SOLD Need help on a WIW for Shriner edition 1967 Imperial convertible

[1969vert500]

Okay guys I have a chance to buy a 1967 imperial convertible shriners edition. A what edition?? Yeah that is what I said at first and after a little googling and putting 2 and 2 together as I know of this guy before he passed away as he had a HUGE imperial collection and in that collection were 4 shriner edition imperial verts. Well through a friend of a friend who knows where a couple of those cars ended up I have access to buy one.

It is a Red exterior with white gut and top 1967 imperial shriners editon car with a PERFECT interior, perfect top, perfect original paint, runs and up on tires but not moved in over 15 years. He is VERY VERY picky and he gave the original paint a 9 out of 10 in his estimate. What is a ride like this worth? I have not clue as I have always been a polara guy??

Here is a link to the info on these cars as it is kind of interesting

http://www.imperialclub.com/Rare/Shriner/ImpsOfOmaha.htm

 

[patrick66]

No pictures, no real description, and no other pertinent info other than the link that describes the cars in general.

Could be worth a grand, could be worth $20K, could be more. Can't help ya.

 

[300rag]

The fact that it is red with white would make it doubtful to be a Shriner car as they were yellow/black. Even if repainted, most times the interior would be left as is. Still probably a very nice 67 Imperial.

 

[commando1]

It's worth to me whatever another Imp like it is in tge same condition. I wouldn't pay more because it was a Shriner. The only extra value in it is you can say, Thanks. It was a Shriner car ya know, when somebody says, Hey, nice Imp.

 

[1969vert500]

If you read that article I linked too it says most were ordered in white but as the years went on they started to add in other colors, no dark colors but other colors than white.

"He believes all the other "imps" are dead now. I also contacted the Tangier Shrine in town and spoke with an older man who is looking for picts etc. of the Imps from their photo collection. Bob said they would take the cars on "tour" to Kansas City or St. Louis and drive the "big wigs" around. He said they would never get dark colors because they would not "stand out" He recalls cars being gold, red, white and yellow. He also spoke of an Omaha Doctor who recently passed away whose widow may still have the Imperial convert he drove in the Imps."

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

I would look at the car like it was any Imperial Convertible of that year. Check out the paint, interior and mechanical but be realistic. There are some Imperial buyers out there but how much of a premium do you put on it. If its an emotional attachment then you will be paying more than looking at it as a regular Imperial. I suspect he wants 15-20k if it is running and driving,

 

[1969vert500]

I would treat it just like a regular imperial and the shriner stuff is just extra past to the car. I think the car could be had for around or maybe under 10k and I just do not know these imp markets at all and would like to have a nice running vert to tool around in and not lose money when I would want to sell it. (this guy actually has a total of 4 shriner verts and they were all collected by an avid imperial collector, not adding anything valuewise for that but makes a cool back story on the cars)

 

[polara71]

There was an excellent article in one of the magazines several years back about the Shriners Imperials...... awesome read.

 

[78Brougham]

It's worth to me whatever another Imp like it is in tge same condition. I wouldn't pay more because it was a Shriner. The only extra value in it is you can say, Thanks. It was a Shriner car ya know, when somebody says, Hey, nice Imp.

What's a Shriner anyway? I have no idea, I know they have been around for years but I have no idea who they are or what they stand for. I can't imagine an Imperial being worth anymore just because it was a shriner car? And frankly I could care less on who owned a car before. I saw a hemi cuda, on B-J that was supposedly owned by Cheech marin ..... I could care more, but I couldn't care any less.

 

[1969vert500]

I know it does not add value but to us car guys it is kind of cool. The thing I think is cool on the shriner imps is that they are the first 21 imperials off the line each year. That is pretty cool I think

 

[1969vert500]

I knew these suckers were expensive new but look at the window sticker on a 67 shriner car on that site. Shoot adjust that for inflation!! I know it was just a couple options added and that sucker was more than 2 69 roadrunners!!

 

[patrick66]

I know it does not add value but to us car guys it is kind of cool. The thing I think is cool on the shriner imps is that they are the first 21 imperials off the line each year. That is pretty cool I think

So if that is the case, why is the VIN on this one 101687??? Curious. If it were among the first 21 cars off the line, the VIN would be 100001 - 100021. First 21 ragtops??? Maybe.

 

[1969vert500]

So if that is the case, why is the VIN on this one 103687??? Curious.

the vin sequence is for all cars at that plant it does not start at 100,001 for the first imperial so whatever the first day was for imperials going down the line. I would guess that the a batch order like 21 cars would push that SO# back a little not the first day. Anyone with any input on this would be great as I am not sure how batch orders were handled and if imperials were run on their own line at the plant or mixed in with other lines??

 

[1969vert500]

I was just looking at the fender tag of a 68 imperial shriners car and it has the build date of 811 on the tag so it was scheduled on the 11th of August

 

[patrick66]

Batch orders tend to be run sequentially. For example, I owned a factory 1969 Dart GTS 440. One of 635 cars built, and they were built in four batches. They were not all sequential in their respective batches, but all had the same scheduled build date in each batch. If indeed the Imps of Omaha got the first 21 Imperial ragtops each year, it would make sense that their build would be among the same as my Dart was.

I know that the VIN does not necessarily mean a car was the eighth New Yorker off the line at 100008, it might be the first New Yorker off that line, with five Newports and two Sport Furys preceding it. Your original statement implied to me initially that they were the first cars off the line.

 

[1969vert500]

Not to nitpick here but since I was told I was wrong I thought I might bring this up. I too have an M code 440 gts ( have actually owned 2 one in the CO1 batch and one in the 427 batch) and they were actually done in 6 batches and are a completely different animal than a regular production car that was ordered in a large batch. My M code in the C01 batch has the original Grand Spaulding dealer order sheet and it shows the car as an H code 383 car in the vin but the Y39 on the order form makes the car get a 440 put in it with an M code in the Vin when the car is completed on the assembly line. Lot's of different things about how those cars where built not like a "regular" assembly line run for a car. So that is not comparing apples to apples there.
here is the batch dates on the M code

440 GTS	'Cuda 440	Schedule Production Dates
C01	C01	Sunday December 1, 1968
114	- -	Tuesday January 14, 1969
131	- -	Friday January 31, 1969
212	- -	Wednesday February 12, 1969
214	- -	Friday February 14, 1969
- -	302	Sunday March 2, 1969
329	- -	Saturday March 29, 1969
427	- -	Sunday April 27, 1969
- -	518	Sunday May 18, 1969

For anyone interested in reading about these 440 beasts and how they came to be made to supposedly fill the NHRA homiligation rule can read this on the gts registry as it is a good read, just scroll down to the breaking the M code section.
http://www.gtsregistry1969.com/

 

[commando1]

We didn't need no stinkin EPA/NHTSA/IIHS BOOLCHIT

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

I see the post os now marked SOLD. Did you end up purchasing the car?

 

[1969vert500]

I just did that when I made the post. I am waiting on more info today as my Buddy is having lunch with him and getting pics to send me. I found some old pics on the cars listed on the web when they were in a larger collection but I want current pics even though I was told they did not move out of the buildiing since the pics were taken back in 2003. I am not sure if it is something I want but if it is what he says it is condition wise it would be a cool car.

 

[1969vert500]

Got a few pics of it I will load one here to see if it gets any WIW input. This one is NOT a shriners car as it is one of 4 cars he has and for some reason it is the one I like the most of the batch. He does have 2 68's that are the white with green top and interior shriner cars with the sticker still on the windshield, but this one is NOT a shriners car.

I think based off what my buddy said after talking to them today $6500-$7k would probably get the car. Runs, drives, stops, does all it should but just needs a few small things addressed to make it real road worthy like some newer rubber and belts, hoses etc.

So what do you guys think is a nice 66 imp vert worth that? I just want a nice driver I can drive a summer and then move along without losing money as my other project will be done by then. Let me know. Thanks