Jay Leno shows off his original 1957 Imperial automobile.

Cars may look big now, but back in the day they really were huge. Case in point is this early Imperial featured in a recent episode of "Jay Leno's Garage.

This was from 1957, the first year of the second generation Imperial. Of course, there were many earlier Imperials, but these were Chryslers; starting in 1955, Chrysler made Imperial its own brand, which remained an independent brand until 1983.

Unlike many cars of the time, the Leno Imperial is all original. Yes, this is the paint that was on them when they left the factory.

The engine is a Hemi 6.4-liter V-8, or hot rodder's choice, which according to Leno puts out about 325 horsepower.

Interestingly, this particular year for the Imperial culminated in its nameplate, at least in terms of sales. According to Leno, 36,000 cars were sold, far short of Cadillac's sales of over 100,000, but enough to pull away from Lincoln, which was a big deal considering that only a few years earlier Imperial was still Chrysler.

Imperial as a stand-alone brand was dissolved after 1983, but Chrysler revived the name for its own sedans in the early 1990s. Chrysler also introduced a modern Imperial concept in 2006, but the global financial crisis that erupted a few years later ended any possibility of production.