The last piece of the puzzle was the interior. John Lloyd had supplied some of the antique white leather and I went to his source for a couple more hides. For that I went to B J�s Auto Trim in Costa Mesa, California who had also done cars for me in the past. His work was very good and his prices reasonable. Bugs, the owner of this one man shop was easy to talk to and express what you were trying to achieve. The front door panels had been wet over their life and were warped. Bugs created new ones and he used the original heat stamped part of the original coverings and died them to match the new leather.

So after 5.5 years of spending money and lots of frustration, but with the assistance of some great friends our Newport came to completion. We enjoy sharing the car with people, but are not interested in entering shows for awards. I�ve been asked many times to do so, but decline as I tell them the car is the trophy and who need more than that.

Several years later we�ve had thoughts of selling the Newport as we have to many to care for. The price would be significant to many, but I always state that you couldn�t do one of these cars today to this quality for the asking price. 

My friend Dave Lindsay who was kind enough to pull all of the photos he has taken of this car over the years we�ve been enjoying it.

You can view a portion of a video I did with Lance Lambert who produces The Vintage Vehicle Show that airs all over the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWO-puRWryU

Last, and possibly the best compliment anyone could receive for their efforts would be to have your vehicle shown at the beginning of a definition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_(automobile)

My thanks to the many people who assisted with this project and last to my wonderful wife Christie. She has always been there and always supported me through this addiction I have.

Now on to our latest project, a 1953 Chrysler Imperial Newport...