Chrysler Imperial History

Introduced for 1926, the Imperial was Walter P. Chrysler's bid against the era's luxury leaders — Cadillac, Lincoln, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and the rest — with a larger engine and grander coachwork than the standard Chryslers.

Its history is unusual: Imperial models were sold under the Chrysler name through 1954, after which Chrysler spun Imperial off as a separate make and division (1955 onward) to compete head-on with Cadillac and Lincoln, before the name returned to the Chrysler fold.

A final front-wheel-drive Chrysler Imperial was sold for 1990–1993, ending after that model year alongside the C-body New Yorker; the cab-forward Chrysler LHS took over as flagship for 1994.