2006 Chrysler Imperial Review

Specifications

An Exercise in LX Architecture Engineering or a Future Production Car?

I remember in March of 2003, sitting in a theater-style conference room in the Tribeca Grand Hotel, NYC, as part of an exclusive international journalist pre-launch of the then all-new Chrysler 300C, with designer Ralph Gilles going on and on about the bold new look that was to shake up the mid- to full-size sedan segment. Id like to say that I immediately caught his vision, and that I actually foresaw that the rectangular three-box four-door would almost single-handedly change perceptions about the “cool factor” of domestic vehicles. No, instead I was somewhat dumbfounded, wondering what these new Chrysler designers had done with the gracefully sporty 300M. And looking around, I wasnt the only one who felt this way. Most of those in the room were unsure of Chryslers new direction, and some, like me, were even brave enough (or idiotic enough depending on how you see it) to state their points of view in ensuing reviews. That, of course, now makes us look as if we lacked vision, but even worse is the fact that I now love the 300C, holding it up as one of the most attractive designs to come out in years.

This realization, which turned into more of a reevaluation during the year or so between when the concept was revealed, the production version released and soon after, when I went to Palm Springs to drive it, was similar to an experience I had with BMWs 745Li and Z4, both of which I had initially hated before eventually warming up to and adoring respectively. Seeing a pattern, Im now less likely to bash any cars styling the first time I lay eyes on it, which, I suppose, has had me questioning my own taste in vehicle design ever since.

I mean, do I really have good taste or is my judgment of what may or may not be a future classic a bit flawed? This is a critical question a person in my position needs to ask himself, unless criticism of design, per se, isnt part of a given auto writers bundle of specialty scribe services. It is mine, however, and I previously trusted in it wholeheartedly.

Why all this introspection? Because, Ill once again be brutally honest with you, when I first saw the Imperial concept on an internet blog, I thought it was a really well executed artists rendering of a terribly ugly vehicle, but I couldnt believe anything so crass could have come out Chrysler Groups styling studios so I figured it was made up out of thin air by one of those creative genius graphic artist types, that can make a drawing look so real, often integrating a vehicle into a beautiful background to trick enthusiasts into thinking that its the real deal, just to drive web traffic and, over the short term, satisfying the thousands of hungry auto fans starving for speculative info on the future of the auto industry. I mean, how many renderings of future Camaros have you seen over the last few years? Too bad that Chevy didnt hire one of those kids to design their latest pony car concept, but I suppose there will be more time to discuss this in another concept review (coming up soon btw).

And then, to get back on subject, when I saw the new Imperial Concept in the metal at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where it debuted Sunday, I was shocked that the car on stage was the same as that depicted on the internet blogs previously… and like the 300C, not too happy with what Chryslers design team had created. Actually, why dont I show you what I had initially written about the car as an opening paragraph? Here it is:

“What do you get when you cross a Kia Amanti with a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and then throw in some ZIL 41041 (Russian limousine) and, of course, a dose of the Hongki “Red Flag” HQD, limo-maker to the Chinese government? Yes, its the ugliest concept car to show up at Detroits North American International Auto Show in decades.”

I went back to the show on Tuesday morning, for its third and final day of press events, and on my way to see the Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Aspen introductions (the latter featured in a recent new vehicle preview), I stood and watched the Imperial slowly circle on its raised turntable, a beautiful blue glass backdrop mirroring its opposing image as it turned. I thought back to when Rolls-Royce unveiled the new Phantom luxury sedan (or should I say saloon), which, as I remember, featured an almost identical paint scheme to the Imperial concept. It was a time when I chose to pull myself out of myself, or in other words, I made my best attempt of playing army boot camp on my brain, by throwing out preconceived ideas of automotive design, concepts that I had allowed to become the benchmarks of what I then, and in most cases still do consider to be the ultimate expressions of automotive art, and create a clean canvas for Adrian von Hooydonks Panzer-collides-with-Silver-Cloud Phantom. It didnt work, although I have to admit to being more accepting of the garishly overdone Rolls since its January, 2003 introduction, just like I have with others.

So I stood, chin cupped in my palm meditating on the massive machine circling in front of me, trying to break out of the confining gray concrete walls of my incarcerated mind and tap into some conduit of higher intelligence, a muse possibly, that caused principal exterior designer Mike Nicholas to dream up the concepts many unorthodox twists and turns in the first place. Yes, a muse, to transport me back to the time and place when and where his “inspiration” came, so that I could feel the textures he was touching, see the sights his eyes were capturing, take in the sounds he was hearing, inhale the odors he was smelling, savor flavors he may have been tasting, and most critically, that I might be able to truly ingest all the thoughts he was thinking when under such an influence, or perhaps, on the contrary, when compelled by the darkness of a hedonistically perverse adversary. There I stood, as if I was some anal retentive Harris tweed-frocked pipe smoking traditionalist art critic who, while normally finding something like Pablo Picassos “Femme en pleurs” too offensive to be considered art, Jean-Michel Basquiat an utter abomination and Warhol, well, a mere populist silk-screener, trying to open up to new possibilities, pushing myself beyond self-constructed limitations in order to contemplate what Nicholas might have been feeling as his pencil met paper and the first sketches of the Imperial Concept were realized, but then, one rotation after another, I kept getting stymied when the cars front-to-rear-view A- to C-pillar angle reappeared, exposing panels that looked so much like the aforementioned von Hooydonk-penned Rolls-Royce Phantom, with its massive suicide doors and elongated aluminum door handles butting up against one another at center, a design element bordering on plagiarism, that Id lose the muse and go back to wrinkling my brow and wishing Chrysler had just commissioned ASC to rework its 300C-based Helios prototype and clip on a half dozen Imperial badges.

But still, this regressive process may have worked a little bit. I walked away, glancing back every twenty feet or so, realizing that I now didnt hate it as much on this third day as I did on the first. And now, while stretching out in business class after a rather tasty dish of oriental beef on rice, patiently awaiting my gelato ice cream and warmed chocolate chip cookies that I can smell wafting throughout the cabin, and trying to clear my mind of the many new model launches and concept unveilings witnessed over the last three days so that I can concentrate on the Imperial press kit in my hands, I find myself abhorring it less than I did initially. So, I suppose theres hope for Nicholas Imperial Concept after all, at least with me, but then again, the entire previous paragraph was purposely created as a type and shadow of what I think of the car - a grotesquely overachieving, overcomplicated, overbearing, and just plain overcooked example of automotive excess.

Did you notice I didnt say overindulgent? Thats because I personally can never get enough of top-tier über luxury sedans such as Bentleys Arnage R (hides in cream pig skin and complemented with gloss birds eye maple trim), Maseratis Quattroporte (camel-colored leather with burred walnut accents), Lexus new long-wheelbase LS 460 (Ill go with the maple on this one if available), plus the interiors (at least) of Maybachs resplendent 62, Rolls-Royces opulent Phantom, and to a slightly lesser extent, BMWs technology packed but nevertheless superbly executed 750Li and Volkswagens fabulously sumptuous but ill-fated Phaeton (love those powered vent covers). But once the Imperial concepts clamshell ports were opened wide its cabin was more “Pimp My Ride” than “sorry son but you dont run in the right circles to even get nominated for membership into this private country club.”

No doubt the lovely Eva Longoria, nouveau riche small-screen star after all, “admitted” (remember that shes an actress) to wanting the Imperial during her cameo appearance onstage with Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda - proof that money and good taste dont necessarily go hand in hand. But Longorias compelling gesture aside, and despite my secondary concern about personal tastes changing after time and with familiarity, my initial stance that the Imperial Concept is insulting to the senses at best is where I hold firm. Yet, this said, Chrysler shouldnt necessarily abandon the project entirely. Rather, it should still build an up-market Imperial sedan to rival Cadillacs best, even with a few of the concepts styling cues pulled forward intact, something ritzier than the 300C, which, after all, can never be seen as a true premium product due to its low-priced, non-exclusive 300-series base model, but still not so blatantly trying to emulate a Rolls-Royce Phantom either.

The concepts most awkward design element is its grille, seemingly like a Rolls-Royce waterfall slapped on sideways and capped off with a heavy looking chrome-finished “exposed radiator” top featuring a large winged logo across the front. Sure it spells out luxury, but it comes across more like one of those Rolls-Royce hood and grille kits put out for Volkswagen Beetles back in the 70s than anything designed by a top-tier carmaker looking to woo potential luxury buyers. Sure Snoop Dogg will like the car overall, especially if Chrysler pays him to do another TV ad, but I doubt even the outrageous rapper would let himself be seen in the Imperial in stock trim, despite its Bugatti-like turbine-finned 22-inch rims and P245/45R22 performance rubber.

The leading curves of the concepts front fenders appear more Bentley than Rolls, especially similar to the recently updated Arnage in the way they crest over their front edges before melding into the fascia, although they dive much deeper than do those on the British luxury car. This element helps to imply greater frontal force, at least visually, contrasted by the almost delicate application of wire thin fog lamps, in the lower section, and turn signals up above under the unique head lamps.

The individual headlight pods, or at least theyre mildly designed to look like freestanding head lamps of yore, invoke those used on the late great 1926 Imperial 80, and others that followed, but are more similar, in context at least, to those applied to the 1961 through 63 Imperial. I like the exposed freestanding headlight idea in general, but the new concepts lamps are hidden away too much to notice much detail, at least compared to the 1961 models lights. Maybe this is better, as trying to mimic something done when tailfins were popular might be a bit over the top this day and age.

Following the design rearwards, Ive already mentioned how disappointed I am with Chryslers designers at modeling the Imperial after Rolls-Royces Phantom. Even if done by accident, which I cant see as being possible with only four ultra-luxury marques to choose from, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach, and to some extent, Maserati, the styling is too similar for this scribe.

From the rear, its boat tail-shaped deck lid is nothing like the 61. Not that its missing the sculpted spare tire cover integrated into the trunk lid that came as part of the 1960 car, but rather there arent any high-flying fins, which wouldnt pass modern safety regulations anyway, and its rectangular taillights are large and flush with the rear panels, rather than similar to the classic “gun sight” lamps that were smaller and hung underneath the same said fins. This said the Chrysler design team tried to stir some memories of the past by integrating circular, chromed and floating outer ring rimmed LEDs in behind the clear lenses, but like the headlamps the details are harder to notice than they were on the 60s car.

The new Imperials back end doesnt look like a 62 either, which flipped those hanging taillights up to the top of the rear fenders when its fins were lowered. The 63 car continued forward with the headlight pods but pretty well killed the fins altogether, integrating what are now conventional taillights, so I suppose, for this reason alone, the rear end of the concept appears most similar to this year. But then, thats like saying a it looks like a Volkswagen New Beetle because its taillights are flush with its body panels, which is just plain inane.

And while, if I were running Chrysler Group, I would toss out the Imperial Concept with almost equal disapproval, I would want my designers to go back to the drawing board and create something along the same line, extending the wheelbase to 123 inches, stretching overall length 17 inches beyond the 300Cs front to rear dimensions, to 214 inches total, and maybe even positioning the roofline 6 inches taller than the popular Chrysler sedan.

Its 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is the obvious engine choice, the 6.1 too raucous a mill for something as refined as this luxury sedan is trying to be. Chrysler hasnt upped output over the stock LX-configured HEMI, still more than adequate with 340-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. Most likely, a production version would make slightly more. The engine, just like the 300C, is mated to Chryslers Mercedes-Benz derived five-speed automatic with AutoStick manual mode. The domestic brand estimates that this drivetrain combination should be capable of powering the Imperial Concept to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, which seems a bit implausible given that the current 300C can only manage the feat in a respectable 6.1 seconds, and the Imperial has to be much, much heavier. My guess is that, with its current drivetrain, it would be lucky to break the 7.0 second mark, which would also be adequate for most luxury car buyers driving styles. Like I said, if built, Chrysler will probably up the powertrain ante.

A production car would also feature conventional rear doors with a rigid B-pillar, which would not only help it to look less like the Phantom but also increase side-impact safety. The concepts wide-open space between A- and C-pillars offered a generous view to the interior, mind you, ideal for its show car aspirations. Like I said, Im not big on the contrasting cream and chocolate brown color scheme (dubbed Birch Cream and Bay Brown by Chrysler), but the California burl walnut, satin-finished aluminum, and many handcrafted details are beautifully executed.

In the end the Imperial is precisely the kind of car that I would want to drive to and from the office each day, if Chrysler managed to finish a more subdued interior to premium levels, meaning high quality plastics, real wood trim, soft and supple leathers, and top-tier switchgear. Its already getting close with the 300C. A little bit more attention to detail with higher-end materials would make a future Imperial something worth aspiring to.

This brings us back to whether or not Chrysler will send this one out to the great concept car museum in the sky to sit next to the Chrysler Imperial DElegance of 1958, or build a new Imperial flagship to top off its lineup. If the latter, its important to ask if a new Imperial would be accepted by current Cadillac STS and DTS buyers, as well as those who currently buy premium import models like BMWs 7-Series. This would come down to offering a great deal more refinement in the way of style, features and quality, for a great deal less money, similarly to how it wooed premium buyers away from foreign brands with the 300C. The 300C, by the way, has been available as a stretched limousine since July of last year, through Chryslers dealer network, meaning limo companies and consumers could order it this way if desired.

But back to the Imperial, Chrysler has tried to enter the premium market in the past, its strongest effort in modern times (depending on what you consider modern) being the beautiful 1981 through 1983 Imperial, its angled design still looking appealing today, but shoddy interior quality and a really bad time to be entering the market with a full-size, rear-drive luxury car resulted in poor sales that quickly killed it. Previous efforts, especially the 1955 two-door hardtop, are probably the Imperials glory days, and also a time when the nameplate was actually a brand and not just a model under the Chrysler banner. If I was looking for an Imperial, it would probably be this model, as it typifies American luxury at a time when the domestic brands were kind in North America.

The new Imperial Concept, however, doesnt really typify anything domestic at all. Rather, it looks like an intimidating combination of 50s Britain and 80s Germany, but bigger, bulkier and basically more awkward from every angle.

At the very least Chrysler showed just how flexible its LX architecture is, and maybe this was the automakers only end intention after all. Mopar fans will lament the possibility of the bright orange Challenger not coming to production at all, although I for one believe it will and in so doing remain fairly true to the concept that was shown alongside the Imperial, but the fact that the stretched and elongated luxury sedan sat next to the sporty, seemingly low-slung coupe, looking every bit like an entirely different animal from totally different parentage, but in fact riding on the same chassis and powered by similar engines, is an impressive feat and worth exercise in its own right. Its just the second part of that equation looks so ruddy awful. Oh well, maybe Ill consider it a classic in years to come and eat these words. Something tells me Mr. Nicholas hopes I choke on them.