Don Draper’s 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible is once again attracting people again. Among just 922 droptop Imperials constructed for 1964, Draper’s land yacht is up for auction as part of a more comprehensive sale of Mad Men props.
Together with stuff like Roger Sterling’s Ray-Bans or Draper’s copy of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the huge Imperial is the indisputable star of the show. According to the auction page, less than 200 exist today, suggesting that even without its Hollywood provenance, this is an exceptionally unusual vehicle.
Under hood, there’s a 413-cubic-inch V8 wedge coupled approximately a push-button, three-speed TorqueFlite automated transmission. Imperial gets power steering, power brakes, and power windows. Even the roofing system is electric. Cosmetically, the auction site asserts Draper’s convertible was repainted when, Twenty Years ago, going from a “drab” Roman Dark Red to today’s California Red. As for interior, the only modification is the new carpets.
This isn’t really the first time Draper’s Imperial has actually crossed the auction block. It cost a Palm Springs auction in February 2015 about $23,625, prior to a St. Louis dealership listed it on eBay for $39,900 less than a month afterwards. That online listing has long given that vanished, so there’s no informing if it really offered or not prior to being listed as part of this latest auction. Regardless, with fewer than 1,000 made, less than 200 in existence, a credit on a critically well-known television program, and a history of reasonable list price, this is one big, 1960s land yacht worth thinking about.
The auction begins on June 1 and runs through June 15.
