Imperial Over Lincoln for 1959 Comparison Dealer Promo Film

Imperial Over Lincoln for 1959 video from the Chrysler Master Technician Service Conference Training Series. Used as a training tool for dealer salesmen and a sales tool for potential customers.
Mopar is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC. Master Tech series training materials are the property of Chrysler Group LLC and are used with permission.

[@4406bbldb]

TRUE STORY. MY uncle had a Impieral and the majority of farmers had Cadillacs. So one day a few of them asked him a question, why do you have a Impieral he said it's the only car that can get me to Fargo in 1.5 hrs and it can also pull a tractor out of a slew. They agreed.

[@JackF99]

So in other words your uncle drove his Imperial faster than the top speed of a Cadillac for 90 minutes. Seems he'd be in jail long before he got to Fargo.

[@jamesfox2579]

In my opinion, BOTH Cars were Incredibly Beauuuutiful!💕

[@Teraforce88]

My uncle owns a 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV convertible that's been in my family since 1970. I remember reading the blurb in the brochure about the huge brake linings, and his response was, "It takes an act of GOD to stop that car!"

[@kfl611]

And to launch it.

[@Teraforce88]

@@kfl611 With 490ft/lbs torque, it'll do burnouts quite easily.

[@bertpryor1158]

But couldnt keep up with chrysler, as usual.

[@davidcookmfs6950]

Chrysler started using "headlights at slant in 1961 on the 300G, so they must have changed their mind about it.

[@davidprosser7278]

Yes, they look great on the 'bankers hotrod'.

[@HITEKSTRANGER]

It's a wonder they sold any Lincolns at all with this Imperial as competition . Incredible features that would make many modern cars better. Mopar rocks 👍👍👍

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Brand loyalty I think.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

That Imperial was one hell of a car with features ahead of it's time.

[@christopherorourke6362]

dstarks80 the Imperial outsold the Lincoln from 1957 to 1960. After seeing the 1958 to 1960 Lincoln which was heavier than the Imperial & Cadillac, the Imperial was the most beautiful of the 3 luxury cars. The Imperial stared in the Green Hornet tv series, it also stared in the Beverly Hillbillies tv series.

[@christopherorourke6362]

dstarks80 the Imperial outsold the Lincoln from 1957 to 1960. After seeing the 1958 to 1960 Lincoln which was heavier than the Imperial & Cadillac, the Imperial was the most beautiful of the 3 luxury cars. The Imperial stared in the Green Hornet tv series, it also stared in the Beverly Hillbillies tv series.

[@christopherorourke6362]

dstarks80 the Imperial outsold the Lincoln from 1957 to 1960. After seeing the 1958 to 1960 Lincoln which was heavier than the Imperial & Cadillac, the Imperial was the most beautiful of the 3 luxury cars.

[@wesfrazier5822]

can't believe a toilet seat on the trunk never took off

[@johnhiram1207]

Both great looking cars.

[@bobt5778]

Padded dashes always felt better when you got launched into them during a collision for the lack of seat belts.

[@augustkelly8772]

This thing was way ahead of its time

[@loveisall5520]

That pasted-on, overchromed front end, along with the pasted-on brightwork on the lower rear fenders, really made this this the homeliest Imperial to date.

[@mikeyp2277]

I could watch these all day, great stuff. Thanks for uploading.

[@pcno2832]

16:37 A self-dimming mirror is pretty impressive for 1958. My '05 Honda Accord had just about every option but a sunroof and the navagation system (much to my relief), but for some reason the mirror still had a manual dimmer; I had to install one myself, which included the other important feature Honda forgot, a compass.

[@humdidoadi]

ill go to the dealer order the imperial now..

[@brianallen9810]

Now I know where all the chrome in Rhodesia went.

[@commodore665]

Hi I'm Troy Mc Clure , you may remember me from such public information films such as , I am Joe's colon

[@dennisolson498]

i miss my 58 imperial... it was spring green...392 loved it

[@3windowcoupe]

They really had to stretch for some of the criticisms of Lincoln. "The headlight switch is next to the steering column!" "The turn signal lever is too skinny! etc. etc. Oh horror!

[@ryan9570]

that is a good point about the windshield wipers. I don't know what year Ford Motor Co. finally went with electric wipers, but those vacuum operated wipers sucked dead donkey balls when accelerating.

[@MerleOberon]

+Ross Ewage some AMC cars had them till the early 70s

[@matadorman78]

+MerleOberon that is correct. however, today's cars actually mimick Vacuum wipers electronically. as the car slows down so do the wipers, duplicating the Vacuum effect. man, I own a taxi company a what would I give for s 1975 Matador 4 door to be in the fleet.what s taxi

[@taylorsutherland9447]

My 1959 Ford has electric wipers, I believe they were optional.

[@pcno2832]

Reminds me of my 1986 Dodge Lancer turbo; the air from the dashboard vents would go to the floor whenever you stepped on it. It was a problem on all the early K-related cars with the 2.2 liter turbo engine.

[@w9gb]

... and both Ford and Chrysler fought Robert Kearns on his 1964 patent (intermittent windshield wiper). en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kearns

[@kennybranshaw7526]

Love most Imperials. Never thought to compare the 2. Interesting watch.

[@tracer740]

That Imperial grille looks like my bedroom closet every Saturday when my ma told me to straighten up my room!

[@yeoldesaltydog7415]

My buddy bought a 59 Imperial for quite cheap and she is clean!

[@pcno2832]

4:07 When I was a kid, I thought there was a washing machine under there, but I guess other people assumed it was a toilet. Either way, it wasn't the best Idea Chysler ever came up with.

[@kfl611]

Reminds me of a 60's studebaker, they had back tires in the trunk like that.

[@guidedmeditation2396]

I like the Lincoln Continental's rear window and interior better but the Imperial's roofline and rear deck and fins are beautiful. Including the spare wheel ornamentation on the trunk lid although It looks like where you would install a Nuclear power module.

[@Michael_in_Vt]

In 2019 I would take either one of them!

[@0samabinbobbin485]

I'm sold, where can I get one? Will they take my Kia in trade?

[@frankburns8871]

Heh, imagine driving a Kia into a 1959 Chrysler dealership.

[@0samabinbobbin485]

Frank Burns yeah, we could put it in the trunk of the Chrysler!

[@Drchainsaw77]

In 1959, KIA still meant only *Killed In Action.*

[@VinylToVideo]

It still does. I'd never buy a *Killed in Action*.

[@stun3282]

0sama Bin Bobbin I own an imperial

[@Slazlo-Brovnik]

Funny: abot 10 years later, Lincoln went back to frame and body, whole the 1970 Imperial was a frameless monocoque construction. And sure enough the dealer promo movie for that imperial pointed out how good frameless monocoque is and how bad the oldfashioned frame and body setup is.

[@stevehoward3049]

Love that swivel seat. They should bring it back for 2022 models

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

Lincoln looks like a brute. My kinda car!

[@markpelley]

I’m sold, swivel seats!! I love my dads generation!!

[@stevehoward3049]

Yes me too. Also love those little vent windows. I wish car companies would bring back both the swivel seats and those little vent windows.

[@desotokid99]

I guess in 1959 it was a man who bought the car;the woman who picked from the pretty available colors !

[@williamj515]

This must have been a filmstrip. The ding sound was used let you know when to advance to the next frame, the audio being on a record. The rear view mirror on the dash, couldn't have been very practical, when there were passengers in the back blocking it.

[@williamg2552]

With Torsion-Bar Suspension, The IMPERIAL was FAR more roadable than Lincoln or Cadillac. and Lincoln's unit construction was also more prone to rust.

[@JackF99]

A Mopar torsion bar is merely a coil spring laid out straight. Both use round bar stock that twists in acting on the wishbones to resist suspension deflection. Zero difference in handling or ride between either approach. Only advantages to torsion bar are more room in the engine compartment and probably a little easier to adjust ride height.

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Interesting

[@Mike_Collins392]

I have read that the 392 FirePower engine was available for 59 Imperial ( an extra run of 1958 engines were produced and stashed for this ). That would be a fantastic car to see.

[@jhancock1575]

4:55. Well, I’m not buying the Lincoln because the jack in the trunk will scratch my luggage. That’s a deal breaker for me.

[@TheGypsyAster]

I love how body on chassis and leaf spring arrangement are "sold" as a benefit to a unibody on coils.

[@themodelcitizen988]

Re: Unibody vs. body on frame. Body on frame has the benefit of costing the owner less (it does of course cost the manufacturer more). Unibody costs the manufacturer less, but the consumer more. Body on frame saves the consumer money and even, if they're sentimental about their cars like me, it saves having to part with a car. Crunched fender on body on frame car=take the fender off and bolt on a new one. Crunched fender on unibody car=you will have to cut the fender out and weld a new one in just the right spots. AND a welded in piece will never be as strong as the unibody was when it was untouched. A bolted in replacement fender on a body on frame car will be just as strong as the one it replaced. All of the cost of fixing unibody cars=much more likely to be totaled. Another reason why manufacturers love unibody cars. It means a new customer after even the smallest accident versus a body on frame car that can take a beating and after minimal work can still be running strong with a fraction of the cost of fixing a unibody car.

[@bobtis]

Massive is right. I love the Lincoln

[@surearrow]

"...and we have bigger fins!"

[@jimsteele2072]

Im sure that was a pavlovs call for a few sales...lol

[@bennetfox]

A land yacht is a land yacht is a land yacht!

[@5610winston]

5:18 ...and Chrysler went to unitized construction for all models (except Imperial) the next year...

[@jimdelton1767]

Body on frame is far better, all aspects considered, than unibody. The reason most light fleet are unibody is because it’s cheaper.

[@fitzgeraldhanover3921]

Imperial is beautiful. I owned two Lincoln cars. They were used. I put $800.00 into each car upon purchase. I can tell you that I really got my money back in great service.

[@cornellgreen3692]

I personally would take a '64 or '67; they had some cool styling and sharp lines, especially the '67.

[@morthedgebuckle227]

My favourite is the 1960

[@petermainwald6413]

Chrysler always had superior engineering.. Their styling usually was a bit out of the box. To the average idiot, looks meant everything and hence why Chrysler was always in third place. To me, they were very beautiful and distinct... and the better engineering was the icing on the cake.

[@mikesamra9126]

PETER MAINWALD I'm a diehard Ford/Mercury fan and I agree with you.The Chrysler products were ahead of their time in features and style and this was also the case with the Edsel believe it or not and Americans are always slow to embrace change in automobiles.I do like the Imperial and you can see a lot of thought had gone into the car.

[@peter455sd]

PETER MAINWALD The average idiot nowadays buys Toyota, screws up the traffic,and believes he has the best car in the world despite all the scandals,i guess they have short memory too........

[@rixtunz3625]

They lacked durability was their rep in the 70's.

[@mgtowp.l.7756]

When You Drive A Lincoln Continental You Get That Old Continental Feeling. When You Drive A Imperial You Get That Old Imperial Feeling..

[@SecsSells]

Surprised he didn't mention the larger ashtray!

[@andrewarmstrong7310]

Which four?

[@zachotek9499]

Andrew Armstrong sometimes 5

[@stevehoward3049]

He was just about to get to that but they ran out of vinyl record space.

[@johnazhderian5734]

These cars are the size of most houses in Europe! This car is the size of a Greyhound bus!

[@fitzgeraldhanover3921]

I owned a 1965 Valiant. I put 300,000 miles on that car. I bought it New on my honeymoon. Loved this car like my wife.

[@Camostar555]

the early '60s Valiants were basically bulletproof and so easy to fix.

[@anonamust8697]

Loved the luxo-barges from '59....ALL OF THEM!! Perhaps the best year in terms of STYLE in the history of American automobiles. The Imperial stands on its own. There was no need to beat up on Lincoln with the incessant comparisons made here. Maybe in the end, the Imperial was the superior car from an engineering standpoint--but I wouldn't kick a pristine, immaculate '59 Continental out of bed. Either car in great shape would be a really nice find, and an awesome trophy in this day and age. Happy motoring!

[@barrymcockener4336]

Those swivel seats sound like a good idea.

[@kfl611]

Yes where can I get one?

[@TheXJ12]

If you want to know more about Imperial drum brakes, Jay Leno posted "1958 Imperial Convertible" some time ago.

[@CEOkiller]

I see they broke the bank making this film...

[@tracer740]

+CEOkiller -lol!!!

[@GLC2013]

Do you know what a 16mm projector with magnetic sound used to cost? They were out of sight and not necessary for a dealer who just needed to give his staff a training refresher. This was a "filmstrip" which was shown in conjunction with an LP record on an ordinary record player. When you heard the tone, you advanced to the next slide. Way more cost-effective for most businesses; we used to watch them all the time in school.

[@heatherblankenship7663]

Thanks but I'll keep my Hudson.

[@thoughtfinder]

Imperial Crown and Imperial Lebaron was a very beautiful unique car that shared no other parts with Chrysler. That all changed in 1969 when Chrysler used the fuselage design and ruined the car.

[@johneddy908]

I beg to differ. The '69 Imperial was the best Imperial yet. Imperial was still the biggest of all Chrysler Corporation cars; the fuselage design added more room, and LeBaron had a two-door model for the first time ever.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Although I like the grille of the Lincoln Continental, I prefer the more horizontal position of the headlamps of the Imperial. Although I like the styling of the Ford and General Motors cars, I like the engineering of Chrysler cars. Just because the general public doesn't talk much about safety, that shouldn't mean that car makers shouldn't implement safety features in their cars. :)

[@550MustangGT]

Beautifull car

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

The '59 Imperial was a looker for sure, but the grill was decidedly old-fashioned.

[@williamg2552]

I don't know about you,but, if I were YOU, if I were paying a lot of money for a car, I would be really concerned about the "torsional bending" issue with Lincoln's Unit Construction. Who wants a car that bends ? The Lincoln of that era was the first time in automotive history that unit construction was used on a car THAT LARGE . But , it would be YEARS before car manufacturers could properly build a large unit construction car. IMPERIAL not only had a full- perimeter frame, it had the STRONGEST FRAME in the industry !!

[@bigwu100]

outlawed on the demolition derby circuit.

[@artjones2498]

say what you want....back in the day they were all beautiful land barges...to each thier own

[@jamesculbertson1746]

Having "gunsight taillights" would be offensive, & trigger some people in 2017.

[@jimsteele2072]

Where would you be able to park that thing.... Its longer than a mini van

[@justenough730]

@@jimsteele2072 same place you park a 4dr PU

[@justenough730]

How I would love to deport those people to europe

[@waterheaterservices]

Liberalism is a plague

[@stun3282]

I own an imperial

[@stephenpellegrino7504]

I drove a '59 Imperial once; the most annoying thing was the turn signal switch. It was mounted on the dash and you had to take your eyes off the road in order to find it, and then reach to rotate it left or right. How many prospects walked out of Chrysler dealers in frustration because of that so-called "modern feature"?

[@kfl611]

This was when 'Push Button' really meant 'the future is here and you are part of it', also 'even a woman can use it, all it requires is a finger tip and a push'.

[@ricardorodrigues7304]

muito belo,parabéns 👍.

[@MadMax069]

AT 1:56 I HAVE TO GIVE THE NOD TO LINCOLN. THAT TAIL FIN GROWING UPWARDS TO THE REAR END OS CRAZY LOOKING TO ME.

[@belloviper]

They need to bring back the Imperial name

[@joelonzello4189]

My Great Grandfather had one. Use to back into other cars...look at the damage and say "that's not so bad" and drive off lol

[@OrnumCR]

Oooohh...Drum brakes!!!!....wow! Love the bit where he shows the 'shonky' contact area on the Lincoln. I can just imagine how mangled the 'squishy bits' (read humans!) got when these monsters with no give in the bodies and no seat belts met each other at speed in a collision. Scary indeed! And that 'modern' suspension! Jaguar Cars in the U.K. were already streets ahead by this time with twin-cam engines, monocoque bodies, disc brakes and race-tuned suspensions. Europe and the US were galaxies apart...

[@dicarlo57]

and your rolls royce with its G.M transmission, ten year old copy of a cadillac V-8, and chassis engineering to our 1935 standards. The common limey could never afford a jaguar. Look who is building your rolls and bentleys now....

[@dougtaylor2803]

Full Disclosure: My grandfather owned a Chrysler Plymouth dealership so I am biased. Nonetheless, overall the Imperial does seem a better choice although I don't know how much of a price difference there may have been. I learned to drive in my grandparents' 1976 New Yorker Brougham, which was really an Imperial but Chrysler had dropped that name after 1975. It was a 2 door, black with rally wheels and leather interior with a 440 CI engine. Oh, how I loved driving that car. When we would take it to the car wash we had people ask us if we would sell it. I am looking around to try and find one somewhere as close as I can find to the one they owned.

[@diedonner299]

Gary Taylor there was a black 4 door hard top at a dealership in charlotte about 10 months ago (76 Lebaron) low miles too 37k. Most likely sold by now ...

[@diedonner299]

Gary Taylor sorry I meant a 76 New Yorker not Lebaron

[@davidcorbin6489]

I think the 66 imperial was the best looking the green hornet, s Car

[@2right4words]

and the Imperial comes with a free toilet seat glued to the trunk lid

[@SteelRhinoXpress]

5:28 yet that became the future of all cars with a unibody construction on the Lincoln.

[@johneddy98033]

@wiibaron, I don't see it. In 1962, Chrysler still used the twin-arrow "Forward Look" logo. The Pentastar was not used until two years later.

[@sharonjackson3762]

John Eddy either dashboard would hurt you in a wreck

[@Doobie1975]

I would have gone for the Lincoln, I've always loved the 1958-60 Lincoln's a little more than the Imperial's of the same era.

[@billbright1755]

Come back when you grow a set of fins. I need far more gleaming Crome plated steel!

[@fitzgeraldhanover3921]

I do not doubt the Imperial was a great car in its day. I owned a used 1975 Chrysler Newport. It was a fantastic car. I kept it eight years.

[@bertgrau9246]

Fitzgerald, 8 years? I keep cars much longer than that, if they stay dependable. I have an 88 Dodge Dakota, (bought in 2001) a 2001 Lincoln town car, bought new, and a 2012 F-150 bought new, and last a 76, Cadillac Coup de Ville I've only had it for 3 years

[@ryanlambert1205]

Notice how they do not compare to cadillac this time 😂. The 59 cadillac was the most beautiful car in its time and still holds today!

[@LearnAboutFlow]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGLQfmywjMhmqtk

[@danielthoman7324]

the 59 Cadillac was a monstrosity. 🤮

[@burtbenz9964]

Got 1 in vegas pink 2 door yea in the storage yd at near road house lower east side. Wow met some other mmopar friends soldit! That was in 2001

[@kfl611]

Dink, advance the film strip one frame ! Boy that brings back school memories. Young people now a days would have no idea what that is. I like the lincoln better, but I think if you could take the best features of each car and merge them, you'd have a great frankencar, that really would turn heads. The 1920's and 1930's cars were the prettiest, actually.

[@oliver_klozoff]

One word, thundercougarfalconbird

[@allenpinnix5241]

the Lincoln looks better---- the Imperial looks likes pieces from several cars all stuck together. Now the '65 Imperial convertible was nice!

[@fitzgeraldhanover3921]

The 1959 Lincoln was the best car I ever owned. I owned expensive foreign cars to include Porshe and BMW. The 1967 Lincoln Continental was not as good as the 1959.

[@timshepley6837]

Evil

[@jimdelton1767]

I spent some time with both a 60 and a 67 Lincoln. Styling is always subjective.. I like both a lot. But the dash on the 60 was head and shoulders nicer that the 67. If I was choosing a classic today it would be 60 Lincoln. The imperial is overall the best car though but I’m not going to be racing them over rr tracks or running them in competition so the difference between doing 0 - 60 in 8.7 vs 9.6 just doesn’t matter.

[@rockermarco]

"...lively good taste that a man looks for in a car." Hilarious!

[@kfl611]

Yeah, what about the women drivers?

[@oliver_klozoff]

​@@kfl611 they were in the kitchen

[@leemartin2990]

I'd know that voice anywhere! That's Donald Murphy, who appeared in everything from "Frankenstein's Daughter" to "Lord Love a Duck."

[@philiptucci2458]

I always preferred Lincoln

[@kfl611]

Me also.

[@TheHeretic435]

Fuck the Lincoln. I'm getting the '59 Imperial.

[@waywardboi]

Funny how all the references to the prospects are towards men!

[@fob1xxl]

Continental LOOKS like MONEY ! The design and features of the Lincoln are far more futuristic. Nothing wrong with Imperial at all. I basically , even today as an adult am always drawn by style not electronics, or technology. They all in line AFTER I find my eyes desire.

[@sethhuber25]

What’s with the Chrysler motor company and bumper protection

[@frankburns8871]

I missed that page in my databook!

[@alb12345672]

I guess my 96 explorer also has world class suspension.(torsion/leaf). It is actually a pretty good setup.

[@rixtunz3625]

So does my last model year Ranger Sport 4x2.

[@rosewhite---]

what was going through mind of designer of the Imperial front chromery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@alexmaclean1]

I am fascinated by these old videos. It really shows that the world of sales has always just been filled with marketing wank. This video says long wheelbase had less to do with ride because the Chrysler is shorter, another video from a couple years later says the wheelbase is the most important thing to the ride because that model was longer than the competition lol Sales people have been full of shit for all eternity lol

[@VinzentDk]

I love how he tries to make the body-on-frame solution sound better than unibody. Generally speaking the whole thing seems a bit silly. But if you looked at the opposite film of a Lincoln dealer comparing the two, it would most likely be just as funny. Everything can be argued for and against!

[@2right4words]

didn't Elvis Presley sing with the torsionaires?

[@allencrider]

I sure don't want no knee-knocking workouts, Bud!

[@kfl611]

Boot knocking maybe.

[@tracer740]

I like'em both but I definitely prefer the Lincoln.

[@pierrebilodeau5284]

Liche Christ 10

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Does my Honda have total contact brakes? Sometimes when I pass gas I make contact. It’s a shart.

[@TWTR4EVER]

Lol......They both have to content with the Cadillac Eldorado and neither one of them was a match!

[@hikdingle2210]

Caddys have always been over priced junk

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

Hey buddy, at least there's still a Lincoln, Imperial has been gone for decades.

[@PockyFiend]

They'd had to make a 1959 Imperial vs. Cadillac filmstrip, didn't they?

[@2023-Sucked]

Lincoln or imperial Me: Cadillac

[@rogerspice7743]

Boy, I feel like a real knuckle-head! Wish I seen this before I bought that POS 59 Lincoln. What are the boys at the club going to say? I feel like a real idiot. I'm embraced to no end driving that overweight boat anchor. I want an Imperial!