David Simmons' 1956 Imperial Sedan


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This 1956 Imperial belongs to club member David Simmons. He's named this beauty "Claudia". You can read more about David and Claudia here.

Thanks to David for sharing his story!

 

Chrysler and the family
My family has driven Chrysler products since 1938. Imperials have always been a part of the family. My grandpa was a brewery rep for Pabst Brewing Co. and the Imperial was his choice of travel. He bought his last new Imperial in 64' before dying in 65'. The 64' was the car that all of us grandchildren came home in as newborns. I guess that is where the fasination with the Imperial came from. Today all of the family still drives Mopar. The long family heritage lives on.

Claudia's story
Things happen in strange ways. I walked into a 7-11 store one day and picked up an Old Car Trader magazine. I flipped open the book right to the page that Claudia was on. I did not have enough money to purchase the magazine so I asked the cashier to let me use her pen. She declined and said the magazines were for sale, she was not running a library. So I looked at the phone number one more time and hurried home to write it down. I called the number and it was in Tulsa,Ok. I talked to the gentleman on the other end and he agreed to mail me some pictures. The pictures finally arrived and I was now more certain than ever I wanted the car. I called back to Tulsa and we reached a deal, and a plane ticket home. His concern of course was how was he going to get his money. I wanted to know how was I going to get the car. He told me he would drive it to Richmond, Va. I told him if he was that certain it would make it that I would send him half and he could get the other half and a plane ticket home when he arrived. I mailed the check and about two weeks went by and I heard nothing. So I called him to see what the hold up was. The post office had burnt to the ground and they were sifting through the debris. Oddley enough, one of the surviving parcels was my check. Well, he was now on the road to Richmond, only about a week behind but just in time to arrive on my birthday. As soon as I got the car I put new Bf Goodrich silvertownes on it and new king pins and bushings in the front end. I stored the car in a friends garage until I could make accomodations. I went by and picked the car up one day to take it for a drive. I had a gut feeling to not put it back in the garage, as fate may have it, the garage burnt to the ground. That is when I figured that this car had to be "Christines" older cousin Claudia. The car and I have been together eversince. Nothing else has burned, but I do keep a fire extiguisher in the trunk

The long and winding road
Claudia and I have been together since 1987 now. I drove her to my senior prom, graduation and every other sigificant event in my life. I was suppose to drive from my wedding in December, but it snowed a blizzard and I drove away from the reception in my big red sled, a W-3500 Cummins powered Dodge truck. Kind of fitting for the Christmas season.

 


This page was last updated 10 April, 2005.  Send us your feedback, and come join the Imperial Mailing List - Online Car Club