From: Boyd Kooij in the Netherlands
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998
Here are some pictures of my pretty original Imperial, the mileage says 44.000 but it's very possible that there's 100.000 more. By the look of the car it could be 44.000. I'm trying to sort that out but it won't be that easy.
Original 392 Hemi engine, runs on Liquified Petrol Gas, formed wheel on the trunk. No air conditioning. Automatic AM radio, power windows/front seat/antenna. VIN: C5715494. The car is in good condition and imported from the US in about 1994. Still looking for the previous owner(s) in Sandy Utah.
Self-Introduction: My name is Boyd Kooij and i'm from Holland. I grew up between cars and in the sixties we owned a lot of American cars like Chrysler, Dodge, Desoto, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile. We had a taxi company (and still have.) All of the cars ran on Liquified Petrol Gas because of our still high gasoline prices.
My father was 44 years old when he bought an Imperial 4-door hardtop (light green). - Same as mine, only with four doors. I liked that car enormously and I was at that time 16. My wish was to drive this car. But before I became 18 (to have a drivers license) my father sold the car. It was then for two years in repair because of the brakes and the lifters that made too much noise. He never had time to repair the car and he sold the car unfinished. Years later when I was looking for this car I heard the car was wrecked.
It always has gone through my mind, one day I would own an Imperial. I was reading a magazine in the spring of 1996 and there he was, A black Imperial. A few days later I went to look and by the first sight I thought 'that car becomes mine'.
It was in very good shape. There was a lot of work to be done to get the car in technical good condition. From the first day I owned the car I went driving with it and I still do EVERY DAY. I didn'i buy the car just to look at it and sometimes drive with it. No Sir. It gives me a great pleasure to drive it every day and the car runs like hell.
So far I can see the engine has never been rebuilt and has hardly any oil consumption. Ironically, when I bought the car I was also 44 years old like my dad. There are still some repairs to make for instance one lifter makes noise sometimes but after some miles it is gone. The power steering is not working properly to the right, it sticks.
The clock is running much too fast (about two hours in 20 minutes). The front brake drums must be replaced or renewed. Because of my daily driving the car has radial P225/75/14 tires but the car looks like a low rider. Larger tires in 14" are not yet available. And sometimes while driving the trunklid opens itself.
I have a garage for all kinds of cars and I sell secondhand cars. Sometimes classics, like at this moment I've a Buick Skylark 2 door coupe of '68.
I was probably injected with engine oil when I was little because for me cars are all there is. I also do as a hobby computers and since one year I made my own homepage (http://www.kooij.demon.nl) where you can see my Imperial In the past I also did a lot of motorbicycling first motorcross and later on the the road. My last bike was a Yamaha 750 YZF. But when the Imperial came the bike was sold.
I'm 46 years old, happily married, three children, two boys and a girl. I became a member of the American Car Club in Holland and the first meeting was a great success. Throug the Internet I met someone in France who has a convertible, thats nice to chat about our cars. I have one wish: I'm looking for the previous owner of the Imperial. I tried the internet but until now no succes. The car was registerd for the last in Sandy Utah on the name of Marion Brauner. My post came back unread. The licence plate was 989 GAP. May anyone can help me out so I can find out more about the history of the car?
I finally got the telephone number of the guy who brought my imp to Holland. When I spoke to him he told me that Marion was his son in law. The garage he bought the car from sold it for the previous owner who was probably a pilot. At the end of next week I may call him back for more information because his daughter who lives in the same place as the owner of the garage will ask around for the name of the pilot. The garage owner may did maintenance on the car. I'm very curious, can you imagine?
I'm also busy with my additional homepage of my Imp with lots of pictures and also of other Imp's I've seen. (Otto from Holland has a beautiful '55 with low mileage)
