The Imperial was introduced for the 1955 model year. Previously, the model was known as the Chrysler Imperial, but Chrysler decided to turn the model into its own make in order to better compete with rivals such as Cadillac and Lincoln. The first generation Imperial was available in three body variants: sedan, 'Newport' two door hardtop, and 'Southampton' four door hardtop. For 1955, Imperials were fitted with a 5.4L V8 engine, but for 1956, a larger 5.8L V8 unit was used. Production of the first generation Imperial ended in 1956 with the introduction of the Second Generation Imperial.