Nick Malachowski is a hero. He led the team that designed the Chrysler Imperial Concept’s interior, a gorgeous, simple, luxurious space where four adults sit seven inches higher than they would in a 300. Malachowski said stylists “wanted everything inside to be nested, fitted, and handcrafted, with every component subtly reinforcing the hand-sculpted look of the exterior.”

Passengers enter the Imperial Concept through doors hinged at the A- and C-pillars. Historically, these have been called “suicide” doors, and according to Wikipedia, the current authority on any subject on the planet, this name was coined because of a fear that if the doors became unlatched while the car was underway, or if passing traffic clipped the door while a passenger was exiting, the potential for harm to occupants was greater than with a conventional layout. Today, these are called “reverse-hinged” doors, or “access panels,” and can be found on vehicles ranging from the Honda Element to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Imperial occupants settle into one of four bucket seats covered in leather and suede, facing a beautiful retro-themed dashboard. Dressed in two-tone Bay Brown and Birch Crème décor, the Imperial employs California burl wood, metallic accents, and LED accent lighting to create an upscale environment. Stylists wanted the Imperial’s major elements to appear as though they float, so the seat mounting hardware is hidden, the door panels employ recessed sculptural elements, and the massive dashboard appears to hover.

Chrysler calls this a driver’s car, with a minimum of distracting gadgets inside. Twin circular gauges rendered in satin finish with polished aluminum bezels and aqua backgrounds with black lettering house displays for speed, revs, and fuel level. Designed to recall earlier Imperial models, the gauges are like fine timepieces from another era. Minimalist controls for the stereo, climate system, and navigation functions are clustered on the center of the dash, above a gated gear selector with Chrysler’s AutoStick manual shifting feature. The steering wheel’s center pad includes stereo and cruise controls, and it remains stationary when the rim is turned, but this feature is unlikely to ever reach production – we were warned to watch our fingers lest they get pinched.

Rear seat passengers benefit from plenty of head and leg room, sitting on multi-adjustable bucket seats separated by a decadent center console and control panel. The rear seats can recline, and passengers can watch different movies on the console-mounted dual-view entertainment screen and individual headsets.