Pick of the Week: 1963 Chrysler Imperial Custom Southampton Coupe

Buying Guides

Gokul | March 29, 2016 04:54 pm

Out of the thousands of cars that are being listed on Carlist.my, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the car you’re looking at now is arguably one of the most unique, and that is exactly why we’ve chosen this immaculate 1963 Chrysler Imperial Custom Southampton Coupe to be the first car to be featured in Carlist.my’s Pick of the Week.

First introduced in 1926, the Chrysler Imperial was the company's flagship model for much of its history. While the first generation Chrysler was produced only from 1926 till 1954, the moniker was revived once again in 1990 to 1993 when the brand aimed to position the model to be as prestigious as its predecessor.

While the Imperial name itself carries such rich heritage, the model that you’re looking at now is even more special as it is not any Imperial. Only 749 units of the Custom Southampton Coupe were ever built and most of them are already resting in peace.

In fact, many were not even aware of the existence of a coupe version of the Chrysler Imperial. That is how rare this model is.

That being said, this extremely well kept Imperial, which is being sold by classic car specialists Jag’s Classic Automobile Sdn Bhd in Damansara Perdana, is completely original and rust free as it was in the United Kingdom until a few months ago.

Powered by a 6.8-litre V8 engine that is mated to an automatic transmission, this car is fitted with almost every conceivable extra, all of which we believe work as new, including the air conditioning, powered windows, and chromed buttons and levers all around.

One of the biggest highlights of the car is without a doubt, the awesome push-button operated automatic transmission. For a car that was made back in the 1960s, features like this made the car way ahead of its time and standout from the rest of the crowd. Come to think of it, most cars on the road today are still using a gear lever, while this beauty looks like it came straight from the future.

Initially purchased in Colorado where it was kept and cherished for many years, the Imperial Coupe was purchased by a car collector in Las Vegas and after its time in the bright lights, it was sold to its third owner in Palm Springs, California where the last owner was introduced to the car. He then took the car on a road trip across America before shipping it back to his home in the UK, before Jag's Classic Automobile acquired this stunner.

One thing that is definitely worth mentioning here is that the car comes with a complete set of documentation dating back all the way to 1963, including the original order sheets, invoices, brochures, a service handbook, and even the death certificate of the first owner!

Priced at RM250,000, this Chrysler Imperial Custom Southampton Coupe, which is one of the only 749 units that were ever made, has no rust, no mechanical issues, and comes with all the documents with arguably all the information one would need about the car.

Plus, this is also an ideal opportunity for the new owner to live the ultimate American Dream.