1927 Chrysler Imperial E80 7 Passenger Sedan

The Imperial range of Chryslers, launched as a separate line at the New York Auto Show in 1926, became the top of the range model for nearly five decades and Walter P.Chrysler's entry into the luxury car field dominated by the likes of Cadillac, Packard and Lincoln. Powering the new E80 model was a larger version of the L-head six-cylinder engine with seven bearing block and driving through a three-speed manual transmission. The wheelbase came in three lengths, ranging from 120 to 133-inches and six basic body styles were catalouged. The Imperial offered exceptional performance for the time - the model designation E80 referred to the fact that it was capable of 80mph - and this reputation was further enhanced in 1928 when Chrysler became the first American auto maker to compete in the important French endurance event, the 24-Hours at Le Mans, sending four Imperial roadsters to Europe and finishing third and fourth in class. By 1927, Chrysler had risen from 32nd in the total number of passenger car sales just three years earlier to an astonishing fourth place, a meteoric rise that saw the foundations laid for an automotive empire that survives today.