals were standard top-of-the-line Chrysler for the period, with a 331 cubic inch (5.42 L) FirePower
V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...
,
torque converter A torque converter is a device, usually implemented as a type of fluid coupling, that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the ...
transmission, and
power steering Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, by using a power source to assist steering. Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can ...
. Three cars were built. One was for
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, the second for
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, and the third was intended to be a gift to the
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, but the gift was refused as against the then rules for receiving gifts. Instead, the third car was nominally based in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
and was used around the country. The cars continued to be owned and serviced by the Chrysler Corporation. After three years of service, the cars were brought back to the factory in 1955 to be updated to 1956 Imperial appearance, in which form they continue to exist to the present day. The front and rear, including grilles, bumpers and trim, were replaced. Internally, the engines were updated with 4-barrel
carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
s, and fully automatic
Powerflite PowerFlite is a two-speed automatic transmission engineered and produced by the Chrysler Corporation and used in their passenger cars from 1954 to 1961. Production began in late 1953 and the simple and durable PowerFlite remained available on ...
transmissions were installed. The cars were all repainted. After the rebuild, the cars were donated to the respective cities. A revival was introduced by Chrysler as a
concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...
, called the
Chrysler Phaeton The Chrysler Phaeton was a four-door convertible sedan concept car built by Chrysler in 1997. Background The Phaeton was inspired by Chrysler's historic Newport Phaeton, and the Imperial Parade Phaeton. It had a 48-valve 5.4 L aluminum V12 ...
in 1997.


New York car

The New York car was originally painted in black with a grey interior. In the 1955 rebuild, it was repainted off-white with a red interior. It must have been repainted in black again before the August 11, 1969 parade with the
Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...
astronauts as evidenced in the photo. The car remains in the possession of the City of New York, and was rebuilt in the early 1980s. At this time, it was repainted in black again, but retained the red interior. The Phaeton is still occasionally used for official functions, parades and ceremonies. It has carried many dignitaries, celebrities, and notables over the years.


Los Angeles car

The Los Angeles car was painted cream with a rose interior, and was first used in the 1953
Tournament of Roses The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...
Parade. It was subsequently used up and down the West Coast. In its 1955 rebuild, it was repainted metallic silver-blue with an off-white interior. It can be seen in that form in the 1959 film of the Broadway musical ''Li'l Abner'', transporting the "General Bullmoose" character. It was later restored and repainted white, retaining its off-white interior. The interior was more recently replaced in red leather. It is still in the possession of the City of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and takes part in official parades and celebrations. Its use in other Hollywood films includes 1953’s
How to Marry a Millionaire ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930) by Zoe Akins and '' ...
transporting
Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
,
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include '' One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darli ...
's limousine in 1959’s
The Big Circus ''The Big Circus'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Victor Mature as a circus owner struggling with financial trouble and a murderous unknown saboteur. It was produced and cowritten by Irwin Allen, later kno ...
, the 1960
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
film
Cinderfella ''Cinderfella'' is a 1960 American semi-musical comedy film adaptation of the classic ''Cinderella'' story, with most characters changed in gender from female to male and starring Jerry Lewis as Fella. It was released on November 22, 1960 by Par ...
, and 1962’s
Sweet Bird of Youth ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams that tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his hometown as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra del Lago (travelling incognito as Princess K ...
. A more recent appearance was in the 1987 Charles Bronson film ''Assassination''.


Detroit car

The Detroit car was originally painted in a metallic green with a natural pigskin interior, and was used in events around the country. It was repainted in desert sand with a red interior in its 1955 rebuild. This Phaeton was sold and ended up in private hands, becoming part of Paul Stern's collection for some time before being sold to the Imperial Palace collection in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
where it was displayed for many years. In 2001, with the mass of the Imperial Palace collection being broken up, it was sold to Robert Petersen and is now on display at the
Petersen Automotive Museum The Petersen Automotive Museum is an automobile museum located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of the world's largest collections, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a nonprofit organiza ...
in Los Angeles. The car is currently in white with a red interior.


References


External links


ImperialClub.com on the cars

Pictures of the New York car as it is today

Pictures of the Los Angeles car as it is today

Picture of the Detroit car as it is today in the Petersen Museum
* {{Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton