1960 Crown Imperial Limousine used by Nelson Rockefeller.
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- Опубликовано: 10 ноя 2022
- Please turn up the volume and enjoy this 1960 Crown Imperial Limousine. It has an interesting history and was used by Nelson Rockefeller. If you like this video like and subscribe to this channel and see many more classic and unusual cars. Some might even be a favorite of yours or like one you use to own. New videos will be uploaded regularly. Thanks for watching.
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Wonderful. When General of the Army EISENHOWER retired from the Army as Chief of Staff, he and Mamie drove to Gettysburg in their own Imperial Limousine, driven by SGT Moaney who eventually became a pallbearer for Pres Eisenhower. Ike commented that the car was half of their net worth. Thanks for sharing the 1960 Imperial. I just sold a plain Crown 4 door from that year.
You're welcome. This one is special for sure. Thanks for watching.
Such a cool car !!!
Thanks for watching.
O my gosh. Beautiful. I always loved the Imperials of that era. Never to Repeat
Thanks for watching.
@@MikesclassicautoworldThe cars of today are toys by comparison! 😢
Fact. Jackie Kennedy owned one while she was in the White House it was her personal chauffeured transportation. You can see clips of it during JFK's funeral services.
Sadly! America ENDED with J.F.K.'s MURDER!
Jackie thought Cadillac and Lincoln’s were common. This was after all a hand built vehicle in the coach part.
@@jeffreymartin6369 Jackie WAS ONLY "The PRIVILIDGED Jackie"! She was WORSHIPPED, BUT NOT JUSTIFIALBLY SO!
@@johnmaki3046 I’ve never worshipped anything or anyone but I AM certain that I know for more about her than you do, and what exactly have YOU done for the good of humanity.
@@jeffreymartin6369 WHATEVER! I am talking about a QUALITY ride! NOTHING MORE!
Hi from Russia. A great design and in good condition. You're lucky to touch a history of car manufacturing.
I agree. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing this magnificent automobile! I had not known the "Ghia" Chryslers were so "custom-built" (by hand, too!") Quite an impressive vehicle, especially that luxurious interior and "full coach roof" design!
Yes it is a very cool automobile. Certainly not a cookie cutter limousine either. Thanks for watching.
My dad had a 1960 Imperial LeBaron , which was the top of the Imperial line . Crown was the middle . Each year was a one of a kind , and I think 1960 was the pinnacle of detail and design . Many of the features on this car are familiar to me ! Great car ! I hope it goes somewhere where it can be seen and appreciated.
Thanks for watching Rae.
I'm 87 and had many Imperials over the decades and still have two like new beauties , a 54 Chrysler Imperial Newport , 2dr ht , and a 74 LaBaron 4dr ht. Had a few Caddys sprinkled in , but sure , no match . Sorry that the name was around so many decades but just for some reason never caught on like Cad and Lincoln . BTW , LeBaron was as you say "top model" , but the Crown indicated it was a limo , and for sure , no less car , as it was heavier and rode on a much longer wheelbase . Amoung other options it also had divider glass and 'jump seats' and dual air cond .
In summer, 1962, my family were in Washington DC on vacation. Near the White House, a policemen appeared and stopped traffic. And then a black Crown Imperial limousine passed by us, and there in the back seat was Jacqueline Kennedy. I was 9 at the time, but even at that age, she was something to see!
Cool that it left a lasting impression right? Thanks for watching Tom.
What an impressive car. I hope it's used at least for special occasions. A car like that should be enjoyed. And seen.
Yep it is. Thanks for watching.
The REAR was USED!
The "rear" was ENJOYED!
@@johnmaki3046 Thanks for watching.
IMPERIAL:
“America’s Most Carefully Built Car !”
O’l Nelson had good taste! Great job guys. She’s a beauty.
Thanks Bradford. Thanks for watching.
Beautiful car and a very interesting history, thanks for sharing. It’s great when bits of history are preserved. The Governor did what he had to do in order to be transported as he wanted in Albany and in Manhattan! Didn’t know that the ‘Crown’ designation was used differently for the limousines than for the standard production line.
You're right B C. I learned something new as well. Thanks for watching.
As a New Yorker who grew up in NYC during the Mad Men era I would like you to know that Governor of New York State Nelason Rockefeller was a big heavy man who was also very handsome. That was why it was customized for him. The latter Governors of New York State had no air of drama and suspense. They were dull by comparison and did not have the popularity of him. He was also the last of the old fashioned liberals of his time.
Well, the CAR was GREAT...
Spotted the 1958 and 1968 Imperials, also the 1962 Cadillac Biarritz. All gorgeous...
Good eye Charles. Thanks for watching.
What a memory this video triggered: imagine a long chilly overnight drive from Las Vegas to Golden, Colorado! I had been thrilled to hitch a ride home from Las Vegas in an Imperial Limo of this era. But most of the comforts were missing from this particular limo that night! No heater, so we were all huddled up under blankets and snuggling together to keep warm! 🥶 The car ran beautifully all night, despite its condition. It was very much a project, unrestored and very well worn. The seats were still comfy, though!
Great story Ted. Thanks for watching.
Looking very very nice!!!
Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld You are welcome.
I love the grill on the '60, distinctive. Magnificent car, most impressive American limo of this era.
Yes sir. Thanks for watching.
What a beautiful car!
Thanks for watching John.
Truly beautiful; a wonderful vehicle. I've always wondered what happened to another of the 1960 Ghia limousines which was assigned to the White House and was used primarily by the First Lady. It appears in most of the film footage of the president's funeral cortege. That would be a major historical find if you ever learn of it's fate! many thanks Mike!
👍Thanks for watching James.
Yes, you're right. Jackie was in the lead car during the funeral procession in D.C. and it was in fact the 1960 you are talking about. The car was originally used by Mamie Eisenhower and when JFK became president it was decided that it would be her official car for formal and State functions.
I did some extensive research on that car a while back and basically the car just virtually disappeared after JFK's funeral. One main theory is that Bobby Kennedy, who stayed on as attorney general under LBJ had systematically destroyed most of the vehicles associated with with the assassination so no one could profit off his brothers death. So the rumor is that he may have had this car destroyed. We know of only 2 cars in existence from that event. The hearse that transported JFK's body from Parkland Hospital to Air Force One survives and was auctioned off about 10 years ago by the guy who had bought it from the funeral home who originally owned it. The other is, of course, the Lincoln convertible JFK was riding in when he was shot. Morbid as it sounds, the government had repaired it and made LBJ use it for a couple years and it is now in the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.
@@retroguy9494 Thanks for your reply and shared interest in that particular vehicle; the only other mention I remember about it was a brief statement that Johnson directed her limo be made available to her for the year after she left the WH but remained in DC. I believe I recall that being in an interview with her SS agent Clint Hill who also remained with her during her last year in DC. I also share your views about reusing JFK's limo; it was stripped to the frame and rebuilt and changed drastically front to back; in view of it's role in the assassination, you'd see no reason to expend that money to " refresh " and reuse it. Far more appropriate would have been to retire the car as an historical object and provide the newer style Lehmann Peterson fully enclosed style. Yet, JFK's car remained at the WH through Carter's administration and carried not only the presidents, but, members of the Eisenhower AND Kennedy families! No apparent thought given to the sheer disrespect; it was just another car apparently. I also read that Mrs. Johnson would do all she could to avoid ever riding in that car and it even bothered LBJ. All the more reason the 1960 GHIA should have been preserved as the JFK car finally was!
@@retroguy9494 Interesting stuff. I am familiar with the hearse and the JFK Limo you mentioned. Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld I'm glad you liked it! I've always loved history and as a car guy, I know a bit about famous vehicles.
Nelson had a 1970 Imperial which is now in New Zealand. It was for sale about 20 years ago.
Thanks for watching.
Wow 😯 what amazing Limousine Car 👍👍👍
Yep. Thanks for watching Saud.
"Old Nelson" KNEW a FANTASTIC "back seat"!
Thanks for watching.
A stunning piece of automotive art and history.
Thanks for watching.
Wow, 500 LBS of Lead! That would make it a Sled.
Thanks for watching Chris.
This beautiful car is second only to this man's incredible knowledge. Great video.
Hank is the best. He knows his stuff for sure. Thanks for watching.
Wow, what a beauty! Looks better than new
Thanks for watching.
Spectacular. Beautiful detail. Far exceeds the Cadillac 75. The only one possibly close was a Hess and Eisenhardt Lincoln.
Thanks for watching.
Absolutely stunning car! Love the original, glossy black paint! The poor limo driver had no way to move the seat toward or away from the driving position; that was a surprising fact.Also, the back formal window, although a beautiful long oval shape, probably didn't give the limo driver enough visibility. But loved the car, and I liked how knowledgeable the current owner was about the car. If I'm not mistaken, the non-Ghia version was featured in the movie, "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
Thanks for watching.
The sound of those doors swinging shut!
Very solid for sure. Thanks for watching Steve.
That was great to see! Hard to imagine a boat that size on the street today. Incredible luxury for the day though ... Cheers
Thanks for watching.
There are plenty
I am so glad to see this car remains in America!….
Many years ago I considered buying this exact car. It was owned by someone in France but the car was here in the states. I ended up buying a 1956 Imperial limousine instead as I was more a fan of the 55 & 56 body styles. During my search, I did happen across a maroon 56 limousine that was also owned at one time by Nelson Rockefeller! It too had blind quarters and the only 56 limo I saw that was made that way. Unfortunately, the car was stored outside and in horrible shape. It eventually was purchased and “restored” by White Post restorations. Ultimately, they restored about 5 of these cars. All of them were were destined to be shipped overseas to Kuwait. It turns out that the Emir of Kuwait had commissioned them for his private collection. I have many stories I could tell…. But too long to leave in a comment.
Thanks for posting this video.
PS … do you have the limousine brochure for this car?
Brad
Great story Brad. Yes it is a special car. I was looking again at this very car today and noticed more things I didn't notice when I shot this video. Hank has since found a die-cast model of this limo. Very cool. As for the brochure I'd have to ask to find out. Thanks for watching.
The '56 Imperial (all MoPar products) WERE QUALITY! ALL we "have" now is THROW-AWAY GARBAGE! What a "great" American "accomplishment".
@@johnmaki3046 Thanks for watching john.
@@johnmaki3046 Thanks for watching John.
I owned the 1964 Caddilac limo and this car was made with handcrafted love . Beautiful piece of motoring history .
Oh I LOVE the 1964 Cadillac Series 75 limos! The Fleetwood 60 Specials as well. It also just happened to be the year I was born! LOL
Thanks for watching.
Such a beautiful limo! Beautiful condition.
I agree. Thanks for watching.
When I was young, my dream car.
Cool. Thanks for watching.
I met Rocky at Standiford Field in Louisville in 1968 when he was running for President. Shook his hand. He was really "exuberant."
Cool. Thanks for watching.
What a beautiful limo, I was a little kid then , but I remember Nelson Rockefeller, always seemed like a good guy. When Ford became president he picked Nelson as his vice president
Thanks for watching.
Yes, Ford did. And dropped him from the ticket in '76 under pressure from the Christian Coalition and the Religious Right because he was a moderate republican.
As far as Rockefeller being a 'good guy' do you know how he died? Because I remember it. He was 70 years old and cheating on his wife with some woman who was 25 years old. While in the middle of doing the deed, he had a massive heart attack and dropped dead right on top of her! They tried covering it up saying he died in his office while working on a book but in reality, it was in his Manhattan town house.
In addition, the wife he was cheating on was his second wife. He had left his first wife for her and she was ALSO younger.
He DID do a lot for the people of the State of New York though as governor.
Interesting fact is that he ran for president in 60, 64 and 68 but again, the ultra right wing which was just beginning to gain a lot of power forced him out at the convention. Had he been the candidate in 64 instead of that nut case Barry Goldwater, he just may have beat LBJ and events in Vietnam may have turned out WAY different.
*Seemed like*.
Very nice.
Thank you.
Thanks for watching.👍
That is pure class, what a beautiful piece of work.
It really is! Thanks for watching.
Spectacular machine!!
Thanks for watching.
What a beauty!!
Thanks for watching.
Ghia and Chrysler had an ongoing relationship from way back. The Rita Hayworth Ghia, given to her as a present from her once husband, Ali Khan is also a Chrysler product sent to Italy and returned magnificent. For many years it was on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum ion Los Angeles.
Thanks for watching Thomas.
Awesome Car for sure
Thanks for watching.
Quite a car, thanks for sharing.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
I love the old Chrysler ❤ ...checked out a '76 Volare Supreme ...47, 000 miles ...slant 6 ...wonderful
A solid everyday car. Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld okay 👍
Wonderful car
Thanks for watching.
Wow! Absolutely fabulous car!😍😍
"Rocky" sure knew how to order a great car! 👍
(I'm glad that "we the people" didn't have to foot the bill for this beauty!)
Subscribed!
Yep. Thanks for watching and thanks for subscribing. 👍
Here is an interesting tidbit regarding the 1959 Imperial limo that you mentioned that Rocky ordered and donated to the State of New York for his use as governor. That car is now at the Rockefeller Estate 'Kykuit' in Tarrytown New York. It's in the garage with all of the other Rockefeller family cars which is quite an impressive collection going back to John D himself. It looks like this family never traded in cars when they bought new ones!
Anyway, you can tour the house, grounds and garages and see the car in person. It still has the New York license plate with the number '1' and the governors badge above the license plate. On this car, the flashing lights are mounted on the front bumper instead of inside the grille.
Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld 👍
I would proudly own AND drive this Car over ANY Car built today!💕
Me too. Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld 💕😁
The CAR was GREAT! Rockefeller...well...
AGREED!
Incredible
Thanks for watching Carl.
Now that is a limousine.
Thanks for watching.
I love cars, and thought I had seen or at best familiar with a lot of them. How this beauty escaped me I have no idea. This is so awesome. I would still ride in it if I were famous :)
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to more of your videos.
Thanks Sarah glad you liked it. More to come. Thanks for watching.
That is a very cool and beautiful car. I like old limousines. American manufacturers used to build quality!
Thanks for watching.
Impressive. Impressive looking and impressive restoration.
I agree. Thanks for watching Martin.
I love this vehicle 😍!!
Thanks for watching.
Beautiful Car.
Side Note, the rear doors on my 2019 G90 open almost 90 Degrees too. It is amazing how much easier it is to get in and out with the doors open that wide.
Thanks for the info! Thanks for watching.
Absolutely gorgeous! "Takes up a lot of real estate!" It needs it's own zip code! 😅😂
That it does. 😆Thanks for watching Dave.
Лучшее, что я видел за сегодня! Crown Imperial ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld Спасибо Вам ! За обзор самых красивых и уникальных автомобилей
@@user-xx3fx2kn8q You are very welcome. 👍
If the Batmobile was a limousine, this would be it. I could see Alfred driving up front. :o)
haha. Thanks for watching.
Worked in rock center, would walk past his vice presidential limousine in storage before Christie's auction house was built. Remember story about it getting stuck on the ramps because of length.
Thanks for watching.
Gorgeous limo! Beautiful Exner design! Exner excellence, with Ghia construction. The flagship of Chrysler's Forward Look for 1960! Ghia build supervised by Exner's friend Luigi Segre.
Thanks for watching Dejael.
A bit of added trivia: the Imp that was gifted to the Kennedy White House was primarily used by Jackie.
Thanks for that info and thanks for watching. 👍
Very beautiful car. I always believed the Imperials were the most opulent of the big 3 limo builders.
Thanks for watching.
Who doesn't like drum tight fits!
👍Thanks for watching Wade.
Thank you.
Thanks for watching.
Beautiful!
Thanks for watching.
Exquisite......
Thanks for watching.
Winthrop Rockefeller had one of America's first large auto collections. Much of it went to Harrah's original collection with 1400 cars in warehouses north of Reno ..I bought one of Rockefellers cars a 1961 Facel Vega Excellence out of Harrah's.
Very cool. Thanks for watching John.
Wow that's nice thanks
You're welcome. Thanks for watching Rusty.
Wow what a beauty! I would like to point out how the doors go a little over the roofline (curved at the top, I guess for styling, aerodynamics and less wind noise)! Thanks for the excellent vlog!
Likely all of that and more. Thanks for watching Todd.
Everyone wants to see wide angle shots of the front and back to see how beautiful it was.
Wish we could have. It was in a garage. Thanks for watching.
What a BEAST. Limo is MINT. Check those ashtrays. Maybe Rockefeller left a roach behind. I heard he blazed the finest.
Thanks for watching.
If I owned that limo it would be my every day driver.
Nice but it would be a hefty gas bill at today's prices. 😆Thanks for watching.
That's real luxury and craftsmanship. Today's cars don't compare.
👍Thanks for watching James.
Фантастика ❤
Thanks for watching.
The White House version of this beauty was assigned to Jackie Kennedy.
Thanks for watching Mr. Allen.
The infamous 1956 Chrysler Noresman Prototype was designed & built in Italy & was to return to Detroit off the ill fated Andrea Doria liner that went down that summer
Thanks Doc for watching.
Beautiful Car and yes I would hope you could rent it for a wedding or special occasion
Thanks for watching Joe.
A beautiful car.
Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld I love old cars, aircraft, steam locomotives, etc.
Bonjour a tous du Canada The Imperial Crown mafiosi model ,come with a thompson machine gun rack
BRAVISSIMO
LOL. Thanks for watching Maurice.
The man had good taste
Thanks for watching.
Riding in style back in the day, and still now. Very cool history.
What was the pink car?
That's a 58 Imperial convertible which I do have a video of right here ruclips.net/video/bvrjp-riRqY/видео.html . Thanks for watching John.
Outrageous but interesting dash treatment (like most other Mopars of this era). But can a 6'2" guy like me fit to pilot this beast ?
I doubt it Dave. Comfort was for the people in the back right? Thanks for watching.
General Patton's car had a clock mounted in the same spot in the back of the front seat. It is in his museum at Ft. Knox. In a crash with a Deuce and a Half, he flew forward striking his head on the clock breaking his neck, killing him a few days later. So wear your seatbelt when being chauffeured around in that beauty...haha but nolol
Always. 👍Thanks for watching.
@@Mikesclassicautoworld 😆😆😆
We KNOW the back seat was a FANTASTIC "work bench"!
He did have a happy ending.
Thanks for watching.
Please go to the end of the street so we can see the whole car, it's that long
Thanks for watching.
That’s funny!!
Imperial with Ghia, gorgeous.If I recall correctly Ford also availed itself with " Ghia" trim package on its Mustang 2 with Ghia also the Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch,Grand Monarch Ghia trim package. This Imperial though is a rolling piece of artwork. Ahh the 60s and 70s when Detroit used to build cars WE wanted, remember those days??
Yes I remember that as well. I never believed there was a real connection to Ghia, only in name only but I could be wrong. Love everything before the 78-80 downsize also, and a few model years after. Thanks for watching.
The "Ghia" was OVERUSED!
@@Mikesclassicautoworld Oh I'm with you, being a Ford guy I was somewhat lucky being that Ford kept some of the big boats until 79. Still after 76 GM significantly downsized they're vehicles and of course stopped offering those magnificent big block 454,455,472 and especially the 8.2 litre 500 , just criminal. Obviously I'm a malaise era Ford guy, Grew up seeing these big old barges. My 73 Tbird 429 always brings me back when I'm behind the wheel.Thank you, I love you're channel ,please keep'em coming
As discussed in the video, this limousine has a large belt-driven-generator under the hood. And it appears to be for a/c voltages. As a result, that's leading me to the understanding that the rear air conditioning system is electric. And if that's the case, I'd say quite advanced for the time. As far as I knew, we didn't have electric air conditioning in cars until the Toyota Prius. So, I'd like to add that we've had our Prius for ten years now and its electric air conditioning has been wonderful. It remains consistent in its output and never wavering in bumper-to-bumper traffic during hot weather, or when sitting at long lights. So too, there's never an engine idle change/adjustment such as with a belt-driven-compressor kicking-in or out, and it continues operating during battery-only mode.
Were I wealthy and had a chauffeur, I'd love owning and regularly using this beautiful car. I'm sure that Governor Rockefeller was nicely comfortable in this car.
Thanks for watching.
I would have thought in the back seat a unique private phone compartment would have been installed.
Good idea. Thanks for watching.
Curious if there are extra security elements such as bullet proof glass, etc. in this car.
Good question Mike. I've seen this car before and none were mentioned. Thanks for watching.
Forgotten History: Nelson Rockefeller died in his Manhattan office after "entertaining" his very young and very pretty secretary. They say he died with a BIG smile on his face. Anyways, instead of an ambulance, she called his main lawyer who showed up in a flash. At this point an ambulance was called and when they arrived he was clearly already dead. It was decided at that point that he would be transported to the hospital, so there was an appearance of having tried to save his life.
Later, when his family came to claim the body, it was found that his solid gold Rolex watch (a gift from Gerald Ford) along with Rockefeller's billfold were missing. Nelson always carried $30K on him in case he wanted to buy a piece of art that caught his eye. An investigation revealed that one of the ambulance drivers had pocketed the items.
They say that it took a full day for the undertaker to get the coffin lid closed.
Thanks for that info Swilko. Thanks for watching.
That is a beautiful Imperial. I love them in black. However, Hank did most of the talking and he was too far away from your Mike so I could barely hear him. So the review was very disappointing. I love the Imperials, each model year has enough elegance and beautiful style inside and out. My favorites of all time are the 64 through 66s. Whenever see one I just freeze and stare at them. I had a 66 4 door hardtop. I was Bright Silver, Metallic, over a silvery cloth interior. The dash, the seats door panels were black with some of the silver trim. The seats had thick boarder of black leather, and the thick black carpet was luxurious. In any event, l would suggest doing a replacement video. The Imperials have a lot to talk about. We want to hear about it.
👍Thanks for watching William.
I recall there were a few Imperial limousines in the Kennedy funeral procession. Don’t know if they were government or privately owned.
👍Thanks for watching John.
Great car. Do not care for the fins but that was all the rage back then . Other then that wonderful car
👍Thanks for watching Bob.
Great video but you need some radio mics
👍Thanks for watching.
The only automobiles that really compared to this at the time were the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman and the Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousines
Thanks for watching.
Dear GOD. How powerful is that generator?
Powerful enough and then some I guess. Thanks for watching.
Look like the Limousine that Jacqueline kennedy drove in Kennedy funeral in 1963
Thanks for watching Gordon.
Nelson needed this so nobody could quite see inside while he was getting a Lewinski
🤣🤣🤣 eeeeeeew though
O my! Thanks for watching.
It had to be made extra big because happy was a really big dude
haha. Thanks for watching.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for watching.
Milburne Drysdale...That's all I have to say...lol
LOL! Thanks for watching Dennis.
Maybe with Jethro as his chauffeur? Lol
Did Ghia use any aluminum making the doors or body panels ? It's nice to see some real wood being used as well.
I'm not sure. Thanks for watching.