When the 1963 model year arrived, Chrysler's flagship Imperial marque was riding out the final chapter of Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" styling era, and it bowed out in dramatic fashion. The example now crossing the block at Classic Auto Mall is a genuine Crown convertible, one of only 531 built that year, and it wears its rare drop-top body in formal black over a striking white leather cabin.
Few cars of the period dared to look like an Imperial. The front end takes on a concave profile that cradles floating quad headlights, a design gamble that still reads as bold more than six decades later. A sweeping chrome spear wraps around the headlight brows, runs the length of the body, flares at the rear fender and continues across the back panel. Out back, sharply finned fenders are capped by linear taillights and frame a faux spare-tire bulge molded into the decklid. Forward-set side mirrors and a rising circular hood ornament give the nose an almost gunsight-like intent.
Inside, the Alabaster cabin leans hard into the era's space-age optimism. Button-tufted door panels carry engraved window-switch plates and ornamental scrollwork, while supple white leather covers the split bench seats front and rear, each divided by a fold-down center armrest. The dashboard is a sculpture all its own, with a push-button transmission selector in one oblong pod mirrored by a push-button air-conditioning pod on the other side. A polished concave center panel houses the AM radio and an Imperial script rendered in unmistakable 1960s font, and the oval-shaped steering wheel is unlike anything else on the road.
Power comes from a clean 413ci V8 topped with a four-barrel carburetor and rated at 340 horsepower, paired to a stout A727 three-speed automatic feeding an 8.75-inch rear axle. Power brakes and power steering were part of the package, and the undercarriage is described as clean with only typical surface rust and a bit of oil under the engine. Dual exhaust runs through what appear to be newer stock-style mufflers, while torsion-bar front suspension and rear leaf springs handle the ride, with power drum brakes at all four corners.
The seller reports the car starts, runs and drives well, with all functional items operating as they should at the time of testing. The odometer shows 84,379 miles, though true mileage is listed as unknown, and the car comes with keys and a title. Cosmetically it is honest rather than perfect, with crazing and checking in the finish, some chrome scuffs, minor pitting on metal accessories and a few cracks in the dash pad, all of which leave plenty of room for a sympathetic restoration.
To put the rarity in perspective, if every one of the 531 Crown convertibles built for 1963 had survived and been spread evenly across the country, each state would have only ten. They didn't all survive, of course, which makes a running, driving, titled example like this one a genuinely uncommon opportunity for collectors drawn to the boldest luxury design Detroit produced in the early 1960s. The car is offered through Classic Auto Mall, with the sale conducted by Geyer Auction Companies.