Chrysler drive was done as a favor

That fateful day when Chrysler, at the direction of Lee Iacocca dedicated an all-new “bustle back” Chrysler Imperial to Frank Sinatra — Aug. 11, 1981.

The Windsor, Ontario, Chrysler assembly plant hosted a star-studded rollout of the new car and Frank was given one in his signature “blue eyes” color.

Sinatra actually drove the first production model off of the Windsor plant assembly line that day.

Today, celebrities are paid tidy sums to endorse products.

Sinatra, as a favor to his friend Iacocca, did it completely for free.

Iacocca was in the beginning stages of resurrecting Chrysler from a recent federal government bankruptcy bailout. A successful resurrection it turned out to be. 

Chrysler rose from bankruptcy and paid back every cent of bailout money with interest, and ahead of schedule.

The opera-style trunk was a popular luxury car feature at the time and was available on both Lincoln and Cadillac models, so Chrysler put the opera-style trunk on it and resurrected the old Imperial name on this particular car.

Imperial was, at one time, a stand-alone, luxury-branded car from the Chrysler corporation without the Chrysler name attached.

This model used both names and was known as a Chrysler Imperial.

The car itself was not a big hit with the general public because of ongoing “gremlins” in the system.

Electronic fuel injection was still new technology in 1981, and the Imperial had serious reliability issues.

It ended up being plagued with mechanical issues, and had a very unreliable electronic fuel injection system that was prone to leaving Sinatra stranded. 

Of course, he had no tolerance and patience for this and abruptly ended his relationship with Chrysler and demanded his name be removed from the automobile.

Interestingly, it is one of the few cars he ever actually mentioned lyrically in song.

While he mentions Lincolns and Fords in “The Lady Is A Tramp,” in the song “Until the Real Thing Comes Along” he says lyrically, “I’ll even take the Chrysler and leave the Rolls for you, and if that’s not enough, it’ll have to do until the real thing comes along.”

In a photo taken at the Windsor assembly plant the day the first Imperial rolled off the line, you see Gregory Peck and his wife, J. Paul Bergmoser, president of Chrysler, Sinatra and wife Barbara, and Lee Iacocca. Between Sinatra and Iacoca is R. K. Vining, vice president of engineering, in the second row. The photographer was working for the media department that was housed in the Clairpointe pre-production plant behind the old Jefferson plant. The Chrysler public relations called on them to videotape the presentation of the first Imperial to Sinatra.

Frank drove the first one off of the line and into automotive history, and did it out of loyalty to an old friend, not for financial benefit.