The term road warrior is thrown around with reverence at MyStarCollectorCar, because it’s a badge of honor.
This 1966 Imperial deserves a badge of honor.
Jerry Sutherland
Bob Zubkowsksi has owned this 60s land yacht for 44 years, so there’s no question about his commitment to his Imperial. He said he looked at it on a Saturday morning just before the dealer closed at noon—then he went through a restless weekend and bought it on Monday.
He’s refined the Imperial over the years, but only in a period-correct sense. For example, the car had an aftermarket air conditioning unit, so Bob yanked it out and installed a correct unit from a 1965 Chrysler.
This Imperial is heavily-optioned right down to the FM radio. It’s a Canadian car, so this option is a mystery to Bob because FM radio options were severely limited north of the US border in 1966. The radio also has the foot switch and reverb speakers—state of the art stuff in ’66.
There’s also power everything from the seats to the windows to brakes and steering. These Imperials sold for big money in 1966, and this one is no exception. The headlights dim automatically at night with oncoming traffic, the trunk has a remote switch, there’s tilt and telescopic steering, plus there’s a power antenna. Bear in mind, these were all high-tech features in 1966.
There’s a cruise control system that is pure 60s tech, so when you set it at a designated speed the gas pedal gets harder to push. In other words, don’t set it at 40 mph when you merge on a freeway.
The interior is original and in great shape because his Imperial clearly had solid owners in its history. Most Imperial buyers were high-end professionals who expected quality and treated their cars with respect. This Imperial definitelyshows care and attention over the years.
Bob did repaint his car in a color that’s close to—but not exactly a factory shade. The new vinyl roof is also a departure from factory, but Bob likes it because, in his opinion, “It just looks better”.
Bob also rebuilt the factory 440 big block because it needed an update after 85,000 original miles. Since then. Bob proudly admitted he’s put on 30,000 more miles since the rebuild.
Bob also added discs because he does drive the car regularly plus he upgraded to a dual master cylinder because more miles require more brakes.
Bob’s Imperial is a true road warrior because he’ll put on 1600 miles just to hit a car show. This is an Imperial, so the seats are incredibly comfortable, and the ride is incredibly smooth. He doesn’t even care about the 13-16 miles per gallon because that’s part of the equation in a massive 60s road machine.
He has a basic philosophy about trailer queens:” If you don’t want to drive them to a show–you might as well just bring a picture of your car”. Bob sure doesn’t—his Imperial is the opposite of a trailer queen.
Bob has a game plan for the next owner because it’s going to his grandson. That’s a solid succession plan for a road warrior that deserves to be a road warrior in the future.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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