This film is great viewing for fans of the Forward Look Chryslers and Imperials, and includes extensive road tests conducted at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds.
Below are links to 14 DIFFERENT CLIPS, containing several still pictures from the movie. In order to play, just click any of the pictures below--click on a small picture for a small movie, or a large picture to view a larger, high quality clip suitable for viewing in "full-screen" mode; file sizes are listed below each screen shot. Left click to view the movie directly, or save to your hard drive by right-clicking and selecting "Save Target As". If you need help viewing, go to our "How To Play Imperial Movies" page. Enjoy!
| "You're on the test track with 9 of America's fine automobiles. You'll see in action the Buick Century, the Buick Super, the Oldsmobile Super 88, the Oldsmobile 98, the Cadillac 62, the Chrysler Windsor, the Chrysler Saratoga, the Chrysler New Yorker, and the Imperial." | |
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| 3 Meg | 25 Meg |
| "The road tests you're about to take part in were filmed here on the Chrysler Engineering Proving Grounds at Chelsea, Michigan." | |
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| 3 Meg | 25 Meg |
| "The test cars are not specially-built Daytona racing models." | |
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| 3 Meg | 25 Meg |
| "These are road tests. Tough, side-by-side road tests. The kind any buyer would like to make before reaching a decision." Note that the '57 Imperial is featured prominently.... | |
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| 3 Meg | 25 Meg |
| ....as it leads the other cars around the test track. | |
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| 3 Meg | 25 Meg |
| "...we'll see the Cadillac, the Imperial, and the New Yorker accelerate from zero to sixty miles an hour with transmissions in 'Drive' range." | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| "There it is! It's the New Yorker, and as it hits sixty miles an hour, Imperial follows closely, and then Cadillac." | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| Buick Super, Olds 98, and Chrysler Saratoga take their turn. | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| The Saratoga wins: "...ahead of the Olds 98, and far, far ahead of the Super." | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| In this test, the cars accelerate from 25 to 70 miles per hour. Among the higher-priced cars, it's again the New Yorker in the lead, then Imperial, followed by Cadillac. | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| "It's Windsor with ease" in its heat against the Buick Century and Olds Super 88. | |
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| 2.2 Meg | 18 Meg |
| Next the cars race up "the steepest paved hill in America." Here the Imperial and Cadillac square off. | |
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| 1.8 Meg | 15 Meg |
| "It's Imperial leading Cadillac to the top." | |
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| 1.8 Meg | 15 Meg |
| Next the Windsor defeats the Oldsmobile Super 88 (fastest of the GM cars in the acceleration runs). | |
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| 1.8 Meg | 15 Meg |
| "Chrysler has the 'go' power, but can it match it with 'stop' power?" The Imperial stops quicker and straighter in this test vs. the New Yorker and Cadillac. | |
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| 1.5 Meg | 12 Meg |
| "Watch the Buick and Olds...those GM brakes grab sometimes!" | |
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| 1.5 Meg | 12 Meg |
| "And it's Windsor, Oldsmobile second, and Buick third and off the road." | |
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| 1.5 Meg | 12 Meg |
| After a series of 5 consecutive hard stops from 60 mph, New Yorker stops first, then Imperial, and Cadillac. | |
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| 1.9 Meg | 16 Meg |
| Using a special "steering effort wheel", the testers demonstrate that Imperial steers twice as easily as Cadillac. | |
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| 1.8 Meg | 14 Meg |
| "But steering effort is just a part of steering control. So let's test for safe handling by taking these pylons at 40 miles an hour. This is the Windsor." | |
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| 3.3 Meg | 28 Meg |
| "Here's the [Buick] Super, a heavier car than the Century. Carrying that weight on four coil springs could make it a little difficult to...." | |
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| 3.3 Meg | 28 Meg |
| "Well, let's see where he landed. You've heard about the stability that's built into Chrysler automobiles? You're seeing what a difference this makes." | |
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| 3.3 Meg | 28 Meg |
| "Now the Cadillac, General Motors' best. The on-again, off-again action of its part-time power steering could...well, there's the end of the test." | |
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| 3.3 Meg | 28 Meg |
| "Here's the Imperial, heaviest and biggest car on the track. It's shaving 'em mighty close under the same conditions that threw the other cars off the road." | |
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| 3.3 Meg | 28 Meg |
| In this test, the cars take a curve at 50 mph, that's marked for a safe speed of 25. Here, it's the Olds Super 88. | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| "Look at him turn on the power to pull out of that skid and keep out of the ditch." | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| The Chrysler Saratoga takes its turn. | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| "Notice that the Chrysler cars can take theses curves at 50 with less lean. That means more than comfort; it means safe control, too." | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| The Cadillac exhibits more body lean.... | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| ...but does manage to hold the curve better than the Oldsmobile. | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| "Now, the Imperial. Same 50 miles an hour." | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| "The Imperial makes the test look easy." | |
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| 3.2 Meg | 26 Meg |
| "How about a car that doesn't pitch you back in your seat at every traffic light? You'll see a difference when the Century and Windsor accelerate in slow-motion." | |
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| 2.3 Meg | 19 Meg |
| "Keep your eyes on the horizontal bars and notice the difference as Century dips low in the rear." | |
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| 2.3 Meg | 19 Meg |
| "Cadillac 62 and the Imperial. They both burn rubber..." | |
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| 2.3 Meg | 19 Meg |
| "but one squats low in the rear, the other rises and takes off!" | |
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| 2.3 Meg | 19 Meg |
| "Now,
let's move to a much tougher test for comfort. A country railroad
crossing that's deceiving to the eye...looks like any car could take
this crossing at 30 miles an hour, doesn't it?"
"Let's try the Olds Super 88--see how long the front wheels can stay off the ground." |
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| 5.3 Meg | 42 Meg |
| "Here's the Windsor, in the same price class. Watch again to see again how long it takes the car to level out. Torsion-Aire ride brings it to a flat ride again pretty quick, doesn't it?" | |
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| 5.3 Meg | 42 Meg |
| "Now the Olds 98. Watch that rear bumper when it bites dirt." | |
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| 5.3 Meg | 42 Meg |
| "Cadillac? A good car. A luxurious car. But at 30 miles an hour, it bounces." | |
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| 5.3 Meg | 42 Meg |
| "Just compare it with the Imperial." Note that the Imperial and Cadillac, above, are at the exact same position after the bump (e.g., look at the tree in relation to the windshield), and notice what each suspension is doing at this point. The Cadillac's front end is up in the air and its rear is dragging, while the Imperial's springing and the dampening of its Oriflow shocks have already settled the car down. | |
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| 5.3 Meg | 42 Meg |
| "Like to move up close and see what the front ends do in slow motion? Watch the wheels on this Olds Super 88." "...Watch the rocks fly!" | |
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| 4.3 Meg | 35 Meg |
| "Had you wondered if Torsion-Aire was just an advertising slogan?" "Now the Saratoga. No rocks, and no roll." | |
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| 4.3 Meg | 35 Meg |
| "You could take the Cadillac...." | |
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| 4.3 Meg | 35 Meg |
| "...But here's the Imperial!" Compare the rear ends of the Imperial and Cadillac (above). | |
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| 4.3 Meg | 35 Meg |
| "Care to ride over these tracks in slow motion? You're inside the Imperial. This is the effect of Torsion-Aire suspension from inside the car." Later we'll watch from inside the Cadillac: "Feel it bobbing?" | |
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| 4.3 Meg | 35 Meg |
| "Now, let's watch the Windsor follow the Super on the specially-built torture road. It's taking the same bumps and dips, but look at the difference." | |
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| 1 Meg | 8 Meg |
| "And here comes the Imperial, following the Cadillac. Is there a difference between torsion bar springs and coil springs? You're on the test track to see the difference." | |
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| 1 Meg | 8 Meg |
| "You've
seen cars competing in the toughest kind of side-by-side road
tests...." "But you don't need a proving ground to
demonstrate the difference between Chrysler or Imperial and other
makes. In your own home town, there are places where you can
demonstrate every one of the Chrysler advantages you've seen proved on
the test track: 'go' power, 'stop' power, comfort, safe control and easy
handling...."
"You can start with style. For these long, low cars don't need a showroom background." |
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| 5.9 Meg | 49 Meg |
| "As you drive along the street, ask your prospect to notice how high the other cars look." | |
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| 5.9 Meg | 49 Meg |
| "Flat starts? Starting without squatting is a Chrysler comfort exclusive. Why not ask a man to notice it as he steps on the gas?" | |
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| 5.9 Meg | 49 Meg |
| "Flat cornering? The pylons help prove that Chrysler is safer and easier to handle around the turns. But you can make the same point as you go around any corner. For it's a fact that Chrysler leans less on turns, and it'll be a sales point if you bring it to Mr. Prospect's attention." | |
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| 5.9 Meg | 49 Meg |
| "Comfort? Sure, nobody drives over country railroad crossings all day, but few people do all their driving on smooth boulevards, either. So, it makes sense to pick a rough spot in your town, and show how Chrysler handles it." | |
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| 5.9 Meg | 49 Meg |
"You were on the test track to see the side-by-side evidence that Chrysler welcomes a comparison with anybody's car. But it's during your demonstrations that a prospect learns for himself the reasons why he should buy a Chrysler."
