This is the largest vehicle I’ve ever seen in my life.
I met this American resident of San Felipe one Sunday afternoon on top of the dunes behind town. He was driving a 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial limo which he’d dropped onto a Chevy Silverado 4×4 frame (the frame had to be lengthened by three feet).
Sitting high on top of the transplanted frame, the Imperial rolled on Bridgestone Dueler M/Ts, and a step was added to help passengers climb aboard.Aftermarket brake lights were added, and unique to this Imperial, a dropped tow hitch.The floors were carpeted with bright green AstroTurf; an old CHP helmet rode in the back seat.For convenience and safety, extra gas was carried in the front seat.The Imperial was appointed with a deluxe factory AM radio.To “check under the hood,” didn’t require lifting the hood – merely look inside the driver’s wheel well.For nighttime safety, the hood of the car was equipped with one of those nautical green/red navigation lights.As always, photos don’t do justice – this thing was massive.Wikipedia: The 1950 Imperial was essentially a New Yorker with a custom interior. It had a Cadillac-style grille treatment that included circular signal lights enclosed in a wraparound ribbed chrome piece. Side trim was similar to last year’s model, but the front fender strip ended at the front doors and the rear fender molding was at the tire top level and integrated into the stone guard. Unlike the standard Imperial, the Crown Imperial had a side treatment in which the rear fender moldings and stone guard were separate. Body sill moldings were used on all Imperials, but were of a less massive type on the more massive Crown models. A special version of the limousine was available. It featured a unique leather interior and a leather-covered top that blacked out the rear quarter windows. Power windows were standard on the Crown Imperial.
