Chrysler Design Chief Virgil Exner had a unique way of looking backwards and forwards at the same time. His 1961 Imperial, “America’s Most Carefully Built Car,” represented the company’s top-of-the-line offering with a distinctive design that borrowed Classic Era styling cues, including the imprint of a “continental” spare in the rear deck lid, free-standing head and tail lamps, and body-side chrome “sweeps,” which gave the visual effect of flowing fender lines. This was combined with the last of the towering tailfins, massive chrome bumpers, and an interior that could have passed as a jet cockpit, with its unusual squared-off steering wheel and body-color dashboard.

One of the lowest-production body styles of 1961 was the Imperial Crown Convertible, of which only 429 were built. Like all 1961 Imperials, it was powered by a 350-horsepower version of the 413-cubic inch “Wedge” V-8, fed by a single four-throat carburetor and mated to the bulletproof Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission, and operated by dashboard-mounted pushbuttons.