Matt Nauman got a chance to drive the Chrysler Imperial Concept last week, and he shares his thoughts in Mercury News column published Friday. While reaction to the Imperial concept has been ‘lukewarm’ at best, Nauman insists the car looks much better in person. Unfortunately, for the test drive, speeds were limited to 20 mph due to transmission problems. What’s more, the show car’s structure and suspension weren’t representative of how a production model would actually handle. The Leftlane Perspective: Perhaps more interesting that the review itself is the fact that Chrysler allowed Mr. Nauman to drive the car and write about it. If there were no plans for production, Chrysler probably wouldn’t continue to hype the car, but rather would let it fade away like other scrapped concepts. A report early this month suggests that the automaker was still seriously considering building the car to move the brand upmarket, toward Cadillac.
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05/15, 9:53 AM
posted by:
Jon
Fine move the car up brand and fight Cadillac, I’m sure the quality will be on par, which is to say: horrific.
Jon.
05/15, 11:31 AM
posted by:
Rob
How is that car not the biggest copy of a Rolls Royce?
05/15, 12:47 PM
posted by:
Jon
It is. And the 300 C is the biggest rip-off of Bentley. Pathetic, really.
Jon.
05/15, 12:50 PM
posted by:
Ed
That car is grotesque. I hate to say it but DC’s styling department has to stop smoking whatever they’ve been smoking and start building good looking cars – the Challenger prototype is a step in the right direction, that car is outright sexy. The proportions of the current cars (Charger and 300) are pretty good but the actual shape or style (or lack thereof) is downright horrible.
05/15, 1:15 PM
posted by:
canut4ever
Chrysler must be stupid to put this Rolls wannabe to production. I expect more from them- not
blatant copying of other designs.
05/15, 1:34 PM
posted by:
87 635CSI
what kind of new drug was this guy on. I saw the Imperial at the NY Auto Show and It looked as bad as the pictures of it (except the interior). The 300c grew on me, but this thing is UG-LY
05/15, 1:38 PM
posted by:
dan
yes, it’s a vulgar rip-off, but so what? It’s not quite a design infringement, either.
people will buy it. It’s a big american sedan with some kind of point to it, something that can’t really be said of a deville (or a town car), which is generic as hell, regardless of how successful a redesign the current look is. If you can’t easily draw a cartoon of a car and know exactly what it is, the car doesn’t have an image. This car (and the other LX’s) is a cartoon in full-scale, no reproportioning required. I dig it, and it’ll hardly steal sales from Rolls, so who cares?
05/15, 2:32 PM
posted by:
YouthDriver 24
Why would anyone what to buy a car that looks like a Chinese rip off of a Rolls Royce. If I’m going to spend 45k+ on a car it had best have its own identity, not a cheep clone of a really expensive car.
05/15, 2:45 PM
posted by:
que
Yikes!!! I haven’t seen a Road-Toad like this since AMC was cranking them out in 1970’s and 80’s.
05/16, 1:52 AM
posted by:
Sean
Besides the blatant copying of a rolls, what is the point of this car?, they already have the 300, why not offer an upgraded version or just redo it?