AUTOS: We Happy Few

The Chrysler Corp. this week rolled out the Crown Imperial limousine, sleekest, longest (150-in. wheelbase) and most luxurious of the Imperial line. The limousine’s engine, chassis and body components were designed and turned out in Detroit, then were shipped to Turin, Italy, where Carrozzeria Ghia craftsmen assembled the car, finished the interior trim in glove leather and hand-buffed woods, built into each car two radios, two air-conditioning units and two heaters.

Only 25 models will be made this year, and 17 are already spoken for. Among the first U.S. customers to dig into their private pockets for the $16,500 purchase price (delivered in New York City): New York’s Governor Nelson Rockefeller.