‘Celebrating 100 Years of Imperial’ coming to America’s Transportation Experience in May
America’s Transportation Experience’s Spring/Summer featured 2026 exhibit, “Imperial: Chrysler’s Handcrafted Masterpiece,” celebrates 100 years of Chrysler’s flagship luxury car.
Hershey, PA - The Museum’s Spring/Summer featured 2026 exhibit, “Imperial: Chrysler’s Handcrafted Masterpiece,” celebrates 100 years of Chrysler’s flagship luxury car. Launched in 1926, the “Imperial” name reflected its exclusivity and advanced engineering and quickly became a symbol of prestige, rivaling elite brands like Packard, Cadillac, and Lincoln. Favored by executives and royalty, the Imperial set trends with bold styling and top-tier craftsmanship. Custom coachwork by firms like Derham and LeBaron furthered its reputation for exclusivity. In 1955, Imperial became its own brand within Chrysler, a status it held until 1975, with a brief return in the 1980s.
Imperial was known for engineering innovation, debuting features like wind-tunnel design (1934 Airflow), four-wheel disc brakes (1949), power steering and fully electric windows (1951), curved side glass in American cars (1957), “Auto-Pilot” cruise control (1958), and America’s first production-ready four-wheel anti-lock brakes (1971) and first four-wheel production caliber disc-brakes (1974).
Imperial made headlines with its 1926 cross-country endurance run, served as the Indianapolis 500 pace car, and transported royalty, including King George VI & Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip. It was also used in JFK’s funeral procession.
The exhibit will showcase elite vehicles such as Imperials originally owned by Walter P. Chrysler, his wife, Della Forker Chrysler, and their son, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. All Imperial design generations will be represented. Other highlights of rare or unique examples include a 1931 Waterhouse Victoria, a 1951 Crown Imperial with early disc brakes, a 1935 Imperial C2 Airflow, a 1955 Imperial Newport, a 1959 Imperial Crown with a stainless steel roof and Nelson Rockefeller’s 1960 limousine.
The exhibition begins with a Museum Members’ reception on May 8th. It opens to the public on Saturday, May 9th.
Imperials on Display
161 Museum Drive | Hershey, PA 17033 | https://atexpa.org/
If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.
We know you love old cars, but do you collect anything else? Ever wonder about the baseball cards in a box in the basement or Grandma’s old coins in a jar? Do you love history or spin vinyl? Head on over to Collect.com and see what you are missing. Collect.com is the who, what, when and where of the collecting world! https://www.collect.com/
