Fourth-Generation Imperials by Chrysler

For decades, Chrysler marketed its high-end model named at one time or another as Chrysler Imperial or simply Imperial in those years when it was a separate brand.  Those various Imperials were never a sales threat to America's leading post- World War 2 luxury brands, Cadillac and Lincoln, aside from the 1957 model year when Imperial sales were around 36 thousand compared to Lincoln's 41 thousand.  Nevertheless, Imperials remained in production in one brand guise or another through the 1983 model year.

This post deals with what Wikepedia classes as Imperial's fourth generation, marketed model years 1969-1973.  That was the time when full-size Chrysler Corporation cars were given what was called "fuselage" styling -- more rounded than the somewhat more angular designs from competing firms.

Although Imperials were attractive, they were essentially facelifted Chrysler New Yorkers with more luxurious interiors.  Sales were never strong, beginning with about 22 thousand made in model year 1969 and ranging between 11,500 and 16,800 during the remaining four years.  For that reason, despite the high prices Imperials could command, the corporation did not invest a large amount of money on facelifts.

Images below are of cars for sale or are via Chrysler Corporation.

Gallery

1969 Chrysler New Yorker
The New Yorker was the top of the Chrysler brand's line.  The car shown here and the Imperials pictured below are all four-door hardtops for the sake of consistency.

1969 Imperial
Imperial exteriors were given a different grille and some other trim items.  A major difference is that Imperials had concealed headlights.

Rear quarter view.

1970 Imperial
The grille was redesigned.

As were the taillights.

1971 Imperial press release
Click on this image to greatly enlarge.  Another grille change and side trim added along with minor side panel alterations.

1972 Imperial
Once again, the grille-bumper ensemble is freshened.

Tail lights are now vertical and at the aft of the fender.

This shows the headlights when they were exposed.

1973 Imperial
The grille mesh is new as are the rubber-tipped bumper guards.  The latter were in response to government collision impact regulations.

The rear seems essentially unchanged aside from the bumper guards.

1932 Packard Light Eight "Shovel Nose"

I am fond of most post-1929 Packards aside from the bloated 1948-1950 non-convertible models.  A 1932 Packard that interests me is the Light Eight, the company's first attempt at a less-luxurious, better-selling model inspired by the Great Depression's sales decline.  Its styling is noteworthy for its "shovel-nose" grille featured in the image above.  It's an excellent design, in my opinion.

Light Eights were only produced for what Packard approximated as a model year in those days.  Apparently Light Eights were too costly to build given their selling price.

A different view was expressed by one-time "Packard Cormorant" editor Richard M. Langworth in the book "Illustrated Packard Buyer's Guide."  He stated:

"Contrary to some observers, I believe the Light Eight succeeded in stemming the tide of economic misfortune.  It sold nearly 7,000 units, about 40 percent of Packard's total sales, at a time when the Eights were doing little better and the long-wheelbase Eights and new Twin Six were selling in the hundreds... And in 1933, when Packard dropped it, shifting its four bodies to the Eight at a $400 higher price, the company hit rock bottom, selling only 4,800 cars for the model year and turning desperately and urgently to the project that would result in the One Twenty."

Examples of the four Light Eight body types are shown below.

Gallery

1932 Packard Light Eight Sedan - Harwood Motors photos

Light Eight sedan bodies were typical of the time -- practical, but not very attractive.

Its inline-eight cylinder motor required a nice, long hood.  Also note the slightly sloped windshield, a hint at streamlining.

Rear quarter view: nondescript.

1932 Packard Light Eight Coupe Sedan - Riga Master photo
Only about 330 of these were made, the rarest Light Eight body type.

1932 Packard Light Eight Coupe - for sale photo
Coupe production was about 500.  It looks like a convertible coupe, but the top is fixed.

1932 Packard Light Eight Coupe-Roadster - Mecum auction photos
Coupe-Roadster production was around 1,060, but comparatively many seem to have survived, based on the number of images turned up in Google and Bing searches.

Front quarter view: a handsome car.

Showing the rumble seat.

Again, the nice, long hood.

Nash in Transition: 1933-1935

Perhaps the most evolutionary period in automobile styling was the 1930s.  At the start of the decade, cars were boxy with functional elements such as headlights and fenders being distinct, separate elements.  By 1940, American cars had rounded bodies where formerly separate features were now largely integrated in the overall design.

One reason for this change was that by the mid-1920s cars were mechanically reliable to the point where appearance was becoming a more important sales factor.  For example, General Motors' styling department was established in 1927 and its design influence increased as years went by.  Then there was the Great Depression that resulted in a significant drop in sales numbers.  In desperation, car makers strived to make designs seem more "modern."

Today's post features the Nash brand, a mid-market American line that survived the Depression and became the instigator of American Motors Corporation.  I posted about "Nash Ambassador Sedan: Drastic Facelifts 1935-1940" here.  Here I deal Nash designs leading into that period.  For consistency, the top-of-the-line Ambassador model is featured, though 1935 images include the similar Advanced Eight due to a lack of available '35 Ambassador images on the Internet.  Unless noted, photos are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

1933 Nash Ambassador
Nashes for 1933 were not largely different from 1920s design practice other than having more rounded shaping.

1933 Nash Ambassador
Rear quarter view of the same car.  The rounding is more apparent here.

1933 Nash Ambassador - owner's photo
1934s were facelifted '33s.  So use these 1933 images for comparison to the '34 photos below.

1934 Nash Ambassador
Various Internet sources state that the well-known stylist Alexis de Sakhnoffsky (1901-1964) either contributed to the 1934 Nash facelift or perhaps "influenced" the design.  The illustration in the ad card shown here is either his work or was created in the spirit of his rendering style.  Note how exaggerated the proportions of the car are.

1934 Nash Ambassador
Changes include a slightly sloped windshield, skirted fenders with sculpted detailing, a redesigned hood and grille, and a slightly reshaped trunk.

1934 Nash Ambassador - Hyman photo
Front quarter view.  A handsome car, but not as "modern" as 1934 LaSalles and Chrysler Airflows.

1934 Nash Ambassador
Same car, rear quarter.  The passenger compartment was carried over from 1933.

1935 Nash advertisement
The Nash line was redesigned for 1935, as this advertisement shows. The featured car appears to be Advanced Eight with a "beaver tail" rear.  Note especially the linear sculpted decorations on the fenders and body sides.  The red car at the bottom is an Ambassador Eight with its longer hood.

1935 Nash Advanced Eight - owner's photo
Or perhaps an Advanced Six.  Nash's design theme was called "Aeroform" for 1935.  It was indeed more streamlined than in 1934, but not in the same league as the Airflow.

1935 Nash Advanced Eight
Same car, showing the spatted rear fender and beaver tail.  The latter feature meant a small trunk, so larger, bulged trunks were added in 1936

1935 Nash Ambassador - unknown image source
Side view of what might be an Ambassador Six.

Buick Sweepspears - The First Series, 1949-1958

An important Buick visual brand identification item during the 1950s (and revived in recent years) was the "Sweepspear" -- a chrome side trim starting atop the front wheel opening and falling towards the rear wheel opening.  A variation was a secondary curve up and over the rear opening, then becoming horizontal towards the aft end of the car.  A brief Wikipedia note on it is here.

The image captions below trace major Sweepspear variations from its inception until its final appearance before being abandoned for the 1959 model year.  Unless noted, images are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible - Mecum auction photo
Sweepspears first appeared during the 1949 model year.  The car above is a pre-Sweepspear Roadmaster convertible.

1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible
And here is a Roadmaster convertible with a Sweepspear.

1949 Buick Roadmaster Riviera - General Motors Heritage Center photo
Sweepspears also appeared on the new-concept hardtop convertible.  For 1949, they were found only on Roadmaster convertibles and hardtops.

1950 Buick Roadmaster Sedan - The Henry Ford photo
Buicks were redesigned for 1950.  Sweepspears again were only on top-of-the-line Roadmasters that year.

1951 Buick Special
Specials did not use the "A" bodies of Supers and Roadmasters.  But for 1951, all Buicks sported Sweepspears.

1951 Buick Super Tourback Sedan - Mecum photo
Here is a Sweepspear on a 1951 Super.

1952 Buick Super Riviera - my photo
Sweepspears lost their aft chrome splash panels in 1952.

1953 Buick Skylark
Buicks sporty Skylark had round wheel openings front and rear, and the Sweepspear was extended over the rear opening.

1953 Buick Super Convertible
Other Buicks retained 1952-version Sweepspears.

1954 Buick Super Riviera - Mecum photo
The Buick line was redesigned for 1954.  Sporty models had round rear wheel openings, so the 1953 Skylark Sweepspear design was used.

1954 Buick Super on Argonaut Building roof
Buicks lacking round rear wheel openings got Sweepspear extensions fitting the openings' contours.

1955 Buick Super - Mecum photo

1956 Buick Century - Mecum photo
No important Sweepspear changes over the life of the 1954-1956 bodies for the lesser Buick models.

1956 Buick Roadmaster
However, line-leading Roadmasters had Sweepspears that did not drop to the rocker panel.

1957 Buick Special
The redesigned Buick line for 1957 also had the less-shapely Sweepspears.  This is an entry-level Special sedan.

1957 Buick Roadmaster - Barrett-Jackson auction photo
A top-of-the-line Roadmaster.

1958 Buick Super Riviera
General Motors cars received a crash facelift for 1958.  The results for Oldsmobile and Buick were especially garish.  Now the Sweepspear is an extension of headlight assembly décor.  Round rear wheel openings were abandoned so that the strange faux air exhaust panel could be incorporated in the visual clutter.  Aft Sweepspear segments were altered accordingly.

Speculation

1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible - Mecum photo
Perhaps there is a true explanation for the origin of the Sweepspear, though I haven't come across it yet.  However, I have a hypothesis.  It's possible that the Sweepspear was an evocation of Buick's distinctive 1942-1948 fenderline seen on many Supers and Roadmasters during that period.  Note that the redesigned 1949 bodies (used by Buick for that modeler year only) lacked the fender dip (that reappeared on senior Buicks for 1950 and later).  Perhaps Buick stylists and marketers wanted to preserve that distinctive Buick trait, and a tacked-on price of chrome would do the job.

Also, it's interesting to compare the Sweepspear design on that 1957 Roadmaster above with the upper front-and-rear fender profile of the 1947 Buick shown here.  Not identical, of course, but in the same spirit.