Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally straight
and rust free and great daily driving survivor of this very rare
and original Mopar - a southern California 1957 Imperial 'Crown'
South Hampton 4 Door 6 passenger Hardtop originally purchased new
by Mrs Lauren Bacall Bogart in Hollywood, CA and boasting it's
original 'Horizon Blue' (Color Code B) factory paint with with its
original 'Light Gray Metallic' leather, to include original 'Crown'
embossed front and rear, (Trim code 47) factory interior amp; it's
original 392c.i. FirePower 325HP 4BBl V8 engine and factory options
including; TorqueFlite automatic transmission, leather interior,
power steering, power brakes, power windows, full floor carpeting,
electric clock, full wheel covers, front amp; rear pull down
armrests and with added factory options including:323 Heater amp;
Defroster324 Defogger325 Power Disc Brakes326 4 Way Power Front
Seat327 Power Steering328 Power Windows331 Vanity Mirror332 Solex
Glass334 Tilt Mirror349 Dual Headlights351 Power Antenna356 Electro
Touch radio357 Flitesweep Decklid One of very few such remaining
examples especially in such original, unmolested and documented
condition and a top-of-the-line model for the Chrysler
Corporation.This particular car has always been owned since new by
only obviously very careful and mature owners and it is a car which
has seemingly always been garaged as it is both a rust and accident
free true survivor! Originally purchased and owned by Mrs Lauren
Bacall Bogart in Beverly Hills, CA with original purchase
documentation amp; owners manuals etc to be included in the sale.
Mrs Bogart acquired the car new on 2/7/1957, three weeks after the
passing of her husband Humphrey Bogart, from 'Harger Haldeman' the
Imperial-Chrysler-Plymouth dealership of Los Angeles, CA and we
have full documentation including the original dealers date of
service certificate and original CA registration showing the
original owners name and signature and Beverly Hills home address.
Also discovered by chance, whilst refurbishing the seat inserts
with the optional metallic Silver leather in the tuck amp; roll
pattern, was a credit card receipt from a local Richfield gas
station on Sunset Blvd in 1957 signed by Mrs Humphrey Bogart no
less! Imperials most popular model year; 35,793 produced, including
only 7,843 Crown Southampton Four-Door Hardtops with the new for
'57 392 cu. in. 325HP Firepower V-8 engine with the legendary and
flamboyant Virgil Exner styling, the first year available with quad
headlights and with what appears to be a mostly all original
factory interior apart from our refurbished seat inserts. The car
was recently purchased from a renown collection and boasts its
original 392/325HP 4 barrel V8 engine which is extremely strong and
powerful and sounds absolutely magnificent and this particular car
drives absolutely magnificently - must be driven to be fully
appreciated - does not miss a beat and purrs like a kitten - drives
straight as an arrow with no strange road wobbles, shakes or
rattles - a truly remarkable daily driver that will give any modern
day car a run for it's money! The Torqueflite automatic
transmission shifts smoothly through the gears and the car is an
absolute pleasure to drive! The car has obviously always been well
maintained and all the options work as they should and the car
boasts its original spare wheel and jack in the trunk!Chrysler's
best car was spun off as a separate make and division beginning
with the 1955 models and what a terrific car it was! Chrysler now
had 5 divisions with a line up of cars to match GM in every market
level with the Imperial as it's top-of-the-line model directly
aimed at Cadillac and Lincoln. Styled by Virgil Exner along the
lines of his 1954 Parade Phaeton show cars. A big split eggcrate
grille with parking and turn signal lamps integrated atop the front
bumper and the new streamlined Imperial hood ornament was used up
front with distinctive gunsight tailights adorning the rear and
sculpted flowing bodylines with fully radiused rear wheel openings
appearing in between with the distinctive freestanding chrome
trimmed tailights atop the rear fenders. A wraparound 'Super
Scenic' windshield made it's first appearance and power was
supplied by Chrysler's Hemi V8 to ensure the car's heritage as a
true and rare milestone car and in 1956 a newly enlarged 354 CID V8
engine powered the very lightly restyled 1956 model.The Hemi V8
received its first major upgrade this year in the form of more
displacement and increased compression ratio. The new engine was
354 cubic inches and horsepower was up 30 to 280 @ 4600 rpm. The
Powerflite transmission returned for one more season in the
Imperial but now featured the pushbutton shift control from a pod
mounted on the instrument panel instead of the previous years one
year only 'Finger Tip' shift lever located on the instrument panel.
The base Imperial line also gained a 12 volt electrical system this
year that helped support the growing number of standard electrical
features now common in all luxury cars. At the front the cars were
nearly identical to the 1955 with all the big changes were at the
rear of the car. It began with the chassis and wheelbase of the
base Imperial being stretched 3" at the rear. This allowed for
longer rear quarters with slightly redesigned full length bodyside
trim which wrapped around the larger tailfins. Also rear bumpers
were redesigned to better integrate into the body and new rear
quarters.In 1957, with a total redesign of the entire Chrysler
corporate line, the Imperial leapt leaps and bounds ahead of the
competition in terms of styling and design and was considered the
finest expression of the 'Forward Look'. The redesign also brought
Imperial a body that was not shared with other Chrysler models, at
last breaking the ties with Chrysler's lower priced models. The
Imperial followed the corporate theme of longer, lower and wider as
well as the sweeping tailfins and lower body side trim. Imperial
hardtops had a distinctive roofline that distinguished them
immediately from other cars, with the Landau C-pillars wrapping
over the top. Beneath the rooflines was found the first use of
curved side windows. Inside the cars boasted all new clean styled
instrument panels and an array of new fabrics and patterns for
seats and door panels.Other new styling features included a new
mesh type grid pattern full width grille with front fenders that
overhang the dual headlamps. Single headlamps were still available
for buyers in states where the dual headlamps were actually still
illegal. Bodysides continued to be tastefully adorned and the rear
quarter panels sprouted taller tailfins. New for 1957 also was the
optional horizontal simulated Continental tire mounting stamped
into the trunk lid adding a note of distinction and exclusiveness
to the car and known as the 'Flitesweep' decklid. A similar feature
would later appear on the 1959 Plymouth Sport Fury and the 1960-61
Valiant line.Under the hood the new Imperial gained a new 392 CID
V8 replacing the former 'Hemi' engine and it was mated to
Chrysler's new 'Torqueflite' automatic transmission and this new
combination gave the Imperial a powerplant comparable to any of
it's rivals. The Imperial also now offered a 'Crown' lineup which
was the top-of-the-line and a step up from the base Custom Imperial
lineup and also, very rare today, 36 long wheel base limousine
model featuring a lavishly styled interior trim and a body custom
designed and built in Turin, Italy by Ghia. These changes made the
Chrysler 'Crown' Imperial a very exclusive custom built car owned
only by the very affluent few.The Imperial model of the mid 50's
and early 60's sold well and remained a strong contende...for more
information please contact the seller.
