Vehicle Description
1953 Chrysler Custom Imperial Six-passenger Town Limousine Arid
Utah/California car with the same owner since 2003 Same California
owner from 1953 to 1984 with California registration from 57-84
Extremely rare car; one of 243 Custom Imperial Limos made in 1953!
Original 331 CID Firepower Hemi V-8 engine Original Presto-Matic
four-speed, semi-automatic transmission with Safety-Clutch; 1953
was its final production year Correct Black exterior (code 1) and
Blue cloth interior (code 20) Nifty power glass divider between
front and rear seats, power steering and power windows 5-inch
wheelbase Wire aftermarket wheels with Remington wide whitewall
tires Original wheels and factory wheel covers are included If
you?re not crazy for a Cadillac and you?re not lusting for a
Lincoln, would you consider a Chrysler? MotoeXotica Classic Cars
hopes you would and offers this extremely rare, 1953 Chrysler
Custom Imperial Six-passenger Limousine; it is one of just 243
examples made in 1953, complete with the original Presto-Matic,
four-speed, semi-automatic transmission and a power-assisted, glass
divider for the cabin. This example hails from the very dry state
of Utah since 2003 and was sold new in 1953 to Sidney Ring of Vista
California who owned the vehicle to at least 1984 by the provided
documentation of California registrations from 1957 to 1984. It was
built in Detroit, Michigan on the 86th day of production in 1953
and was the 1,590th vehicle assembled on that day. Finished in
black (code 1), the car?s paint and trim are in overall excellent
order. Its bodywork is excellent condition, its engine bay is
extremely tidy, the battery appears in good order and the car?s
chrome bumpers look fantastic. Imperials had Solex heat-resistant
glass, too! However the left front lens is broken. This big
Chrysler rolls on Remington Cushion-Aire wide whitewall tires, size
L78-15, at all four corners. Each tire is wrapped around a custom
wire wheel. The original wheels and factory wheel covers are
located in the trunk. The tires are in good, original order while
the custom wheels are in excellent condition. You can answer the
Got Hemi question affirmatively in this car for under the hood is
the original 331 CID FirePower Hemi V-8. So-called for their
hemispherical combustion chambers, FirePower engines were
oversquare. That is, their cylinder bores were larger than their
strokes. Driver convenience features included power steering and
power windows. Behind the Hemi is its original, and unusual
transmission, the Presto-Matic. Presto-Matic was a special manual
transmission with a fluid coupling. Although it had just two
forward gears, an attached electric overdrive unit used in either
gear gave it a total of four forward speeds. Attached to the
transmission was an ?underdrive? with a reduction gear of 1.75:1.
The shift lever was column-mounted and had three positions: Low (in
the ?2nd? position of a conventional three-speed manual unit), High
(in the ?3rd? position), and Reverse (same as the three-speed). The
driver had to depress the clutch pedal every time he moved the gear
shift lever. When the lever was put in Low, the car started in
?underdrive? low; when the vehicle reached a minimum speed of six
mph, the driver lifted his foot off the accelerator, the underdrive
unit would kick out and the car would be in Low. Similarly, with
the lever in High position, the car would start in underdrive high,
and at any speed above 13 mph, the driver would lift his foot and
the car would ?shift? into direct drive. For Presto-Matic to work
without gear clashing, it contained a freewheeling device (in
Underdrive, Low and High), and the owner?s manual cautioned drivers
not to use first or third gears when descending hills, because
there was no engine compression braking in those ranges. Generally,
most drivers started in High and accomplished the shift to direct
drive somewhere between 13 and 25 mph by releasing the accelerator
pedal and waiting for the ?clunk? that signaled the disengagement
of the underdrive. These cars would automatically shift from High
down to underdrive high when car speed dropped below approximately
11 mph. With the Fluid Drive coupling, the car could be brought to
a halt in gear without releasing the clutch and would creep like a
fully automatic transmission. Inside, the car?s blue cloth interior
(code 20) is in overall very good order. The front and rear bench
seats are in excellent shape, while the matching carpet is in very
good order. Note the cord or rope across the top of the front
seatback. It was used to hang heavy coats, blankets, scarves and
shawls on during winter travels. There?s even a center-mounted
clock for rear passengers. the blue headliner is still firm and
looks great from front to rear. The best part about the interior is
that you can separate the cabin with a power-assisted glass
divider. This is handy for when you have a chauffeur or someone
else driving you and you want to use your phone or tablet to surf
the web or check your favorite social media sites in private. The
car?s three-spoke steering wheel is present, complete with its
hub-mounted, 15-jewel, Moparmatic clock made by Swiss manufacturer
Benrus. To wind the clock, one simply turned the steering wheel
during normal driving for eight days. The wool, inner door panels
and padded instrument panel, with its full array of gauges, are all
in very good condition but the speedometer is inoperable at the
needle. The Presto-Matic column shifter is in good, original shape
and a factory AM radio completes the interior. In 1953, the
Imperial model was renamed the Imperial Custom. Although the
Imperial Custom resembled the New Yorker, it had a different
wheelbase, taillights, and side trim. Clean front fenders and
higher rear fender stone shield set it apart from the ?ordinary?
Chryslers. This was also the first year for the stylized eagle hood
ornament. Parking lights on all Imperials were positioned between
the top and center grille moldings, a variation from the design
used on other Chrysler cars. A new model was the six-passenger
Imperial Custom limousine which had as standard equipment electric
windows, electric division window, floor level courtesy lamps, rear
compartment heater, fold-up footrests, seatback mounted clock and
special luxury cloth or leather interiors. Imperial Custom sedans
now rode on a wheelbase two inches longer than the two-door
hardtops. Also, 1953 was the first year that the Imperial had a
one-piece windshield, instead of a two-piece one. A padded dash was
standard. Competition to this Chrysler in 1953 included Buick?s
Roadmaster Sedan, Cadillac?s Series 75 Limousine, DeSoto?s Suburban
Limousine, Lincoln?s Capri sedan, Oldsmobile?s 98 sedan and
Packard?s Patrician Limousine. If you?re looking for a comfortable,
big cruiser to added to your collection or if you want something
from the early ?50s that you seldom see, you could hardly go wrong
with this 1953 Chrysler Custom Imperial Limousine. Do yourself a
favor and visit MotoeXotica Classic Cars to check it out, today!
VIN: 7767607 EIN: C53829776 This car is currently located at our
facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer
shows 83,526 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and
clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!! Copy & Paste the
Link Below to View Our YouTube Video:https://youtu.be/XB2OYUkvGUg
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