Like the Imperials of Chrysler’s storied past, the 2006 Imperial concept vehicle, revealed at the North American International Auto Show, is designed as Chrysler’s flagship, a luxury sedan that is elegant, provocative, aspirational, yet attainable.

Popular in Australia in the 1920’s and thirties, the classic Imperials of the past weren’t the designer’s only inspiration, looking also to Chrysler’s long tradition of creative concept cars, from the earlier Chrysler d’Elegance and Falcon to the more recent Chrysler Chronos and Firepower. This rich heritage is expressed in the crisp line that parallels the sill, then arches up over the rear wheel and flows to the rear of the car, signalling that this is a powerful rear-wheel drive automobile.

A similarly-shaped line rises up over the front wheel and flows rearward, falling slightly as in moves into the doors. To fully realise the subtleties of the chaste body surfaces, every area was lovingly hand-sculpted in the hallowed tradition of the custom coachbuilt LeBaron bodies of the classic era.

“The Imperial’s exterior artfully blends a stately nobility, hand craftsmanship, and modern dynamic sculpture and proportion,” says Mike Nicholas, principal exterior designer.

To realise the proportions the designers sought, the Imperial, mounted on a 3.12-metre wheelbase, is 43 centimetres longer and 15 centimetres higher than a 300C sedan. The roof was pulled rearward to enlarge the cabin as well as to develope the luxury of length in side view. Most importantly, passengers sit nearly 18 centimetres higher. Combined with the higher hood and deck and the large 22-inch alloy wheels, this gives the Imperial the noble stance the designers envisioned.

V-shaped in plan view, the front end is dominated by a central upright radiator grille which imparts a stately eminence previously unobtainable in all but the most expensive of imported motorcars. Composed of narrow chiselled linear elements of brushed and polished aluminium, the grille is capped by a bright header emblazoned with the Chrysler wings. A polished moulding, extending from the grille header to the base of the windshield, bisects the raised hood plane.

Nested beneath browed cavities, the polished aluminium parabolic pods housing the projector-beam headlights reprise the individual free-standing headlamps of the Imperials of both the early thirties and the early sixties. At the rear, the individual circular taillights with floating outer rings combine modern LED lighting with a look evocative of the signature “gun sight” taillights of previous Imperials. Separate slender LED lamp units provide for park, turn and reversing lamp functions.

Complementing the hood, the raised deck lid is also V-shaped and accented by signature silver wings that unfold across its surface. Body ornamentation is confined to the upper bumper bars, side view mirrors, side window reveals, and the handsomely-sculpted door handles.

Hinged at the A and C-pillars, the wide doors can be flung open a la French doors for a dignified entry, revealing the absence of the customary B-pillar and permitting a dramatic realisation of the entire interior. Attention to detail and materials is unsurpassed. In studied contrast to the monochromatic Imperial bronze exterior, the high-contrast four-passenger cabin is smartly two-toned in rich bay brown and buttery birch cream, inviting the viewer into a world of supple leather and soft suede complemented by California burl wood and metallic-like accents rendered in a lustrous warm bronze.

The interior is characterised by the interplay of harmonious, expressively curving shapes in which the fuller forms of the instrument panel, door armrest and map pocket elements appear to float above sculpted recessed cavities. Even the seats seem to float above the floor. Their elliptically-curved bronze-and-burl side shields echo similar elements recessed into the full-length floor console.

“We wanted everything inside to be nested, fitted and hand-crafted,” says Nick Malachowski, principal interior designer, “with every component subtly reinforcing the hand-sculpted look of the exterior.”

This is a driver’s car, with a minimum of distracting gadgetry. A simple touch pad with intuitive controls, mounted close-by on the suspended centre console armrest, permits the driver to adjust settings for radio, climate and navigation functions. The driver air bag/horn pad is fixed, allowing the radio and cruise-control switches to remain settled in the same position regardless of the turning steering wheel. Boldly bisecting the uncluttered floating wood-and-bronze instrument panel are two large circular pods encircling sculpted gauges rendered in satin with polished aluminium bezels. Reminiscent of earlier Imperials, the exquisitely-detailed gauge faces are deliberately designed to satisfy the soul as well as inform the mind.

Since the windshield glass is carried up onto the mid-point of the roof, front seat occupants enjoy a comprehensive view of the passing scene. All glass has a distinctive bronze tint to harmonise with the car’s colour palette. Rear passengers can recline their individual seats while watching different movies, thanks to the console-mounted dual-view entertainment screen and wireless headsets. The rear seat headsets store in the package tray at the touch of a button when not needed.

Finally, there is the luxury of expressive illumination inspired by the artistry and elegance found in modern interior architecture. LED lighting, placed behind the “floating” elements of the instrument panel and doors, is used to enhance the sculptural elements of the interior. LED lights also provide indirect cove lighting for the headliner, which in addition offers the choice of electroluminescently-lit fabric or directed-beam spotlights located in the overhead console.

Drawing on the rich heritage of its memorable predecessors and endowed with modern dynamic proportions, this newest Imperial, crafted with a nobility of stance and purpose, is the finest expression of the marque according to Chrysler.

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