A Rare Classic Drop-Top: The 1963 Imperial Crown Convertible

Chrysler introduced the Imperial nameplate on its own cars as early as 1926, but it was not until 1955 that the company spun the badge off into a standalone marque aimed squarely at Lincoln and Cadillac. That arrangement lasted roughly two decades, and the 1963 Imperial Crown Convertible stands as one of the scarcer products of that era. An unrestored survivor example is currently up for sale, offered through an eBay listing in Livermore, Colorado, where bidding has reached $3,051 — still short of the reserve with about a week left on the clock.

The 1963 model year sat at a stylistic crossroads for Imperial. Traces of Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” thinking were still present, yet the reduced fins and several other revisions bore the fingerprints of his successor, Elwood Engel. Headlight treatment in particular tended to split opinions, a design that had first shown up two years earlier. This particular Crown Convertible was ordered new in Oyster White with a power top to match. Photographs reveal only minor chips and blemishes, the sort of wear you would expect after six decades of careful ownership. Body panels line up cleanly, and the only rust visible is light surface corrosion where paint has flaked off to bare metal. The roof fits properly with no tears, and the chrome trim and glass present well for a car of this age.

Under the hood, Imperial followed a familiar formula. A 413-cubic-inch “Wedge” V8 was rated at 340 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque when new, paired here with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic, a 2.93:1 Sure Grip rear axle, power steering and four-wheel power drum brakes. At close to 5,000 pounds the Crown was never intended for the drag strip, but the engine’s generous low-end torque made passing easy and the tall rear gear kept highway cruising relaxed. The seller has recently attended to the master cylinder, wheel cylinders, brake hoses, fuel pump and a range of other components, and reports that the car runs and drives very well, with a strong engine and smooth-shifting transmission.

Inside, the luxury brief is clear. Red leather trim is joined by air conditioning, power windows, a six-way power front seat, cruise control, a clock, a radio with both floor- and dash-mounted “Touch Tune” controls, a rear defogger and an unusually generous spread of courtesy lights. The cabin is not flawless — the most obvious issue is UV damage on the rear seat — but the overall condition is entirely reasonable for a survivor. The air conditioning blows cold but needs a recharge, and since the system runs on R12 refrigerant, a future owner may face the choice of upgrading to R134a or hunting down an increasingly scarce supply of the original gas.

According to the seller, only 531 Imperial Crown Convertibles were built for 1963, a figure that appears consistent with available records; the additional claim that just 212 came with air conditioning is harder to confirm but not implausible. This example is not perfect, and yet a full restoration hardly seems necessary. As a genuine, respectful survivor, it may well command more appreciation left as it is than returned to showroom-fresh condition. That said, a buyer who prefers a cosmetic refresh would have a perfectly defensible case too.