Chrysler New Yorker
Through its various versions and redesigns from 1949 through 1959, Chrysler’s New Yorker consistently ranked as one of Chrysler’s top cars. As one of its top cars, both in sales and design regard, the Third through Fifth Generation New Yorkers also routinely featured Chrysler’s top engineering.
Third Generation
It wasn’t until late 1949, when it rolled out its “Second Series” 1949 cars that the “real” 1949 vehicles made their appearances. The Second Series 1949 Chrysler New Yorker was considered a solidly designed car.
As the New Yorker moved on to 1950, the biggest change was the introduction of the two-door hardtop coupe model. Chrysler dubbed this version the Special Coupe, but referred to it as the New Yorker Newport in its sales literature.
As with nearly every new Chrysler model in 1951, the biggest new feature was the introduction of the hemi-V8 engine. This high powered, highly sought-after option was accompanied by the new versions of Chrysler’s Fluid Drive transmission. The standard option was the new Fluid-Matic and the $167 add on option was the Fluid-Torque.
From 1952-1954 the biggest changes that occurred to the New Yorker were minor design changes. The 1952’s taillights were slightly changed and the wheelbase of the 1953 version was reduced to 125.5 inches. 1954 version of the New Yorker’s biggest upgrade was an engineering one, as a fully automatic transmission was made available in all models to consumers.
Design Features of Third Generation New Yorkers
- Impervious to rust
- Well-built vehicle that could last several hundred thousand miles with minimal maintenance required
- Boxy, like most other Chryslers at the time
- The 1949 New Yorker featured Chrysler’s most sophisticated grille, which featured two thick tiers of chrome with smaller horizontal and vertical bars
- The 1949 New Yorker had taillights that featured taller, narrower lenses with chrome bases. This design was a change from the New Yorkers of the past
- 1951 featured sedan, club coupe, Newport hardtop, convertible or Town & Country wagon styles
- 1953 and 1954 featured both standard and Deluxe series of each car, minus the wagon and long sedans which were only standard and the deluxe only convertible
Fourth Generation
The biggest changes the Fourth Generation New Yorkers ushered in were the lower roof lines. Also, the 1955 New Yorker featured an even more powerful hemi-V8 engine as Chrysler pushed for more and more powerful vehicles.
The 1956 New Yorker had a new mesh grille, leather seats and an even more powerful 280 horsepower Hemi engine. The biggest new feature that the 1956 New Yorker introduced was an under-dash 16 2/3 rpm record player. This feature was dubbed the “Highway Hi-Fi” and was made by CBS electronics for Chrysler.
Fifth Generation New Yorkers
In 1957, Chrysler invested $300 million to reengineer its entire line of vehicles. The results of this redesign meant a complete overhaul of the New Yorker’s look, which many consider to be the best of all of Chrysler’s changes. These new design features included:
- A new, clean, horizontal bar grille
- Upswept rear fenders
- A new wedge profile
- Significant height reduction
- 3 inches on sedans
- 5 inches on hardtops
- The appearance of a longer vehicle
- However, the 1957 New Yorkers were actually more compact than the Fourth Generation New Yorker
The new design of the New Yorker wasn’t only a cosmetic improvement. The new design, along with a new box-rail chassis, wider tracks and a reduced center of gravity, allowed the New Yorker to feature improved handling.
Due to the dramatic changes that were introduced in 1957, the 1958 version of the New Yorker were very similar to the previous model. The main changes to the 1958 version were small changes to its design. Also, the 1958 New Yorker improved the power in its engine in the form of a 345 horsepower V8 hemi. The 1959 New Yorker ushered in the end of the inclusion of hemi-powered New Yorkers as Chrysler attempted to change its image to a more luxurious car.
