This 1957 Imperial GHIA Limousine was posted for sale on Bring-a-Trailer in June of 2025.

Here's what the seller had to say about this rare Limousine:

This 1957 Imperial Crown Imperial is one of 36 coachbuilt limousines crafted by Ghia for 1957, which marked the first year that Chrysler enlisted the Italian carrozzeria to convert its Imperials into limousines. After the vehicle spent time in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, the seller purchased it in April 2023 from a person who stated that its original owner was a member of the Dodge family; it has been documented that Anna Thompson Dodge bought a 1957 Ghia-built Imperial when the cars were new. The copper-colored vehicle has black leather and gray cloth upholstery and is powered by a 392ci FirePower V8. The three-speed automatic transmission was repaired and the dual air-conditioning system was overhauled by the previous owner, and the brakes were overhauled in mid-2024 at a cost of ~$3,800 by a specialty shop. It also has wood trim, power windows, a power-operated cabin partition, folding rear jump seats, rear footrests, wheel covers, whitewall tires, a Carter carburetor, and an electric fuel pump. This Imperial limousine is now offered with a service manual, records from prior ownership, and a clean California title in the seller's name that describes the car as a 1957 Chrysler four-door.

The Imperial lineup was redesigned for 1957 to correlate with Chrysler's new "Forward Look" styling theme. Designers Cliff Voss and Bill Brownlie adapted the Imperial for the limousine shape under the direction of Virgil Exner. Two-door-hardtop Imperials were shipped to Ghia in Turin, Italy, where the bodies were modified with central pillars, rear doors that opened farther into the roof than those of typical Imperial sedans, larger side windows behind the rear doors, and a leather-covered black canopy around the back window and onto the roof. Ghia workers formed body panels with air hammers rather than creating special large tooling and dies. Author and Chrysler designer Jeffrey I. Godshall reported that Ghia used 150 pounds of lead per car and hand-sanded them for hours to prepare the bodies for paint, with body seams sealed and panels and doors hung to four-millimeter tolerances.

Ghia constructed limousines for Chrysler through 1965, making 132 units in total, with the 1957 models being the most common. The Ghia-built Crown Imperial was introduced late in the 1957 model year, and 1958-specification trim pieces such as moldings, the grille, the rear-bumper inserts, and the trunk-lid ornament were employed. Each car reportedly took about one month to build, and customers waited approximately six months from their initial order until they received their completed vehicle, which carried a factory price of $12,000.

This particular car was repainted in Black Cherry Iridescent, a 1970 General Motors color, under prior ownership. Twin pinstriping adorns the sides and rear of the vehicle, which had less chrome than contemporary Imperials. Equipment includes chrome bumpers and trim, dual side mirrors, and dual exhaust outlets. The seller notes paint bubbles in several places. The left-rear door can be opened only from the inside of the car.

The limousine was based on a 129.0" Imperial convertible frame, which Ghia stretched to 149.5" to anchor a vehicle measuring 244.7" long and weighing just under 6,000 pounds. The cars used larger-diameter torsion bars as well as rear springs borrowed from Chrysler's Suburban station wagons. Black-painted 15" wheels with styled covers are wrapped in 225/75 American Classic whitewall tires on this example. The brakes were overhauled in mid-2024 by CH Topping, a Long Beach, California-based specialty brake shop specializing in classic cars, at the cost of $3,786. The steering is also power assisted.

Imperial offered five interior configurations in these limousines, with various color options, seats, partitions, and armrests. The front cabin features a non-adjustable bench seat upholstered in black leather. The door windows are power operated, as is the glass partition that separates the front and rear seating areas. These cars were built with dual air-conditioning units and three heaters, the former of which were overhauled and updated with a Sanden compressor by a previous owner.

Positioned to the right of a push-button gear selector, the two-spoke steering wheel features a half horn ring and frames a 120-mph speedometer, a clock, and a combination gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 47k miles, approximately 100 of which have been added under current ownership.

The rear cabin features a bench seat upholstered in gray wool broadcloth as well as two foldable jump seats. An Alpine AM/FM/cassette stereo is fitted in one of the rear-seat armrests, where a remote tuner control was originally installed by Ghia. Heater controls are found in the left armrest. The central partition offers grab handles and an electric clock. The rear quarters also contain wood trim, gray carpeting, removable carpeted footrests, adjustable HVAC ductwork, and dome and reading lamps.

The 392ci FirePower Hemi V8 was factory rated at 325 horsepower and has been rebuilt, according to the seller. The engine is augmented by a Carter four-barrel carburetor, Chrysler FirePower rocker covers, and an electric fuel pump. The oil was changed in preparation for the sale.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a rebuilt TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission that was repaired by the previous owner and serviced in preparation for the sale. Corrosion is visible on underbody components.

The state of Pennsylvania issued the tag shown in 1983 and installed it in the spot on the radiator support where the car would have originally had a trim tag attached. The serial-number tag in the driver's door jamb also has been removed.

This Imperial sold for USD $50,250 on 6/4/25