Rare 1982 "Frank Sinatra" Chrysler Imperial

[Googer]

Get a load of this thing. A 1982 Frank Sinatra Edition Chrysler Imperial on craigslist.


Whoa..........

 

[Googer]

I like Frank, but that car is hideous. Considering the rarity and possibility there are few survivors left, perhaps this would make a decent investment or restoration.

 

[imported_Shivetya]

ugly is an understatement

 

[AdamK47]

It's been in an accident. Look at the gap in front of the hood and the way the left side of the front bumper droops.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
It's been in an accident. Look at the gap in front of the hood and the way the left side of the front bumper droops.

No, thats just how all American cars of the era were built. Flimsy front clips that sagged and the paint would chip off showing a hideous yellow plastic underneath, horrible fit and finish all the way around, etc.

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: AdamK47
It's been in an accident. Look at the gap in front of the hood and the way the left side of the front bumper droops.

No, thats just how all American cars of the era were built. Flimsy front clips that sagged and the paint would chip off showing a hideous yellow plastic underneath, horrible fit and finish all the way around, etc.

Uh huh, eveything is sagging in the same direction then.

 

[thomsbrain]

Not everything rare is special.

 

[Arkaign]

Reminds me of the Cadillac Cavalier

lolz

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

You mean the Chrysler Airflow. The Airstream cars were conventionally styled.

Airstream

Airflow

And the Airflow is valuable today because it represented a major engineering leap forward (the use of a space frame as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame construction), not because of the shape. It should also be noted that the car failed in large part due to severe quality control issues during the first several months of production.

The Airstream was a massive success compared to the Airflow.

ZV

 

[sandorski]

Hmm, the 80's were not the highlight of any North American Automaker as far as styling goes. Possible exceptions being Chryslers Minivan, Ford Mustang getting away from the mid-late 70's suckage, and the Ford Taurus. The Imperials of the '60's were very nice, but after that the '70's came and suckage spread across the Continent sweeping up all in its' wake.

 

[thedarkwolf]

The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

The old 1980's CRX gets the same or better mileage than a Toyota Prius. Back then I was almost old enough to drive and said to my self, when I can afford one I will get one. It's was a fantastic car and still is.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Hmm, the 80's were not the highlight of any North American Automaker as far as styling goes. Possible exceptions being Chryslers Minivan, Ford Mustang getting away from the mid-late 70's suckage, and the Ford Taurus. The Imperials of the '60's were very nice, but after that the '70's came and suckage spread across the Continent sweeping up all in its' wake.

Ahh, but the millennium has spelled a turnaround for the American car makers, today most of what Detroit produces is very decent looking; especially those interiors, it took GM 40+ years but they finally got it right.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

You mean the Chrysler Airflow. The Airstream cars were conventionally styled.

Airstream

Airflow

And the Airflow is valuable today because it represented a major engineering leap forward (the use of a space frame as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame construction), not because of the shape. It should also be noted that the car failed in large part due to severe quality control issues during the first several months of production.

The Airstream was a massive success compared to the Airflow.

ZV

There are only three left in existence, Jay Leno has one.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/airflow_shell.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Airflow

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

You mean the Chrysler Airflow. The Airstream cars were conventionally styled.

Airstream

Airflow

And the Airflow is valuable today because it represented a major engineering leap forward (the use of a space frame as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame construction), not because of the shape. It should also be noted that the car failed in large part due to severe quality control issues during the first several months of production.

The Airstream was a massive success compared to the Airflow.

ZV

There are only three left in existence, Jay Leno has one.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/airflow_shell.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Airflow

I so envy that man.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

You mean the Chrysler Airflow. The Airstream cars were conventionally styled.

Airstream

Airflow

And the Airflow is valuable today because it represented a major engineering leap forward (the use of a space frame as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame construction), not because of the shape. It should also be noted that the car failed in large part due to severe quality control issues during the first several months of production.

The Airstream was a massive success compared to the Airflow.

ZV

There are only three left in existence, Jay Leno has one.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/airflow_shell.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Airflow

I so envy that man.

Zimmer, you are right; I did mean Airflow not Airstream. It was viewed as ugly in its day, as a result did not sell well. But is valuable today.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not everything rare is special.

That's what they said about the 1935 and 1936 Chrysler Airstream. Most at the time said they were ugly and hideous. As a result few were sold and most were destroyed as they aged. Today so few of this revolutionary car, it makes them highly valuable and collectible.

You mean the Chrysler Airflow. The Airstream cars were conventionally styled.

Airstream

Airflow

And the Airflow is valuable today because it represented a major engineering leap forward (the use of a space frame as opposed to a traditional body-on-frame construction), not because of the shape. It should also be noted that the car failed in large part due to severe quality control issues during the first several months of production.

The Airstream was a massive success compared to the Airflow.

ZV

There are only three left in existence, Jay Leno has one.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/airflow_shell.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Airflow

I so envy that man.

Zimmer, you are right; I did mean Airflow not Airstream. It was viewed as ugly in its day, as a result did not sell well. But is valuable today.

I'm gonna do it again on the "only 3 left" part (a technicality, really, sorry). There are only 3 Imperial Airflows, yes. But there were other lines of Airflow (including DeSoto Airflows) and the lower-end models have a few more examples in existence. Still, there cannot be more than a few hundred.

ZV

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

The 3rd gen Prelude (88-91) was pretty advanced for the time...4-wheel steering available, 2600 lb curb weight. Like a 4-seater go kart.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

The 3rd gen Prelude (88-91) was pretty advanced for the time...4-wheel steering available, 2600 lb curb weight. Like a 4-seater go kart.

At the time, 2,600 pounds wasn't all that light. The 4-door Accord Sedans of that same time only weighed 2,700 pounds.

ZV

 

[Colt45]

There was a lot of nice german cars in the 80's, but quite a few of them looked like shit with DOT bumpers/lights.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

The 3rd gen Prelude (88-91) was pretty advanced for the time...4-wheel steering available, 2600 lb curb weight. Like a 4-seater go kart.

At the time, 2,600 pounds wasn't all that light. The 4-door Accord Sedans of that same time only weighed 2,700 pounds.

ZV

Well, that is true...I was concentrating mostly on the 4WS option as something that would set the 3rd gen Prelude apart from the rest of the crowd IMO. The 4WS version handled amazingly for the time, too. From Wiki:

The four-wheel steering system was a major piece of engineering. The reduced-price two-wheel-steering version has been criticised for severe understeer.

The third generation Prelude also had some new external designs worth mentioning. The hood line was designed to be the lowest hood line of any front wheel drive car in the world, allowing for better forward visibility. The drag coefficient was at the very low rating of .34. This gave better fuel economy, lower wind noise, and a greater level of high-speed stability.

Another unique structural element of the third generation Prelude was the high-strength metal used in the six roof pillars. The roof pillars were so slim that all-around visibility was amazingly clear for 326°. Some call this Prelude the "baby NSX" due to some common design cues between the two cars, such as the excellent forward visibility via a low bonnet line, a front end resemblance, the suspension attributes (great handling with a smooth ride), and the new design of the rear lights.

In 1987, Road & Track published a test summary that shows the 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0Si 4WS out slalomed every car of that year, including all Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches. It went through the slalom at 65.5 mph (105 km/h), an amazing result for the time. For reference, the 1988 Corvette took the same course at 64.9 mph (104 km/h).

The Prelude was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1987.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
The 80s weren't a highlight of anybody as far as styling goes

I'd disagree somewhat. Honda made some nice cars in the '80's.

Everybody made "some" nice cars in the 80s. Only remotely interesting honda I can think of is the CRX and it wasn't pretty.

The 3rd gen Prelude (88-91) was pretty advanced for the time...4-wheel steering available, 2600 lb curb weight. Like a 4-seater go kart.

STYLING don't care if it had 16 wheel steering.
Its not a fugly car but I wouldn't say it gives me a boner either.

If you want to throw some imports in my face to show they did make nice looking cars in the 80s pick some that actually look good. FC rx-7s for instance. They don't look really dated today and are nice looking cars.