So, when’s the last time you saw one of these? Here in the salty Midwest even the once-numerous ’80s Diplomats, Gran Furys and flossy Fifth Avenues are pretty much extinct, so I was happy to see this ’79 LeBaron coupe at the Trains, Planes and Automobiles show in historic Geneseo, IL, back in September of…

Starting in the mid-’60s, the “Low Priced Three”, namely, Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth, decided to go upscale. Said results included two models familiar to old car nuts: Caprice and LTD. And a third, which only the most with-it Mopar devotees or Brougham aficianados will know of: The Plymouth VIP. The VIP displaced the Sport Fury…

The Imperial. No, not Chrysler Imperial. From 1955 to 1975, Imperial was a separate marque, above Chrysler, above even the tony New Yorker. But try telling that to Google, eBay and myriad car flippers who just can’t handle it! Yep, do a search for Imperial on a classic car search engine, and odds are it…

Time for another trip in the Wayback machine to look at the 1981-83 Imperial, courtesy of my friend Jim Smith. He thoughtfully took pictures of brand new luxury cars back when Brougham was still in, the tops were padded and opera lamps were expected! The 1981 Imperial was Lee Iacocca’s last try at the Continental…

Valiant. Speak the name to anyone who grew up in the Sixties and it will almost certainly prompt a ton of memories, both good and bad: “Oh, my Aunt Becky and Uncle Sid had one, it was the toughest car they ever had!” Or, “I drove one in high school, got it for $100 off a shady…

It’s funny, ever since I stopped regularly writing two years or so ago, I keep stumbling on old photo files and finding cars shot years ago that I totally forgot about. Whenever I see an interesting old car, I get all excited and think “I will write this up tonight! It’s so cool!” Then three…