GLM '64 Imperial Crown Convertible

Another fine video view of these sensational GLM 1964 Imperial automobiles They look great top-up or top-down ! Elwood Engel's ideas seem to be beautifully displayed in this one.

I really like the grille and tail end styling of this year Imperial.

A beautiful car for sure, but one can't overlook the numerous Lincoln & Cadillac styling cues, which translated to lack-luster sales. Affluent buyers saw these cars as "copy-cats,"  albeit ever so nice.  

@chris, no surprise on the Lincoln looks. Engel, after working on the '61 Continental, moved over to Chrysler.

@jkuvakas ...exactly. If he had continued with FoMoCo....  this Imperial may have been a Lincoln.  Kind of like the guy who designed the Chrysler PT Cruiser then was lured away by GM where he then designed the Chevrolet HHR (which looked like an updated PT Cruiser  ).

Another nice model and nice video.

The 1964 Imperial did have a successful year and sales were well up on the previous 1963 (yet still beautiful) car. They sold nearly 24,000 of them so I personally don't think people held any similarities against them and I bet Chrysler/Imperial were happy, too. I do know the Green Hornet liked the new Imperial ........but twin machine guns were not a normal option and I think were a personalized add-on !

@mikedetorrice 'tis true that Imperial sales "jumped"  in 1964 but when compared to Cadillac's US production of nearly 166,000 units, Imperial's numbers were just 14% of that.

In 1965 & '66, Imperial production fell by 5,000 units each year while Cadillac's production was nearly 200,000 by 1966 and Lincoln's (who also experienced year after year sales increases for the same period  ) was c.25% of that @ 55,000.

Personally, I think 1964-66 Imperials are nice looking cars but it's fair to say their target audience viewed them as perhaps "Lincoln lookalikes."   Interestingly, Imperial numbers "jumped"  again in 1967 when the all new design themes mimicked Cadillac architecture.

Chris, I think many luxury car buyers were generally happy with Imperial's new look and the jump in sales perhaps reflect this, whether they were repeat Imperial luxury car buyers or new ones. Cadillac was always considered themselves the luxury car "Standard of the World" since decades before, and I am sure the fact that later in the Sixties, Imperial didn't keep up their gains was disappointing to Chrysler Corp.

On the matter of Elwood Engel, I only recently discovered the '67 Dodge Polara which, being a devotee of his work, struck me as having the classic Engel straight, sharp line, but moving away, almost in answer to G.M.s coke bottle line - notably in the two-door hardtop. Does anyone have a view? And does anyone know id a 1/43 has ever been made?

As far as Imperial sales in the mid-sixties are concerned, they were somewhat limited by a few other factors than design. Cadillac had several more body styles, sizes, and trim levels. Cadillac's dealerships were mostly stand-alone. The Cadillac shopper did not walk into a showroom where their dream car shared space with a Plain Jane appliance. Cadillac had established an image and a legacy of "Standard of the Word" while Imperial was still fighting over the disastrous quality control issues of the mid-fifties. There were even more minor issues. Things like the unique sound of the starter motor in an Imperial was shared with cars like the Dodge Dart and Valiant. There was a bit of a subliminal message there. Chrysler tried hard but was never really able to establish Imperial as a separate nameplate. Many called them "Chrysler Imperials," making it sound like it was a trim level. Lincoln had some similar struggles with "Continental" and "Lincoln." IMO, all these things made it harder for the Imperial buyer to feel like his car was a unique status symbol. Most Cadillac buyers were not buying a superior design; they were buying into a lifestyle, making a statement. Cadillac was simply far more successful in branding its product and identifying its target audience.

Regarding the design, I think the Imerial is more beautiful. Yes, it emulates the Lincoln some. But I've never detected a resemblance to Cadillac. I'll have to go back and take a closer look. The overall designs of all three are elegant, with Lincoln setting the pace and raising the bar for the sixties. But shoppers knew exactly what they were buying with a Cadillac, not so much with the other two.  

Concerning Engel's work in the mid-to-late sixties, I'm somewhat of a fan. But I've always felt like he was trying just a tad too hard to be different. Ford and GM were on incredible rolls with sweeping rooflines and muscular bulges over their wheels. IMO, the designs were more cohesive, particularly in the '65-67 era, particularly in the mid-level, full-size offerings.