Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation's luxury automobile brand from 1955 to 1975, and again from 1981 to 1983. The Imperial name had been used since 1926, as a Chrysler luxury model, the Chrysler Imperial. However, in 1955, the company spun off Imperial into its own make and division to better compete with its North American rivals, Lincoln and Cadillac. Imperial would see new or modified body styles introduced every two to three years, all with V8 engines and automatic transmissions, as well as technologies that would filter down to Chrysler Corporation's other models. Background Originally, the Chrysler Imperial was introduced in 1926 as Chrysler's flagship vehicle for much of its history. It was based on extended-length platforms of the company's full-size cars and competed with the likes of rival Cadillac, Continental, Lincoln, Duesenberg, Pierce Arrow, Cord, and Packard. Production started due to Walter P. Chrysler wanting a share of the luxury car market in the United States, and also expand the company's lineup since their most expensive car by that time only had a displacement of a six-cylinder engine to offer. The new model called the Imperial shared the same body as the cheaper Chrysler Six but had a slightly larger engine, being a 288.6 cu in (4.7 L). Subsequent generations were based on the Chrysler Royal, Airflow, Saratoga, and New Yorker. In 1954 Chrysler dropped their brand name from the car and renamed it just the Imperial in an effort to better compete with other luxury manufacturers. Lincoln would pull a similar move 2 years later when they made the Continental Division a standalone brand. First generation (1955–1956): A separate make For the 1955 model year, the Imperial was launched and registered as a separate marque (make), apart from the Chrysler brand. It was a product of the new Imperial Division of Chrysler Corporation, meaning that the Imperial would be a make and division unto itself, and not bear the Chrysler name. Chrysler Corporation sent notices to all state licensing agencies in the then-48 states, informing them, that the Imperial, beginning in 1955, would no longer be registered as a Chrysler, but as a separate make . Chrysler introduced the "100 Million Look" Styling by Virgil Exner, who would define Imperial's look (and the look of cars from the other four Chrysler divisions) from 1955 to 1963. Even as early as in 1954, Chrysler Corporation ads at the time