any of the basic car colors or in the "Landau" version which had a black canopy with the appearance of leather. A new option was the swivel-out front seats that were separate from the standard six-way electric front bench seat. Manually activated by a handle for this introductory year, in 1960 the seats would automatically swivel when the front door was opened, activated by a cable and springs. This automatic feature was discontinued by Chrysler within a few months. Many assume this was for safety reasons due to the feature being dependent on the front doors opening, although the specific reason is not clearly documented. Swivel seats returned to manual operation for the rest of 1960 and all of 1961. The Hemi V8 was replaced with the less expensive "Wedge" head V8 engine that nevertheless had more horsepower and weighed 101 lbs less, improving the power-to-weight ratio. For the model year 17,710 Imperials were produced, ahead of Lincoln, as the Packard luxury brand withdrew from the marketplace. The few Ghia-built 1959 Imperial Crown limousines continued to use the 392 cubic-inch Hemi, due to slow production. These cars got the 413 engine for 1960. The design of the 1960–1963 period had elicited some controversy. At that time, Exner was increasingly struggling with the Chrysler president and board. "It was during 1962 Exner was dethroned as president of design in Highland Park. His successor was Elwood Engel, lured away from Ford to lead Chrysler Corporation along a more conventional path. Exner continued as a consultant through 1964, after which he had no further involvement." This source also states, "When he was good, he was very good ( re: styling). When he was bad.... it was the epitome of excessive design. Sales dropped off and the board stepped in." Exner's son went on further, in a 1976 interview, "it was time for a change. Their image needed changing. Dad was a great designer and he was always ahead of his time. He gained more freedom from Chrysler in his designs of the modern Stutz." This same source gives accounts of how Chrysler Corporation was revived through corporate changes in leadership. "But on the product front, the influence of Tex Colbert (ousted President of Chrysler in 1961) and Virgil Exner was still present, and it wouldn't be entirely washed away until 1965". Despite the annual styling changes, all 1960-63 models featured a similar space