Above: close-up images of the aforementioned ephemera.
Above: close-up images of the aforementioned ephemera.
Naturally, this all-original car still features its matching numbers 440 cu.in. engine # *5C172214*.
The big Coupe has been driven just 550 miles during the past five years, according to this service sticker, affixed to the windshield at 17,225 miles.
We've changed the oil with high-zinc Valvoline VR1 20W-50 and filter, went through the entire fuel and brake system, installed a new brake master cylinder, and had the air conditioning system serviced.
What else would you find under the IMPERIAL's long hood but the mighty 440 cubic inch cop motor? Mildly de-tuned to digest unleaded gasoline, the 7.2 liter engine was upgraded in '75 with electronic ignition and a cat but thankfully does not feature Ma Chrysler's notorious lean burn system.
Yes, this 5,000lbs behemoth can get out of its own way and cruise America's beautiful highways at a steady 80mph clip if asked to.
Engine compartment looks like the car came just off the showroom floor. All factory inspection grease-pen markings are present, all decals and labels. Hose clamps are original, too. The hood pad looks immaculate. There are no fluid leaks.
Not a hint of corrosion in the battery tray. The original Thermo Guard battery cover is pure unobtainium. In fact, we've never seen another one!
Above: some additional details of the show-ready engine compartment.
The Imperial LeBaron's body is gigantic by anyone's standards. Measuring no less than 20 feet in length, we can't think of another stock 2-door passenger car that can top that.
Note the unusual Crown Coupe option, which consists of a very attractive three-quarter vinyl roof with opera window treatment plus a larger rear window. As mentioned above, a scant 1,641 IMPERIALs were so equipped in 1975.
The big Coupe is sporting near new, very expensive, correct wide whitewall AMERICAN CLASSIC radial tires of the size P235/75R15 and factory-equipped, smooth stainless turbine hub caps on massive 15"x7" steel wheels.
We measured the Formal Black paint and determined with confidence that it's 100% factory original, with no blend-ins, and virtually no flaws of any kind either. It's like this car has lived in a protective bubble the past 45 years!
Perfectly preserved, original pebble grain vinyl roof.
Additional details of the exterior, including the hand-laid, ivory, dual coachline.
IMPERIAL's interior is every bit as immaculate as its exterior, as evidenced by the flawless headliner and sunvisors (passenger side features a then-unusual, lighted vanity mirror).
Vast black dashboard is 100% warp- and crack-free.
IMPERIAL prided itself for providing complete instrumentation embedded in a rich, wood-like panel overlay, not just "idiot lights" like most of its Detroit competition. Naturally, all gauges, lights and switches work flawlessly, even the CHRONOMETER-certified, electronic digital clock, the AM/FM radio and the power antenna.
Absolute high water mark of 1970s passenger comfort: IMPERIAL's button-tufted Corinthian leather (yes, those are real bovine hides) -- each seat is a deep pillow comprised of still smaller pillows as the factory brochure describes it.
Stunning to behold, front and rear seats look like they have never been sat on. The 6-passenger Coupe has never been smoked in and we're quite certain that nobody ate as much as a cookie inside this car, either!
Additional details of the pristinely preserved interior.
Flawless brightwork and supple weatherstripping are furhter hallmarks of this fine automobile.
Let's have a look at the luggage compartment now.
Trunk floor and spare tire are generously clad with loop-pile carpeting, just the right wear-resistant material. Any hard-working Cosa Nostra boss will appreciate the sheer size of the accommodations.
All orginal is the theme, even here.
Zero water damage or other mishaps to bemoan.
Clean, clean, clean!
Fully original, unmolested, unrestored undercarriage. Only in California will a car survive 45 years like this -- and it has to be a low-miler, too!
100% rust free floor pans.
Additional details of the fantastically well-preserved undercarriage. Note: all factory markings are still intact.
Wednesday, August 26th proved to be another warm and sunny day here in downtown Ventura and we were happy to take the big, black IMPERIAL out for a cruise.
The car starts, idles, runs, drives, handles and stops like it just rolled off the showroom floor. Thanks to power steering and power disc brakes on all four wheels combined with Chrysler Corporation's supple torsion bar suspension, the car is superbly maneuverable around town.
Nothing beats adjusting the Autotemp II to a nice, cool setting, flooring the LeBaron's accelerator pedal, pushing the automatic speed control's "on" button and gliding along effortlessly at any legal and beyond-legal freeway speed.
Around town and on the highway, the triple-black IMPERIAL makes a jaw-dropping appearance. Stunning in size and condition, it's a true masterpeice of automobile design.
The 1975 IMPERIAL LeBaron is the last of a unique breed. With it, you'll enter the realm of true American luxury at its zenith, just before ever-tightening environmental rules and regulations irretrievably altered the industry's output. Exquisite examples of any of the "big three's" 1970s luxury coupes are hard to find today, but a triple black, all original, 17k-mile IMPERIAL LeBaron Crown Coupe with celebrity provenance certainly must be the primus inter pares. Here's an unrepeatable opportunity to own the boldest and finest Coupe Detroit built during the era of Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" and "Mean Streets." It's every bit as legendary and unforgettable as one of those immortal cinematic masterpieces.
You are most welcome to inspect this fine automobile at our location in Ventura, by appointment, or have someone
inspect it for you.
Please, direct all inquiries to bill@californiaclassix.com
or call us at 805-653-5551.