1957 Imperial Convertible Project Inquiry

I have located a 57 Imperial convertible that is mostly stripped. The seller wants $2000 obo. It has the body shell, no front clip, no motor, some interior, it is a rolling chassis. I do not believe doors but maybe they were open in the photos.

Any chance this can be restored? I would need 2-3 donor cars for the missing parts. But is it worth it? I know 57 Imperial convertibles are rare - and my intention would be a challenging restoration and ownership after - but it still would be nice to have value somewhat close to effort after wards.

57 cadillac Eldorado convertibles go for $75,000 plus, drivers are inthe $45,000 to $65,000 range. How about demand for the Imperial convertible? I wonder how rare these are, I think total convertible production was a little over 1,000.

Thoughts?

You could buy the best one in the world for less than it would cost to restore. This goes for almost any car. Especially an Imperial convertible. This is a very complex car with lots of power accessories and expensive trim.

A 57 Imp convert. sold at Barret Jackson in january for $345,000.00 but then again it had been owned by Howard Hughes. An mint original 59 Imperial 2 door HT with only 12,000 miles failed to sell on Ebay a couple of weeks ago for reserve / buy it now of $45,000.00. You just never know.

Well, I think the Howard Hughes tie in added at least $100,000 to it, plus Barrett Jackson is, well, Barrett Jackson.

The worth while-ness of it is the tough part. I have no special connection to 57 Imperials. A relative never owned one. At a little over 1,100 made, few relatives owned them. Part of the possible appeal is not having something everyone else has. Another angle is saving a car obviously in distress. I know it would cost upwards of 50,000 plus. That's with my labor.

If the guy would want to sell it at bare bones, say $800 or so, just so it wouldn't be parted or crushed, I'd consider it. But at $2,000, with it missing the 392 Hemi, the rest of the drivetrain, some of the interior, and the front clip - I am leaning toward leaving it alone.

I still wonder how many are left. That might sway me. I had a friend that had a rough 57 DeSoto Adventurer convertible and he had an Adventurer hardtop as a parts car. After several years of parts accumulating, he just could not pull the trigger and dig in on the restoration. He put it on ebay and it went to Italy.

A person has to be insane and hugely dedicated to take on a project like this. In the post war period, one has to be careful about what they do. If you are talking a classic era pre-war car, OK - where maybe they made 20 or 100 or such and such a car with, say 3 known to exist. So how many 57 Imperial convertibles are left is intriguing. And of those left, how many are considered 1's or 2's, at a high level of restoration or originality. Then take cars like the one I'm thinking about - are they ever going to get restored or attention? Probably not because if your a rich guy, then you can afford a restored car already - or if your a fairly rich guy and have a sentimental tie-in to the 57 Imperial, then maybe you buy one as your only car, and can't afford anything else. I like to own several cars, my goal is amangeable 5 or 6 and I have 3 now. I'm almost 43, so if I did get the 57 Imperial conv., it would take me 10 good years to restore.

Anything mopar made in '57 is going to be a challenge--they had a real bad year with the new Exner body. Save up for a complete car, one that needs simple projects you can tackle. You'll be money ahead.

I fond it pleae send contact info or I could send mine thanks!

3Jakes, I've had a 1961 Imperial convertible for over 10 years, so I generally follow those 1957-63 Imperial convertibles designed by Virgil Exner. Yes, those 1957 Imperial convertibles are scarce, but maybe not as rare as the production figures would lead you to believe. Of those years I mentioned, the 1957's and 1962's are the ones I most often see in ads or at shows. The year 1957 had a relatively higher production number, so that would explain its availability, but I can't explain why the 1962's are also more readily available.

Imperials get a lot of attention for their rarity, so I'd say more of those have been restored than the other Chrysler convertibles of that era. I would say that the Chrysler Windsor and New Yorker convertibles of that era are now actually rarer than the Imperials.

If you are doing the restoration yourself, it would be a big undertaking, but you might have a chance to get your money out of it because your labor is "free." If you are paying someone else to do the restoration, there is absolutely no way that you would get your money out of it. You would do it because you enjoy it. Imperial convertibles, by the way, don't bring what those Cadillacs do, despite their neat designs and scarcity.

Considering the money you would ultimately have invested in that 1957 convertible, I would suggest keeping your eye out for a better example to start from. Also don't overlook Imperial coupes, which are also scarce and have great styling. If you are patient, keep a watch out in Hemmings and club publications and through personal contacts in clubs, and don't make your search too specific, you should find an Imperial that will be better for you <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />in the long run.

Thanks for the comments Jon. I have indeed decided to pass on it. Can't save every car. It just isn't complete enough for the $2,000. I'm not sure it's good for parts either.

carguy27 - My contact information is - email: abc.moran@netzero.net and my name is Jake. I would be glad to give you the contact information. It's actually www.dansoldcars.net (not.com)

3Jakes,

I was just reading through and found this old message of yours about the '57 Imperial Convertible. My dad has a '57 2dr (pic attached) needs resto but is nearly all there. Did you buy the convertible...? If not is it still around..? I have attached a pic....

I believe it is still around. I am not going to buy it. See contact information above for Dan's Old Cars.